Canning Split Pea Soup

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5 from 1 vote

Home canned split pea soup is a hearty meal in a jar ready to heat and eat.

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time1 30

Total Time3

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Habitant Soup, split pea soup

Servings: servings (Makes 5 pints, or a bit over 2 quarts, see note)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Pressure Canner

Ingredients

1 lb split peas dry (16 oz package)
2 quarts water or broth
1 1/2 cups carrots sliced (about 3 medium)
1 cup onion chopped (about 1 medium)
1 cup cooked ham diced (optional)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp allspice
Salt and pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place split peas in a heavy bottomed stock pot with two quarts of either water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer gently for 1 hour until the peas are completely cooked.
(Optional) For a smooth soup, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender.
Peel and slice the carrots, and peel and dice the onions. Measure out 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots and 1 cup diced onion. Add to the pot.
Add the spices, either those listed in the recipe or dry spices of your choosing.
At this point, you're 30 minutes away from canning, so prepare your pressure canner and pre-heat it for hot pack canning. (Follow manufacturers instructions.)
Simmer the soup for an additional 30 minutes until the vegetables are fully cooked. (Add boiling water as nessisary to keep the mixture from getting too thick.)
Adjust spices and add salt to taste. Remove the bay leaf at this point, if used.
Ladle the split pea soup into prepared canning jars, either pints or quarts, leaving 1 inch headspace.
Seal with 2 part canning lids to finger tight.
Load the jars into the canner and close the lid. Turn the stove up to high and vent steam for 10 minutes.
Seal the canner and bring it up to pressure. When at pressure (see notes below), start timer and process the jars for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
When the processing time is complete, turn off the heat and allow the canner to come to room temperature naturally.
When cool, remove the jars from the canner and check seals. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.
Properly pressure canned and sealed jars of split pea soup should maintain quality on the pantry shelf for 18 months, and be safe to eat much longer provided they're still sealed. Refrigerate after opening.

Notes

This recipe makes a soup that's VERY thick, and for modern tastes, you'll likely want to thin it at serving. (Often, back in the day, this was a "stick to your ribs" hearty soup that was stand a spoon in it thick, and this is an older style recipe.)

You can also add more broth or water and thin it before it goes into the jars. You're always allowed to make canning recipes thinner before canning (it's thicker than the tested recipe that's not allowed). Personally, I like to add at least an extra quart of broth to the recipe when I make it, but I've written the recipe as Ball Canning tested it.

Yield

This tested recipe makes 5 pints, or a bit more than 2 quarts. If canning in quarts, I'd suggest adding more broth to thin the soup out a bit and yield a full three quarts. (Or you can double the recipe as is to yield 5 quarts.)

Ingredient Notes

The seasoning, spices, and salt in this recipe can be altered to suit your personal tastes. The soup is fully cooked before it goes into the canning jars, so taste it and adjust spicing before canning.

I'd suggest starting with around 1-2 teaspoons of salt and increasing from there if you feel it needs more.

For spices, dried herbs like sage and thyme work well.

Ham is optional, and can be omitted for a vegetarian split pea soup.

Altitude Adjustments

The canning time is always the same, 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes of quarts, regardless of altitude.

Pressure changes at higher altitudes. Altitude adjustments for pressure are as follows:

For dial gauge pressure canners:

0 to 2,000 feet in elevation – 11 lbs pressure
2,001 to 4,000 feet in elevation – 12 lbs pressure
4,001 to 6,000 feet in elevation – 13 lbs pressure
6,001 to 8,000 feet in elevation – 14 lbs pressure

For weighted gauge pressure canners:

0 to 1,000 feet in elevation – 10 lbs pressure
Above 1,000 feet – 15 lbs pressure

Nutrition