Use that leftover ham bone to make this hearty, old-fashioned Crock Pot ham and bean soup. This classic slow cooker recipe cooks all day with dry or canned white beans, a meaty ham bone (or some diced ham), and veggies. Perfect slow cooker comfort food after the holidays.
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Featured Comment by Andie:
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"I am making this for the third time today! This is my go to for ham bone bean soup. I follow the recipe and use dry beans. Perfect every time! So tasty! Thank you!"
❤️ Why I Love This Recipe
- Leftover solution: A great way to use every bit of that holiday ham—nothing wasted, and nothing better.
- Old-fashioned flavor: Tastes like something your grandma would’ve made (if she had a Crock Pot and less time).
- Nothing fancy: Just a ham bone, some beans, and a little patience.
- Pantry-friendly: Use canned or dry beans—whatever you’ve got on hand.
- Easy and filling: Budget-friendly, freezer-friendly, and no kitchen skills required.
🐷 Ingredients for Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
A meaty ham bone or diced ham, white beans (dry or canned), veggies, and simple seasoning.
- 🐖 Ham Bone – Meaty, trimmed of fat and coating. Or use diced ham if needed.
- 🫘 Beans – Navy, Great Northern, or Cannellini. Dried (pre-soaked) or canned.
- 🥕 Vegetables – Onion, carrot, and celery. Optional, but highly recommended.
- 🧂 Seasoning – Garlic powder, black pepper, bay leaf. Hold the salt until the end.
- 💧 Liquid – Water to cover, or low-sodium broth if not using a bone.
👨🍳 How to Make Ham and Bean Soup in a Crock Pot
Just load it up and let the slow cooker do the work.
1. Prepare the beans, ham bone, and veggies
If using canned beans, drain and rinse well. Dry beans must be soaked first — see the bean section below.
Rinse a meaty ham bone under running water and scrape off any surface fat or coating.
Dice the carrots, celery, and an onion.
2. Load the crock pot and cook
Add the beans, ham bone, vegetables, and seasoning to the crock pot.
Cover with water (about 6–8 cups) and cook on low for 8 hours (precooked beans) or 10 hours (dried beans).
✅ Pro Tip: A slow cooker works best when it’s no more than about ¾ full. If the pot looks too full after adding everything, scoop out a little liquid so it cooks evenly.
3. Strip the ham bone
In the last 1-2 hours of cooking, remove the ham bone.
Shred off the meat, discard the bone and fat, and return the meat to the soup.
4. Finish and serve
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
If the soup seems thin, simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes or mash a few beans in the pot.
Serve hot—or refrigerate overnight to skim off fat before reheating.
👇 Scroll to the recipe card for complete step-by-step photo instructions, or keep reading for pro tips, FAQs, and serving ideas.
😊 Tips for Crock Pot Success
- Don’t overdo the liquid: Add just enough water to cover everything—usually about 6 cups. If the ham bone sticks out too far, trim it down. Don’t exceed 8 cups.
- Using broth instead? Use low-sodium or no-salt-added chicken broth to avoid an overly salty soup.
- Hold the salt: If your ham was salty, the broth may taste salty early on — always wait until the end to add salt.
- Vegetables are flexible: Adjust the amount to your taste. I usually add more—not less. You can also toss in chopped potatoes, green beans, or other vegetables you like. Just make sure they can hold up to long cooking, or add them later if they’re more delicate.
- No bone? No problem: You can skip the ham bone entirely—just use 2–4 cups of diced ham and broth instead of water. More in the ham section below.
- Bad ham = bad soup: If your ham lacked flavor to begin with, it won’t magically improve in the crock pot. The texture won’t get better either. But if the soup tastes flat, you can try adding a little ham bouillon (like Better Than Bouillon) or ham soup base to boost the flavor.
- Make it today, eat it tomorrow: The soup is great day one, but chilling overnight lets you skim the fat and brings the flavors together even better.
🐖 Choosing and Using the Ham
A meaty ham bone is best—leave a little extra meat on it if you're planning ahead. It adds flavor and helps build a rich broth as it simmers.
If the bone is a little skimpy on meat, no problem—just add about 1–2 cup of diced ham to supplement. The bone will still help flavor the broth.
No bone at all? Use about 2–4 cups of diced ham, and replace the water with low-sodium chicken broth, ham bouillon, or ham soup base to boost flavor.
High in salt:
Ham is salty—don’t add more until the end. If you’re using broth, choose unsalted or low-sodium.
