• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • About
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Dinner at the Zoo

  • All Recipes
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Dessert
  • One Pot Meals
  • Slow Cooker
  • Asian Food

Home » Slow Cooker » Ham and Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)

Published: September 30, 2019 Last Modified: September 30, 2019 By Sara 47 Comments

Ham and Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Ham and Bean Soup Recipe | Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup | Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup | Leftover Ham Recipe #ham #beans #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #dinner #dinneratthezoo

This slow cooker ham and bean soup is made with a mixture of dried beans, vegetables, tomatoes and diced ham, all cooked together for a hearty and flavorful meal. An easy crock pot dinner that’s perfect for a cold night!

I love to use my slow cooker to make soup, chicken tortilla soup and chicken tortellini soup are some of my favorites. This ham and bean soup takes just minutes to put together, then you can come home later in the day to dinner ready and waiting for you!

Ham and Bean Soup Recipe | Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup | Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup | Leftover Ham Recipe #ham #beans #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #dinner #dinneratthezoo Ham and Bean Soup Recipe | Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup | Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup | Leftover Ham Recipe #ham #beans #soup #slowcooker #crockpot #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A slow cooker full of ham and bean soup made with vegetables, dried beans and diced ham.

It’s soup weather, which means we’re having soup at least once a week. My kids love it, it’s easy to make and so many soups are a complete meal in one pot. This slow cooker ham and bean soup is on regular rotation at my house, and it’s also a great way to use up leftover ham.

How do you make ham and bean soup?

This recipe starts with a bag of dried beans. I use a bag of bean soup mix which comes with a bunch of different varieties of beans and peas mixed together. You can also use a bag of white beans if you prefer. The beans go into the crock pot, along with some veggies, diced ham and seasonings. The soup cooks for at least 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. At this point, more seasonings get added to the soup, then let it simmer for another 20 minutes before eating. Add a sprinkle of parsley and enjoy!

A mixture of dried beans in a crock pot.

Do you have to soak beans?

Many recipes call for soaking dried beans in water overnight.  This can help your beans cook faster, but we’re using a slow cooker here so we’re not really concerned about speeding up the cooking process. In addition, in order to soak your beans, you need to plan way in advance so that the beans can soak for hours. For this recipe, just give your beans a quick rinse in a colander and pour them into the crock pot.

How do you make bean soup with a ham bone?

I didn’t include a ham bone in this recipe simply because I often don’t have one on hand to make this soup. If you’re looking for a recipe that utilizes a ham bone, check out my delicious ham bone soup!

Dried beans, carrots, onions and celery in the slow cooker.

Tips for ham and bean soup

  • This recipe calls for carrots, onion and celery to be cooked in with the beans. The veggies will get quite soft from the extended cooking time. If you prefer firmer vegetables, you can add them in halfway through the cooking time, or cut your vegetables into larger pieces so that they don’t cook as quickly.
  • I add a few sprigs of fresh thyme to this soup, the leaves fall off the branches as the soup cooks and then you can just extract the twigs before serving. If you don’t have fresh thyme, dried will also work nicely.
  • Ham and bean soup is a great candidate for the freezer, and this recipe makes a large batch, so freeze some for another night! Place your soup into airtight containers or freeze bags, then freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw the soup in the fridge, then warm over low heat on the stove.
  • I like to serve my soup with cornbread or baguette for a complete meal.

Beans, vegetables, ham, herbs and garlic in the slow cooker.

Ham and bean soup is so hearty and full of great flavors. I love the combination of beans here, all of the different colors and textures make this soup something special. Whether you’re looking to use up leftover ham or simply searching for a family friendly crock pot soup, this recipe is sure to be a hit!

A bowl of ham and bean soup made with dried beans, ham and vegetables, then topped with fresh parsley.

More fabulous soup recipes

  • Mexican Chicken Soup
  • 50 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes
  • Stuffed Pepper Soup
  • Cabbage Roll Soup
  • Hamburger Soup

Ham and Bean Soup Video


A slow cooker full of ham and bean soup made with vegetables, dried beans and diced ham.
Print Pin
5 from 24 votes

Ham and Bean Soup (Slow Cooker)

This slow cooker ham and bean soup is made with a mixture of dried beans, vegetables, tomatoes and diced ham, all cooked together for a hearty and flavorful meal. An easy crock pot dinner that's perfect for a cold night!
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 465kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 20 ounce bag dried bean soup mix
  • 3/4 cup onion finely diced
  • 3 carrots peeled, halved and sliced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups diced ham
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Rinse the beans thoroughly; set aside the seasoning packet for later use
  • Place the beans, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, ham and chicken broth in a slow cooker.
  • Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours, or until beans are done
  • Stir in the tomatoes, seasoning packet, and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes
  • Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 788mg | Potassium: 1849mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5260IU | Vitamin C: 15.3mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 8.3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @DinnerAtTheZoo or tag #dinneratthezoo!

