Warm-up with this delicious and Creamy Ham and Potato Soup – a hearty comfort food favorite that’s creamy without the cream thanks to a little trick. This ham and potato soup recipe will quickly become a family favorite and it’s a great way to use up leftover ham.
This post was originally published on November 29th, 2016. Updated on November 20th, 2020
Warm-up with a Big Bowl of Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
When the weather turns cold, we turn to a big, hearty bowl of soup. Making soup is the epitome of cold weather. It’s easy to make and always leaves you satisfied after enjoying a big bowl of warm deliciousness.
This creamy ham and potato soup recipe is one of our all-time favorite soups to enjoy on a cold winter day. With big chunks of ham, soft potatoes, diced carrots, and the ever delicious and healthy kale come together for an unforgettable bowl of soup the whole family will love.
Do you have leftover ham to use up? If you made our Orange Glazed Ham for a holiday gathering, you’ll have leftovers of the delicious and juicy ham slices. This is an excellent recipe to use up leftovers and eliminate food waste. Chop those leftover ham slices into bite-size pieces and watch them transform into a mouthwatering hearty soup.
Creamy Soup — Without the Cream!
We’re using one of our favorite “hacks” to make this delicious soup creamy without any dairy in sight! Instead, you’ll use an immersion blender (or a regular blender) to blend up 1/2 the cooked veggies, before adding them back to the base of the soup. You won’t believe how creamy this makes the soup!
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Ingredients for Dairy-Free Creamy Ham and Potato Soup
- Cooking fat of choice – We like to use avocado oil or olive oil
- Yellow onion – Can also use white onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Leek – Use the white and light green part only. May substitute 3-4 green onions instead.
- Garlic
- Red potatoes – May substitute Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes
- Chicken Broth – Homemade or store-bought. We recommend using low-sodium broth so that you can adjust the salt to taste.
- Dried Thyme
- Cooked ham – Use ham without added sugar to make the recipe Whole30-friendly
- Kale – May substitute spinach or another hearty green
- Salt & Pepper
- Red Pepper Flakes – Optional
How to make Ham and Potato Soup
First step: Place a Dutch oven or large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat and add the fat or oil of choice. When melted, add the onion, carrot, celery, and leeks. Saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions start to soften.
Second step: Add the garlic and stir, cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Third step: Add the potatoes, broth, and thyme. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender – about 30 minutes, depending on how large the pieces of potatoes are and how vigorous the simmer.
Fourth step: When the vegetables are tender, insert an immersion blender into the soup on one side of the Dutch oven (or large pot), and process until creamy. Stir to mix the part you just pureed into the other half of the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can transfer half of the soup to a blender or food processor and blend until creamy.
Last step: Add the diced ham and kale and continue to heat until the ham is warm and the kale is wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve.
How to store Ham Potato Soup
Store any leftover ham potato soup in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days or place completely cooled soup in a freezer-friendly container and freeze (see below for more).
Stock Your freezer with a Healthy Soup
Have you found yourself in the middle of the week struggling with dinner creation? We understand and we have a solution!
This is a great recipe to double and freeze half of it to enjoy on those busy nights when take-out sounds so tempting (soup recipes in general are awesome for this purpose!). Keeping a healthy batch of ham potato soup in the freezer is a great way to enjoy a healthy meal in under 15 minutes.
After making this dutch oven ham and potato soup, let it cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container like this one or these half-gallon reusable silicone bags and freeze. The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months.
More Freezer-Friendly Soup Recipes to Make
How to Thaw and Reheat Ham and Potato Soup
To thaw the soup, simply remove the container of frozen ham and potato soup from the freezer and empty the contents into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover the saucepan with a list and over medium-low begin to warm the soup stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn’t burn. Continue to heat until the soup is hot enough to enjoy, about 15-20 minutes.
Or remove the container of frozen soup and place it in the refrigerator overnight to slowly thaw. The next day when you’re ready to serve the soup, place the thawed soup into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat.
Other Soup Recipes You’ll Love
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Creamy Potato and Ham Soup
A hearty soup to take the chill off and fill your belly! Made without cream, this Whole30-friendly soup relies on potatoes for its thick and creamy texture – you’ll never know it’s dairy-free.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: Serves 5 1x
- Category: Soups & Stews, Whole30

Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. cooking fat of choice (such as ghee, avocado oil or olive oil)
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 large leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 cups red potatoes, skin-on, ½-inch dice
- 4 cups chicken broth (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 8 oz. cooked ham, ¼-inch dice
- 2 cups kale, tightly packed, torn into small pieces (about ½ bunch)
- ½ tsp. sea salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper or to taste
- Red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Place a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid over medium heat. Add fat/oil and when melted, add onion, carrot, celery, and leeks. Saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions start to soften.
