Kitchen Divas

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Work With Us
    • Subscribe
    • Bloglovin
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Soups and Stews

    Old-Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup

    Published: Feb 6, 2021 · Modified: May 17, 2025 by Karin and Ken · This post may contain affiliate links. Leave a Comment

    Share
    Pin294
    Post
    Email
    Share
    295Shares
    295Shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Old-fashioned ham and bean soup is a hearty, delicious meal for cold winter days. Filled with tasty ham, beans, carrots, and celery, this will quickly become one of your favorite dishes during the winter and any time of year. This ham and bean soup with canned beans is also a terrific recipe for leftover ham.

    Overhead photo of Classic Hambone Bean Soup served inside a large white bowl and garnished with fresh parsley. The bowl is placed on a wooden table and is surrounded by ingredients and a golden spoon.

    Hambone soup is a dish that only tastes like it took all day to make. The salty ham, beans, and vegetables create a dish that needs very little cooking time but tastes like it was on the stove all day long.

    Growing up, one of my favorite dishes that my grandmother made during the cold winter months here in Canada was hambone bean soup.

    Of course, the delicious ingredients and steaming hot liquid warmed up my belly, but there was something about having it served to me by that wonderful woman that warmed up my heart, as well. 

    This soup is overflowing with ingredients that work so well together, and they always satisfy.

    Nothing beats a warm and comforting soup. This ramen chicken noodle soup and easy beef vegetable soup are a couple of my other favorites.

    If you're looking for something to pair with this hambone bean soup, make it a complete meal with a fresh salad and some flaky cream cheese biscuits.

    A bowl of ham and bean soup with a spoonful up over the bowl.

    Why You Will Love This Recipe

    • It's the perfect recipe for a leftover hambone!
    • Filled with comforting flavors.
    • A hearty soup that can be served as the main course.
    • Old-fashioned ham and bean soup is perfect for a cold day!
    • Quick and easy to make with simple ingredients.
    • Makes terrific leftovers that taste even better over time.

    Ingredients in Hambone Bean Soup

    To make this delicious soup, you'll need the standard ingredients that you find in most soups. Vegetables create the flavor base that will meld with the hambone. You'll also need canned finely diced ham, cannellini beans, and a few seasonings.

    Overhead photo of all the ingredients needed to make Classic Hambone Bean Soup on a wooden cutting board.
    • Ham bone + diced ham: A great way to use up all the pieces left from your baked ham dinner. The bone gives flavor to the soup as it cooks and the diced ham makes it meatier.
    • Cannellini beans: White beans and ham go together great! This creamy bean stays intact but has a creamy, silky consistency.
    • Vegetables: You will need fresh carrots, celery, onion and garlic to create a great flavor base to build on in this ham and white bean soup.
    • Seasonings: Dried seasonings make an easy add-in to flavor your pot of hambone soup. You will need Italian seasoning, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

    Measurements for each ingredient can be found on the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

    How to Make Hambone Bean Soup

    You can have a pot of this delicious soup ready in no time at all. Here's a look at what goes into making it. Detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the page.

    Step One: Saute

    1. Spray a large stockpot with cooking spray and place the hambone inside.
    2. Place carrots, celery, and onion around the hambone and saute until tender.
    Hambone, diced carrots, onion, and celery placed inside a large white colored stockpot.
    1. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, cumin and red pepper flakes. Cook for one additional minute.
    Beans and seasoning added to the pot with ham bone and veggies.
    1. Add the cannellini beans, diced ham, and six cups water to the stock pot. Cover and bring to a simmer.
    Pouring water over pot with hambone, vegetables, and seasonings.
    1. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
    Ham starting to fall away from the bone after simmering on stovetop. The pot is placed on a wooden cutting board.
    1. After cooking, remove ham bone and add salt and pepper to taste.
    Cooked ham and bean soup on the counter.