This post was originally published on December 19, 2018 and was updated on September 30, 2019 with new content.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Dinner, Slow Cooker, Soup

FREE TOOLKIT: 5 Secrets to Meal Planning

Learn my 5 Meal Planning Secrets & get my Meal Planning Toolkit...FREE!

    ​
    ​

    Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

    « Loaded Corn Casserole
    M&M Cookies »

    Comments

    1. Craig says

      April 5, 2021 at 9:43 am

      Can’t wait to try but I have one question. Is there no need to soak the beans overnight? Receive states to just rinse them and add to crock pot directly out of the bag.

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 5, 2021 at 7:31 pm

        You do not need to soak the beans!

        Reply
    2. Julie Blake says

      March 4, 2021 at 1:51 pm

      I am going to use your recipe this evening in readiness to eat tomorrow. This lasts us a couple of days and it really gets better the longer its left. I find this soup breaks down a little thickening the broth, even after cooking the first day. Your pictures show a lovely thin broth – any suggestions. Oh, I can’t wait! Walmart sells a pack of ham bone ends – already cooked and cut up – perfect for making soup without the fuss of a bone.

      Reply
    3. Tammy says

      December 5, 2020 at 3:08 pm

      Hi,

      I hope you get this today. I didn’t pay attention and added the tomatoes in with everything else, will this mess the soup up? I’m really looking forward to eating this.

      Thanks!
      Tammy

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 5, 2020 at 9:31 pm

        It should be fine, the acid in the tomatoes can make it take longer for the beans to soften!

        Reply
    4. Jen says

      December 1, 2020 at 8:39 pm

      5 stars
      So glad to have found this amazing recipe! Used my left over Thanksgiving ham and it was yummy!

      Reply
    5. Marilyn Schmid says

      October 23, 2020 at 5:34 pm

      5 stars
      This soup is outstanding! I found the 15 Bean Soup at Kroger in the dried beans aisle. I only put half the enclosed seasoning packet in with the tomatoes 20 minutes before serving. I hope this isn’t TMI but taking 2 Beano tablets before eating worked really well!

      Reply
    6. Marla says

      September 21, 2020 at 5:02 pm

      5 stars
      This dish turned out sooo good! Tasty and healthy, easy to make! The leftovers were just as good.

      Reply
    7. KATHARINE says

      June 2, 2020 at 2:22 pm

      I HAVE A PAKAGE OF 9 BEANS TO MAKE THIS WITH, BUT NO SEASONING PACKET WITH IT. SUGGESTIONS?
      THANKS

      Reply
      • Sara says

        June 2, 2020 at 10:53 pm

        That’s not a problem, just add salt and pepper to taste, along with 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder. If you have smoked paprika on hand, add 1/4 teaspoon of that too!

        Reply
        • GARY JONES says

          November 27, 2022 at 3:52 pm

          Add salt later in recipe. Salt causes beans to be mushy when added at beginning…!

          Reply
    8. Martha G. says

      April 18, 2020 at 11:02 am

      5 stars
      I’m making another favorite recipe from you. My ham and multi dry bean soup is in the crock pot now for the past 4 hrs. It is starting to smell good in my house. I followed the recipe exactly and was fortunate to find a meaty hambone in the freezer that I defrosted last night. I do use low sodium chicken broth because the ham gives plenty of smokey salted flavor. One trick that I have learned when making bean soup with the dry beans is to hold off on adding the tomatoes until the beans are thoroughly cooked. Something about the acid in the tomatoes stops the beans from cooking…I think. It also gives a fresher tomato flavor to the soup when added at the end. So looking forward to enjoying this colorful soup later today on this chilly and damp PA April Saturday. Thanks again for a simply classic recipe!

      Reply
    9. Dakota says

      January 21, 2020 at 5:00 pm

      Found the recipe last night and made it today. Still cooking, but the house smells fabulous and the soup looks delicious.
      Still has another hour to cook and to add the tomatoes. Took a taste Yummy, Thank you for another fabulous recipe.

