Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

This easy Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup recipe is a big bowl of warm comfort for chilly nights. Made with dry beans and a store-bought ham steak or leftover ham!

The Best Homemade Ham and Bean Soup

If you are looking for an easy homemade ham and bean soup, this version in the slow cooker couldn’t get any easier.

You can use a store bought ham steak or leftover ham/ham bone from the holidays to make this delicious soup. 

It’s a big bowl of comfort food that the whole family will love. This soup slow cooks all day and makes your house smell delicious when you walk in the door at the end of a crazy busy day.

This slow cooker soup is filled with tender white beans, veggies, chunks of salty ham and some fresh herbs to round it all out.

It’s one of those perfect weeknight dinner meals where you toss everything into the slow cooker and then get to forget about it until dinner time!

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup in bowls.

Recipe Ingredients

This is a very quick soup recipe that requires just a handful of key ingredients. 

For starters, let’s discuss the beans. I use dry beans that cook all day long in the slow cooker.

They are very affordable and you can keep them forever in your pantry ready to go whenever you are in a pinch.

There are a few types of beans you can use:

  • Great Northern White Beans
  • Cannellini Beans
  • White Navy Beans
  • Lima Beans

I personally prefer to use great northern white beans. They have a great creamy texture and don’t require soaking.

Just those them in the slow cooker with your ham and broth — and you’re done. #MomWin

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup in a bowl with ham steak.

Next, the most important component of our Ham and Bean Soup — Ham!

If you are craving Ham and Bean Soup and you don’t already have leftover ham laying around, don’t worry!

You can use a delicious Smithfield® Anytime Favorites® Ham Steak, I used the hickory smoked flavor, and still get an amazing ham flavor.

Grabbing a Smithfield Anytime Favorites Ham Steak at the grocery store and having it in the fridge on stand by is a great idea for when you are in a pinch and need an easy family friendly dinner.

Ham and Bean Soup in a white bowl with extra ham.

Smithfield Anytime Favorites are all pre-cooked, making them an incredibly convent option for quick easy meals. 

They are fully ready to eat or are great added to many different types of dishes. For instance, I also love to use this ham steak on the weekends to make casseroles, omelettes or ham benedicts! 

Smithfield Anytime Favorites are available in multiple flavors and cut options, from diced and cubed ham to slices and steaks.

Bonus: They provide a great easy way to add protein to your families meals without a lot of work on your part.

You can find Smithfield Anytime Favorites near the meat section of your local grocery store.

For more product information and recipe inspiration, visit www.Smithfield.com.

Close up image of slow cooker ham and bean soup!

Looking for a Creamy Ham & Bean Soup?

I like this soup with a broth-y feel, however, if you like your Ham & Bean Soup to be creamy, that’s an easy request!

Remove 1 cup of soup (with beans) and puree it in a blender and then return to the soup and stir.

Voila, you have a great Creamy Ham & Bean Soup. Told ya it was easy. ;-) 

Slow Cooker ham and bean soup in a bowl with a spoon.

This Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup is going to be one of your new favorite easy dinner recipes.

Toss everything together into the slow cooker and walk away. Come back at dinner time to find a flavorful, hearty soup for the whole family ready to go. Even your pickiest eaters will like this one!

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean sou pin a white bowl.
4.4 from 49 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 4 large servings

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup Recipe

This easy Slow Cooker Ham & Bean Soup is a big bowl of warm comfort, for those chilly nights, made with dry beans and a store-bought ham steak or leftover ham!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried Great Northern White Beans
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large yellow sweet onion, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
  • 2 8 oz Smithfield Anytime Favorites Boneless Ham Steaks, diced
  • salt and lots of freshly ground back pepper, to taste

Instructions 

  • Rinse and drain beans and place them in the bottom of a large (8-quart) slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients and stir.
  • Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or until the beans are tender.
  • Season to taste as needed with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a hunk of warm bread.

Notes

Recipe Note: If you like a creamier soup, scoop out 1 cup of soup and puree it until smooth in a blender and return it to soup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 263kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 378mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 5g

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This post is sponsored by Smithfield Anytime Favorites. All opinions are, as always, 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that I love!

Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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17 Responses
  1. 100+ Hearty Slow Cooker Soup Recipes That Are The Easiest Dinner for Busy Weeknights - Hike n Dip

    […] Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup By The Novice […]

    1. Enoch Harding

      I believe the herb portions are off. The basic soup is good but the two Tablespoons of minced fresh Rosemary pushes the taste past the “good” point to awful.

  2. jen in pa

    hi! i’m anxious to try this recipe later this week, it looks great! i’m new to cooking with dried beans. i picked up a 1lb pack of great northern beans and it says there are 13 1/4 cup servings in there (at 120 calories each). do you really use the whole bag in the recipe? i just wanted to check, because that would be about 3 servings of beans per each serving of soup.

    thanks!

  3. Jackie Slote

    Made this last night with a ham bone I had frozen in my freezer and the ham steak for actual bites of ham. Was absolutely delicious and my husband took leftovers for lunch today. Can’t wait to make again. 

  4. Cathy

    I don’t have an 8 quart slow cooker. Can I use a 5 quart or 3 quart by halving the ingredients? The soup sounds amazing and I’d really like to try it.

  5. Sara Welch

    What a hearty soup! This is everything a gourmet dish should be, and then some! Excited to have this for dinner tonight!

  6. Susan

    I made this tonight with the ham steaks and a ham bone I had frozen in my freezer. delicious! Served with a big hunk of french bread and it was great. 

  7. Rimmy

    You’re right, it couldn’t get any easier. I will toss everything into this slow cooker ham bean soup after the stressful working day- tonight. Like you cooking as same as meditation method for me.

Welcome!

Jessica
I'm a trial & error, self taught, sugar addict who thankfully learned how to survive in the kitchen! I am also a wife, mama of 3.