An Easy Ham & Potato Soup Recipe everyone will love! Make it in your crockpot, instant pot or on the stove. Creamy & delicious! Easily made gluten/ dairy free and paleo or Whole30!
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This creamy Ham and Potato Soup is going to become one of your family’s favorite soup recipes. It is hearty and so simple to make!
Why we love this easy Leftover Ham Soup
We love this delicious creamy Ham and Potato Soup for so many reasons:
- Easy to Make – This easy soup takes less than an hour to make if you are using your stovetop or Instant Pot and if you want to let your crockpot do all the work for you, it can still be done in just under 4 hours! It also has less than 15 ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your pantry.
- Good for Leftovers – This soup recipe is the perfect (and delicious) way to use up leftover cooked ham.
- Paleo/Whole30/Gluten Free/Dairy Free Options – This soup is easily made paleo, Whole30, Gluten Free and Dairy Free– so those of you following a specific diet won’t miss out!
Potato and Ham Soup Ingredients
This delicious and creamy ham and potato soup is made with simple ingredients.
- Cooked ham (leftovers work great!)
- potatoes
- carrots, celery, onions, minced garlic,
- peas
- vegetable broth
- milk (of choice)
- olive oil
- fresh rosemary
- salt, pepper
- flour (optional)
For the full recipe and ingredient substitutions, see below.
A quick note about the best type of ham for this ham and potato soup: Any cooked ham will work for this recipe. We prefer to use leftover ham, but chopped ham steaks or deli ham that is sliced thinly would work as well!
Substitutions for Leftover Ham Soup
There are MANY substitutions for this recipe which is one of the reasons we love it. It’s easily adaptable to your own diet/needs!
Dairy Free/ Milk – You can use any milk you’d like in this recipe. Unsweetened coconut milk has the highest fat content and mimics heavy cream. The coconut milk does not taste like coconut, but if you’re worried about that or you don’t have it on hand you can use almond milk, light coconut milk, skim milk, whole milk, or even heavy cream will work in this recipe. I haven’t tried oat milk but it may work!
Potatoes – You can use any potatoes in this recipe, red, baby, russet potatoes, and yellow will all work. I wouldn’t recommend subbing potatoes for cauliflower in this recipe. It may work but I haven’t tested it so I can’t guarantee it will!
Peeling Potatoes – You don’t have to peel the potatoes in this recipe. I prefer them without the skins, but if you prefer them with the skins on – keep them on!
Veggies– Feel free to add or omit more onions, celery, carrots, or peas to this recipe.
Herbs – If you don’t have fresh rosemary you can use 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary. If you don’t like rosemary, you can also use thyme or parsley.
Broth – You can make this with bone broth, vegetable broth, or chicken broth/beef broth – any broth will work. I would recommend looking for low sodium.
Whole30/Paleo – Use whole30/paleo friendly ham/broth, non dairy milk and tapicoa flour if thickening it
Flour: You can replace white flour with tapioca flour for a gluten free/paleo/Whole30 option
Ham– If you don’t like ham, check out our Potato Soup Recipe. You could also throw in a ham bone while the soup cooks, but be sure to remove before eating.
How to make Ham and Potato Soup
You can make this creamy ham and potato soup in the crockpot, the instant pot, or on the stovetop. Here’s how to make this soup on the stovetop (for the other directions, see below):
- Sauté your garlic, onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil on the stovetop until the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes).
- Add the ham and all remaining ingredients (except milk and peas) to the pot and bring to a boil.
- Allow the soup to boil for 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Then, reduce the heat and stir in milk and peas.
How to thicken Ham Potato Soup
This is naturally a brothier soup but it can be thickened so that it is rich and creamy.
To thicken the soup I added 1/4 cup of flour to a bowl and scooped out about 1 cup of liquid from the soup pot (it’s ok if you get some ham/veggie/potato pieces but try to get mostly broth!
Whisk the flour and broth mixture together until it’s a thick paste like consistency. Stir it into the soup and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring continually.. You can add more flour directly to the pot and stir it in if necessary.
What to serve with Ham Potato Soup
This creamy ham and potato soup is hearty enough to be enjoyed on its own with a side of bread. It can also be enjoyed with a sandwich, salad, or our Healthy Chicken Tenders.
Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- cheese
- chives
- black pepper
- green onions
- sour cream or greek yogurt
- crackers
- a drizzle of heavy cream
(Just a friendly reminder: if you are Whole30 – cheese, sour cream, greek yogurt, heavy cream, and crackers are not permitted.)
Potato Ham Soup Recipe FAQs
No, you do not want to boil the potatoes before adding them to this ham soup recipe. They will be fully cooked if you follow the directions and pre boiling could cause them to lose their shape and become mushy.
To add flavor to potato soup, add fresh herbs like rosemary thyme or sage. Other spices (italian seasoning, hot pepper, more black pepper). This recipe is pretty flavorful on its own and you don’t need to add much extra.
