Ham and Bean Soup Recipe (13 Bean Soup)
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This Ham and Bean Soup Recipe is perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s a hearty protein-packed 13 bean soup recipe that will keep you satisfied long after a meal. The best ham and bean soup you’ve ever had will feed a crowd too, and leftovers can be frozen for future use.
This post was updated from 2017 to improve readers’ experience. No changes were made to the recipe

If you love soup on a cold blustery day but don’t like all of the fuss some homemade soups require, you’re going to love this easy Ham and Bean Soup Recipe. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
Ham is often on my holiday table. Ham and about 100 other dishes. You see, I cook for an army whether there are 6 of us or 60.
Before Thanksgiving, my local grocery store runs a promotion where you get a free turkey if you buy a ham. This year I decided to cook the turkey and save the ham for another day.
One thing about ham is it goes a long way.
After we cooked it we only sliced what we needed for our meal. We put the bone and the rest of the uncut ham in the refrigerator for soup.
There is nothing like this ham and bean soup recipe. You wouldn’t believe the flavor all of those beans, peas, and lentils add. You can put it together in no time too.

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How to Make Ham and Bean Soup
Making this – the absolute best ham and 13 bean soup recipe ever, is shockingly easy. The recipe uses leftover ham, the bone in the ham also called a ham hock, a soup mix, and a few other ingredients to make a delicious soup with hardly any effort.
Ingredients for Ham and Bean Soup
- Bob’s Red Mill® 13 Bean Soup Mix. A perfect blend of peas and beans and lentils, this adds so much flavor to the soup!
- Ham Hock. This is the shank bone of a pig with ham still on it. It’s the part of bone-in ham that you save for making soup!
- Cubed Ham. Leftover cooked ham works perfectly for this recipe!
- Yellow Onion. Diced.
- Diced Carrots. You can dice by hand or using a food processor is a great way to get your veggies chopped up quickly, the key is to have pieces of carrot that will fit in your soup spoon.
- Celery. Sliced. I like to cut a piece of celery into three strips and then cut tiny slices so that the celery is well hidden in this soup full of beans. It hides the celery but still adds so much flavor!
- Salt and black pepper. To taste.
To make the best bean soup with ham, you’ll need to start by rinsing the beans and doing a “quick soak” or “simmer and salt” method to get the beans ready. You can also just soak them for eight hours as the recipe suggests. Then you place the beans and the ham bone in a large pot such as a dutch oven or large soup pot, cover it with water and bring it all to a boil over medium heat.
Next, simmer over low heat for three to three and a half hours until the beans are soft. Finally, add the cubed ham and other ingredients and cook it for at least thirty minutes. Before serving, remove the ham hock, and throw any meat that comes off of it back into the soup.
Pin this great recipe!

Pro Tips & Variations
- I used Bob’s Red Mill® 13 Bean Soup Mix. It’s packed with beans, peas, and lentils. They have seasoning mixes but you don’t need one with this recipe.
- I use the whole bag and freeze the extra cooked soup. The bag is 29 oz and says that a serving is 1/4 cup. Bob’s Red Mill states for 8 servings use 2 cups of the mix. It’s up to you how much you want to make and how thick you want to make it.
- You could use canned beans and just add them toward the end of the cooking time instead of dried beans. We like white beans such as Great Northern, Cannellini beans, or your favorite beans are all good canned substitutions.
- How to make a thicker broth – Your soup will thicken as the liquid reduces while it simmers. However, if you like a thicker broth, remove ¼ cup of the broth and stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Return the mixture to the soup and stir.
- How to add additional flavor – Add herbs such as fresh thyme and fresh parsley – We find that the 13 soup mix along with the veggies is a super flavorful hearty soup. However, you can add garlic, a couple of bay leaves, or even a parmesan cheese rind to the pot. Remove the bay leaves and cheese rind before serving.
- Some recipes call for chicken broth in place of the water. his soup has a flavorful broth. I don’t feel that chicken stock would make that big a difference and would be expensive.
- Ham and bean soup can also be made in the slow cooker (crock pot) by adding all of the ingredients and cooking on low for 8 to 9 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.
FAQ for the Ham and Bean Soup Recipe
What if I don’t have the 13 bean soup mix?
You can use any combination of dried beans that you want. We recommend Dried Pinto Beans, Navy Beans, or Great Northern Beans.
Why use dried beans?
Dried beans are generally less expensive and don’t have added sodium. You can use canned beans but they will not be as flavorful or cook up quite as thick and creamy.
Do you have to soak the bean mix?
No, that’s a myth. You don’t have to soak them all night however, you can do a “quick soak” or a “salt and simmer” method.
How to do a Quick Soak for Dry Beans
To do a “Quick Soak”, cover the beans in a heavy-duty pot. Bring them to a boil and then remove them from the heat. Let rest for 1 hour.
How to Use the Salt and Simmer Method for Dry Beans
For the Salt and Simmer method, cover the beans with water in a heavy pot. Add 1-½ teaspoons of salt and the ham bone. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Remove the bone and add the diced ham, onion, carrots, and celery. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
Do you have to throw out the soaking liquid?
No, this article stated that beans cooked in the soaking liquid were more flavorful.
What if I don’t have a leftover Ham Bone?
I’ve purchased just the ham bone from the butcher before. However, you can add sliced bacon or skip the bone altogether.
The best thing about this recipe is that it’s so versatile. You can make it the way your whole family likes it.

