All I’ve been craving lately is a big, warm bowl of soup! Lucky for me, this easy Split Pea Soup recipe hits the spot! It has lots of veggies, and the added ham gives it sooo much flavor! It’s thick, filling, and like most soup recipes, it makes a big batch. Perfect to freeze any leftovers for later! Trust me, I’ll definitely be keeping this soup in rotation this season!
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“Wow, I’m blown away by this recipe. I’m surprised there aren’t more reviews! The peas and potatoes are creamy, the carrots are bright and sweet, and the celery and onions add an extra dimension of flavor. The smoked ham lends an extra savory richness to this soup: I highly recommend you go the extra mile to find one if you can.”
GrACE
Hearty Ham and Split Pea Soup
Split peas are just like they sound, peas that have been dried and split in half. They’re part of the legume family and are often found in both green and yellow varieties. Both can be used to make this easy, comforting split pea soup. I personally use green split peas for this recipe. I usually find split peas in the dry bean aisle, next to bags of other types of dry beans.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- No need to soak your split peas! Split peas cook quickly without any pre-soaking, and because they’re already split open, they break down well to thicken soups. I like to give the split peas just a quick rinse when I take them out of the package, but other than that, you can add the peas directly to your pot (without soaking) with the rest of your ingredients.
- Can’t find smoked ham hock? You can use smoked bacon (about 6 oz. chopped and browned in the pot before adding the onion, carrots, and celery), leftover baked ham, or ham steak! Just note the smoky ham flavor likely won’t be as bold if you swap out the ham hock. Season to taste with salt at the end.
- Want to make this recipe vegetarian or vegan? See our vegan split pea soup to see how it can be done! We also have a delicious Instant Pot split pea soup recipe to try that’s meat free.
Split Pea Soup
Cost $9.51 recipe / $1.58 serving
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.44)
- 1 yellow onion (diced, $0.70)
- 3 ribs celery (diced, $0.30)
- 3 carrots (diced, $0.46)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced, $0.16)
- 1 lb. green split peas (dry & uncooked, $2.28)
- 1 smoked ham hock ($3.65)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.10)
- 6 cups chicken broth ($1.02*)
- 1 russet potato (peeled & diced, $0.75)
Video
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, diced onion, diced celery, and diced carrots. Sauté for about 4 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Stir in the minced garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the split peas, ham hock, bay leaf, and chicken broth to the pot and gently stir.
- Add a lid and bring the pot to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour. Give the soup a stir periodically and flip the ham hock over once or twice, while the soup is simmering, so that it gets even exposure to the hot liquid.
- After 1 hour the peas should have completely broken down almost to a mush. If they are still retaining their shape, continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Next remove the ham hock from the pot and set it aside to cool. Add the diced potato to the soup and stir to combine. Continue to simmer for about 12 more minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- While the potatoes are simmering, and once the ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred into small pieces.
- Add the ham meat back to the pot with the soup and gently stir to combine.
- Feel free to season the soup with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Enjoy with crackers, homemade croutons, or crusty bread!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How To Make Split Pea Soup Step-By-Step Photos
Sauté the veggies: Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add 1 diced yellow onion, 3 diced ribs of celery, and 3 diced carrots, and sauté for about 4 minutes (or until the veggies soften). Add 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 30 seconds more.
Make the soup: Pour 1 lb. split peas into the pot with the sautéed veggies. Now add the smoked ham hock, 1 bay leaf, and 6 cups of chicken broth. Gently stir to combine.
Simmer: Cover the pot with a lid and bring everything to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low once boiling and simmer for 1 hour. Occasionally stir the soup as it simmers, flipping the ham hock over once or twice, so both sides are exposed to the hot liquid.
After 1 hour, the split peas should have completely broken down into a mushy texture. If they’re still retaining their shape, let it simmer for a further 10 minutes before checking again.
Once the split peas have broken down into the soup, remove the ham hock and set it aside. Add 1 peeled and diced russet potato and stir to combine. Let the potatoes cook in the soup for 12 more minutes until tender.
Shred the ham: Meanwhile, once the ham hock is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone and shred it into small pieces.
Add the shredded ham meat to the soup and combine.
Season and serve: Season the soup with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Time to enjoy a warm, satisfying bowl of split pea soup with some homemade croutons, crackers, or crusty bread! Yum!
