Soup Mixes in a Jar
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Guys, I am so pumped for today’s post for one big reason—I think these dry soup mixes are the perfect handmade gift for you to give to your loved ones. 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.

I am not anti-consumerism (I love a good sale as much as the next person!), but I do love the idea of shifting our holiday gift-giving to be less about stuff and more about being thoughtful, kind, and loving—and what’s more thoughtful, kind, and loving than giving the gift of cozy soup?

Six mason jars of different soup mixes stacked in a pyramid

In fact, here’s what I think is the most perfect holiday gift: a simple, thoughtful handmade gift (like these jarred dry soup mixes or any of our other handmade gift ideas) and a donation to a charity a recipient believes in. It’s the best of both worlds!

Reality check: this year in the United States alone, we will spend $465 BILLION (with a B!) on holiday gifts. Experts estimate it would only take $175 billion to completely eradicate poverty for a year! Can you imagine the good work we could do if we just spent half the amount we normally do this Christmas and donated the rest?

Six jars filled with dry ingredients stacked in two rows of three

Okay, enough of my bleeding heart spiel—let’s dig into these awesome soup mixes! They are easy and affordable to make. And they are super delicious! These suckers only use ingredients you can get at a regular supermarket—nothing fancy or special order.

You could make up enough of these for everyone on your list in less than an hour. At the very bottom of this post, you’ll find a printable recipe for all six flavors of dry soup mixes, plus free printable tags that give your giftee complete instructions for how to make the soup.

Alright, let’s make some gifts!

Jar full of barley, dried spices, and dried tomatoes. A text overlay reads "Italian Barley Soup Mix"

Italian Barley Soup Mix in a Jar

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.

Download the Tags
Mason jar full of split peas and spices. A text overlay reads "Split Pea Soup Mix"

Split Pea Soup Mix in a Jar

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 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.

Download the Tags
A mason jar full of two types of lentils, curry powder, and other dried spices. A text overlay reads "Coconut Curry Soup Mix"

Coconut Curry Soup Mix in a Jar

This lentil soup is bright orange, packed full of exotic 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.

Download the Tags
A glass jar full of beans and dried spices. A text overlay reads "Five Bean Soup Mix"

Five Bean Soup Mix in a Jar

It doesn’t get much more beautiful than this layered bean soup mix. This baby is vegetarian, but is still packed with flavor. You can see a full tutorial for how to make bigger versions of these jars in this post. To make Five Bean Soup Mix in a Jar, layer these ingredients in the order listed in a wide-mouth pint canning jar:

  • 1/3 cup pinto Beans
  • 1/3 cup green 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 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.

A note about cooking with dried beans: How old the beans are can change the amount of water and how much time is needed to cook the beans.  Your best bet is to watch the soup and add more water if necessary. Taste test until the beans are tender.

Download the Tags
A glass jar filled with noodles and dry spices. A text overlay reads "Chicken Noodle Soup Mix"

Chicken Noodle Soup Mix in a Jar

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 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.

Download the Tags
A glass jar full of black beans and dried spices. A text overlay reads "Spicy Black Bean Soup Mix"

Spicy Black Bean Soup Mix in a Jar

This is such an awesome, hearty soup that’s packed with Southwestern flavors. I love it topped with sour cream and avocado. You can see how to make bigger size jars (for a BIGGGG batch of soup) by visiting this post. 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.

A note about cooking with dried beans: 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.

Download the Tags

Looking for more handmade gift ideas?

We’re a big believer that handmade goodies make the very best holiday gifts! Here’s a few of our other amazing edible Christmas gift ideas:

  • Chicago Mix Popcorn. Who doesn’t love a good salty and sweet combo?
  • Homemade Coffee Liqueur. Cheers to family, friends, and loved ones with homemade kahlùa.
  • 45+ Thoughtful & Easy DIY Food Gifts. Our whole collection of homemade foods perfect for gifting, from hot sauce to cookie dough to jams.
  • The Best Sugar Cookie Icing. This is our go-to icing when we are decorating cookies. It always dries into a perfectly smooth finish, and there’s an option without corn syrup.
  • Easy Rolled Sugar Cookies. And you’ll need a vehicle for that icing—enter this simple, no-fuss sugar cookie recipe!
Homemade Soup Mixes in a Jar

Homemade Soup Mixes in a Jar

Yield: 1 pint jar
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

These homemade canning jar soup mixes are the perfect frugal holiday gift! Learn how to make six different flavors.

Ingredients

For Italian Barley Soup Mix

  • 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

For Split Pea Soup Mix

  • 2 cups split green peas
  • 1/2 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

  • 2/3 cup orange lentils
  • 2/3 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

  • 1/3 cup pinto Beans
  • 1/3 cup green 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 rosemary
  • 1 veggie bouillon cubes

For Chicken Noodle Soup Mix

  • 1 tablespoons 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 wide egg noodles

For Spicy Black Bean Soup Mix

  • 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

To make all jars:

  1. 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):

  1. 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.

