Easy Ham and Potato Soup (Crock Pot, Instant Pot, Or Stove Top)
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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!
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 Potato Ham Soup Recipe
- 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 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!
Have a ton of leftover ham? You may also like Ham and Bean Soup.
Potato and Ham Soup substitutions
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 recipe 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 and Potato Soup
This 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
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.
Leftover Ham Soup 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.
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:
Ham Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup quartered carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes about 1 lb or 5-6 medium sized potatoes
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped cooked ham cut small 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup peas
- 1.5 cups milk of choice room temperature
- Optional to thicken : ¼ cup flour or tapicoa flour
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions:
- In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. While oil is heating, chop veggies.
- Sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While veggies sauté, chop ham and potatoes.
- Add all potatoes, broth, ham, rosemary, salt and pepper to the pot.
- Cover the pot and turn the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until your potatoes are fork tender. Make sure to stir the soup occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
- 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.
Just how my Mom made hers. I add cayenne to taste and use mashed potatoes to thicken. Five star. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you!
We really enjoyed this soup and used our leftover ham from Christmas. Thanks for the recipe!
Very easy and delicious! Perfect way to use leftover ham. The entire family loved it.
Very good but instead of using flour for thickening, I ladled about 1/3 – 1/2 of the soup into my blender, gave it a few pulses and then stirred it back in to the soup. The starch from the potatoes does a lovely job of thickening the soup. No flour necessary.
Made this soup last night and it was delicious, even my picky 14 year old grandson liked it. It was easy and quick to make. Definitely will be making again. Thank you
I’ve been looking for a good ham and potato soup recipe and this one is delicious! I like the addition of the vegetables because I’m always trying to get more of those into our meals. It’s the perfect warm and filling comfort food.
This soup was so tasty and a great way to use leftover Christmas ham!
So happy you enjoyed it Louise
This makes a very tasty soup. I used a Henning Lee pro chopper to dice and cube the vegetables as well as the ham. Saves a lot of time. It was excellent for a cold and rainy day.
So happy you liked it!
This was delicious! I made it with leftover ham from our Christmas meal. Definitely a comfort food if you are cold or not feeling good.
should peas be frozen?
It doesn’t really matter, you can thaw them ahead of time!
Do you think this would work with frozen hash browns instead of cubed potatoes? That’s another one of my christmas leftovers 😂
I do think it would work! I’d add them in towards the end though because I think they’d overcook/get mushy. Thaw them and add for maybe 5-10 mins at the end just so that they warm up!
I made this for like the 15th time with some leftover Christmas ham. I added corn instead of peas and we used cornstarch as a thickener. It is so good! 5 stars as always!
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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.
Made this the day after Easter, so glad I got to use my leftover ham! This was creamy, delicious and comforting!
So delicious for the whole family! Easy weeknight way to use up leftovers.