Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup is the perfect comfort food for a cold day. This great recipe is richly flavored with a ham bone and beans. It’s an easy dinner that takes less than 10 minutes of hands-on time.
You can’t go wrong with a slow cooker soup on a frosty winter day. Just pop everything in the crock pot and walk away… and get ready for some amazing smells to fill the house! This delicious soup simmers on low heat all day and the results are just amazing!!!
Whether you’re making Slow Cooker Lentil Soup with Chipotle, Slow Cooker Cauliflower Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, or this new crock pot ham soup, you won’t regret it.
For my fellow ham-lovers, this easy recipe is steeped with sweet, smoky flavor straight from the ham bone. It’s a great way to use up leftover holiday glazed ham.The meat gets perfectly tender as it cooks so you have succulent pieces of ham in every bite.
This soup is also surprisingly healthy, with bits of carrots, celery, onion, and beans. It’s such a filing and hearty soup, perfect with a slice of crusty bread to finish off the meal.
Plus… it’s budget-friendly! We’re using dried beans, but there’s no soaking necessary since they’re going to slow cook all day.
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Ingredients needed
- Meaty Ham Bone – You can purchase a ham hock if you don’t have a leftover ham bone. See notes below ⤵.
- Bone broth (made in the slow cooker) – Or low-sodium chicken broth
- Dried Great Northern Beans
- Carrot & Celery
- Onion & Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
- Bay Leaf
- Fresh Parsley
Ham for bean soup
I used the bone from my leftover glazed ham. However, if you don’t have a ham bone, you can purchase a ham hock or ham shank, which will give the soup a smokier flavor. Or, you can also use leftover chopped ham in this recipe.
How to make it
This soup is ultra-simple to make! You will be done in no time.
- Put everything in the Crockpot. Add broth, beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaf to a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add the ham bone and submerge in broth.
- Cook. Cover and cook on HIGH until beans are tender, 6-8 hours.
- Finish the soup. Discard bay leaf. Remove ham bone and let sit until cool enough to handle. Once cool, dice any ham meat and stir it back into the soup.
- Season and serve. Season soup with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.
Recipe variations
- Use leftover ham: If you have extra ham hanging around in the fridge, you can chop it and cook it in the soup instead of using a leftover ham bone. To get the extra ham flavor, you can cook the soup with a ham hock or ham shank instead of a ham bone.
- Use different beans: Try swapping in another variety of dry beans like pinto beans, navy beans or white beans.
- Use canned beans: If you don’t have dried beans, you can use canned beans instead. Cannellini beans and black beans work well.
- Add kale or spinach: If you would like, add kale or spinach 20-30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
- Make your soup creamier: At the end of the cooking time, you can smash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker insert to create a creamier soup. Or, use an immersion blender to puree the soup a bit.
FAQs
If you would like a thicker soup, simply crush some of the beans with a wooden spoon and stir them into the soup. This will give it a thicker, creamier texture.
A meaty ham bone, or ham hock, will give your bean soup an amazing flavor. At the end of cooking, be sure to season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. I also like to add in some fresh parsley, to add a bright freshness to the soup.
How to store and reheat
- You can store the leftover soup in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or the freezer for up to 3 months. It’s even better the next day! Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
What to serve with it
- This ham bean soup is hearty and filling all on its own, but you can serve it with a simple arugula salad and bread, cornbread or homemade crostini for a full meal. For MORE, check out these 30+ EASY sides for soup!
Wine pairings
- A Chardonnay or Riesling would compliment the sweet and salty flavors of the ham.
- For red wine, a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir would make great pairings for this recipe.
- MORE → the 10 BEST wine pairings for ham.
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Full Recipe
Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups bone broth (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- 1 pound dried Great Northern beans (rinsed)
- 3 large carrots (cut into 1/2-inch dice)
- 2 stalks celery (cut into 1/2-inch dice)
- 1 small yellow onion (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large meaty ham bone (about 4 pounds)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Fresh parsley (minced to garnish)
Instructions
- Add broth, beans, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaf to a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add the ham bone and submerge in broth. Cover and cook on HIGH until beans are tender, 6-8 hours.
- Discard bay leaf. Remove ham bone and let sit until cool enough to handle. Once cool, dice any ham meat and stir it back into the soup.
- Season soup with additional salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Add kale or spinach: If you would like, add kale or spinach 20-30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
- For creamier soup: At the end of the cooking time, you can smash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker insert to create a creamier soup.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2021. It was updated in 2025 to add new information. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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