Split pea soup

Split pea soup is the thick winter soup of the Israeli home: split peas, carrot, celery and potato cooked for about an hour until they melt into a green cream. No soaking needed, just stirring.

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VeganGluten freeDairy freeParveAllergens:Celery

Updated

Split pea soupIllustration
Time1 h 25 minCook 1 h 10 min
Pot8 bowls2.8 litres
Per bowl298 kcal16.8 g protein · a 350 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪13for the pot, about ₪1.7 a bowl

The story of Split pea soup

Split pea soup is cooked across northern and eastern Europe, from the Netherlands to Poland and Russia. Dried peas keep all winter, which made them the base of hot soups in villages and towns alike. The Dutch say a good pea soup should be thick enough for a spoon to stand up in it, and in Poland it is cooked with potatoes and marjoram.

In Israel it arrived with Eastern European Jews and became everyone's winter soup. Some add sliced frankfurters or smoked beef, and in the homes of Moroccan Jews it is cooked slowly with cumin, garlic, turmeric and coriander. The base is always the same: peas, vegetables, water and patience, and a big bowl with bread.

What makes Split pea soup itself

There is almost nothing in this soup but peas, vegetables and water, and it comes out creamy with no cream and no flour. The split peas fall apart on their own and thicken the soup, the potato adds softness, and the carrot balances the earthy taste with sweetness. Many people blend half the pot and leave half in pieces, so each bowl has both cream and something to chew.

Split pea soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
2.8litres in the pot
4Pot to use, litres
₪13Cost of the pot
₪1.7per bowl
298kcal per bowl
16.8g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
The peas
Green split peas500 g₪5.5
Cold water2.5 l
Bay leaves1 g · 2 pcs₪0.4
The vegetables
Large onion200 g · 1 pcs₪1.2
Carrots200 g · 2 pcs₪1.0
Celery stalks120 g · 2 pcs₪2.4
Potatoes300 g · 2 pcs₪1.8
Garlic12 g · 3 pcs₪0.4
Seasoning
Canola oil30 ml₪0.5
Salt12 g₪0.0
Black pepper2 g₪0.3
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Split pea soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Split pea soup has 85 calories per 100 ml. A 350 ml bowl made with our recipe has 298 calories: 16.8 g protein, 4.4 g fat and 32.8 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 213 calories.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 500 g213 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs0 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs2 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs29 kcal per serving
  • 3 pcs2 kcal per serving
  • 30 ml30 kcal per serving
  • 12 g0 kcal per serving
  • 2 g1 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Split pea soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1

How to make Split pea soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Rinse the split peas in a sieve under running water until the water is almost clear, and pick out any small stones or damaged peas.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy 5 litre pot and soften the chopped onion for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic for a minute.
  3. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes in small dice and stir for 3 minutes.
  4. Add the peas, 2.5 litres of cold water and the bay leaves, and bring to the boil over medium heat.
  5. When the foam rises, skim it off for about 5 minutes.
  6. Lower the heat and cook for 50 to 60 minutes with the lid ajar. Stir every 10 minutes, scraping the bottom, until the peas fall apart.
  7. Remove the bay leaves. Blend half the soup with a stick blender, or all of it for a smooth soup.
  8. Season with salt and pepper, and thin with boiling water if it is too thick.

The science of Split pea soup

Kitchen science

Why split peas need no soaking

Split peas have had their seed coat removed and are split along their natural seam. The seed coat is the main barrier slowing water into whole legumes. Without it, water reaches the inside of the pea quickly and it cooks in under an hour without soaking. Whole dried peas, not split, do need an overnight soak.

Kitchen science

Starch that thickens without cream

At 60 to 70 °C the starch granules in the peas absorb water and swell. At the same time the pectin gluing the cells together softens, the cells separate, and the starch is released into the liquid. The result is a thick, creamy texture with no added thickener.

Kitchen science

Why pea soup sets in the fridge

As the soup cools, the starch chains realign and bond to each other, a process called retrogradation. The soup turns almost into a pudding. Reheating with a little water breaks most of those bonds and the soup comes back.

Kitchen science

Where the foam comes from

Legumes contain soluble proteins and saponins, compounds that lower the surface tension of water and stabilise bubbles. At the boil they form foam that rises fast. Skim it off; a little oil in the pot and lower heat reduce it.

