This Ham and Potato Soup, is one of my favorite soup recipes! Ready in just 35 minutes, it’s made with root vegetables and cooked ham, with the bone, it’s rich, flavorful, and filling!
Table of Contents
Hearty and warm soups are the best things for cold weather. They make great options for lunch or an easy dinner. This flavorful ham and potato soup is a family favorite here!
This delicious recipe is perfect for one of your easy weeknight meals during the busy holiday season.
With simple ingredients, this comforting and creamy soup is ready in just 35 minutes.
We will use a low-sodium chicken broth, which blends perfectly with the vegetables, ham, and seasonings. The ham bone will make a broth as it cooks, giving the soup a rich flavor. This also draws out some great nutrients from the bone!
If you enjoy baked ham during the holidays, then save this recipe as an easy and delicious way to use your leftover ham bone!
We love to serve it with Garlic Bread or Brioche Buns and a side of Roasted Carrots for a hearty and nutritious meal.
Ingredients Needed:
- Oil: use a neutral flavored oil for sautéing the vegetables or butter, if you prefer.
- Vegetables: use the classic root veggie trio of onions, carrots, and celery as well as hearty potatoes for a great savory flavor that will fill you up too.
- Seasoning: garlic, parsley, thyme, salt and black pepper gives this soup a classic warm flavor.
- Broth: use a low-sodium chicken broth so that you can control the saltiness of the soup. You can use chicken stock in a pinch.
- Ham: we’ll be using cooked ham as well as a ham bone to get a great savory ham flavor with pieces of ham. Use leftover baked ham or ham hock if you have it.
- Butter: to bind with the flour for thickening the milk.
- Flour: all-purpose flour will bind to the butter and milk
- Milk: use whole or 2% milk for making the thickened sauce that makes the soup creamy.
- Cheese and Green Onions: shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions are the perfect toppings for this soup.
How to Make Ham and Potato Soup
This homemade soup is quick and easy to make. You can find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
- Sauté the carrots, onion and celery. Add the salt, black pepper, garlic, parsley, and thyme and cook until fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, ham, ham bone, and potatoes to the pot, scraping the brown caramelized bits at the bottom of the pan to mix them into the soup mixture. Cook until potatoes are tender.
- Make the roux: melt the butter and add the flour
- Thicken the milk: Add the milk and whisk until smooth. Microwave this mixture in short intervals, whisking each time, until you have a thick consistency.
- Thicken the soup: remove the ham bone and add the ham back into the soup, then add the thickened milk.
- Add cheddar cheese to the soup and stir well. Adjust seasonings to your tastes and serve.
Ham and Potato Soup FAQs
This recipe uses thickened milk and cheese to thicken the soup. You could also use a corn starch and cold water mixture, or blend some of the potatoes with a hand blender.
Store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Let it cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
I don’t usually recommend freezing this soup because potatoes change in texture when they are frozen and you may find them unappetizing.
If that doesn’t bother you, you can freeze this soup up to 3 months. Let cool to room temperature before placing in a freezer-safe container. Thaw completely before reheating to keep the potatoes from becoming overly mushy.
Tips and Notes
- The soup will thicken as it cools down. As soups cool down they get a bit thicker, so add in some extra broth if you need to before serving, or after reheating it from being stored.
- Use fresh vegetables. Pre-chopped vegetables tend to get dry, so using fresh vegetables that you’ve chopped yourself will give you the best flavor in your soup.
- Mince your own garlic. Just like fresh vegetables, freshly minced garlic is packed with wonderful aromas that you might not get from garlic paste or garlic powder. I would recommend giving it a go if you haven’t tried it before!
Ham and Potato Soup Variations
- Mix up the veggies. This delicious soup works well with so many veggies, so use whatever you have on hand, like green beans or corn. It’s a great way to use up leftovers during the holidays (you can even throw in leftover mashed potatoes!).
- Use heavy cream. You can use heavy cream instead of thickened milk to give this soup a richer flavor, although it won’t be as thick.
- Swap the protein: got leftover Crockpot Shredded Chicken, Air Fryer Bacon or some white beans you need to use up? Those would also be delicious in here!
Serving Suggestions
While this ham and potato soup is hearty and filling, you can serve it with bread to make it even more filling! My Homemade Breadsticks are so handy and taste delicious with soups, as well as these Brioche Buns, and these amazing Homemade Buns.
More Soup Recipes to Try
Ham and Potato Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds russet or gold potatoes (peeled and chopped, 900 grams)
- 2 cups cooked ham (chopped or shredded)
- 1 ham bone
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk (any kind)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- shredded cheese and green onions for topping as desired
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery, saute until onions are softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add salt, garlic, parsley, thyme and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, ham, ham bone, and potatoes to the pot. Scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits from the bottom.
- Bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Thicken the milk:
- Meanwhile, place melted butter in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup (leave yourself some room at the top as the mixture will bubble up and thicken considerably). Whisk in flour.
- Whisk in milk, using a spatula to get the flour from the sides of the cup as necessary.
- Microwave in 45-60 second intervals (Start with 60, then reduce as the milk gets thicker and closer to being done), whisking well each time, until milk has thickened considerably. Stand at the microwave and keep an eye on it as the mixture will bubble up.
Finish the soup:
- When the potatoes are cooked, remove the ham bone and pull any meat from it to stir back in.
- Stir in the thickened milk and cheddar cheese. Top with additional shredded cheese and green onions as desired.
Notes
- Fridge: Store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Let it cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
- no ham bone? Totally fine! It does add lots of flavor but you can simply leave it out and add in additional ham.
- I haven’t tried this recipe with non-dairy options, but I think your best bet would be to reserve some of the cooked potatoes and puree them and add back into the soup. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, these would work as well.
Nutrition Information
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Mrs Hinde says
I made this for company using our Christmas hambone. I was nervous because it was a new recipe for company but it turned out to be a HUGE hit with everyone. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
So glad to hear, thank you!
Kelly says
Hands down the best soup I’ve ever made! The recipe was super easy to follow and the soup was delicious! I didn’t have a ham bone and it was still a 10/10.
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Thank you!
Stacy Rakestraw says
This was absolutely delicious! I did use a ham bone and the flavor was so rich. I added two more cups of chicken stock to get the consistency I wanted. Very good!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Stacy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Kris says
One of the best soups I’ve ever made! It’s so yummy and comforting on a cold day 😊
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kris! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Casey Saylor says
This was so delicious!!! Thank you Ashley for creating and sharing this amazing recipe!! I had some russet potatoes and celery I needed to use up so I decided to make this soup and both my husband and I gave it two thumbs up! Love that it’s essentially a one pot recipe, super cool to make the “roux” in the microwave!
I did use fairlife milk as a lactose free choice which turned out great. I didn’t have a ham bone but it was still yummy!
The garnish made this so good! Topped hubbies with cheese and green onions. I topped mine with green onion, jalapeño, and bacon bits – so good!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Casey! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Karen says
So so yummy ! Made this in the crockpot with ham bone cooked all day ! Added the roux and cheese an Hour before dinner ! Was perfect.
Thank you for sharing your yummy recipes !
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Thank you!
Christina says
SO EASY! I went more simple with canned vegetables/potatos but still came out AMAZING. Also used pepper jack instead of cheddar for a little more kick. Can’t wait to try it again.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Christina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!