Navy Bean Soup

Is there anything more comforting and satisfying than homemade Navy Bean Soup? This easy stovetop recipe combines soaked dried navy beans with smoked ham hocks, vegetables, broth, seasonings, and a secret ingredient at the end.

If you’re a fan of easy comforting soup, you should take a look at my popular pasta sauce tomato soup with an amazing toasty grilled cheese for dipping!

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The result is an incredibly satisfying meal that tastes even better the next day! This recipe can easily be adapted to the Instant Pot or slow cooker, and I explain how to do that below.

Why I Love This Recipe

• Each bite has a little bit of everything – tender beans, flavorful vegetables, tasty little bits of ham, and a savory broth.
• Freezes well – This is one of those soups that can easily be frozen and reheated for a future meal.
• Easy to make – No cooking experience is needed with this easy-to-follow recipe.
• Versatile – Many of the ingredients can easily be swapped out, and you can make it on the stove, in the Instant Pot or in the slow cooker.

Ingredients for Navy Bean Soup with Ham Hocks

Here’s what you’ll need to put on your shopping list.

• Dried navy beans: one pound, soaked before cooking. Sort out any broken or shriveled beans and little stones.
• Smoked ham hocks: they give the soup its smoky flavor and the tasty bits of ham. See Substitutions below for using a ham bone.
• Butter: for sautéing the vegetables.
• Onion, carrots, celery and garlic
• Chicken broth and water: 12 cups total, half and half. See How Much Liquid to Use below if you like a thicker soup.
• Dried oregano, ground nutmeg and bay leaves
• Apple cider vinegar: the secret ingredient, stirred in at the very end.
• Kosher salt and black pepper: taste first, since ham hocks can be salty.

Full amounts are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Homemade Navy Bean Soup

Detailed step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below, but here is a summary. I made this batch in my Instant Pot, so that’s the pot you see in the photos. The steps below are the classic stovetop method, and my Instant Pot method is further down.

Soak the beans first: Rinse and sort the navy beans, then soak them overnight in about 8 cups of cold water. Or quick-soak them: cover with about 2 inches of water in a large pot, bring it to a boil, turn off the heat and let them soak, covered, for an hour. Drain and rinse the beans, and throw out the soaking water.

1. Sauté the Vegetables

In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the butter for about 10 minutes. Stir only occasionally so nothing burns.

2. Add the Beans and Ham Hocks

Add the rinsed, soaked beans to the pot. Use a sharp knife to make cuts in the smoked ham hocks and add them too.

3. Add the Liquid and Seasonings

Pour in the chicken broth and water and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen anything that stuck. Add the oregano, nutmeg and bay leaves. Don’t add the apple cider vinegar yet.

4. Simmer Until the Beans Are Tender

Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then turn it down to keep a gentle simmer, uncovered. After about an hour, take out the ham hocks. Keep cooking until the beans are tender, about 90 minutes to two hours in all. It may take less time, depending on how soft the beans got during the soak.

5. Cut the Ham

As soon as the ham hocks are cool enough to handle, cut the meat into small pieces and return it to the soup. Throw out the skin, fat and bones. This is the same process I follow when I make Instant Pot Split Pea Soup.

6. Add the Secret Ingredient

When the beans are completely soft, stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste, then add salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves and serve with cornbread.

PRO TIP: Wait until the very end to add the vinegar. While I was researching different ways to make navy bean soup, I saw a comment from someone who said a splash of vinegar made all the difference, so I tried it, and it really did. It brightens up the smoky ham and creamy beans. Acid added early can keep beans from softening, so it always goes in last.

How Much Liquid to Use

This recipe uses 12 cups of liquid, which is more than most navy bean soup recipes (about 8 cups is common). Over the years I’ve found I prefer more broth, dried beans soak up a lot of liquid as they cook, and I love freezing the leftovers. Twelve cups makes about six 2-cup bowls.

