Split pea soup can be canned at home, but only in a pressure canner. It is a low-acid food. A boiling-water bath never reaches the temperature needed to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores, so water-bath canning, oven canning, and “open kettle” sealing are not safe methods for this soup.
The part most recipes leave fuzzy is density. Split peas break down into a thick puree as they cook. Heat moves slowly through that puree. If the soup is packed too tightly, left too thick, or loaded with thickeners, the center of the jar may never get hot enough during processing. That is why tested recipes either keep the soup pourable or pack jars only halfway with solids.
If you want shelf-stable jars, use a tested method, keep the soup thin enough to ladle, and leave dairy, flour, and extra ham bone flavor for serving day.
What “safe to can” actually means for this soup
Peas, carrots, onions, ham, and broth are all low-acid. In a sealed jar at room temperature, that mix is an ideal place for botulism toxin if spores survive. Pressure canning is used because steam under pressure can reach about 240°F (116°C), which is the temperature research-based processes rely on for low-acid foods.
Thickness changes the math. Liquid carries heat. A paste does not. That is why official soup directions warn against flour, cornstarch, cream, milk, rice, noodles, and other thickeners, and why they tell you to rehydrate dried peas before they go into a generic soup jar. Dry peas left in the jar keep absorbing liquid during processing and can turn a thin broth into sludge.
A very thick puree, closer to dal than to soup, is a different product. Extension experts have said foods that dense should be frozen, not pressure canned, because heat may not reach the center.
Two tested paths, not one internet method
There is no official license to can “whatever is left in the pot after Sunday dinner.” There are two research-backed approaches that apply here.
1. The Ball / Bernardin split pea soup recipe
This is the method most home canners mean when they search “canning split pea soup.” Ball publishes it as Split Pea Soup. Bernardin publishes the same style of recipe as Habitant Soup. Both are pressure-canned, hot-packed, and processed longer than generic vegetable soup because the finished product is a full jar of cooked pea soup, not a half-full broth mix.
Typical published proportions for one batch:
- 1 pound (about 2 cups) dried split peas
- 8 cups water or broth
- 1½ cups sliced or chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup diced cooked ham, optional
- 1 bay leaf
- about ¼ teaspoon allspice
- salt and pepper to taste
Yield is usually about 5 pints or 2 quarts, depending on how much you thin the pot.
Processing time for this tested recipe is 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts, at the pressure required for your canner type and altitude. Those times are longer than USDA generic soup times on purpose.
Ham is allowed in this specific tested recipe. That does not mean cured ham can be dropped into every homemade soup. National Center for Home Food Preservation guidance for build-your-own soups does not recommend adding cured meats such as ham.
2. The USDA / NCHFP “choose your ingredients” soup method
This is not a split-pea-soup recipe. It is a flexible process for vegetable, dried-pea, meat, poultry, or seafood soups, using only ingredients that already have their own canning recommendations.
The rules that matter:
- Rehydrate dried peas first: for each cup of dried peas, add 3 cups water, boil 2 minutes, soak 1 hour, bring back to a boil, then drain.
- Cook vegetables as you would for a hot pack of that vegetable.
- Cook fresh meat until tender and remove bones. Do not treat this method as a place to add cured ham.
- Combine solids with broth, tomato, or water. Boil 5 minutes. Do not thicken.
- Fill jars halfway with solids. Finish with hot liquid. Leave 1 inch of headspace.
- Process pints 60 minutes and quarts 75 minutes (100 minutes if the soup contains seafood), adjusting pressure for altitude.
This method makes a thinner, brothier jar. It is the safer choice if you want to mix several vegetables and do not want to follow the Ball pea-soup formula. It is a poor match if your goal is a classic thick bowl of split pea soup.
Methods that are not tested
Putting dry split peas, raw vegetables, and cubed ham directly into jars and covering them with broth is a common shortcut. It is not a tested process for this soup. Peas absorb liquid in the canner, the pack thickens, and heat penetration changes. That is the exact problem USDA soup directions are written to prevent.
Canning last night’s leftover pot is also a problem if the soup was cooked down until it stands on a spoon, contains cream, or was thickened with a roux.
