This Thick Ham and Bean Soup is everything you want in a hearty ham and bean soup — rich, cozy, and loaded with big comforting flavor. Whether you’re working with leftover holiday ham or cooking it fresh, this recipe comes together easily and tastes like it's been simmering all day. The beans get incredibly creamy, the broth gets perfectly thick, and that smoky ham infuses every bite. It’s the kind of cold-weather comfort food that feels like a warm blanket in a bowl.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
This Ham and Bean Soup is a thick, hearty, true comfort food classic. Plus, it's extremely easy to make with very little prep. You get so much extra flavor from cooking with the ham bone, which is the most important part of this whole recipe.
I could go on and on about why this is one of my top 5 favorite soups, but I say you should try it out yourself!
If you love bean soup, you may also want to try out this Recipe for Pinto Bean Soup. It's quite different but also very comforting.
Ingredients
Meat: You'll need smoked ham and a ham bone or ham hock. (See Expert Tips)
Beans: The only beans you'll need are Canned Great Northern Beans. If you're looking for more of a bean side dish, check out these Instant Pot Charro Beans!
Liquids: Chicken Stock and Water will be all you'll need.
Vegetables: Be sure to have White Onions, Baby Carrots, and Celery.
Herbs and Spices: Freshly Minced Garlic, Dried Rosemary, Mustard Powder, and White Pepper.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Add the vegetables and sweat them down by about half. Then add the seasonings, stirring to mix into the veggies.
Add the canned Great Northern Beans. Be sure to drain the liquid from two cans and use the liquid from the other two. This reduces the sodium level and keeps the soup from being too rich.
If you are using soaked beans, you may need to add more water and cook the soup for longer. I recommend cooking this in a slow cooker if you're using dried beans.
Step 2: Add the cubed ham and continue to stir to mix.
Next, add the ham bone to the pot's center and pour in the chicken stock, then enough water to completely cover the bone.
Lay the bay leaves right on top, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 3 hours.
The aroma of the soup will have filled your home with a wonderful warmth, and that's when it's time to remove the ham bone and mash up the beans with a potato masher to your desired texture.
Expert Tips
- The ham hock or ham bone adds a rich flavor to this soup. I recommend using a leftover ham bone from the holidays with some meat still on it. Then, you will also want some extra ham to dice up and add to the soup.
- This Ham and Bean soup can also be made in the slow cooker. Just sauté all of the vegetables in a skillet, then follow the remaining instructions and cook the soup on high for 4 hours.
- If you prefer not to mash any of the beans, another great way to thicken this soup is to make a slurry of cornstarch and water or more chicken stock.
Recipe FAQs
There are two ways you can thicken ham and bean soup. First, you can add a thickening agent such as a water and cornstarch slurry. Second, you can mash the beans using a potato masher, which is my preferred method. This adds a nice texture to the soup and makes it extra thick.
I prefer using Great Northern beans for bean soup because of the size and texture of the beans when mashed. Cannellini, Navy, or small white beans will all work as well.
No. Great northern beans are larger than navy beans and have a kidney shape.
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📖 Recipe
Thick Ham and Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1 White Onion - chopped
- 12 Oz Baby Carrots - sliced
- 4 Celery Stalks - sliced
- ½ tablespoon Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp. Mustard Powder
- ½ tsp. White Pepper
- 63.2 Oz Northern Beans (4 Cans) Canned with 2 drained and rinsed
- 1 lb Cubed Ham
- 1 lb Ham Hock
- 2 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Water
Instructions
- Add garlic and sliced vegetables to the Cast Iron Dutch Oven and cook over medium-low heat until reduced by about half.
- Add Rosemary, Mustard, and White Pepper. Stir to cover the vegetables.
- Drain and rinse two cans of beans, then stir all four into the veggie mix.
- Stir in cubed ham and bury the Ham bone in the center of the Dutch oven.
- Add the chicken stock and water to cover the entire Ham Bone, bring to a boil, place the bay leaves on top, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours.
- Remove the ham bone and pull any remaining meat off, adding it back into the soup.
- Using a potato masher, mash up the soup to create a thick and creamy consistency through out and Serve.
Notes
- The ham hock or ham bone adds a rich flavor to this soup. I recommend using a leftover ham bone from the holidays with some meat still on it. Then, you will also want some extra ham to dice up and add to the soup.
- This Ham and Bean soup can also be made in the slow cooker. Just sauté all of the vegetables in a skillet, then follow the remaining instructions and cook the soup on high for 4 hours.
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