This homemade Split Pea Soup is the perfect cozy soup recipe as we roll into the winter months. This soup is a nutritious blend of split peas, savory ham, and sauteed vegetables, creating the perfect comfort food to warm you from the inside out. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
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Be sure to try some of our other soup favorites like Beef Stew or our Broccoli and Cheese Soup served right in an edible bread bowl. I love a hearty, nutritious, comforting bowl of soup and this Split Pea Soup checks all of the boxes. All you need are some Soft Dinner Rolls to go with this.
Split Pea Soup Video
Watch Natasha make Split Pea Soup. You will be surprised at how easy it is to make, the stove does most of the work. So grab your apron and let’s get cooking!
The Best Split Pea Soup Recipe
Growing up, my mom had the best Split Pea Soup recipe. She called it by its Ukrainian name, Horohoviy Soup. I remember back when I was working as a nurse, on a cold winter day, my husband called my mom for this recipe, and when I came home, he had a warm bowl of homemade Split Pea Soup waiting for me. This isn’t just a bowl of soup, it’s comfort in a bowl.
Split Pea Soup is our favorite way to use leftover Baked Ham from the holidays, but you can make it without a ham bone, adding diced ham or bacon, or keep it vegetarian.
Ingredients for Split Pea Soup
I love making this soup with yellow split peas. I prefer the flavor over green split peas and love the appealing golden color. A green-tinged soup is a hard sell for my kids so this is perfect!
- Water and Chicken Stock – create the base for this hearty soup
- Ham – use diced ham or use your leftover bone from your Baked Ham. After cooking, the tender meat will fall right off the bone, and you can add it back into the soup.
- Split Peas – I prefer dry, golden split peas. They have a sweet flavor profile and are more visually appealing than green split peas (which is helpful, especially when serving kids). No need to soak for hours (or even at all), the peas soften to create a creamy and satisfying texture. You can substitute green split peas.
- Vegetables – potatoes, carrots, celery, yellow onion create the thick, flavorful base
- Flavor/Herbs – garlic, bay leaves, fresh dill or parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper
Variations for Split Pea Soup
- Pork Riblets – You can cook pork riblets in the water with your split peas just like my mom does. Just be sure to skim off any impurities and avoid boiling vigorously. My mom also uses this for Sorrel Soup.
- Bacon – sautee bacon first then spoon it out and cook your veggies in the bacon fat. Use the browned crispy bacon as a topping.
- Bouillon Cubes – Instead of chicken stock, use the chicken or vegetable bouillon equivalent.
- Green Split Peas – if this is your preference or if you aren’t able to find yellow split peas, the green ones will work in a pinch (but don’t tell my Mom – k?)
What are split peas?
Split peas are dried green or yellow peas that have split. Peas have two halves inside of their outer shell that make up the round pea, and during the drying process, they separate. Split peas become very tender during the cooking process creating a smooth texture. They are nutritious and a great addition to soups, stews, salads, and curries.
Do I need to Soak Split Peas Before Using?
I’ve tested soaking the peas overnight in hopes of speeding up the cooking process but I didn’t notice any difference in timing. Just be sure to rinse and pick them over to remove any debris then drain your peas before adding them to the pot.
How to Make Split Pea Soup
- Sauté – Set a large soup pot or 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add ham (or ham hock), and sauté until golden brown then transfer to a plate. Add olive oil and sauté chopped onion and celery until softened.
- Combine– Add stock, water, and rinsed peas. Add the ham back to the pot. Bring to a boil and skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top.
- Flavor and Simmer – Add thyme and bay leaves and season with salt. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes or until peas are almost dissolved. If using a ham hock, remove the bone from the soup, then shred the meat and return it to the pot.
- Simmer Additional Vegetables – Add chopped carrots and potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes or until the veggies are fork-tender.
- Season and Serve – Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Press in the garlic, add dill or parsley, and immediately turn off the heat. Garnish with fresh herbs. Keep in mind it will thicken more as it cools.
Pro Tip:
Add thyme sprigs to the pot whole – no chopping needed. The leaves will fall off the stems, which are easy to remove later. Also, when the peas and ham come to a boil, the foam will rise to the top. Skim off and discard the foam for a cleaner-looking soup.