Remove extra fat and any glaze:
Trim off any thick fat. If your leftover ham came from a sweet glazed spiral ham, rinse well and scrape off the glaze — it can make the soup too sweet.
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🫘 Beans—Types, Prep, and Tips
Choose your bean:
Navy beans are the traditional choice—small and creamy. Great Northern beans are a bit larger but work well too. Cannellini (white kidney beans) hold their shape and stay a bit firmer. Any of the three are fine.
Dry or canned:
- Dry beans need to be soaked before cooking. One pound of dry beans is about the same as three 15–16 oz cans (or a 48 oz jar) of precooked.
- Canned beans should be drained and rinsed well before adding—this cuts the salt and extra starch.
Quick soak method:
If using dry beans, don’t just toss them in. Bring them to a boil in a large pot of water for 3 minutes, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Then drain and rinse before using.
Why soak at all?
Soaking improves texture and helps remove some of the indigestible starches that can cause gas or GI upset. You can do the traditional overnight soak instead, but the quick soak is faster and more effective.
Other options:
Want something heartier? A 15-bean mix also works great in this recipe. Just check for stones and give it a good rinse.
📖 More Ham Bone Recipe
If you’ve got a ham bone to use, here are a few more crock pot favorites:
- Ham and Vegetable Soup—a heathier version packed with lots of veggies.
- Puerto Rican Chuletón Soup AKA Xmas Ham Bone Soup—our Christmas tradition. A wonderful change from other ham soups.
Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham is a classic old-fashioned comfort food with creamy sauce, melted cheese, and slices of tender ham and potatoes—perfect for leftover ham.
🍽️ How to Serve
This soup is hearty on its own, but it’s even better with something to mop the bowl. Try it with:
- Cornmeal Biscuits – Soft, buttery, and so easy to make
- Old Fashioned Cornbread – A classic side for old-school comfort
- Basic Homemade Stand Mixer Bread – Simple, satisfying, and a basic staple
❄️ Leftovers and Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3–4 days, or freeze for 3–4 months—thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Cut the fat some by chilling overnight and skim off the fat before serving.
❓ FAQs
There are a few good ways to thicken this soup:
1. Add a finely diced potato halfway through cooking.
2. Stir in ¼ to ½ cup of potato flakes near the end.
3. Remove about a cup of beans after cooking, blend, and mix them back in.
4. Make a roux with flour and butter and add it during the last hour.
👉I don’t recommend cornstarch—it can gel when cooled and change the texture.
Traditionally, just onion, but carrot and celery add great flavor. Hearty options like potatoes or green beans also work. Avoid delicate vegetables that break down with long cooking.
Yes. Canned beans are already cooked—just drain and rinse before adding for faster results. If using dry beans, be sure to quick-soak or soak overnight first. Skipping the soak can leave beans undercooked even after a long day in the crock pot.
Yes. Let the soup cool, then store it in airtight containers or freezer bags for 3–4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The beans stay tender, and the flavor actually improves after freezing.
Yes. Use 2–4 cups of diced ham and replace the water with low-sodium chicken broth for flavor. It won’t taste exactly the same as a bone-based soup, but it still turns out hearty and delicious.
📖The Recipe Card
Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup (With Ham Bone)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry Navy, Great Northern, or Cannellini beans - or 48 oz. of precooked beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ham bone - meaty
- 2 carrots - medium, diced (optional)
- 2 ribs celery - diced (optional)
- 1 onion - medium, diced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf - optional
- 6 to 8 cups water or low-sodium broth - enough to cover ingredients
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the beans, ham bone, and veggies
- If using precooked beans, drain and rinse 48 oz. (about 3 cans).
- If using dry beans, rinse 1 pound of Navy or Great Northern beans. Boil in a large amount of water for 3 minutes, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Then drain and rinse.
- Rinse a meaty ham bone under running water to remove any coating or glaze. Scrape off excess surface fat.
- Dice two medium carrots, two celery ribs, and one medium onion. Carrots and celery are options, but recommended.
Load the crock pot and cook
- Add the beans, ham bone, diced vegetables, garlic powder, pepper, and bay leaf to a large crock pot. Add just enough water or broth to cover the ingredients—usually about 6 to 8 cups. Cook on low for 8 hours (canned beans) or 10 hours (dry beans).
