A lively mixture of herbs and spices, this mix of bean soup spices is your secret weapon for soup season. This little jar of magic will keep your family in soup heaven all Winter long. Perfect for your next pot of 15-bean soup.
15 Bean Soup Seasoning Mix Recipe
Haven’t we all received bean soup mixes for gifts? You know the ones, a bag of dried beans accompanied by an herb soup seasoning mix and they’re usually cleverly packaged.
Some in cute little bags, some in whisky looking jugs, some in Mason jars. A few of them are pretty decent with flavor, but a lot of them are pretty darn bland.
With very little effort you can prepare your own homemade dried bean soup seasoning mix that you can routinely use for 15-bean soup.
You’ll feel so smug with this secret weapon of bean soup spices stashed away in your pantry. Ready to season soups all Winter long.
I guarantee you won’t call this spice mix bland.
Dried Spices for Bean Soup
In order to have a supply of spices for bean soup stored in your panty, you’ll need to use dried spices rather than fresh. The illustration above is the list of bean soup spices that, when mixed together, will give you a very flavorful seasoning mix.
Here are some substitution notes:
- Chervil: Dried and fresh chervil can be hard to find. This spice mix calls for two tablespoons of dried chervil. If you can’t find it, substitute one tablespoon of dried tarragon.
- Sage: Dried sage can come in dried leaf or a powdery form. Either will work well here.
- Celery Seed: I don’t recommend substituting celery salt. Even though celery salt is made with celery seed, it also contains salt. Most bean soup recipes call for adding a ham hock, ham bone, or ham. Which in itself is a salty product. Stick with celery seed here.
- Cayenne: A well stocked home pantry will include Cayenne powder. I almost always substitute New Mexico Red Chile Powder. The heat level is comparable.
How To Make It?
Just measure all of the spices into a glass container that will seal air-tight. Use a spoon to stir them together well, close the lid and place in the pantry. Voila! Done.
Gathering dried beans for a season of comfort food
Now that you have that supply of spices for bean soup, you’ll need a container of mixed beans in your pantry to make my 15 Bean Soup,Crock Pot recipe. They’ll keep you warm and “comfort food cozy” all Winter long.
Let’s have some fun with this:
- Head over to your local market that has a well stocked bulk food section. For me that would be my local Whole Foods.
- Stroll the dried beans. Buy equal quantities of each and every dried bean you see. Don’t forget lentils and split peas. A good store will have some lovely calico beans, tiny red aduki, and reddish-orange lentils. About a half cup of each bean will give you a good supply. Just grab everything you see.
- While you’re there, buy what you need for this bean spice mix.
- You’ll actually end up with more than 15 varieties for the 15 bean soup mix … all the more fun.
- When you get home mix all the beans together fearlessly. Hopefully you’ve got at least ten varieties, sixteen or twenty even better.
- Make sure you have a large container with a tight-fitting lid that will hold the loot, preferably clear, so that you can admire the beans colors and shapes every time you open the pantry door.
Store in the pantry in an airtight container, and this stash will last you all season … and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely yes. With no fillers to thicken, this mix is naturally gluten free.
Stored in a cool dry place, it will stay fresh and flavorful for the Winter soup season, about 6 months. When the next year rolls around, make a new batch, if you have any left.
This soup season mix makes 1 ½ cups. Most recipes will call for 2 Tablespoons to season the soup. That will give you seasoning for 6 batches of bean soup.
Recipe For Bean Soup
Now that you’ve gathered your beans for 15-bean soup, the rest is a breeze.
On the first chilly day of the season, also consider this recipe for your next bowl of soup. Simmering on the stove, with it’s warm and cozy aroma, will make watching that cold wind blow a pleasure. This recipe really shines for the ultimate bean soup recipe.
It’s hearty but not heavy, it’s filling and it’s pure comfort food.
Recipe for Soup Seasoning Mix
This pantry mix is a staple in my kitchen. By making homemade soup seasoning mix, soup is more flavorful, and with no preservatives no salt, and no msg.
And if you’re looking to make more homemade seasoning mixes, don’t miss my recipe for Homemade Taco Seasoning. It’s amazing.
Use Your New Homemade Bean Soup Spices For These Recipes
- Ham and Bean Soup Creamy Great Northern Beans, smoky salty chunks of ham, sweet corn bread and you’ve got a winning comfort food combination
- Chicken Noodle Soup, There’s nothing like a big bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup on a cold evening. And especially if that chicken noodle soup is done right. Learn which noodles to use, and how to get the best flavor out of that chicken.
- 15-Bean Soup, Learn what it takes to make a 15 bean soup superior in flavor from other recipes you’ve tried.
What to serve with 15 bean soup? Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread of course. Or give this fun recipe for Corn Muffins filled with Jalapeno Jelly a try.
I consider soups and stews to be my specialty. Don’t miss my Soup Category where you’ll find lots of comfort food recipes, including the most popular on my site for Anthony Bourdain’s Beef Chili.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.
Originally published October, 2009
Republished with better photos and instructions, October 2023
15 Bean Soup Seasoning Mix, Herb and Spice Seasoning
Ingredients
- ½ Cup dried parsley
- ¼ Cup dried summer savory Plus 2 Tablespoons
- ¼ Cup cumin seeds
- 2 Tablespoons fennel seeds
- 1 Tablespoon celery seeds
- ½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Caraway Seeds
- 2 Tablespoons Dill Seeds
- 2 Tablespoons Cracked Coriander Seeds
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Sweet Basil
- 2 Tablespoons Dried Chervil
- 2 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Sage
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Rosemary
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Lavender optional
- 1 Tablespoon Dried Sweet Marjoram
Instructions
- Mix all together and keep sealed in a Mason jar.
