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6 Homemade Soup Mixes in a Jar

By: Cassie Johnston / Updated: November 20, 2024 / Posted: November 20, 2024

Soup Mixes in a Jar

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featured review

Five yellow stars in a row

“I made a couple of these recipes for Christmas gifts, and they were a hit!”

– ELIZABETH –

I think these dry soup mixes are the perfect handmade gift for you to give to your loved ones—and the thousands of you who have made them over the years agree!

They are affordable to make (just a few bucks a pop), they are delicious, they are thoughtful, and my favorite part—they are consumable. You give the gift, the giftee uses it and appreciates it, and then it’s gone—no tchotchke sitting around waiting to be donated to the thrift store in a few months.

In this post:

Why You’ll Love THESE RecipeS

Cassie Johnston (a light skinned brunette woman with glasses and a red streak in her hair) smiles toward the camera with a wall of photo frames behind her

Thoughtful, beautiful gifts for just a few bucks a pop? These soup mix jars are a gift-giving win!

Gifts in jars are kinda my thing (I mean, I did write the book on it), and these soup recipes are maybe my most favorite gift in a jar of all. Tasty, thoughtful, and so pretty—these are the perfect handmade gift for anyone on your list.

Here’s why you’ll love these recipes:

  • Quick and easy to make. It’ll take you less than five minutes to make each jar. You’ll have your whole list done in no time! And so easy kids can do it.
  • So affordable. We’re talking just a couple bucks per jar. Even less if you have the jars already!
  • Tags included. We saved you the step of making your own tags. Each soup comes with free tags to download and print.
  • Delicious results. Don’t worry, I personally kitchen-tested each recipe made exactly as listed in the directions on the tag—each soup is super tasty!

SOUP MIX JAR FLAVORS

Italian Barley Soup Mix

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This barley soup is tomato-based (you add a can of diced tomatoes when cooking), vegetarian, and packed full of garlic and Italian herbs. To make Italian Barley Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (dehydrated, not packed in oil)
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 veggie bouillon cube

Instructions for cooking the Italian Barley Soup from mix: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water and one 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve topped with grated Parmesan. Season to taste.

Split Pea Soup Mix

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This beautiful green soup mix is so festive and green! I like to stir in a cup of chopped ham when it’s finished cooking to make it really hearty. To make Split Pea Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

  • 2 cups (scant) split green peas
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube

Instructions for cooking the Split Pea Soup from mix: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the peas are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in one cup of chopped ham before serving. Season to taste.

Coconut Curry Soup Mix

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This lentil soup is bright orange, packed full of robust flavor, and super delicious served with a stack of warm naan bread! To make Coconut Curry Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

  • 2/3 cup orange lentils
  • 2/3 cup green lentils
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 2 veggie bouillon cubes
  • 1 small dried chile pepper

Instructions for cooking the Coconut Curry Soup from mix: Remove wrapper from bouillon cubes and add them, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water and one 14-ounce can of full fat coconut milk to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the chile pepper before serving. Season to taste.

Five Bean Soup Mix

It doesn’t get much more beautiful than this layered bean soup mix. This baby is vegetarian, but is still packed with flavor. To make Five Bean Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

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  • 1/3 cup pinto Beans
  • 1/3 cup green split peas
  • 1/3 cup black beans
  • 1/3 cup great northern beans
  • 1/3 cup kidney beans
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoons dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 small dried chile pepper (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 veggie bouillon cubes

Instructions for cooking the Five Bean Soup from mix: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus five cups of water and one 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 90 minutes, adding more water as necessary to soften the beans. Remove and discard chile pepper and bay leaf before serving. Season to taste.

Chicken Noodle Soup Mix

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This soup makes a great holiday gift, and it’s great to keep on hand to give when someone you love comes down with a cold. To make Chicken Noodle Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 2 cups (scant) wide egg noodles

Instructions for cooking the Chicken Noodle Soup from mix: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté one diced carrot and one diced stalk of celery until just tender, about 5 minutes. Unwrap the bouillon cube from the soup mix, and then add it, plus all remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Add in 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the noodles are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chopped cooked chicken before serving. Season to taste.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

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This is such an awesome, hearty soup that’s packed with Southwestern flavors. I love it topped with sour cream and avocado. To make Spicy Black Bean Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

  • 1 1/2 cup black beans
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 veggie bouillon cube
  • 1 small dried chile pepper

Instructions for cooking the Spicy Black Bean Soup from mix:  Remove wrapper from bouillon cube, add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus six cups of water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 90 minutes, adding more water as necessary to soften the beans Remove and discard the chile pepper and bay leaves before serving. Season to taste.

SOUP MIXES protips

  • Use our free printable tags (found in the recipe card below) to save yourself time.
  • Pretty ribbon and fabric can go a long way to make a gift in a jar feel really special. More ideas for how to wrap jars can be found in my Gifts in Jars cookbook!
  • These jars last for months (at least!) in the pantry, so make a couple for yourself or for friends to keep on hand for easy dinners.