What to Serve with Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup is a hearty and satisfying meal on its own. We love pairing it with bread such as:
Can I Make Split Pea Soup in a Crockpot?
Add all of your ingredients to your slow cooker, reducing the water by half since not as much water will evaporate as it cooks. Cook on low heat for 7 hours.
Make-Ahead
Split Pea Soup is one of those recipes that’s even better the next day after the flavors meld. Cool your soup to room temperature before storing it.
- To Refrigerate: Store cooled soup in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Use freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty Ziploc bags. Leave some space at the top of the container or bag to allow the soup to expand as it freezes. If using bags, lay the bag flat for easier storage and quick thawing.
- To Reheat: Thaw your soup in the refrigerator overnight. You can cook your thawed soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. If the soup has thickened, add water or broth to thin it out.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
If you love this Split Pea Soup recipe, then you won’t want to miss these hearty soup recipes:
Split Pea Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 cups diced ham or ham hock*, (10 oz)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock, *
- 8 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups yellow dry split peas*, rinsed and picked over (11-12 oz)
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 medium Yukon or red potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half rings
- 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, divided, added to taste
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill or parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Set a large soup pot or 5 1/2 qt Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add ham (or ham hock, and sautee until golden brown). Remove ham to a separate plate.
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté onion and celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add stock, water, and drained peas, and add ham back to the pot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that rises to the top.
- Add thyme and bay leaves and season with 1/2 tsp salt. Reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes or until peas are almost dissolved. If using a ham hock, remove bone from soup then shred the meat and put it back into the pot.
- Add carrots and potatoes and cook another 20 minutes or until veggies are fork-tender.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems.
- Press in the garlic, add dill or parsley, then immediately turn off the heat. Serve topped with crispy bacon and more fresh herbs.
Notes
- Ham Hock Bone -add the bone from a leftover ham directly to your pot with the split peas. Your soup will be infused with flavor and the meat left on the bone becomes so tender it falls right into the soup.
- Pork Riblets – You can cook pork riblets in the water with your split peas, just be sure to skim off any impurities and avoid boiling vigorously.
- Bacon – sautee bacon first then spoon it out and cook your veggies in the bacon fat. Serve garnished with browned crispy bacon.
- Bouillon Cubes – Instead of chicken stock, use the chicken or vegetable bouillon equivalent.
- Green Split Peas – if you aren’t able to find yellow split peas, the green ones will work in a pinch.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi Natasha!
Can I use white beans in light seasoning the ready ones and put them in soup at the end? Will it be same?
Nadia, you can add them at the end to taste. Keep in mind the salt content of the beans when adding them. Are you planning to substitute them? I assuming you just adding them at the end.
Just a hint: This soup is usually served with croutons
Hi Elena, is that an American tradition? It does sound like a good idea!
Natasha, thanks so much for this great recipet . My husband is the pickiest eater in the whole world and he loved this soup. it turned out perfect ! I definitely found a new favorite soup
Yay!! That’s so awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me 🙂
hi Natasha, I am browsing through your fabulous website and loving your recipes. I notice you mention a product called Mrs Dash. What is it and what is an alternative? meaning, what is the essence of the flavour of this product?
thanks. I look forward to your reply.
Anna, Mrs Dash is salt free all purpose seasoning. Click here for the full list of ingredients. You can buy it on Ebay and Amazon.
Hi Natasha,
Great recipes. My entire office is using your borscht recipe after I tried it and raved about it. I was wondering if you have the nutritional value for your recipes. I’m on a restricted calorie diet and need to know the calories of the dishes I make. Thanks in advance.
Katya thank you so much for sharing my recipe at the office! You’re awesome! 🙂 I currently don’t have nutritional values, but when I need to research something, my best source: Caloriecount.com – sign in for free and then go to “tools” and then click “recipe analyzer” You can copy and paste your list of ingredients and it spits out the nutrition info. It’s a great tool. I hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Natasha 🙂
Do you think i could add some bacon?
We love split pea soup!!!
Yes! That would taste great!
natasha can i use green peas instead yellow peas for that soup
You can but the yellow ones taste better. My mom always makes it with the yellow ones.
