A brown bowl full of split-pea soup. There is a plate underneath with dried peas on it.

Classic French Canadian Pea Soup

By Rebecca St.Clair

This classic traditional French Canadian Pea Soup, sometimes called soupe aux pois or habitant soup, is a comfort food meal. A staple of French Canadian cuisine, particularly in the colder months.

Traditionally made with whole dried peas, smoky salt pork, and root vegetables like carrots and onions. This rich, hearty soup is slow-simmered to perfection. The combination of earthy peas and savoury pork creates a deeply satisfying flavour profile that warms you from the inside out.

A woman holding up a spoonful of split-pea soup above a bowl of soup.

This Classic soup definitely reminds me of my childhood and I would bet you would be hard pressed to find any Canadians that have not come across this recipe. Often enjoyed with a side of crusty bread, it’s a beloved meal that evokes a sense of home and tradition.

History of French Canadian Pea Soup

A classic Canadian recipe from the time of Samuel de Champlain. This staple habitant soup is not only popular in Quebec but all throughout the country.

As settlers arrived, their ships were packed with food that could be preserved for a lengthy period of time, like dried peas, salt pork, and root vegetables among other things.

This soup was also a hearty, warm and satisfying, nutrient dense meal to help the first habitants survived the harsh Canadian winters.

Two bowls of split pea soup on a wooden table. One bowl has a slice of bread in it.

How to serve French Canadian Pea Soup

My favourite way to serve thick hearty soup is with a side of crusty bread for dipping. Like this simple and classic crusty French bread.

If you don’t have that much time on your hands, biscuits are the perfect solution. These are easy to make and ready in about 30 minutes! Buttermilk biscuits or Canadian Bannock

Since this is a thick soup, it is perfect for serving inside of a crusty bread bowl.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Well rounded meal – With everything from vegetables, legumes, to protein, this soup is a meal on it’s own.
Easy to preserve ingredients – This soup is a easy to prepare even when traveling on a ship as the first habitants to Canada. Dried peas, salt pork, and root vegetables all have a long shelf life. Perfect for preparing into soup.
Cozy comfort food – Especially in the colder months, there is nothing like a big bowl of warm soup to warm you up.
Easy to prepare – Everything is prepared in one pot. Boiled together until soft, creamy, and full of flavour.


A close up look at a pot of split-pea soup.

How to store French Canadian Pea Soup

French Canadian Pea soup store extremely well, so feel free to make a big batch and store some away for later.

Fridge

To store the soup in the fridge,

  • Allow the soup to cool to room temperature
  • Place in an airtight container
  • Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer

To freeze your soup for later,

  • Allow the soup to cool to room temperature
  • Place in an airtight container
  • Store in the freezer for up to 3 months
  • Allow the soup to defrost the day before in the fridge and then reheat on medium heat on the stove top until heated through.
An overhead look at a bowl of pea soup with a spoon inside. There is another bowl off to the side and a pot with more of the soup.

Ingredients

Dried Peas/dried split peas – No soaking required! This makes the soup thick, and creamy. A nutrient rich legume and a good source of plant protein.
Salt pork – Super flavourful and inexpensive cut of meat. This adds a deep meaty flavour without the smokiness of bacon or other smoked meats. Other cuts of pork like ham hocks, pork belly, ham bones, or your left over ham from the holidays will also work in this recipe!
Carrots – Add flavour, colour, and nutrient dense. These root vegetables store well to make them available year round.
Onion – Another flavourful root vegetable, that can be stored year round.
Parsley – Fresh parsley is packed with flavour and a pop of colour to the soup.
Bay leaves – Adds flavour with herbal and floral notes.


A table full of labeled ingredients.

How to Make French Canadian Pea Soup

  1. Into a large stock pot over medium heat add the diced onion, chopped carrots, chopped parsley, and salt pork (or pork of choice).
  2. Wash and drain the dried peas and add them to the pot.
  3. Pour the water on top and add in the bay leaves.
  4. Bring to a low boil and cook for 1 1/2 -2 hours or until the peas are cooked. (Whole dried peas will take longer to cook than split peas)

5. Remove the salt pork and cut of the meat into smaller bite-sized chunks. Return the meat to the pot.

6. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste. Because I used salt pork, I didn’t need to add any extra salt to mine.

A brown bowl full of split-pea soup. There is a plate underneath with dried peas on it.
Yield: 8

Classic French Canadian Pea Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

A thick and velvety pea soup, infused with rich, meaty flavour. Soupe aux pois is a quintessential Québécois dish that celebrates the simplicity and heartiness of French Canadian cooking.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried peas whole or split 450 g
  • ½ lb salt pork 225 g
  • 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ¼ cup diced fresh parsley
  • 10 cups water 2.5 L
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Into a large stock pot over medium heat add the diced onion, chopped carrots, chopped parsley, and salt pork (or pork of choice).
  2. Wash and drain the dried peas and add them to the pot.
  3. Pour the water on top and add in the bay leaves.
  4. Bring to a low boil and cook for 1 1/2 -2 hours or until the peas are cooked. (Whole dried peas will take longer to cook than split peas)
  5. Remove the salt pork and cut of the meat into smaller bite-sized chunks. Return the meat to the pot and serve.

Notes

Although salt pork is probably more historically accurate, other cuts of pork like ham hocks, pork belly, ham bones, or your left over ham from the holidays will also work in this recipe!

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 270Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 24mgSodium 817mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 4gSugar 5gProtein 5g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

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A pinterest pin for French Canadian Split Pea Soup.

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