Made with leftover ham and canned beans, this easy Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup is a dump-and-go crockpot recipe that’s super easy, but full of incredible flavor. Just add everything to the crockpot, go about your day, and dinner is ready to serve!
We also love to use leftover ham in this ham and potato soup.
Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
Add this crockpot ham and bean soup to your list of super easy slow cooker recipes! The hands-on time needed for this soup is just 5 minutes. It’s literally a matter of dumping everything into the crockpot, turning it on, and coming home to dinner.
This soup is filled with veggies like carrots, celery, and onion, and made with vegetable broth instead of a cream base, so leftovers freezes so well. Serve with a salad and some crusty bread for an easy, satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients Needed
This easy ham and bean soup recipe requires just a handful of ingredients, like leftover ham, a can of beans, and a few spices. A flavorful, easy dinner recipe with minimal prep.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
- Ham bone – You can purchase a ham hock if you don’t have a leftover ham bone. See notes below.
- Ham – Diced into small pieces.
- White cannellini beans – Drained and rinsed. Navy beans and Great Northern Beans can also be used.
- Celery, carrots & onions – The base of the dish that gives the soup texture, flavor, and nutrients.
- Seasonings – Bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes are all you need to flavor this easy crockpot soup.
- Vegetable broth – We prefer vegetable broth in this soup for a richer taste, but chicken broth can be used instead if that’s all you have on hand.
Ham Bone vs Ham Hock
I love to make this slow cooker ham and bean soup using leftover ham – especially my crockpot spiral ham – and the ham bone. Including the ham bone provides the absolute best flavor.
However, if you’re not making this with leftover ham and you still want all that flavor from the bone, you can purchase a ham hock instead. It will provide a little more smoky flavor to the soup, but it’s so delicious either way.
How to Make Ham and Bean Soup in the Crockpot
This is a great slow cooker recipe for beginners because it requires just two simple steps – combine the ingredients and cook.
(Scroll to the bottom for our easy printable recipe with the complete directions.)
- Add to slow cooker. Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Cook. Set the slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Serve. Remove the ham bone. Serve the soup with your favorite crusty bread.
How to Thicken Ham and Bean Soup
With the beans, ham, and all the veggies I think this soup ends up with just the perfect consistency. However, if you like your soup a bit thicker, there are a few easy ways to thicken your ham and white bean soup.
- Use cornstarch. You can combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of broth with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to create a slurry that thickens the soup.
- Blend some of the beans. For a creamier and thicker soup, remove a cup of the beans, blend them, and return them to the soup. The flavor will stay the same, but the soup will be creamier.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite accompaniment to crockpot beans and ham are light and fluffy popovers! Other good options are a slice of Dutch oven bread or cornbread to soak up every last drop of the delicious broth.
And, of course, if you want to do a soup and salad combo, a fresh side salad or caesar salad pairs perfectly.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Storing leftovers. Leftover ham and white bean soup can be stored in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. You can reheat either on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Can you freeze ham and bean soup? Yes! One of the best things about slow cooker ham and bean soup is just how well it freezes. This is a great crockpot recipe to make extras of so that you always have a quick and easy dinner on hand. To freeze, allow the soup to cool completely then transfer to a freezer-safe container. You can freeze in large batches or individual servings. Thaw in the fridge.
- To reheat. The soup will thicken as it sits and chills in the fridge (or thaws, if frozen.) Gently reheat on the stove or microwave. As you heat any leftovers back up, you can add in some water or vegetable broth to thin it out and get it back to soup texture.
More Easy Crockpot Recipes:
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
- Pulled Pork
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ham bone (see note below)
- 4 cups diced ham
- 3 cans (15 ounces each) white cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
- 1 & 1/2 cups diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 medium diced onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients into a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker to low for 6-8 hours.
- Remove the ham bone from the soup.
- Serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Just finished making Bean Soup. Tastes great!!
I made this today. Used diced ham. No ham bone. Was excellent!
Can I use dry beans
Best ham and bean soup ever! Love the kick of hot pepper and the cornstarch suggestion. And blending some of the beans!
So Good and So Easy to Make
If you want this thicker (and a bit richer), just keep the juice from the cans of beans. I used Red Kidney and Black beans. I kept the juice from the Black Beans. SOLID recipe, thank for posting this. Making my life a lot easier.
This was absolutely delicious, easy to make, and made the house smells so good all day