Learn how to make my best Ham and Bean Soup. I’m a Food Scientist with tips for tender beans and melt-in-your-mouth ham all in a rich, deeply flavorful soup! You’re just one pot, a few easy steps + simple ingredients away.
What makes this old-fashioned Ham and Bean Soup recipe the best? It’s the rich, deeply flavorful (never bland! 🙅♀️) broth, perfectly-tender beans and fall-apart tender ham. You can use dried beans or canned beans and it can be ready in under an hour! Let’s dive right into my my best secrets.
Pro Tips + Science-Based Secrets
As a food scientist and cozy soup lover, here are my top tips:
- Umami boost: Ham and broth bring umami, the fifth taste that adds depth to your soup. Adding a small amount of soy sauce can enhance this savory quality even further.
- Add a smoky element: If you like a smokier flavor, ham hocks are a great option, or you can even add a dash of smoked paprika.
- Flavor infusion with the ham bone: If you have a ham bone, simmering it releases collagen, which thickens the soup and creates a velvety texture while infusing smoky flavor.
- Rest is best: Soup tastes better the next day as the ingredients have more time to marry. Store overnight for an even more flavorful bowl!
3 Common Mistakes When Making Ham and Bean Soup
While its a beginner-friendly meal, these are a few typical trip ups I’ve noticed:
- Skipping the sauté step: Jumping straight to simmering without sautéing the vegetables can leave the soup lacking depth and flavor. Sautéing the onions, carrots, and celery first caramelizes their natural sugars, creating a rich and aromatic base.
- Neglecting to soak or cook dried beans properly: If you’re using dried beans, skipping the soaking or pre-cooking step can lead to undercooked, tough beans. Soak them overnight and simmer them until tender before adding them to the soup.
- Over-salting too early: Adding too much salt at the beginning can result in an overly salty soup when if you’re using ham, which is naturally salty. Season lightly at first, then adjust the salt after the soup has simmered and the flavors have melded. A lot of salt will come out of the ham itself.
Here’s What You Need
This one pot recipe doesn’t require much, just some basic, homey ingredients and a lovely soup pot!
Ham and Bean Soup Ingredient Notes
Gather up these simple, pantry basics to get going with your soup:
- Onion, carrots, celery and minced garlic: Just good old white onions are great. Use fresh cloves garlic in your soup recipe for the best flavor possible.
- Chicken broth: Both store-bought and homemade chicken stock work great! You can use low-sodium broth to better control the salt level. I like Better than Bouillon concentrated chicken broth.
- Ham: Diced leftover ham, ham steaks, ham shank, or ham hocks all work well. Including the bone adds a smoky, savory richness and additional flavor. I love to use leftovers from my crockpot ham or instant pot ham.
- White beans: The creamy texture and mild flavor of canned or pre-soaked dried beans make them the perfect match for the hearty ham and vegetables.
Full ingredients list with quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the article 👇
Substitutions and Variations
This is a pretty flexible soup base recipe. Play around and use what you have at home:
- Onion: Swap with shallots or leeks.
- Carrots and celery: Add other root vegetables like parsnips, sweet potatoes, or diced turnips.
- Chicken broth: Vegetable broth works as an alternative, or use water with bouillon concentrate or a bouillon cube.
- Ham: Replace with smoked turkey, sausage, or bacon for a different meaty flavor. For a vegetarian version, omit the ham and add smoked paprika or liquid smoke.
- White beans: Try great northern beans, cannellini beans, or pinto beans. Lentils also work – try my favorite Ham and Lentil Soup recipe!
- Creamy version: Blend a portion of the soup using an immersion blender for a thicker, creamier consistency.
- Hearty veggie additions: Stir in diced potatoes, zucchini, or kale for added bulk and nutrition.
- Spicy kick: Incorporate diced jalapeños, chili flakes, or hot sauce.
- Grain addition: Add cooked barley, quinoa, or farro to make the soup heartier.
How to Make Ham and Bean Soup: An Easy Guide
Honestly, this is such a simple recipe – nothing much to it!
Cook the vegetables
Warm olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Toss in the diced onions, carrots, and celery, cooking them for 5–7 minutes until the veggies soften and the onions turn translucent.
Add garlic and ham
Add in the minced garlic and diced ham. Cook for 1–2 minutes more.
Incorporate beans and broth
Add the white beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, dried parsley, and black pepper. Stir everything together to combine the flavors.
Simmer
Bring the mixture to a light boil, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot and let the soup cook for 30–40 minutes if using canned beans, stirring occasionally.
Season and serve
Remove the bay leaf (and ham bone, if used) once the soup is done. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt if needed.
How to Ham and Bean Soup with Dried Beans
Use 1 cup dried navy beans. Soak them first overnight in cold water. Rinse and drain before using.
Add the soaked beans to the soup with the broth. Increase the broth quantity to 8 cups (they’ll absorb a lot).
