Split pea soup made in a slow cooker is full of flavor! After a few minutes of prep time, it cooks low and slow all day, doing the hard work for you. A thick and hearty dinner with zero effort.
There are some meals that don’t exactly bring the man rushing in to the table with anticipation and a growling stomach. Dinners like meatloaf, meals where I sneak in a little horseradish or Dijon, and anything with onions that he can see. Yeah, those are met with sighs and rolling of the eyes.
I would imagine this gets thrown in there with the rest. Split pea soup. It doesn’t exactly sound sexy, and it certainly doesn’t back up its unappetizing name with a smoking body. Nope, this one is all about personality. Or in the case of food, flavor.
It’s hard to imagine after simmering all day with a ham hock that dirt could be anything other than delicious. I mean really, ham = pig and pig = bacon. And we all know bacon is the snack of the gods. There may be a tad bit of hyperbole in that, but if you use this backwards logic, it will convince most skeptics to try a bite.
Once they try a bite of split pea soup, there’s no going back.
Looking for more delicious Slow Cooker Soup creations? Have no fear, I’ve got you covered!
Chicken Gnocchi Soup {Quick Dinner Fixins}
Slow Cooker Loaded Bratwurst Stew
Slow Cooker Beef and Noodle Soup with Artichoke Cheesy Bread
If you’ve tried my Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup recipe or any other recipe on passthesushi.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also follow along for more good eats and travel tips on Instagram @passthesushi & @girlcarnivore, Twitter & Facebook.
Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Ingredients
- 2 onions, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/9 tsp red pepper flakes
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 lbs green split peas, 2 cups, picked over and rinsed
- 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 smoked ham hock, rinsed
- 8 ounces ham steak, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Microwave onions, garlic, oil, thyme, and red pepper flakes in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
- Stir broth, water, split peas, carrots and bay leaves into slow cooker. Nestle ham hock into slow cooker. Cover and cook until peas are tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
- Remove ham hock, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones. Let soup settle 5 minutes, then remove from surface using large spoon. Discard bay leaves.
- Stir in ham steak and shredded ham hock, cover and let cook on high until heated through, about 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 968mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 10gSugar: 7gProtein: 27g
Nutrition information provided is an estimate from nutritionix.com. For specific health concerns, please put the recipe into your Dr recommended nutrition calculator.
This recipe made a hearty thick split pea soup. You could thin it out a bit by adding more broth.
I’m guest posting today over at Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts! Go check it out 🙂
lindsay
Thursday 13th of December 2012
Hi! I am including this in a slow cooker recipe collection here https://mommyssweetconfessions.blogspot.com/2012/12/34-slow-cooker-soups-stews-and-chilis.html
jim baran
Friday 3rd of February 2012
I tried this last week and it was very good. I thought that the 1/9 tsp. of hot pepper flakes was a little on the low side so I bumped it up a bit....a bit too much, that is. I usually don't think of pea soup with a spiciness to it, so next time I will back off on the pepper flakes a little. Overall, I think this is a nice easy recipe and the flavors are very good. Will definitely make it again...and again...and again...and agian!
Liz
Saturday 19th of November 2011
This is one of Bill's favorite soups...and I love the idea of slow cooking it in a crock pot! The texture looks perfect~
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
Friday 18th of November 2011
My husband loves split pea soup, but this version sounds so much better than any we've ever made. It looks great.
SharleneT
Thursday 17th of November 2011
And, it's perfect for the solar oven... as a split pea soup lover, any variations are always welcome in my recipe box. Thanks for sharing. Will soon give it a try. Come visit when you can...