Serving Suggestions
I can’t get enough of this split pea and ham soup, especially when it’s topped with homemade croutons. Crumbled saltine or ranch oyster crackers are also no-fuss soup toppers. Add a slice of sourdough or soda bread for dunking, and this soup suddenly feels a whole lot more filling.
Storage & Reheating
This easy split pea soup stores very well in the fridge or freezer. You can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If you don’t think you can eat all 6 servings in about 4 days, then freeze the rest in freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Reheat it in the microwave or back on the stovetop until heated through.
More Easy Soup Recipes
Our Split Pea Soup recipe was originally published 9/13/2010. We have updated it to be the best it can be and republished 10/17/25.
I was half-way through cooking when I realized I’d thrown in green lentils instead of split peas. Whoops! Oh well. I just ran with it. Instead of the ham hock, I used homemade chicken broth seasoned with an herb bullion that has nutritional yeast. I sprinkled on some Italian mix shredded cheese. I don’t know what this soup is supposed to taste like, but mine is delightful! 10/10 for versatility!
Very good! Nice, hearty, straight forward recipe. I did 2 ham hocks because they didn’t have much meat and added a cup or so of more water while the potatoes were cooking because it was a bit too thick. Picky husband approved :)
I had to save this one. It’s perfection. Thanks so much. I followed recipe to the T. Loved it!
I adapted this recipe for the instant pot using your other recipe as reference and it turned out well.
Delicious as written! I don’t use ham hocks often so I had a couple in my freezer already. Definitely salt to taste when it’s done. I just served with crackers on top.
I’m not a fan of ham. Can I omit and continue following the recipe?
It will definitely affect the flavor a lot. You can try adding more smoked paprika and maybe a little coconut oil to replace the fattiness that the ham ads, and you may need to increase the salt some.
Can’t wait to make it, but I can’t use ham because of the salt content, so I use a smoked Turkey leg, still tasted so good. Thank you for this recipe.
This recipe is a winner, as long as one realizes that it is flexible enough to accommodate substitutions. Although perfect as written, I rarely have a ham hock–or can even find one at my local supermarket–so usually sub a ham bone from my freezer, a ham steak, or chopped bacon. A vegetarian version based on this recipe is deliciously satisfying and usually the way I make this soup, although without cured meats, it will need more salt.
I’ve made at least a dozen of your recipes and this one is another winner! I skipped the celery and bay leaf since I didn’t have any, subbed the hock for leftover thanksgiving ham, and added some mustard and red pepper flakes to add more kick. Served with sesame sticks as croutons. Great comfort food for a Sunday in February!
I have never been a big fan of split pea soup until I started using half yellow split peas and half green split peas. The mix makes a great soup!
I can’t wait to try this! I never thought about using yellow split peas or ever heard of them.
Hello my friend — like everyone else in all the land, we’re “staying home and staying safe” up here in the Mitten. So doing an inventory of what we still have after 4 weeks of not shopping….I’ve got just about everything in the house for split pea soup…except no dried peas. Lots of frozen peas for some reason though. So have you any tips for this gal for whom cooking brings NO joy (but a nice hot bowl of soup sounds just dandy?!) Your thoughts (and recipes!) are appreciated!! — Peace, D #BeWellStayWell
Do you make this with your ham hock still frozen? If so, do you know if I could make this with a ham bone, frozen, unthawed?
I’d recommend thawing it at least some before cooking. If you cook with it frozen it will take longer to cook and you may not get all the flavor and meat from it.
This is a classic very delicious split pea soup. This is the first time I’ve ever used ham hocks. I didn’t get any meat out of them but the flavor they created was so so so good. And honestly I don’t actually like eating ham so this actually worked really well for me! I know weird. Still another winner from Beth and budget bytes. Haven’t disliked anything I’ve ever tried from her!
Thanks for sharing Nicole!
Wow, I’m blown away by this recipe. I’m surprised there aren’t more reviews! The peas and potatoes are creamy, the carrots are bright and sweet, and the celery and onions add an extra dimension of flavor. The smoked ham lends an extra savory richness to this soup: I highly recommend you go the extra mile to find one if you can.
What can you substitute for the hamhock if you don’t want to eat pork?
Sometimes I add smoked paprika to mimmic the smoky flavor, and then also add a little coconut oil to give the effect of the saturated fat given off by the ham.