What Are Split peas and How Can I Use Them?

Wondering what to do with split peas? This guide covers how to pick them, cook them, store them, and swap them, plus 64 recipes to put them to work.

What are split peas?

Split peas are dried field peas with the skin removed, split in half along their natural seam. That splitting is why they cook faster than most dried legumes and break down into a thick, creamy puree as they simmer.

They come in two colors. Green split peas are sweeter and a little grassy; yellow split peas are milder and earthier. They are interchangeable in most recipes, though each leans toward different cuisines.

Unlike dried beans, split peas need no soaking. Rinse them and drop them straight into the pot.

They turn tender in about 45 minutes to an hour, dissolving into a soft, almost porridge-like body.

Cooking With Split Peas

The defining dish is split pea soup. Simmer the peas with aromatics and a smoky ham bone or ham hock until they collapse into a thick, savory soup, the way Anderson's Split Pea Soup and the lamb-rich Split Pea & Lamb Soup do. Green peas are traditional here.

That same breakdown makes them a workhorse in Indian cooking. Yellow split peas, sold in Indian groceries as matar dal, cook down into a spiced dal like Dahl Palak (Spinach & Split Peas), and they grind into batters for crisp pancakes such as Adai.

Across northern Europe they anchor hearty winter soups, including the Finnish classic Hernekeitto(Finnish Split-Pea Soup). They also turn up in plant-forward pots like Dr Fuhrman's Famous Anti-Cancer Soup, where they add body and protein.

Salt toward the end. Adding salt or acidic ingredients like tomato too early can keep the peas from softening fully, leaving you with a grainy pot that never goes creamy.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Split peas have a sweet, earthy flavor that loves smoke and fat. Ham, bacon, lamb, carrots, onion, bay, and a hint of cumin or thyme all bring them to life. A splash of vinegar or lemon at the end lifts the whole pot.

The most common mistake is undercooking. Pull them too soon and the texture is gritty and starchy rather than smooth. Give them the full simmer until they collapse.

The second is scorching. As the soup thickens, the peas sink and stick, so stir the bottom of the pot regularly and keep the heat at a gentle simmer, not a hard boil. A thick split pea soup burns fast if you walk away.

Substitutes

Red lentils are the closest swap. They also cook fast without soaking and break down into a thick puree, which makes them a near drop-in for split peas in soups and dal, just a little quicker to soften.

Yellow and green split peas can stand in for each other freely; expect a slightly milder, earthier result from yellow and a sweeter, greener one from green. Yellow split peas also stand in for the split pigeon peas (toor dal) common in Indian dishes.

For a soup that needs to hold its shape rather than dissolve, whole dried peas or green lentils are better, but they will not give you the signature creamy, pureed body. If you only have whole dried peas, soak them first and add cooking time.

Buying and Storing

Buy split peas that look bright and uniform in color, not faded or dusty, which signals age. Older split peas can take much longer to soften, or never soften at all, so freshness matters more than it seems for something this cheap.

Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark cupboard. They keep well for about a year at full quality, and stay safe to eat much longer, though older peas cook up tougher and slower.

Dry split peas do not need refrigerating.

Cooked split pea soup keeps in the fridge for 4 to 5 days and freezes well for a few months. It thickens to a near-solid as it cools, so loosen it with a little water or stock when you reheat.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find split peas: Split peas are usually found in the rice & beans section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Split peas are a member of the Legumes and Legume Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

豌豆

British (UK) term

Split peas

en français

pois cassés

en español

guisantes partidos

How much do split peas weigh?

Related

Legumes and Legume Products

Recipes using split peas

There are 64 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Minted Split & Fresh Pea Soup

Minted split and green pea soup blends earthy split peas with sweet green peas and fresh mint. A bright, low-fat soup that works hot in winter or chilled in summer.

Adai

A simple and scrumptious dish made with rice, green and red lentils and grated coconut.

Saagwalla Dhal

This is the other dhal we made yesterday, when the cooking was close to the end, added some spinach that was cooked with garlic, dried hot chili peppers and mustard seeds, which gave the dhal extra zing and tang, another delicious dhal recipe, of course another good recipe that you can serve with naan bread and raita :)

Dr Fuhrman's Famous Anti-Cancer Soup

Recipe taken from "The Eat-to-Live Diet" by Dr Joel Fuhrman. Packed full of vegetables and thickened with cashews.

Masa Soup

Hearty vegan split pea and lentil soup with eggplant, zucchini, hibiscus leaves, and fresh basil, simmered until tender and pureed silky smooth. Plant-powered comfort in a bowl.