Notes
-
- Chervil: Dried and fresh chervil can be hard to find. This spice mix calls for two tablespoons of dried chervil. If you can’t find it, substitute one tablespoon of dried tarragon.
-
- Sage: Dried sage can come in dried leaf or a powdery form. Either will work well here.
-
- Celery Seed: I don’t recommend substituting celery salt. Even though celery salt is made with celery seed, it also contains salt. Most bean soup recipes call for adding a ham hock, ham bone, or ham. Which in itself is a salty product. Stick with celery seed here.
-
- Cayenne: A well stocked home pantry will include Cayenne powder. I almost always substitute New Mexico Red Chile Powder. The heat level is comparable.
Nutrition
15 Bean Soup Seasoning Mix … It’s What’s for Comfort
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
I recently discovered that rich flavorful homemade soups can cut down the expense trauma of ever increasing food expenses enormously. Instead of doing what I used to do now, buying a different cut of meat for every dinner made, I buy one cut a week, make it into soup which lasts me the entire week. The ham and white bean soup is the selection for this week, as I rotate through my emergency prep caches, but the recipe I am using had little seasoning. This seasoning is exactly the recipe I needed for this and my future soup experimentations! Thank you so much! Now I can even make the right seasoning for all of them in large storable batches, no more need to be running out weekly for the tiny glass containers of expensive spices that get used up so fast, and no more extra runs to the store every week looking for the one needed that is exactly the one I keep running out of!
Wow this is great. I thought the spices were a ljttle excessive, with some unusual ones for bean soup but I swear it js perfect. Bravo
How much seasoning should I use per pound of beans??
I use 1 Tablespoon per 1 cup beans
Why no garlic powder?
Please feel free to add garlic powder. Most soup recipes call for chopped fresh garlic, so this spice mix doesn’t include garlic. Let me know if you have any other questions.
OMG I am having lash backs of my days in Northern Indiana! Burrr!
what? snow already? It looks so pretty and peaceful (especially if you can stay home and eat soup)
It was exactly that and we did exactly that! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Olga.
wow thats quite a bit of snow!
Hi Leaann, That is an incredible amount of snow, for October! Perfect soup weather and I wish that I had a big bowl, right now. Great recipe! Thanks for visiting my blog and for your nice comment.
Thanks for stopping by Marguerite
Nothing better than a good bean soup–especially in the weather you are having–that snow is just crazy!
That snow is starting to melt. It’s suppose to be 60 degrees today. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Deb
We had a huge October storm up in boston about two years ago. It was so uncharacteristic and it snowed a ton, but then it didn’t snow again until February! So maybe that will be the case for you guys.
What a great way to warm up, with that soup! It sounds so hearty and chockful of delicious ingredients.
October is uncharacteristic for us too. It was however, a lot of fun. Thanks for stopping by Joanne
That is some insane snow. We rarely get that much here in Toronto.
Love the bean soup and all the mixes!
Seriously!? You have that much snow already? Wowza…I would just hunker down at the window and watch with a big bowl of this comforting soup! Oh my gosh….snow. Slow down Autumn!
Seriously! That’s pretty much what I did. Thanks for stopping by.
wow great and healthy soup and oh my goodness what alot of snow!!!! love your blog by the way Rebecca
Thank you Rebecca. Glad you stopped by. I did subscribe to your blog also.
OMG and it’s only October…
Gee, girl, where was your mind when you shot the photo;)
Tall erect strong items enter my mind in that way also. Great minds.
The soup sounds fabulous and perfect for the blizzard you are having. I am a bit envious, we havent had a biggie like that in years.
Thanks for stopping by Donna. 🙂
Fun pictures! I love the one of your dog who apparently side-swiped a drift – adorable! You guys really got dumped on. We don’t usually get that until December, but once the “storm door” gets opened, it’s a pretty constant thing for a few months. Your bean soup seasoning has me intrigued . . . so many interesting herbs and spices, it just sounds terrific! Another great post!!
It’s really good soup. When you’re ready to make it you just need to go buy the soup bone.
Thanks for stopping by Vic
You know the saying “A rolling stone gathers no moss”? Well a burning weber gathers no snow. Now get out there and grill 🙂 😉
LMAO about the Donna comment on the umbrella picture!!!!!!
It would have made for a more fun blog – pictures of me grilling in a blizzard. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Chris
Thanks for the glimpse of our “white hell” to come.. Ever notice people who like snow don’t get enough of it to bother with most years.. Snowbound, eating bean soup.. crack a window or two after eating… 🙂
Alright, there’s always one in the crowd that has to ruin it for everybody. I’m going have to officially put into effect the first house rule at Mangos, Chili and Z.
Rule #1 No fart jokes.
🙂
Should have played cards with us last night- I brought deviled eggs and onion wraps… party broke up early… 🙂
I should have known. Your motto is “Rules are made for breaking”!
“-)
Hmmm brings back memories…. I have a house in upstate New York… we haven’t been up there in the snow since last Christmas…. and we too… hunker down… and cook comfort meals and soup… honestly though I really don’t miss the cold… I like the warm weather here in Georgia… in fact it was in the 40’s here a couple of weeks ago and I complained to Warren I want to move further south…LOL
Great post and recipe… thanks!
🙂 Thanks for stopping by Linda!
Lea Ann
Your snow was on our national news! I thought of you when I saw the story. We had snow this week, but man, you had WAY more than we did and I think I really should stop complaining!
Ok you’re probably going to hit me, but I’m jealous. I love the snow. We can’t expect to get any here in Boston for months yet. The soup looks great, too!
I love our big snows! The nice thing about Colorado and our altitude, as soon as that sun comes out the big meltdown begins. It only lasts a few days. Thanks for stooping by