- Add garlic, stir and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Add potatoes, broth, and thyme. Bring soup just to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until potatoes and carrots are tender – about 30 minutes, depending on how large they are and how vigorous the simmer.
- When vegetables are tender, insert an immersion blender into the soup on one side of the pot and process until creamy. Stir to mix the part you just pureed into the other half of the soup (you can also remove ½ of the soup and process it in a blender or food processor then return it to the pan).
- Add diced ham and kale continue to heat until ham is warm and kale is wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5th recipe
- Calories: 322
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 775mg
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 19g
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Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
MWC says
My newly paleo family ate this up tonight. Delicious. Perfect for the cold weather we’ve been having in Seattle. Thank you!
Jessica Beacom says
Wow! That’s incredible! Thanks for sharing – glad we could help you serve up something your family loves and to help ward off that PNW chill.
Charity O says
Another Seattle-lite here! Made this recipe this week for a group of people and it was a hit! The only change I made was to leave out the Kale, but that was only because I forgot to include it in my grocery order. Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Charity,
Seattle + Soup must be a thing right now with all the cold, wet weather. So glad you loved it!
Laura Nelson says
What type of ham do you use for this recipe so that it is Whole30 compliant? What stores carry it?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Laura –
I use Pederson’s Natural Farms Spiral Sliced Ham which can be ordered online at The Simple Grocer.
You can learn more about Simple Grocers here (plus get a discount on your first order – everything they sell is Whole30-compliant and all orders ship free in the U.S.)
You can also look for a Whole30-compliant deli ham and ask to have it sliced thick (so you can then cube it). You may need to use less salt in the recipe if you ham is really salty.
Hope that helps!
Annahita says
I have a huge bag of russet potatoes to use up – do you think they could work in this soup?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Annahita,
You can definitely use Russet potatoes. You may want to peel them (or at least half of them) since their peels are tougher than those of red potatoes. I often use a mix of both if that’s what I’ve got on hand and it always turns out great. I just prefer red potatoes for the fact that they don’t need peeling, they’re pretty in soup and it’s what we grow in our garden every summer. Yukon golds will also work, too.
Enjoy!
Melanie says
I just made this dish (in my Instant Pot) and it is phenomenal! I highly recommend :). Thanks for the share.
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Melanie! I’m so glad you loved it. It’s a huge hit at my house too. Would you mind sharing how long you cooked it in the Instant Pot? I know a lot of people will want to know and I’ve only made mine on the stove.
Bethany says
Did you just throw everything into the instant pot? How long?
Stacie Hassing says
Hi Bethany,
That’s a great question! This is a guess but I’m thinking 12-13 minutes on manual/high would be good. I would cut down on the broth to 2 cups (you can always add more at the end) and hold off on adding the ham and kale until after the 12-13 minutes of cooking and blending. Then turn the IP to sauté and add the kale and ham to finish plus additional broth as needed. Hope this helps. If you give it a try let us know how it turns out!
Becca says
Excellent recipe! This was so good and filling!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Thanks, Becca! I’m so happy to hear you loved it. It’s one of my favorite soups – making it this weekend!
Misha Bogart-Monteith says
Who else blended up the ham with everything… 😀 Great recipe tho!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Whoops! I’ve done that before with chicken soup when I was in a hurry…oh well, still tastes good and you have slightly less chewing to do 😉
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Melissa says
This is such a wonderful soup — eating it right now! The red pepper flakes are a welcome addition. Thank you for the great recipe!
Stacie Hassing says
Oh yes! The red pepper flakes add so much deliciousness and kick to this recipe! Thanks for the nice comment, Melissa! 🙂
danielle says
when do you add them?
★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Danielle,
You could add them to the slow cooker with the vegetables and broth to infuse the entire soup with a little heat or you could sprinkle a few on your soup when ready to serve.
Dawn says
is there a different meat that might work in place of the ham for this recipe? I looked at simplegrocer, but I don’t need to buy 6 items (their minimum).
Stacie Hassing says
Sausage tastes great in this recipe too!