How to Store Ham and Bean Soup
How do you store ham and bean soup? This soup can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. I like to separate it into individual servings and put them in microwavable containers so they can make a quick dinner the next day or be grabbed easily for quick lunches.
This soup freezes well in an airtight freezer container for up to 6 months. Make sure not to over-fill it and to give it a little space in the container so it doesn’t dislodge the lid. You’ll love having this easy recipe in the freezer on busy days.
What to Serve with hearty Ham and Bean Soup
This 13 bean soup recipe is crying out for some delicious hot bread on the side!
I like to serve easy homemade muffins with this recipe or my Pumpkin Spice muffins. They’re perfect together.
You could also try it with this delicious Crusty Italian Bread.
I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.
If you enjoyed the Best Bean soup with Ham, here are a few more you may enjoy!
- Thick Cheesy Potato Soup
- Lamb and Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Creamy Roasted Vegetable Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
I made this last night for supper for four people. I used the whole bag and the “salt and simmer” method. I added thyme and bay leaves to the mix. Everything was ready in just over 2.5 hours. There is some for leftovers this week. Delicious!
This is one of my very favorite soups! I love your tweaks too. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this recipe. I had a brand new bag of Bobs Red Mill 13 bean soup mix and I couldn’t remember how I used to make it. So glad to have found your recipe in a quick google search. I also added a tablespoon of parsley, a couple tsp of marjoram, diced up a ham, threw some frozen peas in and sliced about 6-7 mushrooms. I used two cups of the bean mix and 7 cups of water, enough to cover all the ingredients and put it into my instapot set on high for 40 mins. Will let you know how it turns out.
That sounds heavenly, Sandra! Please let me know how it came out!
The bobs red mill bean mix is 29 oz. do you use the whole bag? On the bobs red mill web site they use 2 cups, and on the package instructions they use 1 cup. I don’t want to mess this up looks too good.
Hi, Gina! I make a huge pot and use the whole bag. Bob’s Red Mill says 8 servings is 2 cups of the mix. I make the whole thing and freeze what’s leftover for another day. You could definitely scale down the amount that you want to make. This is probably my favorite soup. I love having it in the freezer for when I’m craving it. Thank you for your question and I hope you’ll let me know how it comes out.
@Julie Menghini, Thank you, I will use the whole bag too. Can’t wait, thanks for the quick reply. Making this tonight.
Gina, how did your soup come out? I hope you enjoyed it as much as we do.
I was so happy to have found this recipe! It’s my hubby’s favorite and he was so excited when I made it for him!! Thank you!
Thanks, Michaela! I love it too.
Yum! This looks so comforting and delicious. Can’t wait to try!
Thank you, Nikki!
@Julie Menghini, mine didn’t take that long to cook – maybe two hours – it broke down more than yours – delicious! I bought the beans and looked to see what to add.
I’m so glad you tried it Diane! Thank you for your comment.
I love that this dish is so diverse! It’s so tasty with the different beans and flavors!
Thank you. It’s so easy to make your way.
Love this recipe! Easy too as long as you plan ahead and give the soup some time to cook. We’ll be making this again!
Thank you, Min! It’s a favorite in my house.
I cleaned out my freezer the other day and found my saved hamhock from Easter, guess what is on my stove! This is so delicious!
That’s like money in the freezer in my book!
I grabbed a ham hock at the grocery store and wasn’t sure what do do with it. So glad to find your recipe. Super easy to make with the pre-packaged bean soup mix. Beans are tender and flavorful. Love this soup!
I love this soup and will grab a ham hock when I can too. I’ll also throw them in the freezer over the holidays. Thank you!
So comforting and perfect for a chilly day. We made this during the weekend and everyone LOVED it! So happy we’ve got some leftovers, too, to enjoy this week.
Thank you, Erin! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
We make a big ham for the holidays and I always need more recipes for leftovers! This looks great.
This one is delicious Ashley! I love having leftover ham.
You can never go wrong with 13 bean soup! Especially with some nice chunks of ham in there. Pass me a bowl!
I agree, thank you, Ann!
Love those big chunks of ham on top. That’s a nice big bowl of comfort.
Thank you, Karen!
This looks so hearty and good! I totally need to up my soup game this winter!
Thank you, Inger!
This was pure comfort food during this rain and cold snap we had. And I liked that we had leftovers to eat!
Thank you, Debi. It’s great on a chilly day.