Discover this creamy, comforting slow cooker, vegetarian split pea soup recipe! With just 15 minutes of prep, savor a world of delightful flavors and let the slow cooker handle the rest.
Do you love recipes that practically make themselves? How about dishes that taste like gourmet meals without the hours in the kitchen?
If you’re nodding along, you’re in for a treat!
Picture this: you return home after a long day, and the aroma of a hearty, slow-cooked soup fills the air. Pure comfort, right?
This slow cooker pea soup is your ticket to warm, satisfying evenings—just like that snug embrace of a cozy sweater.
And guess what?
With just fifteen minutes of prep work, you can transform simple ingredients into a healthy and hearty weeknight masterpiece.
One of the benefits of using split peas in a slow cooker recipe is that they can be added directly to the pot without any pre-soaking, making the preparation process even easier.
While split peas can be cooked within 1-2 hours on the stovetop, a longer simmer in a crockpot will ensure the complete breakdown of the split peas.
Thanks to the slow cooker, this split pea soup achieves a wonderfully creamy texture without adding milk. Plus, it gets even creamier and thicker when enjoyed the next day.
Ready to let your slow cooker do the magic? Let’s dive into delicious simplicity!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Green split peas: The humble heroes that turn into creamy goodness with a touch of magic from the slow cooker.
- Low-sodium vegetable broth: The liquid that joins all the flavors together. When I don’t have homemade available, my favorite commercial brand is Better than Bouillon.
- Vegetables: Carrots, onions, and celery, also known as the “holy trinity,” add more flavor.
- Bay leaves: These impart a subtle flavor to the soup.
- Parsley: Finely chopped, a sprinkle of green adds freshness and vitality. You can use fresh or frozen parsley.
- Olive oil: Liquid gold that helps create a velvety texture.
- Savory: A dash of this herb, a secret ingredient that adds a magical touch to the soup.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: Sprinkle in the right amounts according to your taste buds.
Let’s prep our recipe
You will need about fifteen minutes to prep this slow-cooker soup recipe.
Start by chopping the vegetables—dice three medium onions, cube two carrots, and chop the stalks of two celery, including the leaves. We also need to chop about ¼ cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley finely.
Rinse and sort the split peas; you’ll need about 1 pound (approximately 2 ½ cups).
How to make
- In your slow cooker, combine the chopped vegetables and sorted split peas.
- Add 8-10 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth.
- Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil.
- Toss in 3 bay leaves and sprinkle ¼ cup of finely chopped parsley.
- Mix everything gently to ensure even distribution.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to high for approximately 5-6 hours or on low for 8-9 hours. NOTE: There may be slight variations in total cooking time based on the type of slow cooker you have.
- At the end of cooking, sprinkle 1 tsp of savory and let it blend perfectly with the other flavors.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- To achieve a smoother consistency, you can use a hand-held blender or simply use a whisk to break up the peas.
- Taste and adjust seasonings for salt and pepper.
Tips
- Include celery leaves when making this soup; this is a great flavor enhancer.
- Opt for low-sodium vegetable broth to control the salt content in your soup. You can always adjust the seasoning to your taste at the end.
- Feel free to experiment with seasonings like cumin, thyme, or smoked paprika to tailor the soup’s flavor to your liking. Adjusting the seasonings allows you to create a personalized taste experience.
- Start with 8 cups of vegetable stock; toward the end of cooking, you may need to adjust the thickness of the soup.
- There may be slight variations in total cooking time based on the type of slow cooker you have.
FAQ
You can easily fine-tune your soup’s thickness by adding more water or broth if it’s too thick or allowing it to simmer longer if it’s too thin.
While this recipe is designed as a vegetarian pea soup, you can certainly add meat. For added flavor, consider options like diced ham, bacon, or even smoked turkey. If you have one, a leftover ham bone also works well in this slow-cooker soup recipe.
Consider using herbs like thyme or marjoram as replacements. These herbs offer similar earthy and slightly peppery flavors that can complement your split pea soup beautifully. Adjust the quantity to suit your taste preferences.
Occasionally, it does happen that no matter how long you simmer your peas, they never seem to cook. If your split peas don’t soften, it could be due to several factors, including the age of the peas and improper storage.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving suggestions
Crusty Bread: Serve with warm crusty bread or Italian focaccia, perfect for dipping and savoring every drop of soup.
Garnishes: Top each bowl with fresh parsley, a dollop of sour cream or yogurt for added flavor and texture.
Side Salad: Pair with a crisp Italian salad or a carrot slaw for a well-rounded meal.
Croutons: Add crunchy croutons for a delightful contrast.
Lemon juice or zest: Fresh lemon juice or zest can brighten the flavors.
Hearty soup recipes
Italian Lentil Soup
Enjoy this heartwarming bowl of pure comfort food with my family recipe for rustic Italian lentil soup.
Are you looking for more?
- Easy White Bean Soup: Cozy up with a bowl of my velvety white bean soup recipe. Creamy cannellini beans simmer in a fragrant herb and garlic broth.