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.

© Cassie Johnston
Cuisine: American

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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257 Comments

  2. Hi there! We’ve been making these jars to leave in our united church’s pantry, where families who need support can simply get what they need. I make 6 at a time, 1 for us, and 5 to leave in the pantry. 🙂 We use empty pasta, jam, salsa jars – whatever we have on hand (thoroughly cleaned of course). Then we line up the jars and fill them, and tie the label around. It’s a great little project to do with my teenager! So far we’ve made the chicken noodle (excellent!) and the split pea soup. We’ve used half and half yellow and green peas for some eye-appeal. For our own batch, I’ve also added some fresh veggies (carrot, celery, onion) and used smoked sausage instead of ham. Italian pearl barley is next on our list!

    Reply

  3. With the spicy black bean soup, is it supposed to be 2 tablespoons of cumin. That seems like a lot. Just wondering before I give these to my neighbors as gifts.

    Reply

    1. Hi Tracy! Our offices were closed for the end of the year, so hopefully you tested one to see if you liked the taste. But for future reference and for anyone else who might have the same question: YES—that much cumin is intentional! Beans need a hefty dose of spices to really take on the flavor. We hope your neighbors loved them!

      Reply

  4. I made the Italian barley and its super thick like gruel. Added 2 more cups of water, more salt and chicken seasoning. Still super thick. Are the other soups similar in consistency? I read the comments about the dehydrated tomatoes.. 2 kinds? They rehydrate and soak up the water too. My recipients aren’t overly familiar with adding seasoning to taste. Could you offer a general rule to what “works? Thanks, these are a great idea of sharing love and goodness.

    Reply

    1. Hi Judy! Pearl barley does add starch to the soup and thicken it a bit, but it should still turn out soupy. I would double-check the type of barley you used and the amounts of liquids. Did you use all four cups of water? Did you use the 14-ounce can of tomatoes with all its juices? Also, the season to taste at the end is specifically referring to salt and pepper. Depending on the saltiness of the bouillon used, your giftees might need to add some at the end to suit their own tastes. I hope this helps! =)

      Reply

  5. Everything I reads says that dried beans should be rinsed before cooking. Since the spices are added loosely on top of the beans, that prevents rinsing the beans. Is it OK that they are not rinsed before cooking?

    Reply

    1. Hi Vicky! Here are Cassie’s thoughts on rinsing: “I pretty much never wash my beans before cooking—a little dirt never hurt! You’ll be boiling the soups to a high enough level to remove any bad germs, and because beans are grown in a pod, they don’t get very dirty/dusty/soil-y. But if it bugs you, just put the spices and bouillon into a separate spice packet (either in a ziptop baggie or folded parchment paper) and recommend to your giftees that they rinse the beans first.”

      Reply

  6. Hello! I just ran across your recipes and can’t wait to try them. I was wondering if it is possible to switch the bouillon cubes for bouillon powder? Thank-you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Jenna! We haven’t made these with bouillon powder ourselves, but we don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Bouillon cubes and bouillon powder are essentially the same thing! You’ll just need to make sure that you’re using an equivalent amount. Generally, 1 tablespoon of powder is equal to one bouillon cube. But check your package for their specific recommendation. We hope your giftees love them! =)

      Reply

  8. How much soup does the jars make? Feed 1 or 2 people? How long does it last in pantry – 1 or 6 months? The recipes seem to be a great idea and present the idea of good taste when finished.

    Reply

    1. Hi Donna! Each jar will make enough for four lunch-sized servings. They’ll easily last 6-8 months, possibly longer, but we’ve never had them hanging around for that long!

      Reply

  9. I want to make your soups for Christmas gifts. What would the crock pot cooking time be for the split pea, Italian barley & Five bean soups be?

    Reply

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

      Reply

  10. Hi. I made a couple of these recipes for Christmas gifts and they were a hit! I decided to use the Italian Barley soup along with other items to create complete meal baskets – from dinner to dessert for door prizes at my HS reunion….
    A classmate asked me about the sun dried tomatoes and if the were the right kind to be included in the soup mix (being shelf stable)

    Like another comment, I did not know there were 2 types of packaged sun dried tomatoes and I didn’t purchase dehydrated ones. The reunion is tomorrow and I so am thankful I did not bring baskets with the potential that someone could get botulism!

    Could you update and include this important info with your directions? Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Sorry for the confusion, Elizabeth! We’ll update the ingredient list to be more clear. Thanks for taking the time to tell us about your experience so that we can keep making these recipes better for everyone. We’re so glad your Christmas gift soups were a hit!

      Reply