Thick, hot, and comforting on a cold Winter day, Split Pea Soup has always been one of my favourites ever since I was a kid.
I grew up in Québec and have to admit that as a child, I always looked forward to Soupe aux pois (jaunes) (aka: yellow pea soup). It’s a traditional dish in Québécois cuisine and I have to tell you that my Dad makes the best Split Pea Soup I have ever had. I always thought it was kind of funny since my Dad is Caribbean-Chinese, but he’s a great cook regardless of what type of cuisine. He can basically do it all and do it well.
I remember my Mom always having a stockpile of cans of Habitant French-Canadian Pea Soup in our cupboards all the time for when we wanted a quick fix (when Dad wasn’t around to cook it from scratch for us)! One would think after all these years, I would have paid closer attention and found out just how Dad made his soup. I didn’t have the foresight to pay attention, so here’s my homemade slow cooker version.
Because life is crazy busy, I have a very good relationship with my slow cooker. I like being able to throw things together in the morning and have it ready to serve and eat at suppertime!

- 16 oz dried yellow peas (rinsed)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled & chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 cups cooked ham, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or made into a paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme & 1 tsp dried rosemary, salt/Herbamare & black pepper OR 2 Tbsp Epicure 3 Onion Dip Mix (makes things just a bit different)
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- Combine all ingredients in a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 8-10 hours (or until peas are very tender and the soup thickens).
If you try out my slow cooker split pea soup recipe, let me know what you think!
This is a family favourite — especially on cold days like the ones we’ve been experiencing lately thanks to the polar vortex!
mmmmm I think homemade soup is one of my absolute favs, love split pea soup! Thanks so much for this recipe, I haven’t made split pea soup in ages and this just jogged my memory! Growing up, my Dad & I were the only ones that liked it…. it and Potato Soup!
Sounds flavourful and healthy! I’m always looking for any reason to use my slow cooker!
I love cooking in my slowcooker, and the family loves pea soup. This is a winner recipe for me.
yum!
Thank you for sharing the recipe, it is going in my slow cooker tomorrow. It has been a long time since I had homemade pea soup!
With a very sick little girl, a very bored little boy, and a to-do list that is a mile long… I decided to whip this soup up for dinner! I don’t have the epicure spices, so opted for the thyme, rosemary, S&P route. It smells so good! The countdown to the dinner hour is on.
I lied…I’ve had yellow split peas, just not this way. I’ve had them in dal. Your recipe sounds kind of dalish, though of course you wouldn’t put ham in dal. 🙂
Split pea soup with curry powder and onion soup mix? Sounds tasty! I don’t think I’ve ever had yellow split peas. Are they closer to green split peas, or lentils?
Here’s my favorite split pea recipe, which includes spinach. 🙂 http://jellyjules.com/?p=3690
Julie, I’m a weirdo and think I’m the only one who has put curry and 3 onion mix in my split pea soup ever. This is definitely not the norm! 😉