What to leave out of the jar
Do not add these before processing:
- Milk, cream, half-and-half, sour cream, cheese, or butter swirls
- Flour, cornstarch, potato flakes, or a roux
- Rice, barley, noodles, or dumplings
- Extra dried peas beyond the tested ratio
- Vegetables that have no current USDA canning recommendation, if you are using the generic soup method
- Cured ham, bacon, or ham hocks, unless you are following the tested Ball/Bernardin recipe that includes cooked ham
Those ingredients belong in the saucepan after you open the jar. Dairy separates and scorches in a canner. Starches slow heat transfer. Bones and large chunks of cured meat change both density and fat load.
Seasonings are the flexible part. Salt, pepper, bay leaf, allspice, thyme, garlic, and a splash of vinegar or Worcestershire at serving are flavor decisions, not safety controls. Salt does not make a low-acid soup safe.
How to make the tested split pea soup for canning
Use a pressure canner, not a pressure cooker or multi-cooker unless that appliance is listed by the manufacturer as a canner and you follow its tested instructions. Electric multi-cookers are not a substitute for a pressure canner.
Ingredients and prep
Rinse the peas and pick out stones or damaged peas. Soaking is not required for the Ball-style recipe; the first simmer rehydrates them.
Chop carrots and onion into small, even pieces so they heat at the same rate. If you use ham, dice cooked ham and keep the amount close to the tested cup per batch. Do not add a whole ham bone to the jars.
Start with the published liquid amount. Split peas drink water. If the pot looks like porridge before it ever reaches the canner, add boiling water or broth until it ladles easily. A soup that pours from a ladle will still thicken in the jar. A soup that already mounds on a spoon is too thick to process.
Cook, then pack hot
- Combine peas and liquid. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered until the peas are soft, usually about an hour. Stir often. This soup scorches.
- Puree only if you want a smooth soup and the mixture stays pourable. Ball allows a puree step. Keep it soup, not paste.
- Add carrots, onion, optional ham, bay leaf, and spices. Simmer about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked.
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- If the soup has tightened up, thin it again with boiling liquid.
Keep jars hot, soup hot, and canner water hot. That prevents thermal shock and is the hot-pack method these recipes use.
Ladle into pint or quart canning jars. Leave 1 inch of headspace. Slide a bubble remover around the inside of the jar and recheck the headspace. Wipe rims. Fat on the rim is a common reason ham soups fail to seal. Apply lids and bands fingertip-tight.
Process at the right pressure
Load the canner according to the manufacturer’s water-depth directions. Vent steam steadily for 10 minutes before weighting or closing the petcock. Then bring the canner to pressure and start the timer.
For the Ball/Bernardin split pea soup:
| Jar size | Process time | Weighted gauge, 0–1,000 ft | Weighted gauge, above 1,000 ft | Dial gauge, 0–2,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints | 75 minutes | 10 lb | 15 lb | 11 lb |
| Quarts | 90 minutes | 10 lb | 15 lb | 11 lb |
Dial-gauge pressure rises with altitude: 12 lb at 2,001–4,000 ft, 13 lb at 4,001–6,000 ft, and 14 lb at 6,001–8,000 ft. Time does not change with altitude. Pressure does.
For USDA generic soups, use 60 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts at those same pressures.
When the time is up, turn off the heat and let the canner return to zero pressure on its own. A fast pressure drop can siphon soup out of the jars and break seals. After the canner depressurizes, wait the extra minutes your manual specifies, then remove the lid away from you. Cool jars upright and undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.
Check seals. Refrigerate any unsealed jar and eat it within a few days, or freeze it. Remove bands for storage so you can see a failed seal later. Label with the contents and date.
What the soup will look like after canning
Expect it to be thicker than it was going into the jar. Peas continue to swell and the puree sets as it cools. A dark line at the top or some browning is common; pea sugars can caramelize during a long process. Separation into a dense layer and a watery layer is usually a quality issue, not proof the jar is unsafe, as long as the seal held and there are no spoilage signs.
