Classic Split Pea Soup

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
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Updated on 02/1/24
Classic split pea soup recipe

The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 2 hrs 45 mins
Total: 3 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 8 servings

Split pea soup is classic comfort food. This version is a basic combination of green split peas, ham, vegetables, and seasonings. 

This basic pea soup is cooked on the stovetop, but with just a few alterations, it may be cooked in the slow cooker. 

If you like a smooth pea soup, reserve the diced ham and blend all or part of the soup in batches* when it's done. Add the ham and heat through.

Top this soup off with a little finely chopped ham, crumbled bacon, or crunchy croutons.

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound dry green split peas

  • 2 quarts water, or low- or no-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

  • 1 meaty ham bone

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 1 large dried bay leaf

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

  • 1 dash freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 cup chopped celery

  • 1 cup chopped carrot

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • Bacon, cooked and crumbled, or finely chopped ham, for garnish

Steps to Make It

Note: There are two great methods you can use to create this delicious split pea soup: using the stovetop or the slow cooker.

Stovetop Method

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for classic split pea

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cover dried peas with 2 quarts of water or broth.

    Peas in Dutch oven

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  3. Bring the peas to a boil; boil gently for 2 minutes.

    Bring peas to boil

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  4. Set aside to soak for 1 hour.

    Set aside to soak

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  5. Add ham bone to the peas, along with chopped onion, bay leaf, garlic powder, marjoram, thyme, and pepper, and bring the soup to a boil.

    Add hambones

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  6. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

    Stir

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  7. Remove meat from the ham bone. If desired, put a little finely chopped ham aside for garnish. Dice the meat and return to pea soup with chopped celery and carrot.

    Remove from heat

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  8. Simmer the pea soup gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Simmer pea soup

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  9. Taste and add salt, as needed. Remove the bay leaf.

    Taste and add salt

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  10. If desired, top servings with reserved finely chopped ham or crumbled cooked bacon.

    Top with chopped ham

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

Slow Cooker Method

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for split pe soup

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  2. When using this method, you can omit the soaking time. Instead, rinse the split peas and reduce the liquid (water or broth) to 1 quart.

    Peas

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  3. Combine the ingredients (except salt and garnish) in the slow cooker.

    Combine ingredients in slowcooker

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the peas are tender. Or cook on high for about 4 to 5 hours. If cooking on high, it might be necessary to add more liquid.

    Cook on low

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  5. Remove the meat from the ham bone and chop.

    Remove meat from hambone

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  6. Return the chopped meat to the soup. Taste and season with salt, as needed.

    Return meat to soup

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

  7. Garnish servings with some reserved diced ham or cooked crumbled bacon.

    Classic split pea soup

    The Spruce Eats / Zorica Lakonic

Use Caution When Blending Hot Ingredients

Steam expands quickly in a blender and can cause ingredients to splatter everywhere or cause burns. To prevent this, fill the blender only one-third of the way up, vent the top, and cover with a folded kitchen towel while blending.