Pumpkin Soup with Split Peas

Pumpkin soup with split peas, bacon, onion, and thyme simmered in vegetable stock until the peas and pumpkin are tender. A hearty, thick autumn soup with Caribbean roots.

June Soup

June soup is a chunky split pea and summer vegetable soup brightened with lemony sorrel and built on a lemon-scented homemade chicken stock. Rustic, fresh, and left deliberately unblended so every vegetable keeps its bite.

Sweet Potato Soup with Mint

A hearty pressure cooker soup with sweet potatoes, split peas, apples, and mint. Earthy, slightly sweet, and on the table in 45 minutes with a bright herbal finish.

Golden Vegetable Noodle Soup

Golden vegetable noodle soup: a turmeric-tinted vegan broth with split peas, noodles, carrots, and nutritional yeast for cheesy umami. Fat-free, plant-based comfort in one bowl.

Scandinavian Supper Soup

Scandinavian split pea soup slow-cooked with salt pork, frankfurters, carrots, leeks, and thyme. A hearty, thick one-pot supper that simmers for 10 hours in a crockpot. Traditional Nordic comfort food.

Split Pea Soup with Croutons

Vegetarian split pea soup simmered with leeks, carrots, and garlic, then half-pureed for a body that's creamy and chunky at once. Crowned with homemade garlic-butter whole wheat croutons.

Split Pea Soup with Potato & Sausage

Split pea soup with potato and sausage, a hearty slow cooker soup simmered with a meaty ham bone, smoked sausage, and vegetables until thick and creamy. A cozy, set-it-and-forget-it cold-weather meal.

Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup

Hearty vegetable beef soup simmered 4 hours with stewing beef, split peas, potatoes, carrots, corn, lima beans, spinach, and tomatoes. A true one-pot meal for cold days.

Pocket Soup - Goldbeck

Pocket soup is a homemade instant soup powder: split peas, bulgur, dried vegetable flakes, sesame and sunflower seeds, and nutritional yeast ground to a fine powder. Add boiling water for a quick vegan broth anywhere.

Traditional Stovetop Split Pea Soup with Butter Roux

Traditional stovetop split pea soup thickened with a classic butter-flour roux for hearty, stick-to-your-ribs comfort. Old-fashioned technique delivers rich flavor.

Split Pea Soup with Sausage

Split pea soup with cumin simmered until smooth, topped with pan-fried sausage. A simple 5-ingredient soup that cooks down thick and creamy without any blending needed.

Vegan Curried Vegetable Soup

Vegan curried vegetable soup simmers split peas with turmeric, then combines them with curry-spiced onions, carrots, celery, and plum tomatoes. Half gets pureed for a thick, creamy texture without any dairy.

Favorite Vegan Split Pea Soup

Vegan split pea soup: green split peas simmered with celery, carrot, onion, potato, and herbs into a thick, hearty bowl finished with frozen sweet peas and a splash of tamari. No ham needed.

Mixed Split Pea Soup

Creamy split pea soup blending green and yellow peas with fresh fennel, leeks, and thyme creates a silky vegetarian bowl of comfort.

Split Pea Soup with Sorrel

Refined split pea soup with fresh sorrel, ham hock, lemon, and cream, puréed silky smooth and strained. Serve it piping hot in winter or well chilled as an elegant summer starter.

Split Pea Soup with Chunky Vegetables

Vegan split pea soup loaded with sweet potato chunks and broccoli florets in a silky puréed base with dill and plum tomatoes. Naturally fat-free and protein-packed, this plant-based bowl is pure cold-weather fuel.

Split Pea Soup with French Bread Croutons (Grandma Sofie's)

Grandma's split pea soup with bacon and homemade butter-fried French bread croutons. Simmered until creamy with bits of pea still visible, served with crisp sourdough croutons floated on top.

Kootu

A delicious and tasty dish made with yellow split peas, spinach and a variety of spices.

Popeye's Pick-Me-Up

Vegetarian spinach, okra, and red pepper steamed and topped with a pureed split pea sauce over brown rice. A protein-packed plant-based meal with tarragon and soy sauce.

Pease Porridge

Pease porridge is a traditional British split pea soup simmered with a ham bone, turnip, potato, celery, and fresh herb sprigs. A thick, hearty potage that's been warming kitchens for centuries.

Split Pea & Lentil Soup with Vegetables

Split pea and lentil soup with onions, celery, carrots and rosemary, simmered in a vegetable stock built right in the pot. A high-protein, oil-free vegan soup ready in under an hour.

Split Pea Soup #2

Classic split pea soup with smoked ham, carrots, celery, and onion. Dried peas simmer until they break down into a thick, hearty soup with chunks of smoky ham.