Strip the ham bone
- About 2 hours before the end of cooking, remove the ham bone to a cutting board and let it cool 5–10 minutes. Remove the meat, discard the bone and any fat or waste, and return the meat to the soup.
Finish and serve
- Place meat back into the cooker and finish cooking. This is a good point to taste test for adding salt if needed.
- Serve hot, or refrigerate overnight and skim the fat off the top before reheating.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
- Ham bones (and hams) vary—these are guidelines, not rules.
- If your ham is glazed or heavily spiced, rinse and scrape off as much as you can.
- Ham is high in salt. Use low-sodium broth and canned beans. Don’t add salt until the end and only if you are postive it is needed.
- It is a good idea to cool this soup in the refrigerator and remove any fat from the top when it is cold.
- No ham bone? Use 2–4 cups diced ham and low-sodium broth, bouillon, or soup base for the liquid.
- Keeps well in the fridge for 3–4 days and freezes for 3–4 months
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Editor's Note: Originally Published December 13, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Laura says
This was an excellent base recipe. I made a few seasoning modifications to suit our tastes and used a few more carrots, celery and onion. Delicious. Thank you. I didn't know where to start and this was perfect.
DrDan says
Hi Laura,
Recipes are always just "guidelines" anyway. Great modifications.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Shelia says
this is close to the recipe I always use, but I add a can of tomatoes (and sometimes potato to thicken it some). I'm making this this weekend using my New Years Day hambone. Yum.
DrDan says
Hi Shelia,
Thanks for the note. I have done this with the can of tomatoes and it adds a nice touch.
I think I need to keep some instant potatoes around for crockpot thickening emergencies.
Dan
Sarah says
My crock pot isn't large enough, how would I adapt it to the stovetop?
DrDan says
I haven't done a stovetop version for about 20 years so I'm not much help. I would say a stovetop version will probably cook much faster since low simmer on a stovetop is high plus a little in a crock pot. I would look at some other recipes.
Good luck,
Dan
Brittany says
Wanted to give this 5/5 rating, could not find the place to eye it! Excellent recipe!
DrDan says
Thanks Brittany,
The rating is by clicking a star in the recipe card area.
Dan
Susan Downey says
Hi!
I found your recipe yesterday when I looked up recipes for ham and navy beans soups. I used a smoked pork hock and added 1 TBSP hand crushed Newfoundland Savory to the recipe.
It turned out Awesome! Not too salty and it had a great balance of flavours. I did not need to add any extra water as I have a crock pot with a lock down lid.
My husband enjoyed every bite!
DrDan says
Hi Susan,
This is one of those recipes that just works and adapts to individual taste changes.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Jennifer says
On the soak or not-to-soak issue.
Soaking reduces the phytic acid content of the beans. Phytic acid is not denatured by cooking, only by water soak. I always soak oats and beans for this reason. You can look up the problems caused by too much phytic acid - but here is my personal story. We had oats (unsoaked) for breakfast almost every morning to save money one year. My otherwise healthy children (no sodas, no sugar in the house, very health conscious family) had 5 cavities and a ton of precavities by the end of the year. I figured out it was the oatmeal. Or rather, the phytic acid in the oatmeal. We stopped eating it so often, and when we do, I soak it overnight or use it in refrigerator oats with yogurt. My children have had zero cavities in the 4 years since that.
DrDan says
The doctor in me says that you had calcium issues due to a large amount of chronic phytic acid intake. The occasional intake would not be much of an issue, but the ongoing phosphorous intake could well be the cause of a lot of calcium issues. You did excellent in figuring that one out. I have read more recipes recently suggesting not to soak but still I would. The old ways are the best ways some times.
Thanks for the note and reminding me of biochemistry from 40 yrs ago.
DrDan
Erica says
Can't figure out why you would rinse off any honey coating or spices. The sweetness makes ham and bean soup good.
DrDan says
To me, there is way too much sugar on many hams and anything you can do to get the salt decreased here is a good thing.
Dan
Goose says
Here's my take: We like BIG beans in our soups, so I used a pound of dried Limas in your recipe. However, by the time that all the ham cooks off the bones (and I used TWO), much of those original dry beans cook down into gravy, so I add a can or two of prepared Great Northerns at the end. I also left out the carrots this time.
Also, by the time the soup has finished, I have added nearly double the cups of liquid, as it cooks down and concentrates. I started with 4 cups water and 1 cup chicken broth, and probably ended up with 4 cups of each, for a nicely savory and concentrated soup.
