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Deliciously creamy and packed with comforting flavors, this Ham Potato Soup is a hearty blend of tender potatoes, smoky ham, and sweet carrots—without a drop of heavy cream! Easy to make and impossible to resist, it’s perfect for cozy dinners that impress every time.
What Sets This Ham Potato Soup Apart?
Nothing warms the soul like a bowl of hearty, flavorful soup. Whether it’s a chilly evening or just a cozy dinner, this creamy Ham Potato Soup delivers comfort in every spoonful. If you’ve loved our Creamy Pumpkin Soup or Cream of Mushroom Soup, you already know the unbeatable flavors we bring to every recipe.
What sets this ham potato soup apart? Its velvety texture without using heavy cream! By making a roux directly in the pot, the creamy consistency is effortless yet refined—a game-changing technique that guarantees a rich mouthfeel and depth of flavor every time. Ready in under 45 minutes, it’s perfect for busy nights or whenever you’re craving something hearty and wholesome.
Ham Potato Soup: Key Ingredients
The secret to this Creamy Ham Potato Soup lies in its ingredients. Smoky ham adds depth, tender potatoes bring heartiness, and fresh garlic delivers bold, aromatic flavor. Simple staples, unforgettable comfort!
- Ham: The hero of this recipe! Choose a smoked ham with balanced saltiness and minimal additives for the purest flavor. Ham is able to add the same touch of magic as it does in this Ham And Bean Soup. Leftover ham is a great option—it adds depth and transforms the soup into a cozy comfort dish. Dice it into bite-sized pieces for even distribution.
- Ham Broth: The flavor-packed foundation of this soup. Homemade ham broth delivers unmatched richness—simmer a leftover ham bone with onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves for a nutrient-filled base. Store-bought broth works as a quick substitute, but homemade is worth the effort for its hearty, authentic flavor.
- Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are the top choice for their creamy texture and buttery flavor. Their ability to hold their shape while softening adds to the soup’s velvety finish. Dice evenly for consistent cooking and full flavor absorption.
*Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
When it comes to Ham Bean Soup, hearty simplicity is everything. Out of an ingredient? No worries—easy substitutions will still create a flavorful, satisfying bowl of comfort!
- Cheese: For an extra layer of flavor, stir in some grated cheddar, parmesan, or your favorite cheese towards the end of cooking. It adds a creamy richness that complements the ham perfectly.
- Spices: If you enjoy a bit of heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce. For a smokier flavor, try adding a touch of smoked paprika.
Ham Potato Soup: Step-By-Step
Let’s jump in! With just a few easy steps, you’ll create a bowl of hearty, flavorful Ham Bean Soup that’s sure to impress. Time to make your kitchen the coziest spot in the house!
- Sauté the Veggies: Heat butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery until they begin to soften.
- Add Ham and Potatoes: Add ham and potatoes, cook briefly, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Mix in Flour: Mix in the flour and cook for a short while.
- Add Stock and Boil: Stir in stock and bouillon. Increase heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are just fork-tender.
- Thicken with Milk: Reduce heat to medium-low, add milk, and stir until thickened.
- Season to Taste: Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Nothing beats a warm piece of bread dipped in a hot bowl of ham potato soup! Lucky for you, I have some wonderful bread recipes to complement your meal. Feel like baking your own? Consider these delicious options: Artisan Bread or Soft Dinner Rolls. Both are up to the standard, but they become even more irresistible with a knob of Garlic Butter spread on your warm bread fresh out of the oven.
Looking for more creamy soup ideas? Here are some you might love: Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup, Creamy Zuppa Toscana, Lentil Soup, or Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup. Each one brings its own unique flavors to your table.
Recipe FAQ’s
The key is to reduce the heat to medium-low before adding the milk. Stir gently and let it cook until it thickens. Lowering the heat is vital to prevent the flour from curdling, ensuring a smooth, creamy soup.
No problem! Homemade ham broth adds incredible depth of flavor, but if you don’t have it, a high-quality store-bought chicken or beef broth works well too. For extra richness, you can add a bit of bouillon powder.