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featured review

Five yellow stars in a row

“I made these as gifts last year without even trying them for flavor. But when I was over at the house of one of the gift recipients, I found one last soup mix in their pantry. We made it and it was delicious! I am sitting down now to make more as gifts for this Christmas.” 

– CHRISTINE –

WATCH Me MAKE All these SOUP MIXes IN A JAR

Homemade Soup Mixes in a Jar

These homemade canning jar soup mixes are the perfect frugal holiday gift! Learn how to make six different flavors.
4.44 from 728 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Homemade Food Gifts
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 pint jar
Author: Cassie Johnston

Ingredients

For Italian Barley Soup Mix

  • 1 cup pearled barley
  • ½ cup sundried tomatoes dehydrated, not packed in oil
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 veggie bouillon cube

For Split Pea Soup Mix

  • 2 cups split green peas
  • ½ teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 tablespoons dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube

For Coconut Curry Soup Mix

  • ⅔ cup orange lentils
  • ⅔ cup green lentils
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoons dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 2 veggie bouillon cubes
  • 1 small dried chile pepper

For Five Bean Soup Mix

  • ⅓ cup pinto Beans
  • ⅓ cup green peas
  • ⅓ cup black beans
  • ⅓ cup great northern beans
  • ⅓ cup kidney beans
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoons dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 small dried chile pepper optional
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 veggie bouillon cubes

For Chicken Noodle Soup Mix

  • 1 tablespoons dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon celery seed
  • 1 chicken bouillon cube
  • 2 cups wide egg noodles

For Spicy Black Bean Soup Mix

  • 1 ½ cup black beans
  • 1 tablespoon dried chopped onions
  • 1 tablespoon dried garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon celery seed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 veggie bouillon cube
  • 1 small dried chile pepper

Instructions

To make all jars:

  • Layer all ingredients in a clean glass jar (pint size) in the order listed. Close lid, add tag, and gift.

To make soup (general instructions, see flavor-specific instructions in notes section below):

  • Remove wrapper from bouillon cube, add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the soup is cooked. Remove and discard the chile pepper and bay leaves, if used, before serving. Season to taste.

Video

Notes

    • To Make Italian Barley Soup: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water and one 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 20 minutes. Serve topped with grated Parmesan. Season to taste. Download the tags here.
    • To Make Split Pea Soup: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the peas are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in one cup of chopped ham before serving. Season to taste. Download the tags here.
    • To Make Coconut Curry Soup: Remove wrapper from bouillon cubes and add them, plus all remaining ingredients, plus four cups of water and one 14-ounce can of full fat coconut milk to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard the chile pepper before serving. Season to taste. Download the tags here.
    • To Make Five Bean Soup: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube and add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus five cups of water and one 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 90 minutes, adding more water as necessary to soften the beans. Remove and discard chile pepper and bay leaf before serving. Season to taste. Download the tags here.
    • To Make Chicken Noodle Soup: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté one diced carrot and one diced stalk of celery until just tender, about 5 minutes. Unwrap the bouillon cube from the soup mix, and then add it, plus all remaining ingredients to the saucepan. Add in 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the noodles are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 cups chopped cooked chicken before serving. Season to taste. Download the tags here.
    • To Make Spicy Black Bean Soup: Remove wrapper from bouillon cube, add it, plus all remaining ingredients, plus six cups of water into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 90 minutes, adding more water as necessary to soften the beans Remove and discard the chile pepper and bay leaves before serving. Season to taste. Download the tags here.
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Frequently Asked Questions about SOUP MIXES

Each recipe is slightly different, but on average they make about 4 servings of soup per jar.

Sure can! Just double all the ingredients to make a quart-sized jar, which will equal about 8 servings of soup.

Chicken bouillon cubes will work just fine in place of the veggie bullion.

We keep them wrapped because it helps seal in the flavor for longer storage, but you can also unwrap them—dealer’s choice!

Sure can! Just use the equivalent amount to one cube in powdered bouillon (typically it’s one teaspoon = one cube).

Nope! We use a long boil method in the soup instructions so no need to soak the beans beforehand.

The age of the beans can dramatically affect the amount of water and the amount of cooking time beans need. Older beans = longer to cook (and you don’t always know how old the beans in the store are). Best bet is to keep an eye on the soup, add more water if necessary, and taste test until the beans are softened.

Since all ingredients in the jars are shelf-stable, you should be able to get by with at least six months in pantry storage for each jar or up a year. For jars with beans, we recommend making them in the first few months so the beans cook quickly. Older beans take longer to cook.

Raw kidney beans have a toxin that can cause digestive upset in some folks. It is killed off after 10 minutes of boiling, which is included in the instructions for the soup. No pre-boiling needed!

We have not tested these recipes in the Instant Pot or Crock-Pot, but some folks in the comments have. Check there for suggestions!