Jaime says
This was delicious! I made it exactly like the recipe called for. Everyone, even my skeptical husband, loved it!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Yes! Thanks for sharing – we love to hear when our recipes impress skeptical husbands!
Jessica says
Is it possible to make this with ghee instead of another fat?
Stacie Hassing says
Yes, ghee would work great in this recipe! 🙂
Elizabeth says
Thanks for posting this. We had leftover ham from Easter Sunday, plus potatoes & kale in our CSA delivery today. I prepped the chopping this morning and can’t wait to try it tonight.
Stacie Hassing says
A perfect recipe to use up leftover ham. Hope you enjoy it!
blayr says
a whole leak or a one leaf?
Jessica Beacom says
A whole leek – the white part and light green part only. You can discard (or compost) the leaves.
Betsy Lira says
This was the tastiest soup ever!! Absolutely delicious and so creamy because of the potatoes! This will surely become a staple meal for our Whole30 fam!
Jessica Beacom says
Wow, thanks!! It’s definitely in the Top 5 recipes in our house too. My kids and hubby ask for it almost every week.
JO says
Too garlic-y!
★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Feel free to omit the garlic or use less!
Laureen Fox says
Made this soup today in my Instant Pot (Electric Pressure Cooker). It was fantastic. I plan to play with the ingredients next time. I think I’ll use leftover chicken instead of ham and I’ll add some Whole30 compliant bacon. Yum!
Shared on the ‘Instant Pot’ Facebook Group ????
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Laureen,
Thanks so much for your kind works and for sharing in the Facebook group. Your idea of using chicken and bacon sounds fantastic.
Dana Beck says
My husband and I both enjoyed this delicious soup.
★★★★★
Alissa says
This was fantastic!!!! I like to make a pot of soup on Sundays and then I have lunch for the week (and some times breakfast. I used my own veggie stock instead of the chicken, since that’s all I had in the freezer. I used spinach instead of kale, since I like it better and added some coconut milk at the end, after the immersion blender. This is easy and so very tasty. This will definitely be added to my regular soup rotation!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Alissa,
Thanks for sharing – glad you loved it!
Jamie says
WOW! Just made this tonight for my family, and everyone loved it. Even the 5yo! The 10yo said she wants it tomorrow. I’m glad I doubled the recipe!
Jessica Beacom says
Hey Jamie!
Yesssss! We love hearing about family dinner wins like this one. So glad you all loved it!
Marta says
This sounds like a delicious winter soup. Do you think I could sub the white potatoes with cassava/yuca?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Marta,
Though we’ve not tried substituting yuca for the potatoes but I’d imagine it would work fine since they’re both starchy tubers. Please let us know how it turns out if you do.
AW says
Made it for dinner with some leftover ham. Perfect light dinner after a weekend of indulgence.
Stacie Hassing says
So great to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Amy says
LOVE!! Just made this and it has such a great flavor! Super creamy and definitely a comfort soup.
Stacie Hassing says
So happy to hear this recipe was a hit! It really is a delicious comfort soup 🙂
Amy Gammon says
Absolutely delicious! I’ve made it twice now, my family likes it and it fits MY dietary needs, I substitute the red potatoes with white sweet potatoes, this is a great soup!
★★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
Great to hear! Thanks for sharing your feedback 🙂
Nicole Miller says
Thinking of making this for my family tonight can I omit the potatoes for cauliflower instead?
Stacie Hassing says
We have not tested the recipe with cauliflower but I really do think it would work and be just as delicious! You’ll have to let us know if you give it a try.
Myra Horst says
I made this for lunch today… SO GOOD!!!
★★★★★
Corinne Ortgies says
This was so tasty! I added a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to mine as well and that was a super yummy addition! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!!
Stacie Hassing says
You’re so welcome!!
Hannah says
Hi! For the slow cooker- should I sauté everything, add potatoes/broth/thyme, and then put it in the crock pot? And then blend after the 7-8 hours? we love all of your recipes and are super excited for this one. Thanks!!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Hannah,
You can just toss all the veggies into the slow cooker with the broth, thyme, etc. After the 7-8 hours they’ll be very tender.
Tasha says
This was amazing! Super easy, and very doable for a weeknight meal. Everyone loved it – picky eaters, non-whole 30 eaters, my dad who when he hears anything is “healthy” automatically assumes it won’t taste as great. They all devoured it. Definitely becoming a staple. Thanks for such a great dish! This is among one of the many recipes from your blog that I love. Thanks again!