None of that means you should have packed the soup thicker to “make up for” thinning. Thin before canning. Adjust texture when you reheat.
How to use a jar
Open only jars with intact seals, clean lids, and normal smell. Discard any jar that is bulging, leaking, spurting, foamy, or off-odored. Do not taste food from a suspect jar.
Empty the soup into a saucepan. Add water or broth until it is the thickness you want. Heat until steaming hot. This is the moment for the ingredients that do not belong in the canner:
- cream or a knob of butter
- extra diced ham or bacon cooked separately
- lemon juice, vinegar, or hot sauce
- fresh herbs
- croutons or a grilled cheese sandwich on the side
CDC still advises boiling home-canned low-acid foods for 10 minutes before eating, adding 1 minute per 1,000 feet of elevation. Botulism toxin, if it were present, is destroyed by a full rolling boil. That step does not fix an untested process, but it is the extra precaution public-health guidance still lists.
Quality is best within a year to 18 months in a cool, dark place. The food can remain sealed longer, but flavor and color fade.
Mistakes that matter more than seasoning
Using a water bath because “peas are a vegetable.” Peas are low-acid. Acidity, not the plant family, decides the method.
Adding lemon juice or vinegar and calling it pickled soup. A splash for flavor does not reliably bring a pot of peas and ham below pH 4.6. Do not convert this recipe into a water-bath product that way.
Canning the soup at dinner thickness. If it already coats a spoon heavily, thin it. Heat has to travel through the entire jar.
Changing the pea-to-liquid ratio. The Ball process was tested with that load. Extra peas make a denser pack.
Skipping the 10-minute vent. The canner has to fill with steam, not trapped air, or the temperature inside will be lower than the gauge suggests.
Quick-releasing pressure. Soup will siphon. Seals fail. Jars look messy and may not be shelf stable.
Using an Instant Pot or similar multi-cooker as a canner. These appliances are not approved for home pressure canning of low-acid soups.
Assuming ham bones, bacon, and leftover holiday ham are interchangeable with the tested cup of cooked ham. Fat, cure, and bone change the product. Stick to the tested inclusion or omit meat and add it when you serve.
Tasting from a doubtful jar. Botulism toxin has no reliable warning taste.
When freezing is the better option
Freeze the soup instead of canning it if:
- the batch is already thick or fully pureed
- it contains cream, milk, or a thickener
- you want celery, potatoes, or other add-ins that are not part of a tested soup formula
- you do not own a pressure canner
- you only make a small pot and will eat it within a few months
Cool the soup, pack it in freezer containers with headspace, and use it within a few months for best texture. Freezing does not have the heat-penetration problem canning does.
Frequently asked questions
Can I can yellow split peas the same way as green? Yes. Color is a variety difference, not a process difference, in the tested pea-soup recipes.
Can I make it vegetarian? Yes, if you follow the Ball/Bernardin recipe and omit the ham. Use water or vegetable broth. Do not reduce the processing time.
Can I add celery, potatoes, or extra carrots? Not in the tested thick pea-soup recipe. Those changes are untested for that dense pack. If you want a mixed vegetable soup, use the USDA half-solids method and only vegetables that have their own canning recommendations.
Do I have to puree it? No. Texture is optional. Safety depends on pourable consistency, not on whether you blend it.
Why do some blogs process pints for 60 minutes and others for 75? They are using different processes. USDA generic soup is 60/75 because jars are half solids and half liquid. The Ball pea soup is a full jar of cooked legume soup, so it uses 75/90. Use the time that matches the method you actually followed.
Can I double the batch? Yes, if your pot can hold it without scorching. Keep the same ratios. Thin as needed so every jar is filled with soup that still ladles.
Is store-bought canned split pea soup processed the same way? No. Commercial canneries use equipment and process authorities that home kitchens do not have. Do not copy a supermarket label’s ingredients and assume a home water-bath or shortened pressure time will match it.
A jar of split pea soup is worth making when the method matches the density of the soup. Pressure can the tested recipe, keep it ladleable, and finish the bowl at the stove. That is the difference between a pantry staple and a jar that only looks finished.