I'm in comfort food mode over here - just trying to warm up my body and my soul. Since I baked a whole ham last week for the holidays, I decided to turn the extra ham into this delicious, creamy ham and potato soup. It became an instant family favorite at my house!
It's a flavorful soup with smoky ham, chunks of tender potatoes, carrots and peas in a thick, creamy broth. It's everything you're looking for to warm you up on a cold winter day. It's a great way to use leftover ham. If you don't have leftover ham, you can use a store-bought ham to make this recipe any time of year.
Looking for more creamy soup recipes? Give my white bean and ham soup or this delicious gluten free potato soup a try.
Ingredient Notes
This easy ham soup recipe is packed with flavor from simple ingredients that can be found in any grocery store.
- Butter - I use Country Crock Plant Butter for all of my recipes, to make them dairy free. If you don't follow a dairy free diet, you can use unsalted dairy butter instead. You could also replace the butter with olive oil in the same measure.
- Yellow Onion - This aromatic gives a nice base of savory flavor to the soup.
- Carrots - A little extra vegetables never hurt. If you don't have carrots on hand, you're welcome to leave them out of the soup.
- Garlic - Another aromatic to give flavor to the sou.
- Celery Seed - I personally hate buying a bunch of celery to only use one or two stalks, so I typically use celery seed to give the celery flavor to my soups. If you prefer fresh celery, use ½ cup diced celery and add it along with the onions and carrots.
- Black Pepper, Dried Thyme & Bay Leaf - Herbs and spices to give a well rounded flavor to this potato soup.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour in my cooking and baking. If you're not gluten free, you can use all purpose flour here.
- Ham Broth (or Chicken Broth) - Since I just baked a ham, I used the leftover ham bone to make homemade ham broth in my Instant Pot. I've included the instructions in the recipe card. If you don't have ham broth, chicken broth is the best replacement. And if you're following a gluten free diet, make sure you're using gluten free broth - Pacific Foods is my favorite brand.
- Potatoes - I used Yukon Gold potatoes here, but red potatoes or Russet potatoes would also work well. Since the cooking time is relatively short, the potatoes shouldn't break down too much regardless of the variety.
- Ham - You will need about 2 ½ cups of cooked ham, which is around 1 pound. I used leftovers from my Dutch oven ham recipe, but you can use store-bought ham for ease. I like Kentucky Legend brand for gluten free ham.
- Frozen Peas - My family loves peas, so I add them to lots of soups. Even with the peas being frozen they cook in just a couple of minutes. If you don't like them, feel free to omit.
- Half & Half - Since there is no dairy free half & half, I used half plant based cream and half unsweetened coconut milk. Obviously if you're not dairy free, you can just buy dairy half & half or heavy cream for a richer soup.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - use dairy butter and half & half in the same measure.
- Fresh Celery - Replace the celery seed with ½ cup of diced fresh celery. It should be added to the soup along with the onions and carrots.
- Not Gluten Free - Use all purpose flour in place of gluten free flour.
How to Make Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
This ham and potato soup recipe uses a combination of a roux, mashed potatoes and cream to make a creamy soup. It's all cooked in one pot - I love using my Dutch oven pot for this recipe!
STEP 1: Melt butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 5-7 minutes, until softened.
STEP 2: Add the garlic, celery seed, black pepper and dried thyme. Cook while stirring constantly for one minute until fragrant.
STEP 3: Add in the gluten free flour and stir while cooking for 2-3 minutes. It should turn into a thick paste coating the vegetables.
STEP 4: Pour in 1 cup of broth and stir well to break up any clumps of flour. It should resemble gravy.
STEP 5: Add the cut potatoes, diced ham, bay leaf and all the remaining broth to the pot. Bring soup to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 12 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
STEP 6: Scoop out about 1 cup of cooked potatoes and mash them with a potato masher or immersion blender. Then return the potatoes to the pot and stir well.
STEP 7: Add the frozen peas to the soup and cook for about 3 minutes uncovered until the peas are warmed.
STEP 8: Stir in the half & half (or plant cream & milk). Now you're ready to serve.
Storage
The flavors of this soup are even better the next day. Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat over gentle heat to maintain the creaminess of the soup.
More soup recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Vegan Butter
- 1 Cup Carrots cut into ¼" coins
- ½ Cup Yellow Onion diced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Celery Seed or use ½ cup diced fresh celery
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- pinch Dried Thyme
- ¼ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend use all purpose flour if not gluten free
- 4 Cups Ham Broth or gluten free chicken broth
- 4 Cups Potatoes cut into cubes
- 2 ½ Cups Ham cut into cubes
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Cup Frozen Peas
- ½ Cup Plant Based Cream replace cream & milk with 1 cup half & half
- ½ Cup Non Dairy Milk
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.¼ Cup Vegan Butter
- Once the butter is melted, add the diced onions and carrots. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.1 Cup Carrots, ½ Cup Yellow Onion
- Add in the garlic, celery seed, black pepper and thyme. Continue to cook while stirring constantly for another minute.4 cloves Garlic, ½ teaspoon Celery Seed, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, pinch Dried Thyme
- Add the gluten free flour and stir well. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes. It should look like a thick paste coating the vegetables.¼ Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend
- Add 1 cup of broth to the pot and stir well, breaking up any clumps of flour. It should resemble gravy.4 Cups Ham Broth
- Add the remaining broth, potatoes, ham and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 12 minutes, until the potatoes are just fork tender.4 Cups Potatoes, 2 ½ Cups Ham, 1 Bay Leaf
- Remove the bay leaf. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooked potatoes and mash them in a small bowl. Add the mashed potatoes back into the soup and stir well.
- Add in the frozen peas and continue to cook for 3 minutes uncovered.1 Cup Frozen Peas
- Pour in the cream and milk (or half & half). Stir well and serve.½ Cup Plant Based Cream, ½ Cup Non Dairy Milk
Notes
- Add your ham bone with remaining bits of meat to an Instant Pot.
- Cover with water, but do not fill past the max line.
- Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.
- Naturally release the steam for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove the ham bone and strain the broth into storage containers.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Judy says
So delicious! I did make my own broth with a leftover ham bone.
It's so tasty with homemade ham broth 🙂
Mary says
Made this super easy soup and it was a hit with the family. Warm and comforting. Aw
esome broth.
I'm glad you liked it! 🙂
natalie says
I can’t wait to try this soup. It looks delicious!
Joanne says
This sounds delicious!