This is a post about making Split Pea Soup (with or without ham) from dried peas in a slow cooker or crock pot. I have added a number of FAQs about split peas at the bottom of the post and an easy printable recipe card is included. Split pea soup can be vegan too!

Here in our part of the world (like so many other places), we are experiencing another pandemic lockdown. We are keeping busy staying home, even though I am feeling a little squirrely.

The other day I posted a recipe for Slow Cooked Baked Beans, which took advantage of things that we had on hand, thrown into the slow cooker for the day, and yielding a pot of comfort food at the end of the day with little effort.

Split Pea Soup is an Easy from the Pantry Slow Cooker Recipe

Split Pea Soup is another easy pandemic pantry style recipe that is very easy to prepare and can be traced back forever and why not?! This is another dish made all around the world with as many recipe variations as there are chefs. We found the most comforting variation during one of our many winter trips to Quebec City, Canada at a wonderful Bistro – made with whole yellow peas and smoked chopped ham In these days of “nesting”, we are happy to throw a few things in the slow cooker and let it go – please try our version and enjoy.

Our recipe uses dried split peas, an onion, carrots, some broth and some chopped ham. Similar to the Baked Beans recipe, we wanted to use up some frozen chopped ham that we had leftover from our last roasted ham.

Can Split Pea Soup be Vegan?

If you want to leave out the ham from the recipe and prepare a vegan version (as we are using vegetable broth anyway), that will work! You will find that you need to add salt to taste, to substitute for the ham’s absence.

How to Make Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup Ingredients:

1 bag (900g) yellow split peas

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 box (litre) vegetable broth

2 cups diced cooked leftover ham

1 large diced carrot

Water – as required

Split Pea Soup Preparation:

Rinse split peas in cold water and drain. Add split peas, broth and diced onion to slow cooker. Add 2 cups of water. Turn on slow cooker, cover and do other things (perhaps check out the window to see what the neighbours are doing, or check for Amazon deliveries…..) – checking and stirring pot every hour or so. You may occasionally add more water (or broth) as the soup becomes pasty if it becomes too thick. After 3 hours add carrots and ham. Continue stirring and checking thickness of soup every hour. After 7 or 8 hours, the soup is done!

Below is a printable recipe card from RecipesGenerator. Please give it a try!

Freezing Split Pea Soup

After a few days of enjoying our split pea soup, we place portions in containers in our freezer to enjoy later. We thaw them, and as they are quite thick, we add a cup or 2 of broth each time we serve them.

One pot of slow cooked split pea soup, frozen in small quantities – lasts us through a full winter!

More Split Pea Soup FAQs:

Is split pea soup healthy?

It is very healthy. The ingredients are just split peas, water, carrots and onions and optionally – ham! My calculated values are about 155 calories, 7.74 grams of fibre, almost 14 carbs and about 14 grams of protein per serving. Split peas are a good source of Iron and Vitamins B1, B5 and B9, potassium and magnesium.

Do split peas need to be soaked before cooking?

No. Soaking the split peas shortens the cooking time, but this recipe takes that into account.

Is split pea soup anti inflammatory?

Split peas contain fibre and protein and are low in calories. They also contain antioxidants. In a 2011 study published https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21442413/

the anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating activities of an enzymatic protein hydrolysate of yellow field pea seeds were confirmed.

What is the difference between green peas and split peas?

The pea is the round green seed of the pisum sativum, contained in the pod. The pods themselves are the fruit of the pisum sativum, and there are several peas or seeds in a pod. There are other plant seeds that can also be called peas such as the cowpea and the pigeon pea – these are a different species.

The immature green seeds are used as fresh, frozen or canned peas. Varieties of field peas are grown as crops specifically to produce dried peas like the split pea. The pea seeds are dried, the outer hull or layer is removed, and they are split in half at a natural breaking point.

What’s the difference between yellow and green split peas?

There are yellow and green varieties of split peas. They have similar nutritional levels and cooking times. The green split pea is slightly sweeter. The yellow pea has a milder and more earthy flavour. The green pea flavour could be described as more intense. I prefer the yellow split pea flavour in my split pea soup.

Can I substitute green split peas for yellow?

Yes. You can use either, although the green peas will taste more intense and little bit more sweet and will be a little less starchy. You may want to add salt to taste.

Is a yellow pea the same as a split pea?

It depends on the recipe and the region. The yellow split pea is a dried field pea of the species pisum sativum. However there are other varieties of legumes that are called yellow peas. Lathyrus aphaca, known as the yellow  pea or vetchling, is a species in the family Fabaceae with solitary, pea-like fruits, which are narcotic and can be poisonous. Lathyrus pratensis or meadow vetchling is also called a yellow pea, or meadow pea  is a perennial legume which is sometimes cultivated for animal feed.

What do green split peas taste like?

They are similar to a yellow split pea but sweeter, less starchy and more intense in flavour.

What is another name for yellow split peas?

It is of the species pisum sativum, and may be called a field pea, soup pea, dried pea or Matar Dal

What is the difference between yellow split peas and mung dal or mung beans?

The mung dal ior moong dal is a dried split mung bean which is very similar in appearance and flavour to the split pea. It is a different species of legume – vigna radiata, while the split pea is the pisum sativum. Sometimes they are mislabeled when packaged.

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