- Kidney Bean and Spinach Soup: Experience a burst of flavor in every spoonful of this bean and spinach soup.
- Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe: Savor the wholesome goodness of my vegetable barley soup. Imagine tender barley grains mingling with a colorful vegetable medley, delivering a robust and nutritious experience that’s pure joy in a bowl.
Recipe inspiration
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I stumbled upon “The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook” (affiliate link) a few decades ago in a second-hand bookstore. On page 158, I discovered the original pea soup recipe, sparking my interest in traditional Canadian dishes. Remember this recipe for maple syrup poached eggs I shared? That was inspired by this cookbook, too.
Canadian food icon Elizabeth Baird recently convinced me it’s the ultimate pea soup recipe. She hailed it as the best at the 2017 Food Bloggers of Canada conference. I’ve tweaked the recipe for this comforting bowl of goodness, reducing the liquid and skipping the ham bone.
I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.
THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community, where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.
Ciao for now,
Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this Split Pea Soup, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Legume recipes
Recipe
Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound green split peas (about 2½ cups) dried, picked over, rinsed and drained
- 8-10 cups vegetable broth low sodium, room temperature or cold
- 3 onions medium, diced, small
- 2 carrots cubed
- 2 celery stalks including leaves
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp savory
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients (except the savory) in a slow cooker.
- Cover and set the slow cooker to high for approximately 5-6 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.
- Discard the bay leaves.
- Add the savory. Season to taste and serve.
Video
Notes
- There may be slight variations in total cooking time based on the type of slow cooker you have.
- Include celery leaves when making this soup; this is a great flavor enhancer.
- Opt for low-sodium vegetable broth to control the salt content in your soup. You can always adjust the seasoning to your taste at the end.
- Feel free to experiment with seasonings like cumin, thyme, or smoked paprika to tailor the soup’s flavor to your liking. Adjusting the seasonings allows you to create a personalized taste experience.
- Start with 8 cups of vegetable stock; toward the end of cooking, you may need to adjust the thickness of the soup.
Nutrition
I originally published this post on November 30, 2017 and republished it on November 10, 2023, with updated content, photos and a video. Thanks for sharing!
DW
I have made split pea soup using this recipe a few times. Always comes out great and wanted to say thank you for the recipe! Sometimes I fry turkey bacon and add it to the crock pot to cook with all the other ingredients, but it’s great without it too.
Maria
I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for taking the time to share DW. Appreciate it!
Al
What is savory that is used in the pea soup?
Maria
It is a herb which provides a little bit of a peppery flavor. In a pinch, it can be replaced with thyme. Great question. Thanks so much for stopping by Al.
Jenny Hubbard
Could you please let us know approx how many cups of onions this is? I find you can buy them in such different sizes so it’s very hard to judge! Thanks!
Maria
Great question Jenny. One medium onion should weigh about 8 ounces and when chopped should measure about one cup. So for this split pea soup recipe you will need about 3 cups. It’s one of our favorite fall soups, hope you like it! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Ayngelina
Oh you had me at savoury, its one of the most underrated herbs.
Maria
I agree Ayngelina… it gives a nice peppery bite to the soup. Appreciate you stopping by, thanks 🙂
Marisa
I will definitely be dusting off my slow cooker to try this soup…I love a good soup and this one looks incredibly yummy. Perfect to cozy up with in front of a roaring fire!
Maria
Agreed Marisa… getting ready for old man winter. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
2pots2cook
Thank you for this week dinner idea ! Perfect timing !
Maria
My pleasure! You are going to love this soup! Enjoy ♥
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper
I can’t resist a good-looking soup like this! and I agree that mirepoix really makes any soup better! I will keep this recipe on hand for later in the dead of winter… I *almost* can’t wait for snow! 😉
Maria
This is definitely the kind of soup that is just perfect for the snowy weather… enjoy! Appreciate your comment 🙂
Christy
Thanks for sharing Maria! I love pea soup and I’m looking forward to making this recipe. 🙂
Maria
My pleasure Christy! Can’t go wrong with a wholesome soup. Thanks for stopping by ♥
Natalie Browne
This sounds delicious and I love that it only takes a few minutes to prep. Perfect for busy weeknights. Pinning!!
Maria
This is my go to soup when I know that I will have no time to prepare supper… before the troops come storming in. Healthy, nutritious and so much better than take out. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Loreto Nardelli
Hi Maria, I remember the first time I had split pea soup. When I first looked at it I honestly said yuk. I was quite young, then my uncle said close your eyes and just taste it. I could not believe the flavor, I loved it and from that day on there was never a time that when split pea soup was offered that I didn’t deny myself some. I have to say I was alone in my class of friends, but I reassured myself knowing that I was truly a foodie and they didn’t have a sophisticated pallet as I had.
Thank you for sharing this, Brought back some amazing younger memories.
Cheers!
Loreto@SugarLoveSpuces
Maria
My pleasure Loreto. As the saying goes, looks can be deceiving. Thanks for sharing your story and stopping by 🙂