Soups & stews / Bean, lentil & pea soups
Navy Bean Soup with Ham Hocks
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Smoky ham hocks and navy beans share one pot through a long, slow afternoon, and the kitchen windows fog up. A diced potato, mashed into the broth, makes it thick and creamy all on its own.
The short version
Soften onion, carrot and celery, add a pound of navy beans, two smoked ham hocks and water, and simmer 1½ to 2 hours. Pull the meat off the hocks, add a diced potato, simmer 30 minutes more, and mash part of the pot. A splash of vinegar finishes it.
What makes ours better
small changes, very loud compliments
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Sauté the vegetables first. Ten minutes in butter gives the broth a sweet, savory base that vegetables simmered with the beans never reach.
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Cook a potato in the soup and mash it. The potato dissolves into the broth and thickens it to a creamy body without any cream, and the whole beans stay intact.
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Salt at the end. Smoked hocks are salty and the broth reduces as it cooks. Seasoning once the ham is out lets you hit the right level.
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Finish with cider vinegar. A teaspoon cuts the richness and brings the smoke and sweetness into focus. You won't taste vinegar.
What you need
check the pantry before you promise anyone
- Unsalted butter or olive oil2 tablespoons
- Yellow onion1 large
- Carrots2 medium
- Celery3 rib
- Dried thyme1 teaspoon
- Dried navy beans2¼ cups
- Smoked ham hocks2 large
- Russet potato1 large
read it twice. buy it once.
Steps
apron on. phone down. mostly.
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Sauté the vegetables
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme and bay leaves for 30 seconds.
About 8 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Add the beans and hocks
Add the beans, ham hocks and water. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then lower the heat so the soup barely bubbles. Partially cover.
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Simmer until the beans are tender
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and creamy inside, about 1¼ hours for soaked beans or 2 hours for unsoaked. Add a cup of hot water if the beans stick out of the liquid.
A hard boil splits the beans' skins. Keep the bubbles lazy.
About 90 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Pull the ham from the hocks
Lift the hocks onto a plate and let them cool for 10 minutes. Pull off the meat, discarding the skin, fat and bone, and chop the meat into bite-size pieces. Return the meat to the pot and fish out the bay leaves.
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Add the potato
Add the potato cubes and diced ham, if using. Simmer until the potato is very soft and starting to fall apart, 20 to 30 minutes.
About 25 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Mash and season
Mash against the side of the pot with a potato masher, about 10 presses, until the soup is thick and a little creamy but still has whole beans. Add the pepper and vinegar, then taste and add salt, which it will probably need. Serve with parsley.
Add salt only now. The hocks may have given up plenty already.
Good to know
the stuff I’d tell you over the phone
- A leftover ham bone is a great stand-in for the hocks. Use it as is and pull off any meat that clings to it.
- Canned beans shortcut. Use four 15-ounce cans of navy beans, drained, and simmer with the hocks and 6 cups of broth for 1 hour, then proceed.
- Great Northern or small white beans work in place of navy beans. Cooking times are the same.
- For crunch, top bowls with crisp crumbled bacon or serve with skillet cornbread.
- Storage. Refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months. It thickens in the fridge, so add water or broth when reheating.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
Do I have to soak navy beans for soup?
No. Unsoaked beans need about 2 hours instead of 1¼, and the soup is just as good. Soaking helps them cook evenly and can reduce cooking time.
Why are my beans still hard after hours of cooking?
Very old beans, hard water, or acid like tomatoes or vinegar added too soon. Keep the pot at a steady simmer and wait to add vinegar until the end.
Can I use a ham bone instead of ham hocks?
Yes. A meaty bone from a baked ham works just as well. Simmer it with the beans and pick the meat off the bone before mashing.
How do I thicken navy bean soup?
Mash the potato and some of the beans against the side of the pot, as in the last step. Simmering uncovered for 10 minutes also helps.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes. Sauté the vegetables, then cook with the beans, hocks and 8 cups of liquid on low for 8 to 10 hours. Add the potato for the last 2 hours and finish as written.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
tell me the truth, then tell me who had thirds
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Published October 29, 2026.