Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
68 CommentsUpdated May 22, 2026
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Creamy, smooth, and easy to make, this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with ham is a classic recipe you must try in the slow cooker.
Recipe Highlights
- My perfect recipe for crockpot split pea soup is heaven in a bowl. My version is thick and dreamy!
- This soup has a quick prep time and long cooking time – perfect for work days
- A one pot meal and the slow cooker does all the work
Key Ingredients
- Dried Split Peas – A bag of dried split peas
- Vegetables – Diced carrots, onions, and celery make the perfect base.
- Ham – Diced ham can be freshly bought or you can use leftover ham.
- Dried Herbs – Dried thyme, fresh rosemary, and a bay leaf go great with split peas.
- Chicken Broth – This will flavor the soup well over vegetable broth
- Seasonings – Minced garlic, salt, and black pepper ensure the taste of this soup is well-balanced.
How to Make Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
- Load every soup ingredient into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low until the peas soften and everything melds together.
- Stir the soup to thicken, and it’s ready to serve up hot.
Sarah’s Tips & Variations
Split peas do not need to be soaked before cooking. The slow cooker will cook them up perfectly.
Yellow Split Peas can be used in place of the green – they work just the same.
Ham type swap: You can use a ham bone or ham hock instead of diced ham! I always do this if I can find them in the store (can also use leftover slow cooker spiral ham bone).
Too Thick? Once the lid is open, split pea soup will continue to thicken. Just add a splash of broth or water and stir to thin out.
Freezer meal: This is one of my favorite freezer meals! Just add the uncooked ingredients to a bag (except the water). Then thaw, and cook when ready.
Vegetarian: Just omit the ham and use vegetable broth.
Best Ways to Serve Split Pea Soup
- Toppings: Keep it plain or add shredded cheese, extra sauteed ham, sour cream and freshly ground pepper. For crunchy toppings, top with saltine crackers or croutons.
- Sides: Cornbread is hands down the BEST side for pea soup. This can be found pre-made in a tray in the bakery section if you are short on time.
Featured Comment
This came out oh-sooo-good, thank you!!
– monica
Very simple and quick to prepare, and super flavorful. I’ve added this to my favorite recipes. 🙂
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup Recipe
How to Video
Ingredients
- 16 oz. dried green split peas, sorted and rinsed (about 2 ¼ cups) DO NOT SOAK
- 2 cups cubed ham
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 rosemary sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Add the split peas, ham, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, chicken broth and water.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours, or on LOW for 8-9 hours.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste (you may not need salt at all, depending how salty your ham is).
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Can I use Hurst’s Hambeens Spilt Pea Soup Mix in this recipe?
- Yes, though Hurst’s Spilt Pea mix package size is 20 ounces compared to the 16 ounces of split peas that I use in this recipe. Add 1 more cup of water if you use Hurst’s Split Pea Mix.
- Omit the chicken bouillon if you use the included ham seasoning packet. Be sure to wait until the end of the cooking time to add the ham seasoning packet.
More slow cooker soup recipes like this one:
Warm up with Slow Cooker Split Pea Stew, Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana, or classic Ham and Beans for hearty comfort any night of the week.
Craving cozy flavors? Let Slow Cooker French Onion Soup or creamy Ham and Potato Soup do the simmering while you relax. My Black Eyed Peas Recipe is perfect over cornbread, a must try.
Spice things up with Mexican Chicken Rice Soup or keep it smoky with Black Bean and Kielbasa Soup for an easy weeknight win.
Do i have to use thyme?
No, you can leave it out or use oregano instead.
I have a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and they have a recipe which uses 1/4 teaspoon of dried marjoram. You can try that or use a bay leaf instead. Or you can use both marjoram and a bay leaf.
Marjoram FTW. I would use it instead.
This recipe is amazing! I add only one ingredient (1 teaspoon of crush red pepper flakes) because I like it a little spicy.
THANK YOU for providing a recipe that doesn’t call for pre-sauteeing anything before leaving the Pot to do is job while I go to mine! I see that part of a recipe and my eyes glaze over before I turn the page or hit the Back arrow I do plan to butter the sides of the Pot and put the onions up against the sides so they get a little browned, but that’s where I draw the line. I know this will be delicious because pea soup is one of my winter go-to easy dinners, and there’s something magical that cooked legumes do, even with minimal seasonings…
Can I cook on high in slow cooker for 5 hours?
I’m curious about this too! I only have 4 settings on my slow cooker and I’m not sure what would be best – low (4 or 6 hours) or high (8 or 10 hours)
Choose low for 10 hours. If you ever have a recipe that doesn’t match your settings you have to be home to manually stop your slow cooker.
Yes, that should work fine.
If adding potatoes, will the cook time still be 10 hours?
You can do 8-10 hours and they will cook up fine. Here is my split pea stew recipe that has big chunks of potatoes. https://www.themagicalslowcooker.com/slow-cooker-split-pea-stew/
Best Pea Soup recipe I ever made. DELICIOUS
This is wonderful split pea soup! Everyone I share it loves it! Thank you
Love that you post nutritional facts. I have kidney disease and have to watch sodium and potassium numbers closely. Any help will be appreciated when posting recipes. Hard to follow certain recipes with my problem. God bless have a great day!
I made this for my daughter and me, and it was delicious! Made it exactly as written (except used only half the thyme). Next time I make this I think I will add some celery and a little salt and pepper, but it was great just as written!
I would like to know if I Can use ham broth instead of chicken broth?
Yes! I think that would be even better. I’ve never seen it to buy.