Simple Ham and Bean Soup Crock Pot recipe is a hearty and filling meal! Start with dried white beans and leftover ham hocks, and slow cook up a delicious white bean soup!
Ham and Bean Soup
A rich pot of ham and bean soup on the stove has always been a favorite food memory. Making this homemade soup in the slow cooker makes it easy to manage no matter how busy you are!
I love simple slow cooker meals that give my family a healthy meal without taking up my whole day to prepare.
My white bean soup recipe is a delicious combination of basic flavors.
Using what are common pantry staples, you can easily create a hearty and flavor packed meal that everyone at the dinner table will love.
If you love soups like we do, check out my Easy Taco Soup, Keto Chicken Soup, Leftover Turkey Soup, or this delicious Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Shopping Ingredients For Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
In addition to the beans, you’ll need the following:
- Ham hocks – this is the cut from the bottom half of the pork leg. You will find these cured and smoked, which adds a lot of flavor to this soup.
- Dried white beans – cannellini or great northern beans cook up nice and tender in a slow cooker. See below for substitutions if you want to try a different flavor profile.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – be sure that you use low sodium. Ham hocks have plenty of salt when cured. Add salt to your preference after cooking if needed. Better yet, use your Instant Pot Bone Broth.
- Vegetables; celery, carrots, onion
- Seasonings; Garlic, thyme, salt and pepper to taste if needed.
Steps For Slow Cooked Ham and Bean Soup
The best part about slow cooking is that all you need to do is add the ingredients to a Crock Pot, turn it on and hours later you have a home cooked meal.
What Beans do I Use in Ham and Bean Soup in a Crock Pot?
For this recipe, you will use dry beans. I use the white cannellini or great northern beans. These are a very smooth and delicious bean that pairs beautifully with ham.
If you wish, you can easily try this same recipe substituting in pinto beans or black beans in place of the white beans.
These are also delicious dry beans that make a great rich soup packed with protein and flavor.
What Ham Should I Use in Bean Soup?
I like using smoked ham hocks since they are so readily available at the meat counter in my grocery store.
They are also very easy to add to the soup but remove before serving if you prefer just the beans in the final version.
You can also use leftover ham bone from a holiday ham glaze recipe if that is more convenient. The flavor comes from the bone marrow and the bits of ham left after served at a family meal.
If neither of these are available, you can also achieve this flavor with any country ham or ham steak cut into cubes and added in with the beans.
I have in the past, even used cubed thick bacon pieces to impart a richness to the soup.
What Toppings Go with Ham and Bean Soup Recipe?
This recipe is one that is absolutely perfect straight out of the slow cooker with nothing added. It is also delicious with a few toppings added. Below are some of my favorite additions to a bean soup that add flavor, richness, or even texture.
- Serve with any of your favorite shredded or sliced cheese. Cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, and provolone are all great additions to this soup.
- Diced onions or green onions are ideal on top of the soup.
- Extra cubed ham or even crumbled bacon.
- Cornbread, tortilla strips, tortilla chips, or crackers are all great for texture and crunch.
- A dollop of sour cream or nonfat plain Greek yogurt adds extra creaminess.
- Salsa, hot salsa, or verde sauce are all additions that add extra heat.
Can This Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup be a Freezer Meal?
Since this recipe uses dry beans that slow cook all day, it is one recipe that canāt fully be meal prepped as a freezer meal.
You can, however, add all of the vegetables and seasonings into a freezer bag and have it ready to simply dump in with the broth and dry beans when ready.
If you want to prepare this soup and freeze leftovers for later meals, that is a great idea.
To do so, you will want to put into freezer soup containers in individual portions. I usually place 2 cups of soup per container, and allow for ½ā-1ā of space at the top of the container to allow for expansion of the liquid when freezing.
This is good for 4 months in the freezer before use. Make sure you label and date any freezer meals so you know what is frozen and how long you have to use it.
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Ham and Bean Soup Crock Pot
Rich and delicious ham and bean soup slow cooked for six hours. This is a perfect way to use up holiday ham hocks.
Ingredients
- 2 meaty ham hocks (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
- 1 pound dried white beans(great northern or cannellini)
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 quart water
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 small carrots, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 12 sprigs thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Notes
The original recipe called for all chicken broth for the liquid, but we thought it was too salty, even with using low-sodium. It may vary, depending on the brand you use, so season to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 119mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
Adapted from White Bean & Ham Soup.
This recipe was first shared April, 2014. It has since been updated with more content and updated photos, September, 2020.
PIN TO YOUR SLOW COOKER, CROCK POT BOARDS
Lynette King
Do you pre soak the beans or put them in dry?
Sandra Shaffer
No pre-soaking is necessary. I put them in dry. Hope you enjoy this dish!
Susan
I don’t have a crock pot. Can I use a stove top pot?
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Susan, Yes, you can make this on the stovetop. You’ll want to bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about an hour (or until beans are tender).
John
Soaked them but didnāt boil. 5-6 hours on high.
Amazing.
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, John! Glad you enjoyed this ham and bean soup recipe!
Judith
I have navy dry beans in my fridge can I use them?
Sandra Shaffer
Yes! Any dried beans that you like with ham will work beautifully!
Wendy
Just thought you should know this recipe is still showing 3 “heads” of garlic instead of 3 “cloves.”
Sandra Shaffer
Thank you for letting me know, Wendy! I corrected the recipe to “garlic cloves” not, heads! Phew that would be a lot of garlic š
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life
Looks like a great soup for a chilly afternoon! Pinning!
Sandra Shaffer
Thank you, Michelle! This gives us a couple of meals. I love taking leftovers of this soup for my lunch!
carmel martin
This is how I make my beans all the time minus carrots & celery. We love it.
Sandra Shaffer
It’s such a hearty meal and so good! Thank you for stopping by!
Lizanne
Does this really use three heads of garlic or three cloves
Sandra Shaffer
Oh goodness, no not three heads! I corrected that to read three cloves. Thanks for asking!!
Katerina
When my father sold his first business my mom told him that if he didn’t find a new occupation really soon, she would have leaved our house. He was driving her crazy haha! So, he started a new job and they lived happily ever after! Congratulations to your husband for closing successfully a cycle, but I am sure he will be bored really soon and start thinking his next steps. Nothing is more comforting and inviting than a delicious soup like this one!
Sandra Shaffer
Haha! Thanks, Katerina! My parents are now both retired and they told me how it really has taken awhile to get used to being in each other’s space! I really can’t imagine my husband retiring for real š
Liz
This looks like a delicious meal, Sandra! And I have a leftover ham in the freezer from Easter š
PS. Congrats to your husband!
Sandra Shaffer
Thank you, Liz! That’s exactly what we used, leftover ham!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
We have a bean dish at least a couple times a month. Your husband’s bean soup looks deliciousā¦tell him, great job.
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Karen! I’ll tell him he gets a thumbs up!
Choc Chip Uru
Your crock pot looks so full of goodness, I am a big fan of all the vegetables in it š
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Sandra Shaffer
The veggies are the best š
Norma Chang
That soup sure looks hearty. It is winter-like in NY today and a bowl of your husband soup would be very comforting.
Beautiful soup tureen.
Sandra Shaffer
I think I could eat soup all year long, but it is especially nice to have during chilly days!