Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup

Slow cooker ham bean soup is made with a tasty combination of salty ham, buttery beans, and veggies slow-cooked in a savory, seasoned chicken broth. It’s loaded with protein and fiber, so it’s filling, satisfying, and delicious!

There is nothing complicated about crockpot ham bean soup, and that’s part of what makes it so awesome. It’s a slow-cooked soup, which means the flavors have plenty of time to develop, and although there are a few extra steps like searing the ham steak first and soaking dried beans, you can definitely take some short cuts if desired.

It’s a great recipe to keep in mind after the holidays if you plan to use up leftover ham. And if you’ve ever had my crockpot split pea soup or slow cooker cheesy ham potato soup, you’ll know how much flavor ham adds to any soup.

Serve everyone a cozy bowl with a slice of crusty bread or rosemary olive oil bread for dipping, and enjoy!

Helpful Tools

• Slow Cooker
• Veggie Chopper
• Ladle

Ingredients

• Beans: Dried Great Northern beans soaked overnight in a large bowl of water. Then rinse them well. You can sub navy beans, as well.
• Ham: Use either a ham steak that you can sear and dice afterwards or leftover diced ham.
• Aromatics and seasoning: Finely chopped white onion, minced garlic, dried thyme, dried parsley, smoked paprika, bay leaf, and black pepper.
• Vegetables: Peeled and diced carrots and celery.
• Chicken broth: I have a great homemade chicken stock recipe I keep on hand during soup season that I recommend for best flavor. However, you can use store-bought broth too.
• Water: More liquid for the broth.

How to make Slow Cooker Ham Bean Soup

1. Step 1: Sear both sides of the ham steak for 2-3 minutes per side, and then dice it up into bite-sized pieces.
   
2. Step 2: Add the ham and the beans to the basin of the slow cooker. Then, toss in the aromatics and seasonings.

3. Step 3: Pour in the chicken broth and water. Stir everything to combine.

4. Step 4: Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. If you want to skip the soaking altogether, just rinse the beans and cook the soup for 10 hours on low heat until the beans are tender.
   
5. Step 5: Ladle the soup into bowls, garnished with fresh parsley, and serve with a piece of crusty bread.

Storage & Reheating

How to store leftovers

Keep this soup stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezing Instructions

Because there is no dairy and no potatoes (unless you add them), this is a soup that freezes and thaws wonderfully. Keep it frozen for up to 2 months, then thaw it in the fridge overnight.

Reheating Instructions

The easiest way to reheat a single serving is to use the microwave. However, if it’s more than a bowl, the stove makes the most sense. Reheat the soup in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Need more soup recipes? Try these:

Crockpot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup

Slow Cooker Dill Pickle Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Click here to view my entire collection of soup recipes.

5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

Created by Melissa Williams

Servings: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 8 hours hrs

Soak Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time: 8 hours hrs

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Slow cooker ham bean soup is made with a tasty combination of salty ham, buttery beans, and veggies slow-cooked in a savory, seasoned chicken broth. It's loaded with protein and fiber, so it's filling, satisfying, and delicious!

Video

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound dried Great Northern beans
• ▢ 1.5 pound ham steak or 2 cups diced ham
• ▢ 1 medium white onion finely chopped
• ▢ 1 cup carrots peeled and diced
• ▢ 1 cup celery stalks diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 2 cups water

Instructions

• Soak the beans overnight in a large pot of water, then rinse and add to a 6 quart slow cooker.
  1 pound dried Great Northern beans
• Alternatively, if you didn't soak overnight, you can boil the beans for 1-2 minutes, remove from heat, and let sit for an hour. Drain and rinse and add to the slow cooker.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sear both sides of the ham steak for 2-3 minutes per side.
  1.5 pound ham steak
• Dice the ham steak into bite sized pieces and add to the beans in the slow cooker.
• Add the chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, dried thyme, dried parsley, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
  1 medium white onion, 1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery stalks, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 bay leaf
• Pour in the chicken broth and water. Stir to combine.
  4 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water
• Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or on HIGH for 4-6 hours, until the beans are tender.
• Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Notes

• Dried beans can be soaked overnight then rinsed and added to the crockpot.
• For a faster approach, the beans can be boiled for 1-2 minutes and left to sit for an hour, then rinsed and added to the crockpot.
• If you prefer a longer cook time (8-10 hours), you can skip the soaking altogether and just rinse and add the beans directly to the crockpot.
• If you’d rather use canned beans, three 15 ounce cans of Great Northern or cannellini beans can be used.
• Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or all water can be used (to equal 6 cups).
• Searing the ham steak is optional, but adds good flavor.
• Smoked sausage, bacon, or leftover holiday ham can also be used in place of the ham steak.
• Add chopped potatoes, spinach, or kale for some greens and variety.
• If you prefer a thicker soup, mash some of the beans against the side of the crock pot before serving. You can also add a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of  water in the last 30 minutes of cooking.
• Add a splash of apple cider vinegar or a pinch of red pepper flakes for a tangy or spicy kick.

Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.

⭐️ Final Step! Please let me know how you liked this recipe by leaving a review and rating below. Your feedback supports my small business and allows me to continue providing free, high quality recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 425kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 2110mg | Potassium: 1570mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4063IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 164mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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