This Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup is dried split peas, ham, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic cooked in chicken broth with a bay leaf and thyme until it turns thick and hearty. It makes 10 servings, so there is plenty for leftovers.
As the Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup cooks, the peas break down into a thick, smooth base, the ham turns tender, and the carrots and celery soften into the broth. The kitchen smells like dinner long before you sit down, and the finished soup is somewhere between a hearty broth and a stew.
It is also one of the most beginner-friendly slow cooker recipes in this collection. Spend a few minutes chopping the vegetables, combine everything in a 6-quart slow cooker, put the lid on, and come back to a full pot of soup. There are two ways to go: on low for 8–10 hours for a long, all-day simmer, or on high for 4–6 hours when you have an afternoon but not a full day. The notes below cover both methods, the optional overnight soak, and how to thicken the soup at the end.
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Reader Love
Loved it! I like it a tad thicker, so will probably omit the 1C water and just stick to the broth, Used chunks of ham cut off the bone. My ham bone wouldn’t fit the slow cooker by about 1/2″! Frustrating! Cut the veg in 1/4″ dice, and totally melted into the soup. Will keep this recipe forever. Thank you so much for sharing!!!
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Hands-off cooking. Combine all of the ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker, put the lid on, and walk away. There is no stirring or checking on it along the way.
- Feeds 10. This recipe makes a big batch, which means it is built for meal prep, feeding the family over several nights, or stocking the freezer for later.
- Two cook time options. Set it on high for 4–6 hours when you need it ready in the afternoon, or on low for 8–10 hours for a longer, all-day simmer. Soaking the peas overnight is optional either way.
- You control the consistency. After cooking, blend part or all of the soup with an immersion blender for a thicker result, or cook uncovered for the last hour to let it reduce. Use either one, or both.
- Adaptable from the start. The base recipe is simple and takes well to substitutions: swap the broth, change the protein, or add extra vegetables without breaking anything.
- Stores and freezes well. The soup keeps in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and freezes in portioned containers for up to 3 months.
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make this recipe
This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Soup:
High Instructions: Rinse the peas and drain them well (soaking them overnight first is optional). Combine all of the soup ingredients excluding parsley in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, until the peas are soft and starting to break down. If desired, to thicken more, after 4 hours of cooking on high, cook the soup with the lid off for an additional 1 hour.
Low Instructions: Rinse peas and drain well. Combine all soup ingredients excluding parsley in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until the peas are soft and starting to break down.
If you have extra time, you can continue to cook longer to further soften the ingredients and for the flavors to further develop. It really just comes down to how much time you have. Personally, I cook mine covered on high for 4 hours and then uncovered for about another 1 hour.
- Final Steps, Garnish, and Serve: Discard the bay leaf. If you used a ham bone, remove it, pull off any meat, chop it, and stir it back into the soup. Then, if you’d like a thicker consistency, carefully blend the soup using an immersion blender until the desired consistency is reached. Stir in the parsley, then carefully taste test and add salt and pepper based on your taste preferences.
👉 Easy ingredient swaps
- Split peas → Lentils work as a substitute and do not need soaking. They cook faster than split peas, so start checking the texture earlier in the cook time.
- Chicken broth → Vegetable broth swaps in cleanly and keeps the soup just as hearty.
- Ham → Leftover turkey, smoked sausage, or bacon are all solid options. If using bacon, cook it first and drain most of the fat before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Carrots → Parsnips or rutabaga are good stand-ins if that is what you have on hand.
- Dried thyme → Sage or rosemary both work. Use the same amount of dried herb, or three times the amount if swapping in fresh.
- Yellow onion → Red, white, or brown onion all do the job without meaningfully changing the flavor.
✨ Variations
- For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth and leave out the ham. To build back the savory depth the meat usually contributes, stir in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke and your preferred vegan sausage before cooking.
- Add diced smoked sausage or bacon alongside the ham for an extra layer of savory, meaty flavor throughout the pot.
- Stir in red pepper flakes or diced jalapeños if you want some heat in every bowl.
- Add chunks of potato, turnip, or squash before cooking for a heartier, even thicker soup. They hold up well through the long slow cooker cook.
- Swap thyme for rosemary, sage, or dill to shift the herb profile in a different direction and change how the finished bowl tastes.
〰️ How to serve
- Serve it with bread, like Honey Butter Skillet Cornbread or Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread.
- Top each bowl with the fresh parsley called for in the recipe, a sprinkle of grated cheese, a few croutons, or a spoonful of sour cream.
- Pair with a simple side salad if you want something lighter alongside the soup.
- Serve over or alongside cooked rice, quinoa, or barley to stretch the pot further across the week.
💬 FAQs
Do I need to soak the split peas before cooking?
No, soaking is optional. Either way, rinse the peas and drain them well. If you are cooking on high for 4–6 hours and have time the night before, an overnight soak in water helps the peas soften a little faster; drain and rinse them before adding everything to the slow cooker. On low for 8–10 hours, the long cook softens them on its own. If you have extra time on the low setting, you can keep the soup going past 10 hours; the peas and vegetables will only soften further and the flavors will keep developing.
How do I make the soup thicker?
Two options work well here. First, after the main cook time, remove the lid and let the soup cook uncovered for an additional hour. This lets some of the liquid evaporate and thickens the pot. Second, use an immersion blender: discard the bay leaf, then blend part or all of the soup until you reach the consistency you are after. Some cooks prefer it fully smooth; others like to leave it chunky. You can also reduce the amount of water you add from the start if you consistently prefer a denser result.
How should I store and reheat this soup?
Transfer the soup to an airtight container and refrigerate it within 2 hours of cooking, then use it within 3 to 4 days. To reheat, heat it in the microwave, stirring every minute or so until it is heated through, or heat it on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Split pea soup thickens considerably in the fridge, so stir in a splash of water or broth to loosen it as it heats. To freeze, portion the cooled soup into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or heat gently from frozen in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Can I make this soup vegetarian?
Yes. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and leave out the ham. To add the savory depth that the meat usually brings, stir in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke and your preferred vegan sausage before cooking. The long slow cooker cook gives the flavors plenty of time to come together.
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Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried split peas, or 20 ounces for a thicker soup; see Note below
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water, 1 ½ cups if using 20 ounces of split peas; see Note below
- 2 cups cubed ham, store-bought or leftover or 1 meaty ham bone
- 3 carrots, peeled then diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- salt, to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme
Optional Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Equipment
Instructions
Prepare Soup:
- High Instructions:Rinse peas and drain well (soaking them overnight first is optional). Combine all soup ingredients excluding parsley in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours, until the peas are soft and starting to break down. If desired, to thicken more, after 4 hours of cooking on high, cook with the lid off for an additional 1 hour.(Personally, I cook mine covered on high for 4 hours and then uncovered for about another 1 hour.)
- Low Instructions:Rinse peas and drain well. Combine all soup ingredients excluding parsley in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, until the peas are soft and starting to break down.(If you have extra time, you can continue to cook longer to further soften the ingredients and for the flavors to further develop. It really just comes down to how much time you have.)
- Final Steps, Garnish, and Serve: Discard bay leaf. If you used a ham bone, remove it, pull off any meat, chop it, and stir it back into the soup. If you’d like a thicker consistency, carefully blend soup using an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Stir in parsley, then carefully taste test and add salt and pepper based on taste preferences.
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