Split pea soup in every kitchen

With smoked beef or frankfurters

150 to 200 g of diced smoked beef or sliced kosher frankfurters added in the last quarter hour. A meat version, no cream.

Moroccan

Onion and garlic fried with cumin and turmeric, a slow cook of an hour and a half, and chopped coriander at the end. Some cook chicken pieces in it or add a little tomato.

Dutch

Very thick, with leek, celery root and smoked sausage, usually served the day after it is cooked. The kosher version uses beef sausage.

Polish

More potatoes, dried marjoram, and sometimes pieces of smoked meat cooked with the peas from the start.

Yellow split peas

The same recipe with yellow split peas. The colour is golden, the taste milder and more earthy, and the cooking time is similar.

Common Split pea soup problems and how to fix them

Split pea soup burnt on the bottom

A thick soup does not circulate in the pot like a thin one, so the heat concentrates at the bottom. When it happens, do not scrape: pour the top part straight into a clean pot, leave the burnt layer behind, and carry on over low heat, stirring more often.

Split peas not softening

Old peas kept for a long time, hard water, or acid such as lemon or tomato added early. Buy peas from fresh stock, add acid only at the end, and in very hard water add a pinch of baking soda to the pot.

Pea soup too thick after a day in the fridge

The starch set in the cold. Add half a cup of boiling water per litre, reheat slowly while stirring, and adjust the salt.

Foam boiling over

A hard boil with the lid on. Skim the foam early, lower the heat, keep the lid ajar and add a teaspoon of oil.

Bland pea soup

It needs salt, and a little sourness to wake it up. Salt after blending, add a squeeze of lemon in the bowl, and try a pinch of cumin or smoked paprika.

Storing, freezing and reheating

4 days

In the fridge

3 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Reheat over low heat with half a cup of boiling water per litre, stirring from the bottom all the time.

Nutrition of Split pea soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 350 ml bowl29816.84.432.818.3
Our recipe, 100 ml854.81.29.45.2
Typical Split pea soup, 100 g523.40.25.83.8
Typical Split pea soup, 100 g (2)552.91.75.42.2
Typical Split pea soup, 100 g (3)552.91.75.42.2

What the ingredients of Split pea soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Green split peas₪11 per kg₪5.5Supermarket
Celery stalks₪6.9 each₪2.4Greengrocer
Potatoes₪5.9 per kg₪1.8Greengrocer
Large onion₪5.9 per kg₪1.2Greengrocer
Carrots₪4.9 per kg₪1Greengrocer
Canola oil₪15 per litre₪0.4Supermarket
Garlic₪34 per kg₪0.4Greengrocer
Bay leaves₪360 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Split pea soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Split pea soup

In a deep bowl with toasted croutons, a drop of olive oil and cracked black pepper, with plain bread or rye bread for dipping.

Split pea soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 350 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
258.81₪41
50181₪83
100352₪166
200703₪332
5001757₪829

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Split pea soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Split pea soup

Order Split pea soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to soak split peas for soup?

No, not if they are split. A good rinse is enough. Soaking for one to four hours shortens the cooking a little, but it is not necessary.

How long does split pea soup take to cook?

50 to 60 minutes from the boil, until the peas fall apart. Old peas can take up to an hour and a half.

What is the difference between split pea soup and frozen pea soup?

Frozen peas are fresh, sweet peas that cook in minutes and make a light, bright green soup. Split peas are dried seeds that make a thick, earthy and filling soup.

Green or yellow split peas: what is the difference?

They are different pea varieties. Green ones taste slightly sweeter and give a green colour; yellow ones are milder and earthier, with a golden colour. Cooking time is similar.

Can you make split pea soup in a pressure cooker?

Yes, 10 to 15 minutes at high pressure with natural release. Fill the pot no more than halfway and add a spoon of oil, because the pea foam can block the valve.

Can you freeze split pea soup?

Yes, for up to three months. It is thicker after thawing, so thin it with a little boiling water.

How do you thicken split pea soup?

Cook for 10 more minutes uncovered, or blend more of the pot. An extra potato at the start also thickens it.

How many calories are in Split pea soup?

A 350 ml bowl of Split pea soup made with our recipe has about 298 calories and 16.8 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 85 calories.

How much does it cost to make Split pea soup at home?

A pot of 8 bowls costs about ₪13 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪1.7 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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