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! It’s also a great way to use leftover ham.

I love to use my slow cooker to make soup recipes . Some of our favorites include chicken tortilla soup and chicken tortellini soup . 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!

Slow cooker ham and bean soup made with vegetables, dried beans and diced ham. - 1

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 from the holidays.

Try this soup with baguette slices, cheesy pull apart bread or homemade dinner rolls !

  • Slow Cooker Ham And Bean Soup Ingredients
  • How Do You Make Ham And Bean Soup?
  • Tips For The Perfect Soup
  • Quick Tip
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Flavor Variations
  • More Soup Recipes
  • Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup Video
  • Love This Recipe?
  • Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

Slow Cooker Ham And Bean Soup Ingredients

To make this ham and bean soup recipe, you will need a bag of dried bean soup mix, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, fresh thyme, a bay leaf, ham, chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, salt, black pepper and fresh parsley. See the recipe card below for amounts and details.

  • Ham: For this soup recipe you need diced ham. You can use leftover ham after a holiday meal or dice a ham steak. You can also find packages of refrigerated diced ham at your local grocery store. I wouldn’t use canned diced ham for this recipe.
  • Bean Soup Mix: Bean soup mix usually contains a mixture of several types of dried beans like white beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, peas and pinto beans. Often these mixes will have between 13 and 16 types of beans.
  • Thyme: I like to use fresh thyme for this recipe. It has a nice flavor and color. If you use dried thyme, make sure to only use 1 teaspoon.
A mixture of dried beans in a crock pot. - 2

How Do You Make Ham And Bean Soup?

When you make slow cooker ham and bean soup, first rinse the beans and set aside the bean seasoning packet for later use. Place the beans, vegetables, ham, thyme, bay leaf and chicken broth in a slow cooker. Cook until the beans are tender, then stir in the tomatoes, seasoning packet and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy.

Dried beans, carrots, onions and celery in the slow cooker. - 3

Tips For The Perfect 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.
  • Look for a bag of beans that is labeled bean soup mix . It typically contains a variety of beans, as well as a seasoning packet. If your beans don’t come with a seasoning packet, just omit that step of the recipe and it will still work well!
  • Serve your soup with honey cornbread or garlic knots for a complete meal.
  • 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.
  • Try adding a ham hock or leftover ham bone or ham shank for even more flavor!
  • Make this recipe to enjoy your leftover holiday ham from Christmas or Easter! Looking for more great ways to use leftover ham? Check out my comprehensive list of leftover ham recipes !

Quick Tip

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 freezer bags, then freeze for up to 2 months.

Vegetables, pork, herbs and garlic in the slow cooker. - 4

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.

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 !

In my opinion, many soups taste better cooked in a slow cooker. The flavors of the components meld together to create a greater depth of flavor in a slow cooker for many soups. In particular, ham and bean soup is fantastic in a slow cooker!

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A bowl of ham and bean soup made with dried beans, ham and vegetables, then topped with fresh parsley. - 5

Flavor Variations

While this hearty soup is delicious as-is, you can easily customize the flavors to suit your taste.

  • Protein: Swap out the ham meat for smoked turkey, diced chicken or cooked beef stew meat.
  • Beans: While I like all the different flavors and textures of a bean variety mix, you can also use a single type of dried bean. Some great options include cannellini beans, great northern beans, navy beans, pinto beans, white beans, red beans or even chickpeas.
  • Spicy: For a soup with some kick, try adding a little cayenne pepper, chili powder or a little Dijon mustard.
  • Vegetables: Feel free to add other veggies such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spinach, mushrooms or green beans.

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!

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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup Video

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Ingredients1x2x3x

  • ▢ 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 6 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.

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Nutrition

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! - 11 A slow cooker full of ham and bean soup made with vegetables, dried beans and diced ham. - 12

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

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 6 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.

Video

Notes

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

Nutrition