Sabzi Koofteh

Sabzi Koofteh: Persian-style giant meatballs of ground beef, rice, split peas, mint, and watercress, simmered in a turmeric-tomato broth. Served with yogurt and pickles for a one-pot Middle Eastern dinner.

Harvest Pea Soup with Fennel

Split pea soup with fennel, potatoes, and green peas pureed into a creamy base then finished with fresh basil and parsley. A vegan harvest soup with anise-sweet depth.

Hearty Soup Mix

Dry soup mix made with split peas, lentils, brown rice, pearl barley, and alphabet pasta. Combine once, store for months, and simmer into a thick, nourishing pot of soup anytime.

Rich Cream of Pea Soup

Cream of pea soup made with split peas, fresh peas, carrot, and a finishing pour of heavy cream for serious richness. The classic blended pea soup that pairs comforting heft with bright fresh-pea flavor.

Jim's Yellow Split Pea Soup

Yellow split pea soup simmered with a ham bone, carrots, celery, and thyme for 3 hours until thick and smoky. A hearty, old-fashioned soup that turns a leftover ham bone into a full meal.

Gambardella's Minestrone Soup

Gambardella's minestrone with five dried legumes, fresh fennel, basil, oregano, and Italian vegetables simmered into a thick, hearty soup. Serve over pasta or rice.

Herbed Split Pea Soup

A traditional slow cooked split-pea soup that's loaded with flavor.

Aush (Noodles with Pulses, Meat & Yogurt)

Aush is a hearty Afghan noodle dish layered with split peas, kidney beans, spinach, spiced lamb keema, and tangy mint yogurt. Handmade noodles meet bold Central Asian flavors in this soul-satisfying one-bowl meal.

Savory Stuffed Peppers

Vegan stuffed peppers filled with split peas, couscous, mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes seasoned with cumin and balsamic vinegar. High-protein, no meat, and finished in the microwave for a fast weeknight dinner.

Mixed Bean Soup

Mixed bean soup: a hearty medley of ten beans, peas, and lentils soaked and slow-simmered into a thick, savory pot, finished with red wine and fresh parsley. Frugal, high-fibre comfort in a bowl.

Favorite Split Pea & Ham Soup

Split pea and ham soup simmered with a meaty ham bone, leek, carrots, celery, tarragon, and a finishing splash of dry sherry. The thrifty, deeply savory soup that turns leftover holiday ham into dinner.

Split Pea Soup- Crockpot

Try making this hearty soup in your crockpot by following this simple recipe you will love!

Mormon Split Pea Soup

Vegetarian split pea soup thickened with grated potatoes and seasoned with marjoram. No ham, no stock cubes, just honest ingredients simmered until creamy.

Hearty Split-Pea Soup

Old-fashioned split pea soup simmered 3 to 4 hours with ham or turkey, carrots, and a hint of allspice. Just seven ingredients for thick, stick-to-your-ribs comfort.

Split Pea Soup(Vegan) - Done in Crockpot

A simple slow cooking recipe that will have a hearty soup ready to be eaten when you get home from work.

Carrot-Top Soup

Hearty vegan soup with black-eyed peas, split peas, pearl barley, carrot tops, mustard greens, and leeks. A thick, nourishing potful that uses the whole carrot, greens and all.

American Split Pea Soup

Classic split pea soup made with a ham bone, onions, and carrots. Thick, hearty, and the perfect way to use up leftover holiday ham.

Pea-Cheddar Sandwich Spread

Creamy pea cheddar sandwich spread made with tender split peas and sharp grated cheddar, blended smooth with onion. Serve warm on crusty bread for a hearty, protein-packed lunch in just 20 minutes.

Awesome Dal

Yellow split pea dal finished with a popping mustard seed tadka, golden turmeric, and bright lemon juice. A simple vegan Indian side ready in under an hour.

Bananas with Green Split Peas

West African bananas with green split peas, browned onions, and palm oil. A hearty vegetarian main dish that simmers the peas tender before steaming whole bananas on top.

Cream of Curried Vegetable & Split Pea Soup

Indian-spiced split pea soup with curry powder, carrots, celery, and tomatoes, sautéed in ghee and finished with cream. Hearty, warming, and vegetarian-friendly in 40 minutes.

My Canadian Pea Soup

A variation of the classic french canadian pea soup.

Split Pea Soup with Spareribs

Old-fashioned split pea soup simmered for hours with 3 pounds of pork spareribs, leeks, carrots, and a bouquet garni. The kind of thick, rib-sticking soup your grandmother's kitchen smelled like all winter long.

All 64 recipes