Cover and simmer soup for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally, checking the beans for tenderness.
HOT TIP:
When using dried beans (OR unsalted canned beans) you’ll want another 1 to 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt.
Make Ahead and Storage
Ham and bean soup is an excellent make-ahead meal since the flavors deepen and improve over time.
- Prepare the soup up to 2 days in advance, allow it to cool completely, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and add a splash of broth or water if the soup thickens.
- This soup freezes beautifully! Let it to cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers or resealable bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, transfer the container to the refrigerator overnight. Reheat on the stovetop, adding a bit of broth or water if needed to adjust the consistency.
How to Serve this Ham and Bean Soup recipe
Pair the soup with my Dutch-oven crusty bread, cornbread casserole, or a side salad for a complete meal.
Crackers or a dollop of sour cream are also great for extra texture and flavor.
FAQs About Ham and Bean Soup
Just skimming through? Check out these common queries:
Yes! Ham hocks are perfect for adding smoky flavor to the broth. Simmer the ham hock with the soup, then remove it, shred the meat, and stir it back into the soup before serving.
To thicken the soup, mash some of the beans with a fork or blend a portion of the soup with an immersion blender. You can also add a slurry of cornstarch and water for a quicker fix.
If the soup is too salty, add a peeled potato and let it simmer for 20 minutes—it will absorb some of the salt. Remove the potato before serving. Alternatively, balance the saltiness by adding more unsalted broth or water.
Yes! Sauté the vegetables and garlic first, then transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours. If using dried beans, pre-soak them before adding them to the slow cooker.
White beans like navy beans, great northern beans, or cannellini beans are ideal because of their creamy texture and mild flavor.
Stir the soup occasionally while it simmers, and keep the heat low to prevent sticking or burning. Using a heavy-bottomed pot can also help distribute heat evenly.
Other Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Check out these soup recipes I turn to on repeat:
- Literally the best ever tomato soup of your life!
- Ground turkey soup is hearty, savory, and so so good.
- This chicken and dumpling soup is one of my all-time favs.
- My creamy tortellini soup is so cozy and yummy all year round.
- One of my fav veggie soups, this vegetable orzo soup is super wholesome.
- I’m obsessed with this crockpot chicken noodle soup.
Ham And Bean Soup Recipe (Super Easy with Amazing Flavor!)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups diced ham plus the bone if available (leftover ham, a ham steak or ham hocks work)
- white beans 2 15-oz cans, drained, or 1 cup dried navy beans, soaked (see note)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne and/or smoked paprika optional
- Optional: Fresh parsley or green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Sauté the vegetables: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables soften and the onions are translucent.
- Add garlic and ham: Stir in the minced garlic and diced ham. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes to let the garlic become fragrant.
- Add beans and stock: Add the beans, chicken broth, bay leaf, parsley, pepper (and cayenne and/or smoked paprika, if using) to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Simmer: Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let the soup simmer for about 30-40 minutes if using canned beans. Stir occasionally.
- Season and finish: Once the beans are tender, remove the bay leaf. Season the soup with more salt to taste.
- If using ham bones or hocks, remove them from the soup, shred the meat, and return it to the pot.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or green onions for a burst of color and freshness.
Notes
- Use 1 cup dried navy beans. Soak them first overnight in cold water, or use the quick soak method (boil for 1 minute, cover, let them sit for 1 hour, then drain and cook).
- Add the drained, soaked beans to the soup with the broth.
- Increase the broth quantity to 8 cups (they’ll absorb a lot).Cover and simmer soup for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir occasionally, checking the beans for tenderness.
- Umami Boost: For an extra punch of rich savory flavor, stir in 1-2 tsp of soy sauce.
- Smoky Flavor: Want a smokier taste? Add 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika. I love a pinch of cayenne, too.
- Ham Bone Tip: If you have a ham bone, simmer it in the soup to release collagen. This thickens the broth and creates a silky, rich texture.
- Make-Ahead: Soup tastes even better the next day as the flavors have more time to blend. Store it overnight for the best results!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I added quinoa into the mix. Worked like a charm and added extra nutrition.
Loved this soup recipe! Quick and hit with the kids. Thanks!
Made this with canned beans and a ham steak and it was delicious 🙂
Just made this ham and bean soup following Jenn’s recipe. Came out great, and the whole family loved it! Really appreciate the easy to follow steps.
I grew up eating ham and beans. I LOVE it. But the ham hock can have a lot of salt — and fat — so I use packaged diced ham (or leftover ham) and a teaspoon or two of Wright’s Liquid Smoke. The hickory version is only water and smoke. A small bottle from the grocery store is about $6-7, but I found that you can buy a whole quart from Amazon for about double that. I use Liquid Smoke in almost all of my bean or lentil soups, regardless of the type of bean. You get the flavor without all the added salt and fat, and it is a huge flavor bomb.
Nice! I didn’t realize it’s just water and smoke. I’ll try it!