★★★★★
Jessica Beacom says
Awwwww! Thank you! I’m thrilled to hear that your family loves this soup as much as mine does. And my dad does the same thing when I tell him something is healthy though he’s starting to come around after a few years 😉
Porsche says
Hi there, curious to know if this could be a slow cooker option? Also.. what can I use to omit the cauliflower?
Thanks!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi!
Yes, you could make this in the slow cooker. I would add all of the ingredients except for the kale, ham, salt and pepper then cook on low for 6 hours or until veggies are very tender. Then you just need to blend, add the ham and salt and pepper to taste and cook an additional 30 minutes or so until the ham is heated through.
As for the cauliflower, there isn’t any in this recipe. If you’re referring to kale you could replace that with spinach or another green of choice (collard, mustard, turnip, etc.) I hope that helps!
Sarah says
I’ve made this several times now. It’s so delicious! All four of my children love it, which is saying a lot! Thanks for this great recipe!
Jessica Beacom says
I love, love, love this! It’s a favorite around our house, too.
Jenny says
How many cups of soup does this recipe make?
Stacie Hassing says
Just guessing here but probably 7-8 cups.
Randy says
Just made this for the first time and really enjoyed it. I had some Canadian bacon in the fridge so I sauteed that and used it. This was a great way to use the random leek and kale that always ends up needing to be used.
Stacie Hassing says
Amazing! And yes, such a great and delicious way to use up leeks and kale! Thanks for sharing.
Kathryn Tilley says
Holy moly, this recipe was absolutely delicious! Made it exactly as written except frozen spinach instead of kale. Seriously, I’ve been trying to manipulate my husband into liking soup (he just across the board says he doesn’t like soup 😑) and this was phase 3. I had to bribe him with some homemade biscuits to go along, but he LIKED it!! And anyone that isn’t prejudice against soup will completely love it. So hearty and creamy and comforting. Thanks so much!!
Jessica Beacom says
This is so absolutely amazing. I love that he liked the soup and that you’re not above bribing him with biscuits (I’ve been known to do similar things). Thanks so much for sharing – here’s hoping this is just the beginning of a soup-filled marriage for the two of you!
Laura says
We loved this! I pureed everything but the ham and my kids loved that the potatoes make it taste “cheesy ” (can you tell we don’t eat dairy often?:) ) next time I might add brocolli just to make it more filling, no leftovers w 4 of us. Granted our boys have huge appetites. Thanks!! We also did whole 30 but this tastes great regardless!
Jessica Beacom says
Love, love, love this!!
Barbara says
How do you think this would freeze?
Jessica Beacom says
This soup freezes beautifully!
Alex says
So
Good!
★★★★★
Ali says
I never leave reviews but just wanted to say thank you for the recipe! I’m excited to check out the rest of your stuff now. I opted to use coconut milk rather than blend for creaminess- mostly because I don’t have an immersion blender. The flavor before and after the coconut milk was delicious. I love feeding my family recipes that they love even though they don’t have to be dairy or grain free with me. Thank you!!
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Ali,
We’re so glad you loved this soup. Thanks for sharing!
Erica says
Hi! This soup sounds amazing. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts about using an instapot to make it?
Jessica Beacom says
Hi Erica,
You can definitely make this in the Instant Pot. I would saute the veggies first, then add everything but the ham and cook for 15 minutes with a 10-minute natural pressure release before removing the lid, pureeing some of the soup then adding the ham (use the Saute function to heat the ham through).
apurva says
Super Amazing!
I am surely gonna try that
Stacie Hassing says
Enjoy!
Alisa Leahy says
Yummy! Loved it
★★★★
Stacie Hassing says
That’s so great to hear!
Erin Sabilla says
Absolutely delicious!! 😋 Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!! 💕
★★★★★
Dietitian Nikita says
Looking Delicious; Must Try !!!
pamela says
Hi,
Can I incorporate the ham bone in too, while cooking?
Jessica Beacom says
You definitely can. You would just add it to the pot and allow it to simmer then remove it before serving.
Laurie says
Made this recipe as part of the 4 week challenge. I recently found out I am allergic to pork (didn’t know it was a thing!) so I normally would have skipped the recipe, but I decided to read the comments anyway. I saw you mentioned turkey sausage would work well. Did it ever! Instead of passing this recipe by, I made the protein switch and it was delicious. Thank you for a wonderful and filling soup!
Jessica Beacom says
We are so glad you found a substitute that worked so well for you!