Ham and Potato Soup is made in one pot on the stovetop. It’s thick, hearty, comforting, and the perfect way to use any leftover holiday ham.
Use additional leftover ham in Ham and Cheese Quiche, Ham and Cheese Sliders, or this delicious Ham Pot Pie.
Ham And Potato Soup
This week, we’re experiencing a bit of a cold spell, and with plenty of leftover ham from Easter, nothing seems more appealing than Ham and Potato Soup! It’s the definition of comfort food—rich, thick, and bursting with flavor.
This recipe has a mix of vegetables, plenty of ham, lots of potatoes, and a creamy soup base. It’s as good as it sounds!
Ingredients In Ham And Potato Soup
- Olive Oil: Used for cooking the ham and vegetables, adding flavor.
- Ham: Adds a meaty taste and makes the soup more filling.
- Onion, Carrot, Celery: These veggies create a flavorful base for the soup.
- Garlic: Adds a strong, tasty kick.
- Butter & Flour: Thicken the soup, making it creamy.
- Seasonings (Thyme, Oregano, Cayenne, Salt, Pepper): Add a lot of flavor.
- Milk & Chicken Stock: Help create the delicious creamy broth.
- Potatoes & Corn: These make the ham and potato soup hearty and thick.
- Cheese: Adds a creamy, cheesy flavor.
How To Make Ham And Potato Soup
- Cook Ham: Brown ham in olive oil; set aside.
- Sauté Veggies: Cook veggies in the same pot with more oil, then add garlic.
- Thicken Soup: Stir in butter, flour, and seasonings. Gradually add milk and stock, stirring until thickened.
- Add Potatoes: Simmer potatoes until soft.
- Finish with Ham and Corn: Stir in ham and corn; heat through.
- Add Cheese: Reduce heat and mix in cheese until melted.
- Serve: Adjust seasonings and serve hot with thyme or parsley.
Quick Tip
To make ham broth, put a ham bone in a pot with 7-8 cups of water, 2-3 carrots, 1 celery stalk, and 2-3 garlic cloves. Add fresh or dried thyme. Boil, then simmer for 1 hour or slow cook for 6-8 hours. Strain out the solids, and the broth is ready to use or freeze.
Tips For Success
- Potato Size: dice the potatoes into small 1/2-inch pieces for them to cook properly within 8-12 minutes. Larger pieces will take longer to cook.
- Veggie Cutting: Chop all veggies to a similar size for even cooking; varying sizes lead to a mix of mushy and undercooked pieces in your ham and potato soup.
- Potato Choice: Use Yukon gold potatoes for their creamy texture and buttery flavor. Their thin skin doesn’t require peeling.
Storage
Freezing the Soup: It’s best not to freeze Ham and Potato Soup due to its high dairy content. Freezing and thawing can cause the milk solids to separate, leading to a grainy texture.
Reheating the Soup: To reheat, gently warm the soup in a pot, stirring often. Avoid boiling or high heat to prevent separation of the ingredients.
More Soup Recipes
- Slow cooker Mexican Street Corn and Chicken Chowder
- Sausage Potato Soup reader favorite recipe!
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup Olive Garden copycat
- Pasta Soup with Italian sausage
- Creamy Vegetable Soup loaded with veggies
Ham and Potato Soup
This easy Ham and Potato Soup is made in one pot on the stovetop. It's thick, hearty, comforting, and the perfect way to use any leftover holiday ham!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, separated
- 1 and 1/2 cups cubed leftover (fully cooked) ham
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (~1 cup)
- 1 large carrot, diced (heaping 1/2 cup)
- 1 stalk celery, diced (heaping 1/2 cup)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (~2 cloves)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons white flour
- 3/4 teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
- Seasoned salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 3 cups milk (1%, 2% or whole; whole will be creamiest and what I typically use)
- 1 and 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups Yukon gold potatoes, diced (peeled if desired) (See Note 1)
- 1 and 1/2 cups frozen corn
- 1 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- Optional: fresh thyme or fresh parsley
Instructions
- HAM: Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to a large cast-iron pot over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the chopped ham and sauté for 1-2 minutes until lightly browned. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Quickly dry the pot and return to the stove top.
- VEGGIES: Over high heat, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and once shimmering, add the 1 cup diced onion, heaping 1/2 cup carrot, and heaping 1/2 cup celery. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add in the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garlic and stir for another minute.
- THICKEN: Add the butter to the pot and stir until melted. Once melted, sprinkle in the flour. Stir for 1 minute to cook off the raw flavor of the flour. Add the seasonings: the 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir seasonings for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 cup of milk and whisk until it starts to thicken (~1 minute); then pour in the remaining two cups of milk. Whisk until it thickens (~2-3 minutes) and then add in the 1 and 1/2 cups chicken stock. Whisk until slightly thickened (another ~1-2 minutes). (See Note 2)
- POTATOES: Bring the soup to a boil, slightly lower the heat to medium, and add the potatoes to the soup. Cook for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring often. The soup will thicken as it cooks and the potatoes should be fork tender after 8-10 minutes. (If the soup has thickened too much, add in a splash of additional chicken stock; I usually add up to 1/2 cup extra.)
- HAM AND CORN: Once the potatoes are fork tender, stir in the corn and the ham you set aside earlier. Heat through. Decrease the heat to low and add in the freshly grated cheese. Stir until just melted and then taste for seasonings. Remove from heat.
- SERVE: Serve bowls of soup garnished with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Make sure to dice the potatoes into small pieces (1/2-inch) so they can cook through in the 8-12 minutes indicated in the recipe. Larger potato chunks will need to simmer longer, which will result in too much liquid being absorbed.
Note 2: As the soup simmers and thickens, be sure to stir it often and scrape the bottom as you stir. (The flour and butter have a tendency to stick to the bottom which will result in a soup that doesn’t thicken properly.)
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.6g | Protein: 16.6g | Fat: 18.7g | Cholesterol: 62.7mg | Sodium: 744.6mg | Fiber: 2.1g | Sugar: 9g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I do this is a crockpot and if I still have the bone in chunk can I simmer it in the crockpot?
Sure!
Looks amazing! Can you freeze this?
I don’t recommend freezing this soup because there is so much dairy in it. The milk solids will separate as the soup thaws, resulting in a grainy texture with a lot of separation.
Yes. Delicious. I omitted the cheese to make the soup a little lighter.
Glad you’ve enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Really delicious! I didn’t have ham so I substituted smoked sausage. Such a great tasting, creamy soup, a definite keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This soup was delicious and easy to make!
So happy to hear! Thanks Daneka! 🙂
This was perfect! We loved it!
So happy to hear! Thanks Vicki! 🙂
Fantastic soup! I used 1% milk and found it worked great. Also, I used 3/4 cup corn and added 3/4 cup peas to recipe, plus I hit the soup with a couple tbsp of lemon juice. Really wonderful rainy day soup. Thx Chelsea!
I totally needed to use up left over ham from Easter tonight, and of course I hopped into your website, and found this. Chelsea! It’s got the BEST flavor! Our family loved it.
You are so sweet! I’m so happy to hear you guys loved this! Thanks so much Stacy! 🙂
This potato soup has SO MUCH flavor! My husband said it’s the best he’s ever had. And what a great way to use up leftover Easter ham. We loved it.
So happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks so much for trying and commenting on so many of my recipes Pam <3
This really looks yummy. It is cool weather here so this would be good.