Our quick and easy Ham Potato Soup is pure comfort food to serve on those chilly winter nights! Made with tender ham & potatoes, fresh vegetables, and a creamy base that can easily be made dairy-free. A great way to give to new life to leftover holiday ham and serve as weeknight meals!
The Best Ham Potato Soup
It is that time of year where we typically have some leftover ham from Christmas dinner or an Easter celebration and a homemade soup is the best way to turn it into a new, delicious meal! We easily made this ham and potato soup in a dutch oven on the stove top, but you can easily transfer to a slow cooker and leave on warm to serve a crowd. The whole family is going to love enjoying this enjoying this easy soup recipe!
Looking for More Favorite Soup Recipes?
If you love cozy soup recipes as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Split Pea Soup with Ham!
What You Will Need
- butter – use a little when sautéing the fresh veggies and then making a roux to create a thicker consistency.
- sweet onion & minced garlic – a little bit of each are always perfect for adding the best flavor!
- celery & carrots – these fresh vegetables are always great in most homemade soup recipes.
- all-purpose flour – the perfect thickening agent and can easily be swapped with a gluten-free option.
- chicken stock – option to use homemade chicken broth in this potato and ham soup or use a ham hock to make a homemade ham broth.
- milk & cream – feel free to use regular milk and heavy cream for a creamy ham and potato soup, but you can also swap them out for dairy-free alternatives that are also delicious!
- diced potatoes – love the russet potatoes that are noted in the recipe card, but you can use any variety of potatoes.
- chunks of ham – easily make a Baked Ham to enjoy and use leftovers in this soup or pick-up a ham steak at your local grocery store.
- salt and pepper – simple seasonings that are always needed in this hearty soup!
- better than bouillon ham base – love adding just a little bit to really level up that depth of flavor.
How To Make Ham Potato Soup
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to gather all of the fresh, simple ingredients.
Now bring a large pot to a medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter to melt. Add onion to soften and then the garlic, carrots, and celery. Move around the pot to cook for a few minutes. Then add the rest of the butter to melt and the flour.
Gradually pour in the broth, milk, and cream of choice, while whisking continuously. Next, add the potatoes, ham, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and ham base to the soup pot. Mix and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Adjust any seasonings and enjoy this potato soup with ham!
Best Ways To Serve Ham Potato Soup
This quick ham and potato soup is best served with some chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, fresh cracked pepper, or some fresh parsley. And don’t forget some bread on the side for dunking in this delicious soup!
Recipe FAQs
- What is the best bread to eat with soup? We highly recommend a nice piece of crusty bread with a generous spread of butter. Sourdough bread or French bread are our favorites!
- How to make ham potato soup creamier? If dairy isn’t a concern for you, heavy cream would make the soup base very creamy. Plus, you can also use a potato masher to mash some of the cooked potatoes which would also give a thicker consistency.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Ham Potato Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our delicious Ham and Potato Soup recipe is full of the best flavor with a smooth and creamy texture that can easily be made dairy-free!
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, divided (regular or plant-based)
- 1 small sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2–3 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, sub gluten-free 1-to-1 flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk (regular or unsweetened almond milk)
- 1 cup heavy cream (regular or a dairy free alternative like unflavored Nutpods)
- 3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
- 3 cups cooked ham, cubed
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Ham Base
- optional toppings: fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Sauté Veggies: Bring a large dutch oven to a medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons butter; let melt and swirl to coat the pan. Add onion and move around the pan until fragrant, approx. 1 minute. Add garlic, celery, and carrots and sauté for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften.
- Flour + Liquid: Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter and let melt. Add flour and stir to coat the veggies. Adding 1/4 cup at a time, slowly add in the broth, then milk, and then the cream, whisking continuously the whole time.
- Potatoes: Add potatoes, ham, 1/2 teaspoon salt, ground black pepper and Better than Bouillon Ham Base to the soup, stir, cover, and keep at a gentle simmer until the potatoes are soft, but still firm.
- Taste: Taste and add the other 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if desired and adjust any other seasonings, as necessary.
- Serve: Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.
Notes
- Gluten Free: swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Leftover Ham: a great recipe for making with leftover ham from the holidays, like our Honey Glazed Ham or Grilled Ham.
- Storage: leftover soup can be kept in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Next Level: if you REALLY want to up your leftover-ham-soup-game, then you can make some ham broth/stock by boiling your leftover ham bone in water (enough to almost cover your ham bone) with a little salt – let simmer for several hours and then use that in place of the chicken broth. You might need to add more salt – but just taste as you go!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 262
- Sugar: 4.5 g
- Sodium: 327 mg
- Fat: 14.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.3 g
- Protein: 16.1 g
- Cholesterol: 69 mg
Steve says
What would you substitute for the heavy cream to lighten it up, make it less fattening?
Erin says
Right after we list heavy cream, it states you can use an unflavored, unsweetened dairy-free creamer such Nutpods (which is actually what I prefer) – hope that helps!