Split Pea Soup
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Cozy up with a bowl of homemade split pea soup, rich with smoky bacon and ham—this soup is a hearty meal unto itself.
Split pea soup is a classic American soup made from split peas and a pork-rich broth. While traditional recipes call for a smoked ham bone, locating one in modern-day supermarkets can be quite the treasure hunt. This recipe, modestly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, has a genius workaround: simmering a few slices of thick-cut bacon and a ham steak in the broth to make the soup smoky and extra meaty.
This is one of my favorite soup recipes—it’s simple, brimming with flavor, and hearty enough to serve as a meal. I love garnishing it with crunchy croutons from a fresh baguette, but it’s equally delicious with crusty artisan bread or cornbread.
Table of Contents
“I made it exactly as written and it is the best split pea and ham soup that I have ever made in my life.”
What You’ll Need To Make Split Pea Soup
- Onion and Garlic: These aromatics form the flavor backbone of the soup.
- Chicken Broth: The liquid base of the soup, the broth contributes a savory depth, complementing the natural sweetness of the peas and vegetables. Using low-sodium is necessary to mitigate the saltiness of the pork.
- Water: Added to adjust the soup’s consistency without diluting its flavors.
- Ham Steak: Infuses the soup with a rich, smoky flavor and also adds a hearty, meaty component.
- Bacon: Flavors the broth with a deep, smoky richness.
- Green Split Peas: The star of the soup, green split peas break down during cooking, thickening the soup naturally and providing a creamy texture without the need for dairy.
- Thyme and Bay Leaves: These herbs add a layer of aromatic complexity to the soup
- Carrots and Celery: These vegetables add sweetness, color, and a hint of bitterness, creating a balanced flavor profile.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by sorting through the split peas to remove any rocks or debris.
Rinse the split peas and let drain.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not brown.
Add the broth, water, ham steak, bacon, peas, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves.
Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to keep the peas from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender but not falling apart, about 45 minutes.
Remove the ham steak and place it on a plate; cover with foil and set aside.
Stir in the carrots and celery and continue to simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender and the peas have almost completely broken down, about 30 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, shred the ham steak into small bite-size pieces with two forks. Cover with foil again.
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and bacon slices. Add the shredded ham to the soup.
Return to a simmer. Add a few grinds of pepper, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (depending on the saltiness of the ham and bacon you used, you may need an additional 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt).
How To Make Croutons
Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups of cubed good-quality French or Italian bread.
Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and toasted, 3 to 5 minutes, then let cool.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the fresh croutons. The soup will thicken as it sits on the stove; thin it with water and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Split peas are peas that have been hulled, dried, and split. They’re available in both green and yellow varieties. Green split peas are a bit sweeter and most commonly used in split pea soup recipes. The yellow variety are are milder in flavor and often used to make Indian dal recipes. Split peas are similar to lentils in that they are both part of the legume family and they don’t need to be soaked prior to cooking.
Split pea soup naturally thickens as the peas break down during cooking and also as it sits, especially if refrigerated. If it’s too thick for your liking, you can easily thin it by adding a bit of chicken or vegetable broth, or even water, until you reach your desired consistency. Remember to adjust the seasonings if needed after adding more liquid.
Yes, the soup can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated.The flavors will actually improve as it sits.
Absolutely! Split pea soup freezes beautifully. Once cooled, transfer the soup to airtight containers, leaving about an inch of space at the top to allow for expansion. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove, stirring occasionally.
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Split Pea Soup
Cozy up with a bowl of homemade split pea soup, rich with smoky bacon and ham—this soup is a hearty meal unto itself.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 pound ham steak, skin removed, cut into quarters (see note)
- 3 slices (4 oz) thick-cut bacon, left whole (see note)
- 1 pound green split peas (about 2 cups), picked through and rinsed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 medium carrots, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 medium celery rib, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh croutons, for serving (optional; see instructions below)
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not brown.
- Add the broth, water, ham steak, bacon, peas, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to keep the peas from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the peas are tender but not falling apart, about 45 minutes.
- Remove the ham steak and place it on a plate; cover with foil and set aside. Stir in the carrots and celery and continue to simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender and the peas have almost completely broken down, about 30 minutes longer.
- Meanwhile, shred the ham steak into small bite-size pieces with two forks. Cover with foil again.
- Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and bacon slices. Add the shredded ham to the soup and return to a simmer. Add a few grinds of pepper, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (depending on the saltiness of the ham and bacon you used, you may need an additional ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt). Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh croutons, if using. (The soup will thicken as it sits on the stove; thin it with water and adjust seasoning as necessary.)
- Note: A ham steak is a thick slice of cooked ham cut from a whole ham roast. They can be found packaged in the refrigerated meat section of the supermarket, near the bacon.
- Note: Regular sliced bacon can be used, but the thinner slices are a little harder to remove from the soup.
- To Make Fresh Croutons: Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cups of cubed good-quality French or Italian bread and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and toasted, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. The soup will thicken once cool, so thin with water and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 431
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 34 g
- Sodium: 1,686 mg
- Cholesterol: 57 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Love your recipes and would like to try this one but we don’t eat ham/pork. Would you recommend chicken thighs or beef as a substitution? Thanks.
Hi, You could definitely try this without the pork, although it won’t have as much flavor. One option would be to add smoked turkey drumsticks. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Smoked turkey drumsticks would be a very tasty alternative to the pork. My housemate made a split pea recipe with them a month ago or so and it was very tasty. Thanks for your recipe Jenn. I’m going to make it today or tomorrow. A pkg of ham hocks called out to me last week at the store. Your recipe sounds really good.
Jenn,
Many recipes call for ham, bacon, or prosciutto to add depth of flavor–is there a vegetarian alternative?
Thanks!
Kt
Hi Kathryn, You can try this without the pork, but it won’t have nearly as much flavor (and you’ll definitely need more salt). Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Love this recipe. I’d like to share my own with you, it’s kind of the “lazy” version!
Pea soup, but really, it’s vegetable soup with a pea base!
In a soup pot, add a bag of dried peas, an onion cut up in chunks, a handful of peeled carrots, cut up stalk of celery or dried celery flakes. and whatever other veggies you have on hand (or not). I like to add a cut up potato for some heartiness. Add water to cover everything, plus some as the soup will thicken as it cooks. I add the seasonings, a tablespoon of salt (or more or less to taste), ground black pepper, about a teaspoon+ of dried basil (I use my hand to measure), 1/4 teaspoon each of marjoram and thyme. I usually add a heaping teaspoon of ham base (“Better than Bouillon”) if you don’t have ham, but this is optional (or throw in a piece of bacon?)
Simmer until all veggies are soft, including peas, and then remove from heat and let cool – or else you will have a mess when you blend it.
Ladle into a blender or food processor (in batches, don’t make it too full) and puree’. Pour into a large bowl or plastic containers. You may need to add water. I usually add water to my bowl or cup as I prepare it to eat, because I like a thinner consistency.
This may sound more complicated than it actually is. Since everything is getting puree’d you don’t need to worry about chopping up the veggies very much, just throw them in the pot. This is really a healthy soup. And before serving, add the chopped ham if you have it, and the delicious garlicky croutons.
Let me know how it turns out if you make it. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your version, Jackie!
I live in the Midwest, so it’s pretty easy for me to find smoked ham bones. What would you recommend for making it with them?
Hi Hannah, You can omit the bacon and ham steak and just simmer the ham bone with the soup. I would remove it at the end and shred the meat, and then add the meat back to the soup. Please LMK how it turns out!
I will definitely! Funny, I was just looking last week to see if you had a split pea soup recipe. Thank you for making one!!
You can also use a meaty smoked ham hock. Readily available in the supermarket. Or any smoked turkey parts also readily available in the market.
I used a smoked pork hock. Worked great! The price of a bone in ham these days 😩
Your recipes are our go to recipes!! Any chance there’s a way to make this without pork? My husband is allergic to beef and pork. If not, I think I’m going to have to make this for me and the kids…sorry hubby;)
Hi Mindy, You could definitely try this without the pork, although it won’t have nearly as much flavor (and you’ll definitely need more salt). Another option would be to add smoked turkey drumsticks.
I use a smoked turkey thigh or turkey leg when making a bean and barley soup. The thighs are especially meaty. I think it would be a good substitute in this soup as well.
P.S. A dash of liquid smoke works great too during these hard times.
Looking forward to giving this one a try. If you can’t find ham bones, GOYA has a ham bouillon that comes in packets. I use it for all kinds of things to give that hammy flavor. I put it in boiling pasta water, soups, potatoes.