I pack the extra finished soup into freezer cartons, as there are just the two of us (as the blog is so titled!), so we can enjoy it later. What soup I keep fresh, and what I thaw out later, will be cut with more chicken broth (or perhaps vegetable broth … to avoid losing that great ham flavor!) and perhaps another can of prepared beans, as needed, since the finished soup is well-concentrated.
I agree with you that salt must be added exceedingly sparingly, only as required … and I did end up adding it again and again … as it was bland at first, as you mentioned … right up until the end. The salt was added only ¼ tsp at a time. I used both large crystal kosher-type salt, and also Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. This really did the trick, without wildly missing the mark, and going overly salty.
I also added Liquid Smoke, ⅛ tsp at a time, until the combination of the added salt and Liquid Smoke began to make the near-finished soup savory. I perhaps ended up using ½ tsp total. But, work up to it! The dry beans being cooked down into gravy also adds to the soup’s savory-ness.
Based on my result, I give your recipe a solid 5 out of 5! But, one’s got to have the patience to cook down those ham bones and those dry beans, sparingly adding flavor along the way! Mine easily cooked for 10 hours, and probably more than 12, until the ham was cooked completely off the bone.
DrDan says
Hi Goose
Thanks for the comments. As you well know, recipes are just "guidelines" and should be modified according to taste and things like ham bones. Your hard work has paid off with a ton of great soup.
And thanks for the rating.
Dan
Hope says
Does cooking it on high make a difference? I didn't have 10 hours to wait only 8. It's on hour 5 right now
DrDan says
I suspect high is ok for a shorter time of course. Make sure the beans are done.
DrDan
Hope says
My soup is turning out very watery. Any advice?
DrDan says
Hi Hope,
You're right this can be a bit watery so here are some options. 1) less water.... A lot of recipes use 10 cups and I only do 6. Plus you need to cover the ham mostly. 2) More beans... A fairly good solution and use a potato masher a little near the end of cooking...Just a little. 3) add potatoes diced at the beginning as one other commenter suggests. The starch will help thick some. 4) Along the same line as #3 add some mashed potato flacks near the end. 5) something like tapioca can be used.
Notice I did not include flour. I have never had any luck thicken in a crock pot with flour even when cooked on high. Flour needs a higher temp to thicken and I believe none of my three crock pots run that hot. I will say that arrowroot and cornstarch are not my favorite choices above because on reheating they do not do very well.
So numbers 2,3 or 4
DrDan
Shelia says
try instant potato flakes.
Keith C says
Just made recipie as is but also added some fresh oregano I had lying around. Fantastic! Finally a great outlet for all that left over ham!
Leslie says
Followed your recipe, only I used pinto beans (that's all I had at home), tasted great and not bland. Thankyou
Leslie says
I plan on making your lunch lady rolls in my new kitchen aid mixer and this soup, however the only dried bean I have is pinto, can I use them is this recipe? Thank you
DrDan says
I believe pinto will be similar to the navy beans but I'm not positive.
Dan
Pauk says
I already knew how to make this soup but I did not have a hambone planning of him though so I came here looking for ideas on how to thicken it up one of the other people left the comment that they took some of the ham and beans and put in a blender to help thicken it that is a good idea
Marion says
Bean soup is one of my favorites! To use smoked turkey necks in a crock pot,if I mix all the ingredients at the start, will the turkey necks get done when the rest of the soup does ?
DrDan says
Since I have never seen or hear of a "smoked turkey neck" I will guess. Almost anything will be cooked by 8-10 hours in a crock pot. I assume they are smoked to preserve them so they are not raw meat but even raw turkey should be cooked in the 8-10 hours.
How is that for an uninformed answer?
If you do it, come back and report.
DrDan
RossC says
Just made slow cooker navy beans w/ham hock last week, pretty much the same as your recipe..
Navy beans and ham hock was a staple growing up in our family.. My grandmother made a big batch on the stove top once a week.. I too make it in the slow cooker now-a-days and its pretty close to hers..
When I was a kid (back in the 40's) my grandfather taught me to mash the beans and ham together and add a splash of ketchup and mix it all together... Still do it to this day and my wife still rolls her eyes when I do so...
DrDan says
You know if my wife saw me do that she would slap me up not just roll the eyes. I loved ham soup as a child. I think I even asked for it for my birthday once. In this recipe I even did the dried beans but I don't find any rocks in them like old times.
Again thanks for the note and rating
Dan