Ever wish dinner was done when you got home? Well, here you go. We make our Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup unique by adding some diced potatoes which add to the heartiness of this delicious and cozy soup. Throw your split pea ingredients into the slow cooker, turn it on, and dinner is done at the end of the day.

How to make Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup –

This slow cooker split pea soup is probably one of our easiest soups ever- just toss it all in, add some broth, some seasoning, wait 8-10 hours until the split peas are soft to your liking, whisk it to make it creamy, and that’s it. So easy, hearty, and delicious!

I did ‘healthy’ it up a little bit and didn’t include any oil or butter. I used low sodium broth and let the ham provide the sodium in this soup. You can always add more salt later so taste when it’s done and season to your liking. Split Pea Soup really comes together in the last hour or so of it cooking, so feel free to wait to season it until the very end if you like.

This slow cooker split pea soup is best served with crusty bread; Sourdough is my favorite. What’s a good soup if you can’t dip it?!

Use your left over ham to make this hearty and easy soup!

What kind of toppings could I add to this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup?

Sour Cream
Parmesan
BOTH sour cream AND parmesan (you rebel!)
Bacon
Cheddar Cheese
Green Onions
Chives

If you want to customize this soup, here are some other ideas to make this split pea soup delicious.

Top with leftover shredded chicken or turkey. This is also delicious for leftover Thanksgiving turkey purposes!
Add fresh herbs; 1 tsp each of thyme, sage, and parsley. Add to slow cooker along with broth and stir. This adds an earthier flavor that is almost reminiscent of the holidays. Garlic would be great as well (2 chopped cloves added with vegetables in the beginning).
Omit the potatoes if you are trying to watch carbohydrates.
We used cubed ham out of simplicity, but traditionally, a ham hock is used. If you want to use a ham hock, add it to the slow cooker along with the beginning steps. After the soup is done cooking, and about 30 minutes before you serve it, remove meat from ham hock and return meat only to the slow cooker.
Smoked sausage would also be delicious in this soup; I recommend Aidells, but your local butcher will have some as well.
If you don’t eat pork, use a smoked turkey leg in place of ham or sausage.

Other Tips so your Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup turns out PERFECT:

Be cautious of how your slow cooker runs temperature wise. In a newer slow cooker, the peas should be soft after 8 hours on low. If your slow cooker doesn’t get super warm, consider putting it on high for 6 hours instead. We Like this Crock Pot brand slow cooker.
Don’t get antsy and lift the lid on the slow cooker; it releases all the heat and will seriously add to the cook time. Leave it be for at least 7 hours, THEN you can look at it.
Use good chicken broth; beef broth is great as well for a heartier flavor. Our favorite bread is Kitchen Basics. If you can’t find it, you can add 1 tsp of ‘Better than Bouillon’ for added flavor.

We are TOTAL soup nuts around here; if you love yourself a good bowl of soup, in or out of a slow cooker, here are a few that we make often:

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Guinness Irish Stew
Chicken Pho
Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Sausage and Potato Soup (Reminiscent of Zuppa Toscana but better, healthier and easier)
Sausage Gnocchi Soup – Our number one soup recipe!

Bone Apple Teeth! (Saw this on Facebook once- this little kid thought ‘bon apetit’ was ‘bone apple teeth’- ha! Cracked me up!)

Cheers! – Rachel