    Substitutions

    Don’t have the correct ingredients on hand or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this hambone bean soup recipe.

    • Hambone: If you don't have a hambone, you can use diced ham, and replace the water with chicken broth.
    • Cannellini Beans: Swap the navy beans or great northern beans with cannellini beans.
    • Seasonings: You can omit the cumin and red pepper flakes, if you choose, but I think they both add a lot of great flavor to the delicious broth.

    Variations

    Want to personalize this hambone soup recipe? Here are some of my tried and true tips for changing up this recipe.

    • Change up the seasonings. Bay leaves, dried thyme, and paprika are good choices.
    • Add some tang. A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime, or a dash of white vinegar to add brightness to this soup.
    • Add some veggies. I think spinach, kale, frozen peas, or shredded cabbage.
    • Add diced potatoes or sweet potatoes. Adjust the cooking time as needed.

    If you like this recipe, I think you will also enjoy this delicious mushroom soup.

    A bowl of hambone bean soup on the table with a spoon in it.

    Storage

    • Refrigerator: This soup will last for about 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an air-tight container.
    • Freezer: You can freeze this soup for up to a month in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag.
    • Reheat: Thaw in the refrigerator and warm on low heat on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
    A spoonful of ham and bean soup held up over the bowl.

    What To Serve With Soup

    It's always a question on your mind when it comes to serving soup for your friends and family. What to serve with soup is what you have to figure out but our list will help you decide that...I say try them all and you'll have many different meals.

    A tasty addition to your soup that will give it a bit of crunch is our wonton crisps. A dining delight that I'm sure you'll love!

    If you're sick of bread and want some different ideas have a look at our What to Serve with Soup Besides Bread.

    Wow! This soup look absolutely delicious, but a side dish would take it to the next level. Check out What to Serve With French Onion Soup to find some amazing ideas.

    Tips

    • Don't skip the hambone if you can help it. This is hambone bean soup, so it needs to be there to achieve the same depth of flavor in this recipe.
    • Sauteing the vegetables and the hambone is a crucial step. It releases all the great flavor of the meat, veggies, and even the bone and they all begin to meld together. That will carry over into the simmering process, as well.
    • Use quality ingredients. For a dish with few ingredients like this one, using quality ingredients makes a difference.
    • Taste before you add salt, since ham already contains a fair amount of salt.
    • The broth from this soup is amazing. I highly recommend serving with a square of cornbread or flaky air fryer biscuit, to sop it all up.

    FAQ

    Do you have questions about making this hambone bean soup recipe? Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about this soup.

    Can I use dried beans in place of canned beans?

    Yes, you can use dried beans with this recipe. They will need to be pre-cooked, before adding them to the pot with the rest of the ingredients. This will ensure that all of the ingredients in the soup are of the same texture and consistency.

    What kind of beans do you put in ham and white bean soup?

    I used cannellini beans which are Italian kidney beans. You could also use navy beans, great northern beans, or garbanzo beans. Any white or light colored bean will work.

    How do you thicken white bean and ham soup?

    Place about one-half cup soup broth into a bowl. Add two tablespoons of flour or cornstarch and whisk until it is blended. Slowly add back to the soup and let it simmer a few additional minutes, or until thickened.

    A bowl of ham and white bean soup on the table.

    Video

    YouTube video

    More Hearty Soup Recipes to Try

    • Beef Vegetable soup in a bowl.
      Easy Beef Vegetable Soup
    • A bowl of crockpot hamburger soup on a plate on the table.
      Crockpot Hamburger Soup
    • Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup
      Ramen Chicken Noodle Soup
    • Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
      Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup - Made 3 Ways!
    Ham and white bean soup in a white bowl on the table.