This potato soup is made completely from scratch. If you are looking for potato soup recipes – check out this Healthy Potato Soup recipe!
Ham stocks can be used like you would use other stocks/broths. It would be great in soups, but be aware that it can sometimes be more salty than other stocks. We didn’t use ham stock in this recipe.
You don’t have to peel the potatoes for potato soup. I prefer them without the skins, but if you prefer them with the skins on – keep them on!
Yukon gold potatoes are best for soup because they are soft and velvety. When blended they get super smooth and creamy. Russet potatoes are also good for soup because they hold their shape.
Potato soup is not the best soup for weight loss. It’s mostly carbs and fat.
Leftover ham is good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. It’s best to eat it as close to the cook date as possible.
Ham Soup is good for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it for up to 2 months.
How to store Easy Ham and Potato Soup
How long does ham and potato soup last in fridge? This soup will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Separation is normal and ok! Just stir it up.
Can you freeze creamy ham and potato soup? Yes it can, but with this recipe, we don’t recommend it!
The potatoes can get grainy and we don’t like the taste of milk after it has been frozen in recipes.
If you are going to freeze it, store your creamy ham and potato soup in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, defrost the night before by leaving this in the fridge, or take out of the refrigerator and heat over the stove/in the microwave.
We like these containers for freezing!
We have a whole post on the best way to freeze soup!
Can potato soup be canned? I have not tried canning this soup. I’d check out this post and do your own research on whether canning this soup is safe.
How do I reheat this soup? You can reheat this potato soup in a pot or in the microwave.
Other Healthy Soup Recipes
We love soup SO much that we actually have a free healthy soup ebook! We also have a post filled with 25 Healthy Soup Recipes! Here are some of our other favorite soups that you may like:
Leftover Ham Soup with Potato
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced (2 cloves)
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- ½ cup celery diced
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes about 1 lb or 5-6 medium sized potatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth use low/no sodium!
- 2 cups cooked ham chopped in small 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped finely
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup peas
- 1.5 cups milk of choice
- Optional to thicken : ¼ cup flour or tapicoa flour
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large pot, heat olive oil. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
- While veggies sauté, chop ham/potatoes and gather other ingredients.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the pot, except milk and peas
- Bring the soup to a boil. Allow it to boil for 10-12 minutes, or until your potatoes are fork tender.
- Once cooked, reduce heat and stir in milk and peas.
- For thickening: The soup will thicken as it cools, but if you prefer a richer, thick soup – add ¼ cup all purpose flour to a bowl. Scoop 1-2 cups of broth (it’s ok if a few veggie/ham pieces get in there too) into the bowl. Whisk together. Add flour mixture back into the soup and stir. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes and your soup will naturally thicken.
Crockpot Instructions:
- In a sauté pan, heat olive oil. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
- While veggies sauté, chop ham/potatoes and gather other ingredients.
- Add all cooked vegetables + all remaining ingredients except milk and peas to the crockpot
- Cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Once cooked, reduce heat and stir in milk and peas.
- For thickening: The soup will thicken as it cools, but if you prefer a richer, thick soup – add ¼ cup all purpose flour to a bowl. Scoop 1-2 cups of broth (it’s ok if a few veggie/ham pieces get in there too) into the bowl. Whisk together. Add flour mixture back into the soup and stir. Bring to a boil on the stove for 2-3 minutes and your soup will naturally thicken.
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Set instant pot to sauté for 10 minutes. Heat olive oil. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
- While veggies sauté, chop ham/potatoes and gather other ingredients.
- Add all cooked vegetables + all remaining ingredients except milk and peas to the instant pot
- Set instant pot to sealing, pressure cook for 8 minutes.
- Once cooked, manually quick release the pressure in the instant pot
- Stir in milk and peas
- For thickening: The soup will thicken as it cools, but if you prefer a richer, thick soup – add ¼ cup all purpose flour to a bowl. Scoop 1-2 cups of broth (it’s ok if a few veggie/ham pieces get in there too) into the bowl. Whisk together. Add flour mixture back into the soup and stir. Bring to a boil by setting it to Sauté for 2-3 minutes and your soup will naturally thicken.
Trudi says
Hmmm.. Since I do bot have any Ham I will siubs Salmon n ! I believe this will be good …
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m not sure if that will work but let me know if you try!
Angelika says
This soup was absolutely delicious and SO easy to make. I even asked Liz if I could use chicken broth which she said was fine! She was so helpful just getting back to me with questions. Her recipes are always so fun to make and my husband can’t get enough!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!! ❤️
Liz kane says
So delicious! I made crockpot recipe and it was so easy and so good. I still had leftover ham from holidays in freezer so this was perfect . I used almond milk and I also used my immersion blender to purée a few of the potato’s to make soup thicker/creamier .
The Clean Eating Couple says
Great way to use up leftovers! So happy you liked it, Liz!
Brittany says
Can you add Shredded cheese to this recipe?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Sure! I don’t see why not!
