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!

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!
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!

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

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.

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!

Other Favorite Soup Recipes
- Easy Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
- Creamy Mexican Corn Chowder
- Traditional Clam Chowder
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Cream of Broccoli Soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup from Damn Delicious
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 and Ham Bone Soup Recipe
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
Nutrition
About the Author
Meet The Author
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!
Peg
Wednesday 17th of January 2024
The addition of herbs and the little enhancements to the natural flavors, e.g. minced garlic plus the boost of garlic powder, makes this the only way I’ll ever make this going forward. Absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!
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Tuesday 23rd of January 2024
Hi Peg! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a nice review of this Navy Bean and Ham soup! It's such a comfort dish and a great way to use up a leftover ham bone! I hope you have a wonderful new year! Norine