Since I first tried this soup, it became one of our favorites! But I just bought myself an electric pressure cooker and this soup was done in half the time! I cooked meat and peas on high pressure for 30 min and peas were perfectly dissolved and meat was perfect too, then added potatoes and carrots cooked for 7 more minutes and then added the rest of the ingredients and it turned out soon good, and twice faster! I’m loving it! Thanks for your great recipes!
Thank you so much for sharing that! It’s great to know that it works well in a pressure cooker. What brand of pressure cooker do you have? I’ve been thinking about getting one.
I bought instant pot DUO60, I think this one is the best rated one right now. I just made beef stroganoff on your website in my pressure cooker and it was done in 45min. It’s awesome!
Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Just finished cooking and tasting. I followed your recipe but substituted peas (didn’t have any) for 1 cup of garbanzo and 1/2 cup of white beans and used smoked turkey leg in place of pork riblets (don’t eat pork). It came out sooooo good! Garbanzo kept their shape but white beans became mushy. Ii gave the soup nice consistency. I think your recipe is really good basic for any bean soup but yellow split peas already on my shopping list 🙂
This is 3-rd recipe I’m trying from your kitchen and always success! Thank you Natasha.
Thanks for the great review Anna and I hope you’ll find many more favorites :).
I’ve never made soup before, but today was my first with this recipe. I was so nervous that the ingredients wouldn’t come together, but when I finished, my mom tried it, added a TBSP of salt, and said it was great! Our whole fam ate it, and only a little bit is left. Thanks for the recipe. Now I feel more confident to try one of your borsches. Wish me luck 😉
You’ll do great! I’m so glad you enjoyed the split pea soup 🙂
Thank you for the amazing recipe! Making it for the first time today but my sister Ella has made it several times and I couldn’t resist it! Your recipes are greatly appreciated!! Be blessed 🙂
Thank you Luda for such a great report and you are welcome :).
Natasha, I am a Nigerian currently studying in Ukraine. i have always been scared of trying foreign dishes but i mustered up courage & tried ur recipe today, It was my first Ukrainian meal and I absolutely loved it! Thanks for sharing.
That’s awesome! You definitely chose a classic 🙂
Natasha, thank you so much for the recipe. I just made it and it tastes yummy. My 13 month old loved it too. I substituted pork to beef (only meat I found in my fridge) and it was still delicious. Although yellow peas package said “soak for at least 8-12 hours before cooking” my peas went soft after 30 min boiling and soup was ready in 1 hour.
I’ve never thought to use beef; great idea!! Did you add it at the beginning and was it soft by the end? We’ve tried soaking the peas overnight and it didn’t help anything so we don’t recommend it; it’s just not necessary 🙂
It took me some time to make this soup. As you see I am making it in April. I had all the ingredients but just didnt get to it. But today my husband was really sick and he wanted some soup so this is what i made him. And we both really like it. I just used chicken instead of pork and it was very good!!!
Do you think soup could be frozen?
I don’t see why not! I’m so glad you both enjoyed it 🙂
Ok! So, I didn’t have any plans to cook today! We had some leftovers from yesterday; however, when I saw this post, I decided to make it! It was my first time making the split pea soup & it took me two hours from start to finish, but it was worth it! My husband, who is not Russian, also loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
Yes, split peas definitely take a while to cook, but I’m so glad you and your hubby loved the soup 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Since I have a smaller pot, and i use half recipe of peas, do i decrease the time in half for cooking the peas and meat too?
The time should still be around the same. Your water will get to a boil faster but not the cooking time. The goal is to cook peas until they just about dissolved :).
Thank you for sharing the recepie I made this soup today :))
Totally inspired by your soup, I finally made and posted my own version. Thanks for reminding me of this delicious soup!
Natasha, this soup was soooo good. Thank you!
You are welcome Dina, I’m glad you loved it :).
Hello Natasha,
I just got done making this soup, It was amazing we all loved it. perfect for cold days. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
You’re welcome. It is definitely a soup you’d cozy up with 🙂
One question I forgot…do your peas turn kind of mushy and falling apart after cooking? I’m wondering if I over-cooked them or they supposed to be this way? It was good neways 😉
Peas should be mushy or almost dissolved, you did everything right :). I’m glad you like the soup.
I made this soup last week and wanted to come back and say it’s pretty great 🙂 I’ve never made it with the yellow peas and have to say they make it such a comfort food, perfect for cold winter days. I got them at fred meyer dry bulk bins section.