This Crock Pot, easy-to-make, hearty Navy Bean Soup Recipe comes together quickly! Using a combination of canned navy beans, great northern beans, spices, herbs, and, of course, a leftover ham bone and ham! It’s a great recipe the whole family will love!

Overhead shot of Navy Bean Soup in a white bowl with two slices of corn bread on a cutting board.

My Mom grew up in a household where you did not waste anything!

Grandma grew up in the Great Depression in a family of nine children; Grandpa a family of 12! Grandma taught Mom, who taught me, that we do not waste perfectly good food…and a ham bone was “good food”!

That one ham bone with some dried navy beans, and a little magic, could create a big ol’ pot of Old Fashioned Navy Bean Soup that would feed a lot of hungry mouths! It still does!

With today’s ever-increasing grocery costs, this Traditional Ham and Bean Soup recipe will offer the same comfort it has been for generations!

Table of Contents

List of Ingredients needed for Classic Navy Bean Soup

1 Ham Bone – with some meat still attached…it shouldn’t look cleaned off by the neighborhood dog!
½ pound left-over ham or chopped ham
2 – (15.5 oz) cans White Beans – Navy Beans
2 – (15.8 oz) cans Great Northern Beans – they are slightly larger than Navy Beans
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion – diced
1 large carrot-shredded
2 stalks celery-finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 cube of chicken bullion
2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Heavy Cream (optional)

One Simple Tip for the Best Navy Bean Soup

Before we begin, I want to share a few tweaks I made to this recipe. One simple tweak will help you create the BEST Navy Bean Soup!

Here’s my big secret… I substituted canned beans for dried. Yep! That’s it! You can use dried beans that have been soaked overnight…but trust me, this simple tweak will be a game-changer! Why?

One of the biggest issues with “bean” soup is the…uhhh…how do I say this delicately… the GAS it causes! (Oh my goodness! Good thing we don’t need to light candles! One spark and this Nest would light up like a blow torch! No pun intended!)

I have tried every method known to humanity for soaking dried beans to remove the “gas”… and the “tooting” is still present. However, I wondered if a bean that had been processed and canned might break down the sugars in beans, thus eliminating, or lowering the gas? It does!!!

Not only does it cut down on the “gas” issue…it cuts down on the prep time of this classic.

How To Make Navy Bean and Ham Soup

In a 6-quart slow cooker add one smoked ham hock, or ham shank, ham, and chicken stock.

TIP: You’ll notice I have a bit of ham left on my ham bone. Rather than fighting to get every inch of ham off the bone, I intentionally left some on there for this soup.

Next add 2 cans, drained and rinsed, of white beans (navy beans) and 2 cans of, drained and rinsed, Great Northern Beans. (They are not the same thing!)

You can use one or the other. I happen to like the variation of sizes. Both can be found at your local grocery store.

Next, add chopped onion, shredded carrots, and diced celery. Loving the colors in this soup!

Addition of celery, carrots and onions to navy bean soup in the crock pot.

Next add minced garlic, salt, pepper, dried parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, bouillon, bay leaves, and Worcestershire sauce.

Adding spices, seasonings, and chicken bouillon to ham soup.

Slow Cooker Instructions for Ham and Bean Soup

Set your slow cooker, or crock pot, to high and simmer for 3 hours until meat is falling off the ham bone.

Reduce heat to low. Carefully remove the ham bone and any large chunks of ham. Remove any ham from the bone and shred to bite-sized pieces.

Add ham back into the soup. Stir. Cover and cook an additional 1–2 hours. If needed, add 1–2 cups of hot water to the soup.

TIP: Sometimes, during cooking, the liquids reduce. If so, you can always add additional water. Less liquid will give you a thicker consistency, so it is really up to your personal preference.

Navy bean soup in a ladle over the slow cooker after cooking 4 hours.

Serving Navy Bean Soup

To make the soup a bit thicker, I like to use a potato masher to mash some of the beans. I have other additional thickening tips below.

I also like to add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to the soup for a creamier texture. It is totally optional.

This is such a tasty soup recipe! Honestly, I thought I made good Navy bean soup before…but this soup is so delicious. I couldn’t get over the depth of the flavors in this recipe.

The best part of this soup is serving it with thick slices of my Buttery Sweet Corn Bread ,or a crusty loaf of sourdough to “sop” up that broth with!

Oh, my lands! That right there is a meal Grandma would be proud of!

Spoonful of Navy Bean Soup over a big bowl full of same.

Other Favorite Soup Recipes

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope this Ham Soup with Beans is as much a favorite at your Nest as it is at ours!

Happy Nesting!

Printable Recipe

Navy Bean Soup in a white bowl with a slice of cornbread.

Navy Bean and Ham Bone Soup Recipe

This Crock Pot, easy to make, hearty Navy Bean Soup Recipe comes together quickly! Using a combination of canned navy beans and great northern beans, with spices, herbs, and of course a leftover ham bone and ham!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4 10

Total Time 4 25

Servings servings

Calories 368 kcal

Ingredients

1 Smoked Ham Bone or Ham Hock
½ pound left over ham or chopped ham
2 – 15.5 oz cans White Beans – Navy Beans-rinsed and drained
2 – 15.8 oz cans Great Northern Beans – rinsed and drained
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion – diced
1 large carrot- shredded
2 stalks celery- finely chopped
2 cloves garlic-minced
2 bay leaves
1 cube of chicken bullion
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Heavy Cream optional
2 cups water optional

Instructions

Combine chicken stock, beans, ham, ham bone, onion, carrots, celery, worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, bouillon, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a 6 quart, or larger, slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours, or until meat is falling off the ham bone.
Carefully remove the ham bone and shred any meat. Add meat back into the slow cooker. Turn slow cooker down to low. Add additional water if necessary. Cook for 1 – 2 hours. Right before serving add heavy cream if desired and mash some of the bean to thicken the soup. See post for additional instruction on thickening the soup to desired consistency.
Discard bayleaves before serving.

Video

Notes

Instructions for stove top and instant pot included within the post above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 368kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 29gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 802mgFiber: 11gSugar: 3g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

About the Author

Meet The Author

Photo Credit: Jenelle Lacy Photography

Hi! I'm Norine, the cook, baker, and recipe creator behind Norine's Nest. I love sharing and creating recipes that invite family, friends, and neighbors to gather around the dinner table. Sharing good food and creating memories with those we love brings me happiness. Thanks for stopping by my Nest!