      Reply
      • S L C. says

        March 3, 2020 at 4:06 pm

        5 stars
        Made this soup today. Only changes I made was to omit the thyme (personal preference) and used great northern beans only no mix (could not find a bean soup mix.) Tastes wonderful. My husband of 42 years and I both agree best soup I ever made.

        Reply
    10. Diane Jobson says

      January 18, 2020 at 5:07 pm

      I soaked my navy beans overbite!! I did everything
      Right! The flavor is delicious. The beans are semi hard🤪
      This has me ever happened to me before. Any ideas?
      Devastated Diane

      Reply
      • Sara says

        January 19, 2020 at 8:07 pm

        Did you use just navy beans or the bean soup mix that the recipe calls for?

        Reply
      • June says

        January 22, 2020 at 9:13 am

        You could boil your beans after rinsing them for 1 hour 2 quarts of chicken or beef broth & then put all straight in crock pot. Or you could use water an drain beans then add to crock pot. This will begin and shorten the softening process.

        Reply
      • me says

        April 17, 2020 at 6:48 am

        Add 1/4 tsp of baking soda per pound of beans to soften the beans when cooking . Beans that are too old or when the water is too hard will never cook soft without this simple solution.

        Reply
    11. David Frederick Baldner says

      January 17, 2020 at 7:48 am

      5 stars
      Snow coming tonight into tomorrow (Saturday) so it looks like a great soup-day. Rolling with this recipe with the bag of 15 beans (I don’t use the flavor packet – way too much sodium) soaking overnight and then our CHRISTmas ham bone in our 6 quart crock pot with the veggies. I like to use dried herbs from the garden for flavor: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme; as well as fresh garlic and ground black pepper. Always tasty.
      Thanks for the recipe!!

      Reply
      • David Frederick Baldner says

        January 23, 2020 at 6:31 am

        5 stars
        Just following up on my first comment – this dish turned out absolutely wonderful. There wasn’t much meat left on the bone, so I added some sliced ham, as well as a few diced potatoes about an hour before it was all finished. Nine hours total, but well worth the wait; everyone loved it!

        Reply
    12. Chrissie Baker says

      October 6, 2019 at 9:14 am

      5 stars
      That is one delicious looking soup. Just perfect with the kind of weather we have been having. Soooo good!!!

      Reply
    13. Catalina says

      October 6, 2019 at 1:04 am

      5 stars
      The perfect winter soup with a lot of tasty ingredients!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More

    Winter Soups

    Chicken vegetable soup full of chicken, veggies and potatoes in tomato broth.

    Chicken Vegetable Soup

    A group of slow cooker soup recipes like beef stew, white chicken chili and ham and bean soup.

    20 Slow Cooker Soup Recipes

    A pot of turkey noodle soup with vegetables, garnished with parsley.

    Turkey Noodle Soup

    A bowl of pasta e fagioli soup with colorful veggies, ditalini pasta, two types of beans and ground beef.

    Pasta e Fagioli Soup

    A bowl of crock pot chicken noodle soup with carrots, garnished with parsley.

    Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

    A bowl of matzo ball soup with chicken, garnished with parsley.

    Matzo Ball Soup

    More Posts from this Category

    Featured Recipes

    This recipe for chicken ranch tacos is grilled chicken with bacon, homemade ranch sauce, cheese and fresh vegetables, all stuffed inside warm flour tortillas. A family friendly meal that's simple to make and fun to eat!

    Chicken Ranch Tacos

    Pineapple chicken stir fry in a skillet, topped with sauce, sesame seeds and green onions.

    Pineapple Chicken

    This orange shrimp and broccoli with garlic sesame fried rice is the perfect quick and easy meal for a busy weeknight or for entertaining guests. Ad

    Orange Shrimp and Broccoli

    Hamburger steak topped with mushroom gravy and chopped parsley.

    Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Gravy

    FREE TOOLKIT: 5 Secrets to Meal Planning

    Learn my 5 Meal Planning Secrets & get my Meal Planning Toolkit...FREE!

      ​
      ​

      Categories

      Sites I am featured In
      PRIVACY POLICY ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT © Sara Welch and Dinner at the Zoo® LLC, 2015-2022.
      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
      • RSS
      • Twitter
      • About Me
      • Contact Me
      • All Recipes
      • Dinner
      • Appetizers
      • Dessert
      • One Pot Meals
      • Slow Cooker
      • Asian Food