    Old-Fashioned Ham and Bean Soup

    Karin and Ken
    Hambone bean soup is a hearty, delicious meal for cold winter days. Filled with tasty ham, beans, carrots, and celery, this will quickly become one of your favorite dishes during the winter and any time of year. This old fashioned ham and bean soup is also a terrific recipe for leftover ham.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 40 minutes mins
    Course Soup
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 333 kcal

    Equipment

    • Stock Pot or Dutch Oven

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ham bone
    • 2 carrots chopped (about 2 cups)
    • 2 celery stalks chopped (about 2 cups)
    • 1 cup onion chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 Tablespoon italian seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon cumin
    • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 3 15 ounce cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
    • 2 cups finely diced cooked ham
    • 6 cups water
    • salt and pepper to taste
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions
     

    • Spray a large stockpot with cooking spray and place the ham bone inside.
    • Place the carrots, celery and onion around the ham bone and saute until tender.
    • Add the garlic, italian seasoning, cumin and red pepper flakes. Cook for one additional minute.
    • Add the cannellini beans, ham and 6 cups water to the stock pot. Cover and bring to a simmer.
    • Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
    • Remove ham bone.
    • Add salt and pepper to taste.

    Video

    Notes

      • Don't skip the hambone if you can help it. This is hambone bean soup, so it needs to be there to achieve the same depth of flavor in this recipe.
      • Sauteing the vegetables and the hambone is a crucial step. It releases all the great flavor of the meat, veggies, and even the bone and they all begin to meld together. That will carry over into the simmering process, as well.
      • Use quality ingredients. For a dish with few ingredients like this one, using quality ingredients makes a difference.
      • Taste before you add salt, since ham already contains a fair amount of salt.
      • The broth from this soup is amazing. I highly recommend serving with a square of cornbread or flaky air fryer biscuit, to sop it all up.
    There are so many sides to go with this soup that you can switch up your meal and make it top notch every time.  Wonton crisps add that delicious crunch and makes your soup well balanced and even more amazing!
    Check out What to Serve With French Onion Soup to find some amazing side dish ideas. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 23gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 493mgPotassium: 1276mgFiber: 12gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 7202IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 205mgIron: 7mg
    Keyword ham and bean soup, ham and white bean soup, hambone bean soup
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Share
    Pin294
    Post
    Email
    Share
    295Shares
    295Shares

    More Soups and Stews

    • Thai carrot ginger soup in a bowl with a spoon.
      Sweet and Spicy Thai Carrot Soup
    • Slow cooker chicken broth in a mason jar.
      Slow Cooker Chicken Broth From Rotisserie Chicken
    • A white bowl filled with of corn and potato chowder with a spoon in it about to grab a scoop.
      Corn and Potato Chowder
    • A pair of tongs holding slow cooker flank steak up over a plate of mashed potatoes.
      Easy Slow Cooker Flank Steak

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    Welcome!

    We are the kitchen divas: Karin and my partner in life, Ken.

    We have been attached at the heart and hip since the first day we met, and we love to create new dishes to keep things interesting. Variety is definitely the spice of life!

    More about us

    Most Popular Summer Salads!

    • Cucumber and onion salad in vinegar in a bowl.
      Old-Fashioned Cucumbers and Onions in Vinegar
    • Cold asparagus salad on a plate with spoonful held above it.
      Easy Cold Asparagus Salad
    • Mediterranean Tortellini Caprese Salad (Costco Copycat)
    • A bowl of creamy cucumber salad.
      Creamy Cucumber Salad

    More Red, White and Blue Desserts ➡️

    Summer Favorites

    • Grandma's Old Fashioned Fruit Salad
    • A bowl of cheesecake fruit salad with a wooden spoon.
      Cheesecake Fruit Salad
    • Orange fluff salad in a teal colored bowl on a table with marshmallows and mandarin oranges around the bowl.
      Orange Fluff Salad
    • A slice of cherry cream cheese pie on a plate.
      Cherry Cream Cheese Pie (No Bake)

    More Sweet Treats ➡️

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and what's new!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work With Us

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Kitchen Divas All Rights Reserved