Easy Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup

Easy crockpot ham and bean soup, a hearty meal on cold days. 

Sometime in early January, when the holiday ham bone is still sitting in a zip-lock bag in the freezer and the idea of starting another week feels like a great deal to ask, this is the soup I make.

Easy crockpot ham and bean soup is one of those recipes that has been in my rotation for years, and I could not tell you exactly when it became a cold-weather staple. It just did. The ham hock or ham bone goes in the slow cooker with great northern beans, a handful of vegetables, a couple of bay leaves, and enough low-sodium chicken broth to cover everything. Six or seven hours later, you have a pot of hearty, deeply savory soup that makes the whole house smell like something good is happening. No soaking the beans. No watching the stove. The crockpot does the work while you go about your day.

If you have a leftover holiday ham bone from Christmas or Easter, this is the perfect way to use it. If you do not, two ham hocks from the grocery store work just as well and often give you even more smoky ham flavor. Either way, the result is the same: a rich, hearty soup that tastes like you spent the day on it.

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What You Need for This Ham and Bean Soup

The ingredient list is short and the method is simple. Here is what goes into the pot.

Great northern beans are my first choice for this soup. They hold their shape through the long cook time, absorb the smoky ham flavor beautifully, and give the broth a wonderful creaminess without falling apart entirely. Navy beans are a good substitute if that is what you have — they are smaller and cook up a little softer, which some people prefer. Cannellini beans, or white kidney beans, also work well and give the soup a slightly more velvety texture. Any of the three will get you to a delicious bowl of bean soup.

For the meat, a meaty ham bone from a leftover holiday ham is the gold standard. The bone adds depth to the broth as it cooks, and the ham meat that falls off at the end is tender and full of flavor. If you do not have a ham bone, two ham hocks are the next best thing. You can find them at most grocery stores year-round. I have also made this with thick-cut ham steak cut into chunks on weeks when I wanted a faster path to the same result.

The rest of the soup builds around simple ingredients: carrots, celery, yellow onion, garlic, bay leaves, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and enough low-sodium chicken broth or water to cover everything by an inch or two. Salt and black pepper to taste at the end, once you know how salty the ham is. Fresh parsley stirred in just before serving 

Do the Beans Need to Be Soaked?

No. I have made this soup dozens of times without soaking the beans and the results are just as good. Dry beans go straight into the slow cooker with the other ingredients and by the time the cook time is up, they are tender and have absorbed all that smoky ham flavor from the broth.

If you prefer a quick soak, you certainly can. Pick through the dry beans, rinse them with cool water, then place them in a large pot and cover with enough water to come several inches above the beans. Let them soak overnight or for at least eight hours, then drain and discard the soaking liquid. The quick soak method shortens cook time slightly but is not required. With a slow cooker, patience is the ingredient you have most of, so I skip it.

How to Make Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup

Place the rinsed dry beans in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Nestle the ham bone or ham hocks into the center. Tuck in the bay leaves and fresh thyme. Pour in the low-sodium chicken broth until everything is just covered, about 7 to 8 cups.

Cook on high for 6 to 7 hours, or on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, until the beans are tender and the broth is rich and deep. At the end of the cooking time, remove the ham bone and pull the ham meat from the bone. Discard the bone, the bay leaves, and the thyme sprigs, then add the ham meat back to the pot and stir.

If the soup is thinner than you like, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the beans directly in the pot. Even thirty seconds of blending will thicken the broth considerably without making the soup feel heavy. You can also mash a cup of beans against the side of the pot with a spoon for the same effect.

Taste for salt and black pepper. Stir in a handful of fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread and, if you are feeling generous with yourself, a side of cornbread.

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

The slow cooker is my preferred method because I love the hands-off quality of it, but the Instant Pot version is genuinely good and cuts the time down considerably.

Using the sauté function, cook the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil for three or four minutes until softened. Add the rinsed beans, the ham bone or ham hocks, the bay leaves, fresh thyme, and broth. Seal the lid, set to high pressure, and cook for 40 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release for 15 minutes, then do a quick release for any remaining pressure. Remove the ham bone, pull the meat, discard the aromatics, and return the ham meat to the pot. Use the immersion blender to thicken if needed.

The beans cook up slightly firmer in the Instant Pot, which some people prefer. Either method gives you a rich, savory broth and tender beans that taste like a long, slow cook time even when they did not take one.

A Few Tips Before You Start

This soup is better the next day. The flavors deepen overnight in the refrigerator and the broth thickens beautifully. If you make it ahead, you may need to add a splash of chicken broth or water when you reheat it. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, or freeze for up to three months.

Bean soup mix works here too. Several brands sell a mix of dried beans packaged together, sometimes with a seasoning packet. You can use the bean mix and skip the seasoning packet, which tends to be high in sodium. The variety of beans gives the soup an interesting look and a slightly different texture from using one bean type.

If your ham bone was not very meaty, add a cup of extra chopped ham to the pot along with the pulled meat at the end. You want enough ham meat in every bowl that it feels like a hearty meal, not a thin broth. A spiral ham bone tends to yield more meat than a shank; adjust accordingly.

For a leaner version, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. The soup will lose some of its savory depth but it is still very good, and it makes the recipe work for anyone at the table who does not eat meat, which is a nice thing to be able to say about a ham soup.

Ham and bean soup is one of those recipes that earns a permanent spot in your cold-weather rotation without asking for much in return. If you are building out your soup season repertoire, you will find more than twenty recipes worth making in my easy fall and winter soup roundup. And if you try this one, I would love to know how it went. Do you make ham and bean soup every year, or is this a new one for you? Do you prefer a ham bone or ham hocks? Drop a comment below — I am always curious.

Easy Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup

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A hearty, deeply flavorful slow cooker ham and bean soup made with a leftover ham bone or ham hocks, great northern beans, and simple vegetables. No soaking required. Perfect for a chilly day.

• Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

1 pound great northern beans, rinsed and drained (navy beans or cannellini beans also work)

1 large ham bone or 2 ham hocks

4 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

7 to 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or water, or a combination)

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt and black pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving

Instructions

1. Place the rinsed dry beans in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.

2. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.

3. Nestle the ham bone or ham hocks into the center of the vegetables.

4. Add the bay leaves and fresh thyme sprigs.

5. Pour in the chicken broth until everything is just covered, about 7 to 8 cups.

6. Cook on high for 6 to 7 hours, or on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, until the beans are tender.

7. Remove the ham bone or hocks. Pull the ham meat from the bone and discard the bone, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Return the ham meat to the pot.

8. If the broth is thinner than you like, use an immersion blender to blend a portion of the beans directly in the pot to thicken.

9. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread.

 

Notes

Bean options: Great northern beans are my first choice. Navy beans and cannellini beans (white kidney beans) both work well. A bean soup mix also works — skip the seasoning packet if included.

Ham options: A leftover holiday ham bone adds the best flavor. Two ham hocks are an excellent substitute and widely available at the grocery store. If the bone is not very meaty, add a cup of extra chopped ham at the end.

No soaking required: Dry beans go straight into the slow cooker. If you prefer a quick soak, soak overnight in cool water, drain, and proceed.

Make ahead: This soup is better the next day. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Add a splash of broth when reheating if needed.

Instant Pot method: Sauté vegetables first using the sauté function. Add remaining ingredients and cook on high pressure for 40 minutes. Natural release 15 minutes, then quick release.

• Author: Elizabeth
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 6 hours
• Category: Soup
• Cuisine: American

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