Julie says
Great comfort food for cold wintry days. Used leftover ham and prepared in instant pot
Delicious even after 2 days!!
But was consumed quickly
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you enjoyed it, Julie! Thank you so much!
Abi says
This recipe is so good! If I were to make it again, I would blend a few of the potatoes up to make the soup a little bit creamer, but the flavor was delicious! Would definitely make again.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it, Abi! Thank you!
Sierra says
This soup was so good! My family keeps asking for it.
Instead of milk I used heavy creamy so it was a little thicker!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Glad you liked it, Sierra! Thank you!
Shaula Leinweber says
I made this soup after Halloween for my busy teens, especially my daughter who loves everything potato. They loved it. We used leftover spiral ham. Everything cooked up so nice, perfect taste. The kids asked that I make it again. That tells you everything ! Thanks for a great recipe.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so happy you liked it!
Sara says
Can I use chicken broth in place of vegetable broth?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yes, please read the substitutions section! You can make this with bone broth, vegetable broth, or chicken/beef broth – any broth will work. I would recommend looking for low sodium.
lindsey says
This looks delicious, I have a large bowl of mashed potatoes left over , I am wondering if this would work. I See some people have blended their soup, so I am assuming mashed potatoes would just make it thicker?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I would not recommend blending this soup.. I think blended ham would be gross. You can stir in mashed potatoes in place of the regular potatoes, it might make it a little less hearty though!
Emilee says
So delicious! Such a great way to use up leftover ham! I added a little turmeric and fresh ginger along with using bone broth for an extra immune boost and it was absolutely perfect and 100% kid approved!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Glad you liked it!
Julie says
Such a delicious soup to make from leftover ham!! One of my favorite soups I’ve ever made actually. Love how you use pureed potatoes to thicken, so smart.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Julie!
Liz Kane says
So much left over ham from Christmas ! This was an easy, delicious recipe to use it up !
Madison says
This recipe was perfect for using our Christmas ham leftovers. It was super easy to make and tasted so rich and delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yay! So happy you liked it!
Erin says
I made this soup with our leftover ham from Christmas! It was a huge hit! I made ham broth first with the bone, chilled it and removed the fat then used that in the soup. I also added a touch of smoked paprika. It was amazing!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yum!! That sounds so good! Thank you!
Patty says
This soup was SO good. It was easy to make and the chopping of the vegetables was therapeutic. I made it with homemade broth (also a recipe that I got from Liz) and it was delicious, cozy, hearty and even 6 year old approved. I skipped the slurry and just stuck with the milk and it was perfectly creamy. Served it with a salad and sliced crusty bread.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!
Cathie says
So easy, delicious and filling!
Jules says
Wow! Perfect for this snowy day here in Denver CO! I added some sweet corn as well and picked up some cooked diced honey ham from Costco. So easy! And love me some low cal comfort food!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Jules!
Kelsey says
Made this after Easter, I didnt think we would ever go through our left overs, but this soup used them all up! It was delicous and is now up there with our favourites. I also appreciated not having to use heavy cream. We added the flour and used corn instead of peas. Will be making again and again .
Shelagh says
Can I use frozen vegetables to this recipe
The Clean Eating Couple says
I haven’t tried that but I think it would work!
Joy E Eberhard says
This soup was outstanding and incredibly easy to put together. I don’t love rosemary but used 1/4 tsp and thankfully could barely taste the rosemary. I will definitely make this again.
John S says
Phenomenal recipe! I used ham stock in place of water, doubled the corn and added 1tbs chopped fresh rosemary
Carol Miner says
It turned out amazing used corn and heavy cream!! Great recipe !!
Andrea Ridd says
Looks delicious, going to make tomorrow. Was wondering if it’s freezer friendly?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yes it can, but with this recipe, we don’t recommend it!
The potatoes can get grainy and we don’t like the taste of milk after it has been frozen in recipes.
If you are going to freeze it, store your creamy ham and potato soup in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, defrost the night before by leaving this in the fridge, or take out of the refrigerator and heat over the stove/in the microwave. I love Souper Cubes for freezing leftovers. Code CLEANEATINGCOUPLE works to save $$ on our favorite silicone molds!
We have a whole post on the best way to freeze soup!
Amy says
This soup was delicious. Everyone raved over it. Had enough for 2 nights (4 people). This recipe will be kept on repeat. Thank you for all the tasty, easy to make recipes.
Keeley says
This was a super easy and delicious recipe. The whole family really enjoyed it. Only thing I changed was I didn’t add peas as nobody eats them except me in my family. Will definitely make again esp in these cold rainy months.
Thanks for ANOTHER great recipe!!
Lindsey says
So delicious for the whole family! Easy weeknight way to use up leftovers.
Lynne says
Made this the day after Easter, so glad I got to use my leftover ham! This was creamy, delicious and comforting!
Amy Woods says
I made this soup for dinner last night with leftover easter ham and it was delicious. So easy and simple to make. I will be keeping this recipe on repeat.