Absolutely! While I recommend Yukon Gold potatoes for their creamy texture and buttery flavor, you can also use Russet or red potatoes. Just keep in mind that each type will slightly alter the texture, but they will all be delicious.
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Ham Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 cup carrot large, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 3 cups potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups cooked ham diced, add more if desired
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour plain flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock or broth
- 2 teaspoons chicken Bouillon
- 3 cups milk whole milk or 2%
- 1/4 teaspoon salt if needed, adjust to you taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, celery until beginning to soften (about 4 minutes).
- Add the ham and potatoes, cook for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Mix the flour through and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in stock and bouillon, mixing all ingredients together. Increase heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are ‘just’ fork tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add the milk and stir over the heat until thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Taste test and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve warm.
Notes
HAM BROTH
You can make your own ham broth for ham soup using leftover ham bone:- Simmer the ham bone in a stock pot filled with enough water to cover the bone halfway (about 2 quarts/litres, depending on size of bone).
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid and let simmer until very fragrant (about 1 hour).
- Discard hambone
- Replace the chicken stock with your ham broth.
TIPS
If your soup is too thick once it’s finished, simply add more milk in 1/4 cup increments until reaching your desired consistency. Alternatively, if your soup is not thick enough to your liking, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together with 2 tablespoons of extra milk. Pour the mixture into the soup and allow to boil for a few minutes to thicken, while stirring. Repeat for an even thicker soup!Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What if you don’t have or use boullion?
Made this recipe tonight. It was delicious and so easy! I had an extra turnip from another recipe so I added that in with the potatoes. So good!
Someone had asked about the potatoes, I put them in raw and made sure to boil it long enough. They came out perfect.
I’ll be making this again for sure!
This recipe is truly delicious! Best soup I’ve ever made and ever had. I even made it twice in one week. Everyday I had leftovers to eat I was so excited to eat!!! I also took some liberties but this core recipe is one to keep forever and ever.
I made this soup and it turned out delicious, we ate the whole pot full. I made it exactly like the recipe. I’m planning on making another pot full this weekend.
This was incredible!! Thank you for this delicious recipe! Great way to use leftover ham from Easter yesterday!
Made this to use up some leftover ham. I was so delicious! Will definitely make this again.
Wow! This was soooooo good and so easy! Needed a good way to use leftover ham in a weeknight meal – this hit the mark on everything – super easy, made from stuff I actually have on hand, fast, and amazingly great taste. Will be visiting this site often for more ideas.
Hello! Happy super bowl Sunday!
I just have to say I actually made this recipe because I had too much broth left over from my ham and bean soup and I felt so bad just to dump it. It worked out perfectly!? I also used up some extra leftover frozen ham from Thanksgiving and it’s sooo good. I didn’t mince my garlic I just smashed them and threw them in. Thank you for a great recipe, I’m going to have a lot of good soups to eat!
I am going to add a few bacon bits and fresh chopped scallion on top.for appearance and additional flavor.
Excellent recipe! My whole family loved it. I used celery seed instead of celery and it worked well!
Thank you!!
How much celery seed?
Made this last night, and it was great! Everyone went back for seconds. I ended up adding more stock in step four — two more cups for a quart total — in order to have enough liquid to cook the potatoes without everything sticking. But I was a bit random in how much of each solid ingredient I used, so it’s almost certainly my fault it was too thick.
In any case, this was a perfect way to use up some of that holiday ham!
This is the best of the rest! Delicious ham @ potato soup! We made this instead of the old Navy Beans and Ham and boy, are we glad we did. This recipe is easy and delicious! What more can we say? Bon Appetit!
i made them today using our leftover honey thyme ham from thanksgiving.i used salted butter as thats the i had available.then 2 cups of milk instead of 2. it is superb! my 9 years old and my husband like it.i will definitely make them again.thank you for sharing your recipe.
correction 2 instead of 3 i meant.
My daughter loves potato soup, so I tried your recipe tonight. My goodness gracious. It was so good! We all agreed that it’s worlds above the recipe I’ve been using for years. Big thanks!
Now I’m off to pin a bunch of your other recipes.
this is without a doubt the best recipe I have gotten on-line, I made it last night and was truly amazed.
thank you so much