If you like a thicker soup, here’s how to adjust:

• Brothy, as written: 12 cups total, 6 cups chicken broth and 6 cups water.
• In between: start with 10 cups and add the last 2 only if the soup looks too thick near the end. Several readers cut it to 9 or 10 cups and loved it.
• Thick, closer to chili or baked beans: 8 cups total.
• Using a leftover ham bone with its juices: cut back on the broth a little, since the juices add liquid and salt.
• Thicken it at the end: blend about 2 cups of the soup and stir it back in, or partially blend it with an immersion blender.

How to Make Navy Bean Soup in the Instant Pot

This is how I made the batch in the photos, and it’s a lot faster than the stovetop. The pressure cooking times below are the standard ones for navy beans, so check that yours are completely soft before you add the vinegar.

• Soak the beans: overnight or with the quick soak, then drain and rinse.
• Sauté: use the Sauté setting to cook the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the butter for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add everything but the vinegar: the beans, scored ham hocks, oregano, nutmeg, bay leaves and liquid. Keep the pot no more than half full, the Instant Pot’s limit for beans because they foam. In a 6-quart pot, that means holding back some of the 12 cups and stirring it in after pressure cooking.
• Pressure cook: 25 to 30 minutes on high pressure for soaked beans, then let the pressure release naturally. If you skipped the soak, cook them about 40 to 45 minutes.
• Finish: take out the ham hocks, cut up the meat and return it to the pot. Stir in any liquid you held back, heat it through on Sauté, then stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

How to Make Navy Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker

I haven’t made this one in the slow cooker myself, so here’s how I’d adapt it, following safe bean-cooking guidance.

• Soak, then boil the beans first: soak and rinse the beans, then boil them in fresh water on the stove for at least 10 minutes and drain. Slow cookers may not get hot enough to destroy a natural toxin found in raw dried beans, so food safety experts advise boiling them first.
• Add everything but the vinegar: the beans, vegetables, scored ham hocks, seasonings and liquid. Sautéing the vegetables first is optional but adds flavor. The full 12 cups needs a 7-quart or larger slow cooker; in a 6-quart, cut the liquid to 8 cups.
• Cook: on low for about 8 hours or on high for about 5 to 6 hours, until the beans are tender.
• Finish: take out the ham hocks, cut up the meat, return it to the soup and stir in the vinegar.

Slow cooker navy bean soup might just be the best thing to come home to on a cold winter day.

Substitutions

• Ham bone instead of ham hocks: a meaty leftover ham bone is a great option after Christmas or Easter, like the one from my glazed baked whole ham. Leftover diced ham or a ham steak also works, but without a bone the broth won’t be as rich.
• Broth: vegetable broth can replace some or all of the chicken broth or water. Just keep the total liquid where you want it.
• Beans: I used only navy beans, but you can easily swap in a mix of beans or a bean soup mix from the bulk aisle at the grocery store.

★★★★★

“Was looking for a way to make the ham hock and bean soup I grew up with. Not sure how my mom made hers, but this was AS GOOD, if not BETTER! The whole family loved it!”

Justin W., reader review

Storage and Reheating

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy it within 3 to 4 days. This navy bean soup freezes well if you’re into meal planning; it’s best within about 3 months. To reheat, thaw it completely first if it was frozen. Then gently warm it over low heat in a pot on the stove, or reheat it in the microwave in one-minute increments, stirring in between. The soup thickens as it sits, so add a splash of broth or water if needed.

Do You Have to Soak Navy Beans for Soup?

You don’t have to, but soaking shortens the cooking time and helps the beans cook evenly with everything else in the soup. The overnight and quick-soak directions are in the steps above.

Are Navy Beans the Same as Great Northern Beans?

No. Navy beans, Great Northern beans and cannellini beans are all white beans, but they are different varieties. Navy beans are the smallest of the three. That being said, you can make this soup with any variety of bean or a combination of beans.

How Much Is One Serving?

About 2 cups. The recipe makes about 12 cups, or six big bowls, and the nutrition in the recipe card is for one of those bowls.

Can I Make It Without the Vinegar?

Yes, and one reader who didn’t have any still loved the soup. I think the vinegar is what makes it, though, so I’d add it if you can. Red wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice works in a pinch.

More Soup and Ham Recipes

If you love this soup, here are a few more to try.

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup

Instant Pot Split Pea Soup

Vegetable Beef Soup

Glazed Baked Whole Ham