This slow cooker ham bone soup is loaded with beans and veggies, it’s the absolute best way to use up leftover ham!
What are you making for Christmas this year? I’ve decided to make Cioppino, which is a crab and seafood stew, as well as a ham. Normally I’d just do one main course but 2/3 of my kids are not into seafood! One of my favorite ways to use up leftover ham is this hearty slow cooker ham bone soup. Putting the ham bone in the soup adds SO much flavor and really makes this recipe something special.
How to make ham bone soup
The crock pot does all the work for this soup! You’ll need a bag of mixed dried beans, some basic veggies like carrots and onions and of course your ham. I remove the meat from the bone and cube it to stir into the soup, then place the bone in the slow cooker to simmer away with the rest of the ingredients. I use a 15 bean soup, it comes with the dried beans and a little flavoring packet.
You don’t need to soak your beans for this soup, but you will need to rinse them. You may wonder why all the seasonings get added at the end of the cooking time. Salt can affect beans while they’re cooking by making them tough, which is why the seasoning goes in after the beans are already cooked.
The great thing about this ham bone soup is that you don’t necessarily need to make it the day after Christmas. I often just cut up some ham and freeze it, then freeze the ham bone in a separate bag and make this soup later on in the winter. Don’t have a ham bone? Check your grocery store meat counter for ham hocks, they’re very inexpensive and they make the perfect substitute for a holiday ham bone.
What’s your favorite way to use up holiday leftovers? I’ve got plenty of ideas with my 40 Leftover Ham Recipes and 40 Leftover Turkey Recipes posts!
More slow cooker favorites
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili
- Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken
Ham Bone Soup (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 3 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
- 1 ham bone
- 1 20 ounce bag dried bean soup mix
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 cups diced ham
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the beans thoroughly; set aside the seasoning packet for later use.
- Place the onion, carrot, ham bone, beans, chicken broth, thyme and garlic in a slow cooker.
- Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours, or until beans are done.
- Remove the ham bone from the slow cooker. Stir in the diced ham, tomatoes, seasoning packet and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from Spend With Pennies.
- If you don't have a ham bone, you can make this soup using 2 ham hocks instead, they're carried at most grocery stores.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 18, 2016 and was updated December 6, 2017 with a new and improved recipe.
Deb says
Will substituting some of the chicken broth with ham stock (leftover juice from cooking ham) make the soup too salty?
Sara says
I think it would be fine, but you may want to use water instead of the rest of the chicken broth just to be sure.
Jenae says
Hi! This looks delicious¡ I plan on making it this weekend. I do have one question though. Do you think this recipe will fit into my 5 quart slow cooker or should I cook it on the stovetop?
Sara says
I typically make it in a 6 quart slow cooker and it comes about 2/3 of the way up the pot. So I think the 5 quart would be ok, you could slightly decrease the volume of the recipe if you’re not sure. If you choose to make a smaller batch you can adjust the ingredient amounts automatically by changing the number of servings in the recipe card. Hope this helps!
Sharon says
I cant believe this…even the very hard to please grandson thanked me two times for this soup.!.. your amazing!
Sara says
So happy to hear that, thank you for reporting back!!
Harriett says
How to make this in oven instead of slow cooket
Sara says
You could simmer this soup on the stove top, covered over low heat for about 2 hours or until the beans have softened!
Barbara Fozard says
I’ve made this sort of soup previously, but it’s been awhile, so I looked up recipes. I got in a hurry and put the diced ham in at the same time as the ham bone! I wonder if that will make the ham too mushy? Or what WILL happen? Anyway, can hardly wait to eat it tonight. It’s cold – even here in Texas (42•F) tonight!
Sara says
I think it should most likely be fine, I hope you enjoy it!
Shandy says
My dried beans did not come with a seasoning packet so wondering what I can substitute and add to the soup.
Sara says
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!
MiMi says
The beans do not need to be soaked first? I am a little hesitant to trust that they will be done, since I have actually soaked beans overnight before and cooked them and they were still hard, which ruined what I was making. Haven’t made anything with dried beans since. And I am hesitant to make this with canned beans, I think they will turn to mush if they cook too long in the slow cooker…. HELP!!!
Sara says
If you want to soak them, you can. It’s not going to hurt anything to soak the beans! I’ve made this recipe multiple times and never had any issues. If you do choose to soak the beans, you may need to reduce the cook time. You can substitute canned beans, just stir them in during the last 20-30 minutes so they won’t get mushy. Hope that helps!
Lisa says
Delicious! If you don’t have a ham bone, I recommend a smoked turkey drumstick. I just peel and discard the skin, then let the drumstick simmer all day. Pull it out shortly before serving time so it can cool enough for handling. Break up the meat and put it back in the soup. No need to add ham as there’s plenty of meat on the drumstick. This is how I’ve made split pea soup for years and it’s my kids most requested meal! It’s every bit as tasty as ham.
Sara says
Yum, I definitely want to try it with turkey!
Erin | white plate blank slate says
If it weren’t 95 degrees outside, I’d make this today! I usually make split pea soup with my ham bones but will give this a shot once the weather turns cooler.
DARLENE L HUTCHINS says
What’s your recipe for split pea soup
Stacy says
I found you by doing a search on what to serve with my ham bone soup … I started reading through your post and all I can say is you had me at Cioppino! :: smile :: I could happily eat cioppino and garlic bread and nothing else everyday for the rest of my life!
Looking forward to following you and getting more recipes. Oh and btw, what DO you serve with or garnish your ham bone soup?
Sara says
So glad you’re enjoying the site!! I like to serve my ham bone soup with cornbread or a loaf of french bread. I typically just garnish with fresh herbs! A green salad on the side is always nice too!
Karen says
This is pretty much exactly how I make my bean soup, and always have. Sometimes I substitute spicy V8 for some of the broth, and it gives it a greater depth of flavor. It’s not really spicy, just adds flavor. Also, being single, it’s not really feasible to buy even a half ham. I’m fortunate that a local grocery store packages up ham ends that they trim off, which are nice thick pieces, and they sell it for about $6.00. Add a ham hock and it’s an inexpensive meal. I always have plenty to freeze for later.
ELAINE says
I always rinse my beans, too. And I love how you point it out that you can make this soup later after Christmas by just freezing the ham. Awesome idea!
Deanna says
This would be perfect today!!! Perfect winter meal YUM!
Beth says
Yum! I haven’t made a ham soup in eons! I love it! This version with all that variety of beans looks wonderful! I’ll have to give it a try! It’s making me hungry!!
Meredith Kauffman says
Slow cooker soups are such a wonderful winter staple. And this ham bone soup looks delicious!
Annie @ Annie's Noms says
This looks absolutely glorious! We always have leftover ham after Christmas and I must admit I make the same few things year in, year out and it’s getting kind of old! I’m printing this recipe so we can try something new this year!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I love ham bone soup and yours looks spectacular! Merry Christmas Sara – I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your beautiful daughters and the rest of your family.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I am always looking for left-over ham soup recipes. Love this one!!
cheri says
Hi Sara, love soup and this is a fantastic new version for me as I always make split pea with the ham bone. Looks delicious!
Sam says
Looking forward to making this with our Christmas ham leftovers.