Home » Slow Cooker Recipes » Slow Cooker Soup Beans and Ham (+Video)

Slow Cooker Soup Beans and Ham (+Video)

This easy Slow Cooker Soup Beans and Ham recipe is made with canned pinto beans, ham flavoring and chopped ham. Simple but delicious!

A CLASSIC APPALACHIAN MEAL

In the mountains of the South, soup beans and ham is a very common meal. It is particularly popular in the regions around the Appalachian Mountains (where I live). Now, it’s not to be confused with bean soup. It refers to pinto or other brown dried beans cooked with smoked pork as flavoring. Soup beans are usually served with cornbread and are considered a main course but can also serve as a side dish.

Slow Cooker Soup Beans and Ham shown in a pottery bowl.

TIPS FOR MAKING SOUP BEANS:

  • This is not a traditional recipe for soup beans. This is my shortcut method. If you want to make them the traditional way, see my homemade Soup Beans recipe.
  • Dried beans can be used. Just soak in water overnight and rinse well to remove any rocks, etc. before cooking. You’ll want to add about 2 cups of water when cooking this recipe to compensate.
  • Leftover ham is perfect for this recipe. A warm and comforting after-Christmas or after-Easter meal!
  • Ham concentrate can usually be found in the Latin foods aisle of your grocery store. Also, you may be able to find a product called Ham Base (Bouillon). It is usually located down the soup aisle, near the chicken and beef broth. You can also use that for ham flavoring (about a teaspoon.)
  • Feel free to add other flavorings like diced onion and minced garlic.
  • I haven’t tried making this in the Instant Pot yet so I am not sure if or how that would work. If you try it – let me know!
  • This goes perfect with some cornbread or some Butter Swim Biscuits!
closeup photo of beans and ham soup in a bowl.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)

  • canned pinto beans
  • ham concentrate or ham bouillon
  • cubed ham
canned pinto beans, ham concentrate, cooked cut ham.

HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT SOUP BEANS AND HAM:

Take all the ingredients and combine in your slow cooker.

soup beans, pinto beans, chopped cooked ham and ham concentrate seasoning in a 6-quart oval slow cooker.

Give it all a good stir and cover. 

canned pinto beans and ham in a crock pot.

Set on low for about 6-8 hours. Everything in here is already precooked. So you’re really just giving the flavors a chance to meld and for the beans to take on that yummy ham flavor.

slow cooker soup beans and ham in an oval crock pot.

Make some cornbread and serve! It’s that easy! A filling and budget-friendly meal.

Easy Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Ham recipe shown closeup in a bowl.

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Slow Cooker Soup Beans and Ham recipe

Crock Pot Soup Beans and Ham (+Video)

This easy Slow Cooker Soup Beans and Ham recipe is made with canned pinto beans, ham flavoring and chopped ham. Simple but delicious!
5 from 16 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 4 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans
  • 1 packet ham concentrate
  • 1 pound package of cubed ham, (or leftover chopped ham)

Instructions

  • Take all the ingredients and combine in your slow cooker.
  • Give it all a good stir and cover.
  • Set on low for about 4-6 hours.
  • Everything in here is already precooked. You’re really just giving the flavors a chance to meld and for the beans to take on that yummy ham flavor.
  • Serve with cornbread.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Ham concentrate can usually be found in the Latin foods aisle of your grocery store. 
  • Also, you may be able to find a product called Ham Base. It is usually located down the soup aisle, near the chicken and beef broth. You can also use that for ham flavoring (about a teaspoon).
  • For additional flavor, try adding some chopped onions.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1309mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 3g

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Originally published: October 2011
Updated & republished: December 2019

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Recipe Rating




23 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great! I used 10 cans beans and 4 packets of the ham flavoring. I also added dried minced onion. Served with fried potatoes and cornbread It made an enormous crock pot full to share with my neighbors.

  2. 5 stars
    Hi for a fast ham and bean soup this recipe is good. You can use this recipe and instead of the ham concentrate you can use smoked bacon. Just a few strips diced (you can use the bacon raw- place on bottom of crockpot) but I really SUGGEST cooking the bacon about 1/2 to 3/4 way through (it’s your preference and add the bacon and 1/2 teas of the bacon fat.) You can shorten the time in the crockpot by using the bacon and a bay leaf (which you remove before serving and tossing) because this will add a lot of flavor real fast to your soup. WITH THIS RECIPE as written do NOT use an instant pot. For dried beans you can make it in an instant pot and I use chicken stock when using dried beans

  3. 5 stars
    I have been making this in the crock pot for over 45 years! I add chopped onions and crushed garlic. Also, 1 TBSP of sugar. I start with dried beans soaked overnight or quick cooked by bringing to a boil, covered, remove from heat and rest for an hour. Very good and even better the next day!

  4. I know I am late to the post, but I hope I get a reply. First, I love all of your recipes that I have tried. It I am looking for a recipe and I see that you have one, I always go for yours! I have some dried beans that I would like to use fornthis recipe and I notice you said you do not drain your canned beans. If using dry beans, how to I compensate for that? Should I cook my beans and then follow the recipe? How much liquid would I add? Sorry, I am not the most intuitive cook. ????

  5. 5 stars
    I love Ham and Bean Soup ,i also use dried beans
    They keep better than canned beans and I also use Ham Hocks.i dont use and base products cause they are loaded with excess salt that those eith High Blood pressure dont need.

  6. 5 stars
    This looks delicious! I like my soups a little thicker. What should I do to thicken it without altering the flavor?

  7. So I have a couple crazy questions.
    1.) Do you strain and rinse the beans??
    2.) Do you add any water to the ham packet or use the juice from the cans of beans??

  8. 5 stars
    Beans (with or without ham), fried potatoes, corn bread – this was a daily staple in our home. I grew up with six siblings in a poor Midwest household. We sometimes had it for lunch as well as supper – for days and days. If times were plentiful, we had the beans WITH ham. Now that I am in my early 60' – ham and beans with cornbread is a comfort food that takes my mind back to Mom and Daddy and my childhood.

  9. 5 stars
    My husband loves soup beans, fried potatoes and cornbread. Our families are from Kentucky and it is a staple there, but we do not use pinto beans from a can, we cook the dry beans. We also use Great Northern beans as well if we want white beans. I love to put dill pickle juice on my fried potatoes-divine.

  10. This is comfort food at its finest. Make sure you take beano before you eat it! LOL. Thanks for sharing.

  11. 5 stars
    This looks like the perfect Fall dinner with the ham and beans in the slow cooker! Yum! I have never seen the ham concentrate either. Have to go shopping.

  12. 5 stars
    I have this in the crock pot for dinner tonight, except I use dried pinto beans. Of course, we'll have the cornbread to go with them, but we also have fried potatoes. Yummy comfort at it's best!!!!

  13. 5 stars
    That looks so good! My mom used to make it with sharp cheddar cheese cubes stirred into it. Nowadays, we just serve it with cheese and onions sprinkled on top with a hearty helping of cornbread on the side.

  14. 5 stars
    Oh, I bet this makes the house smell fabulous! Great recipe, Brandie…and still giggling about the visual with you having ham hocks for legs 🙂 I.don't.think.so!

  15. This looks wonderful, so flavorful and hearty for a cold Halloween night. I will have to look for the Ham Goya packet.

    1. I just have a question, Can we use canned baked beans instead of the pinto beans? Sounds really good and would love to try this.