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Gift your loved ones an easy meal with this Homemade Soup in a Jar! It’s the perfect budget-friendly DIY holiday gift for anyone on your list and adds a personal touch that you can’t find in a store-bought gift. Plus, Split Pea and Lentil Soup is naturally gluten-free and vegan so the whole family can enjoy. Free Printable Tags included!
Table of Contents
If your friends and family love hearty soup (who doesn’t?!), they’re going to LOVE this instant soup in a jar. It’s hearty, full of flavor, healthy fiber, and seasoned to perfection with just a few dehydrated vegetables and aromatic spices.
These jars make great gifts or an easy meal prep for college students or family’s short on time during the week. You simply have to add the contents of jar to a soup pot, add water, and simmer until the lentils and split peas are tender and delicious! It’s simply the perfect way to spread the love this holiday season without breaking the bank on Christmas gifts.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Dried lentils: The best lentils to use in this jar recipe are green lentils or brown lentils. These lentils are heartier than red lentils and will keep their shape once cooked.
- Split peas: We recommend green split peas instead of yellow split peas as they are heartier and will yield a better textured soup.
- Spices: All of the spices in dry soup mixes and mason jar gifts must be dried. Replacing the dried spices and herbs with fresh herbs will make the gift spoil significantly faster and is not recommended. For this lentil and split pea soup, you will need onion powder, dehydrated celery flakes, garlic powder, turmeric, cumin, dried parsley, dried oregano, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves.
- Bouillon cube: Any vegetable bouillon cube of choice will work. Again make sure to use a wrapped bouillon cube, not bouillon paste. In order for these homemade gifts to last, the ingredients must contain no moisture.
Equipment Needed
- 16 ounce glass jar with tight fitting lid (1 pint jar) – as written, this soup recipe makes 1 gift jar. If you’d like to make multiple, make sure to increase the recipe measurements as needed and purchase the correct number of jars!
How to Make a Homemade Soup in a Jar
- Place ingredients inside of gifting jar. Into a 16 ounce, glass mason jar, add the dry ingredients. Place a wrapped bouillon cube on top (Be sure that the bouillon cube is the last item you put in the jar so that it does not get lost in the mix).
- Download the gift tag. Print the desired number of Free Printable Gift Tags, and cut them out. For best results, we recommend printing your gift tags on thick, heavy weight paper or print it on regular printer paper and paste it on a piece of colored construction paper.
- Seal tightly and add gift tag. Screw on the lid so that the mixture is airtight. Thread the printable gift tag on a piece of twine or ribbon and wrap it around the top of the jar.
- Gift! These jars make the perfect holiday gift for friends, family, neighbors, teachers, and more! We even love sharing them as a hostess gift!
How to Cook the Lentil & Split Pea Soup
- Add to a pot with 7 cups of water. Remove the bouillon cube from the jar and set it aside. Pour the remaining contents of the jar into a large pot, along with 7 cups of water. Remove the bouillon cube from its packaging, and stir it into the soup. Alternatively, you can dissolve the bouillon cube in hot water separately before adding it to the soup, if desired.
- Simmer for 35 minutes. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and let the lentil and split pea soup cook for about 35 minutes, or until the lentils and split peas are soft and tender.
- Serve. Remove the bay leaf, season the soup with additional salt or soy sauce to taste, then serve while warm. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Like most of our vegan soup recipes, this creamy lentil & split pea soup makes a delicious main course for either lunch or dinner. Serve topped with crunchy 5-Ingredient Croutons, or a hearty sides such as Vegan Garlic Bread, Garlic Herb Dinner Rolls, or a crusty slice of our 4-Ingredient No Knead Bread.
If you’d like to go the lighter route, it’s also the perfect pair for our Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad with Homemade Vegan Caesar Dressing!
FAQs
When stored as a soup mix in a jar, this soup will keep for several months. For best results, keep the soup in a jar stored in a cool, dry place, free of direct sunlight.
This split pea soup mix in a jar will make about 5 servings.
Grab your downloadable copy of the gift tag here: PRINTABLE LENTIL & SPLIT PEA SOUP GIFTING TAG.
Yes! Once the soup is cooked, leftovers will keep in the mason jar for up to 5 days. Simply transfer the cooled soup to the jar, seal tightly, and refrigerate until ready to eat. Note that once the soup is cooked, it must be refrigerated and can no longer be kept at room temperature.
Mason jars are freezer-friendly. If you’d like to freeze your leftover soup in the mason jars, it is best to use wide-mouth mason jars with straight sides. Also be sure to keep the soup below the ‘freezer’ line. Soups expand as they freeze and if the jar is filled too high, it may break in the freezer.
More DIY Holiday Gift Ideas You May Enjoy:
Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
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Easy Homemade Soup in a Jar Recipe (Split Pea & Lentil Soup)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
Description
Gift your loved ones an easy meal with this Homemade Soup in a Jar! It’s the perfect budget-friendly DIY holiday gift for anyone on your list and adds a personal touch that you can’t find in a store-bought gift. Plus, Split Pea and Lentil Soup is naturally gluten-free and vegan so the whole family can enjoy. Free Printable Tags included!
Ingredients
Dry Mix
- 1–16 oz mason jar
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 1/2 cup split peas
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon dehydrated celery flakes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bouillon cube
- 1 bay leaf
To Prepare
- 7 cups water
- Salt, if desired
Instructions
- If you are going to put together a gift jar: Add all of the ingredients to a 16 oz. mason jar. You can either mix it all together or layer it in one by one like we did, from the start of the ingredients list to the end. Be sure that the bouillon cube is the last item you put in the jar so that it does not get lost in the mix/your giftee knows to unwrap it. Close the lid and decorate it/tag it as needed. You can download our free recipe tag here.
- To prepare: Add all of the contents of the jar to a large pot, being sure to unwrap the bouillon cube, along with 7 cups of water. Bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 35 minutes. Season with salt as needed and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Entree, Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free
Can you suggest a brand of bouillon cube? I’m the sure getting the right one can make all the difference in taste.
Hey, Cheryl. We like this brand: https://amzn.to/48siyzC
I just made this soup, and I absolutely love it! So easy to make and it’s the perfect blend of spices
This is delicious! I made it for my father In law last Christmas in a mason jar & he requested it this year again. 🙂 I just wanted to note – you can add all ingredients to an instant pot on manual pressure for 10 mins & let naturally release & it’s perfect! So so good.
I love this idea and want to make this soup and also give it as a gift. However when I try to download the tag file it comes up as an empty file. I had no issues with the hot chocolate tag so wanted to bring it your attention. Thanks.
Hmm that is weird! It is working for us 🙁 Would you like me to email it to you?
I tried again and was able to download the tag. It is a wonderful gift idea and thank you again Jasmine.
Oh yay we are glad to hear that it worked!! 🙂 Thanks For sharing Suzanne 🙂