Cassie is a holistic nutritionist, cookbook author, and all-around food lover. She grew up cooking dinner with her parents every evening, and her passion for home cooking has been strong ever since. Cassie is the author of two published cookbooks (Cooking with Greek Yogurt and Chia, Quinoa, Kale, Oh My!) and dozens of recipes published in major magazines and newspapers. Cassie has been sharing her award-winning recipes on Wholefully since 2010. She loves dark chocolate, homegrown tomatoes, motorsports, and anything that sparkles. She lives in Indiana with her family on a small homestead.

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4.44 from 728 votes (725 ratings without comment)

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283 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I’ve made the coconut curry lentil soup twice with dried spices. It’s so delicious!! Today I tried it with fresh onions and garlic. I didn’t notice much of a difference in flavor, so I’ll use fresh for me and dried when gifting. I’ve need to add an extra cup of water each time I’ve made it, or it’s too thick, but otherwise, this recipe is one I keep returning to. ( Now I need to try the other recipes.) 🙂

    Reply

  2. 3 stars
    Hi,

    I cooked the Coconut Curry Soup. I cooked the lentils and other ingredients for your specified time but the lentils were still too firm and all the water had evaporated and I had a solid mass so I had to add another cup of water and cook further until the lentils were softer. I ended up with a pretty solid result, not soupy at all. I’m going to have to make the lentil soup into patties or burgers now and add some flour so I don’t waste the whole effort. I’m not sure if our lentils are different in Australia than the States. I have to say, though, the flavour was good, so happy with that.

    Reply

    1. I’m sorry to hear that! Were you using the orange/red lentils specifically? Other lentils won’t give you the same result, and do require more liquid to make a soup.

      Reply

  4. Hello! We are making these right now and are so excited to give them as gifts. There are bouillon cubes in different concentrations. Should I be using the veggie bouillon that has 1 cube = 2 cups or 1 cube = 2 cups. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Nell! Thanks for your patience as our offices were closed for the end of the year. I hope you were able to sort this by reading through the comments. But in case you’re still wondering, you can adjust the number of cubes you put into the jar based on the size you have. If you have bigger cubes that are 1 cube per two cups of liquid, you can put one in the jar. If you have regular-sized cubes that make the more typical one cup per cube, you can put two in each jar as the recipe indicates. When in doubt, tuck another one in there—a little more flavor won’t hurt!

      Reply

  5. I made the five bean mix and they look cute in the jar. I decided to cook one and it took more like three hours to get it done and at least three extra cups of water. The flavor was not bad and with a bit of extra seasoning it tasted pretty good. But the time definitely was not correct.

    Reply

    1. Hi Michaela! That’s definitely much longer than it should take. We’ve never had a batch take that long or need that much extra water! It makes sense that it needed extra seasoning after all that extra water. Did the soup come up to a hard boil before simmering? Did it maintain an active simmer the whole time? Were the beans old? Did you put in the entire 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes (undrained)? It’s hard to say exactly what might have happened without more info, but those are the first questions I would be asking. If you’d like to troubleshoot this further, please reply to this comment or email us. We’re happy to help!

      Reply

    1. Hi Caroline! We sort through the beans before putting them in the jar, but we don’t rinse them. If you’re worried about them being dusty or dirty, you can put all the spices in a little parchment paper parcel and instruct your giftees to rinse the beans before cooking.

      Reply

  7. Hi, I want to make the Coconut Curry Soup Mix but am unsure about which green lentils you are using. I thought green lentils take 60 minutes to cook but your recipe has them cooking for only about 20 minutes. Are you using French green lentils? Split? I’m in Australia so maybe we have different names for lentil varieties.

    Reply

    1. Hi Linda! We’re using regular store-bought dried green lentils. They’re not split or French. Here in the states you can find them in the grocery store near the bags of rice and dried beans. We like using green lentils because they hold their shape well when cooked. I’m not sure about the difference in cooking times or names between the states and Australia, but you’re looking for dried lentils that will hold their shape and cook up in 20-30 minutes. I hope that helps!

      Reply

  8. Would a pint jar of any of these soups be enough for a family, or should I make 2 pints or a 1 quart jar for a family gift?

    Reply

  9. Hi Cassie, these look delicious and I plan to make them for xmas gifts!
    How many servings per “jar”?
    1-2 people? A big pot?
    Thanks so much!

    Reply

  10. Has anyone printed the labels for these? Is there a particular Avery forms label that works with these templates or ???

    Reply

    1. Hi Shannon! We used small dried chiles de árbol to add a bit of heat. Just one will do it! But you can adjust the dried chiles you use based on heat preference and availability as long as it will still fit in your jar!

      Reply

    1. Hi Stephanie! All of these recipes were developed and tested for stovetop cooking. We’ve never made any in the slow cooker or pressure cooker, so we can’t say for sure how best to adapt them for either. If you try it, please let us know how it turns out for you!

      Reply

  13. Can I skip the bouillon cubes and use broth when making the soups? If so, what would that be equivalent to the bouillon cubes?

    Reply

    1. Hi AB! If you’d like to leave the bouillon cubes out, just swap in broth for the amount of water listed in the recipe instructions for the particular soup you’re making. If you’re gifting these jars, tell your giftees to do the same!

      Reply