Split pea soup is one of the higher-protein soups you can eat. A typical cup of homemade split pea soup delivers around 9 grams of protein, and versions made with ham can reach 25 to 35 grams per cup. Even a basic vegetarian version provides about 7 grams, putting it ahead of most broth-based soups.
How It Compares to Other Soups
Split pea soup with pork clocks in at roughly 14 grams of protein per cup, which places it well above other popular high-protein soups. Lentil soup provides about 9.7 grams per cup, beef barley soup around 8.2 grams, and pasta e fagioli roughly 8 grams. Among soups you’d find on a grocery store shelf or make at home without much effort, split pea consistently ranks near the top.
What makes split pea soup unusual is that even its meatless version holds its own. A vegetarian split pea soup still provides around 7 grams of protein per cup, which is comparable to beef barley. Add ham, sausage, or bacon and the protein jumps dramatically.
Why Split Peas Pack So Much Protein
Cooked yellow split peas contain about 8.4 grams of protein per 100 grams, and green split peas come in at 7.9 grams. That’s a lot for a plant food, and it’s why split peas are classified as pulses alongside lentils and chickpeas. Unlike many vegetables, pulses store significant amounts of protein in their seeds.
Pea protein is also highly digestible compared to many other plant proteins. Researchers have measured the protein quality of split peas using a standardized score called PDCAAS, which accounts for both amino acid content and how well your body absorbs them. Green split peas scored about 71%, and yellow split peas about 68%. For context, animal proteins like eggs and dairy score close to 100%, while many plant proteins fall well below split peas. That means your body actually uses a good portion of the protein you’re eating, not just passing it through.
The Amino Acid Picture
Split peas are not a complete protein on their own, but they come closer than most plant foods. Pea protein is relatively rich in several essential amino acids, including histidine and phenylalanine. Where it falls short is in methionine, threonine, and tryptophan, the sulfur-containing and aromatic amino acids that tend to be lower across legumes generally.
The practical fix is simple: pair your split pea soup with bread, rice, or crackers. Grains supply the amino acids that legumes lack, and legumes return the favor. A bowl of split pea soup with a slice of crusty bread gives you a complete amino acid profile without any animal protein needed. You don’t have to eat these foods in the same bite or even the same meal, just within the same day.
Split Pea Soup Keeps You Fuller, Longer
Protein content alone doesn’t tell the whole satiety story. Split pea soup also delivers a substantial amount of fiber, and the combination of protein plus fiber is what makes it so filling. A randomized, controlled crossover study tested this directly, comparing legume-based meals to meat-based meals with the same calorie and protein content. The legume meals produced greater fullness, lower hunger, and reduced desire to eat compared to the meat meals. Participants ate 12 to 13% fewer calories at their next meal after eating the legume-based option.
Perhaps the most striking finding: a lower-protein legume meal was just as satiating as a higher-protein meat meal. The fiber content of the legumes appeared to compensate for the lower protein, keeping people satisfied longer. Split pea soup, which is naturally thick and fiber-rich, fits this pattern perfectly.
Boosting the Protein in Your Bowl
If you’re using split pea soup as a main dish and want to push the protein higher, you have several options. The classic approach is adding ham. A cup of split pea soup made with ham typically delivers 25 to 35 grams of protein, enough to serve as the centerpiece of a meal. Smoked turkey or chicken sausage can accomplish something similar with less sodium.
For plant-based versions, stir in a handful of diced tofu, a spoonful of nutritional yeast, or a swirl of plain Greek yogurt at serving time. Serving with whole grain bread or a side of rice adds both protein and complementary amino acids. Even tossing in some pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds as a garnish adds a few extra grams while improving the amino acid balance.
The base soup itself is already protein-dense for a plant food. Whether you’re building a vegan meal or adding meat, split pea soup gives you a strong nutritional foundation that few other soups match.