15-Bean Soup

This is truly the BEST 15-Bean Soup recipe I’ve ever tried! This soup starts with a package of dried assorted beans (NO overnight soaking required) that get cooked in the slow cooker or pressure cooker until perfectly tender.

What Beans Are In 15-Bean Soup?

This soup uses a 15 Bean Soup package which is a dry bean soup recipe containing 15 of these bean varieties: Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Yellow-eye Bean, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split Pea, Kidney, Cranberry Bean, Small White, Pink Bean, Small Red, Yellow Split Pea, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney, and Black Bean. The mix comes with a seasoning packet, instructions for cooking, and a list of extra items you’ll need to make it a full meal. It’s kind of like Hamburger Helper® except that it’s for soup–and it takes a bit longer to prepare!

Fun fact: According to the company’s president, this 15-bean soup mix is the #1 best-selling dry bean soup in the U.S.

Why We Love This 15-Bean Soup Recipe!

While you can find “15-bean soup instructions” on the back of the bean package, nothing beats this recipe! And especially if you don’t have a pound of ham, leftover ham bone, or ham hocks! Or, if you don’t love tomatoes (both tomatoes and ham are called for on the back of the package). For our recipe, we will not use the seasoning packet that comes with the beans. 

This is a 15-bean soup recipe without tomatoes or ham. (That said, check out the “variations” section below if you want to add in either!)

Instead, we’re letting the beans be the star of the show and then loading up this soup with beautifully sautéed veggies and a wonderfully creamy texture. Which, by the way, the cream base is ridiculously easy to make — no roux, butter, or flour required! The way this soup is perfectly thickened with only two ingredients is practically wizardry! 🙂 

How To Cook 15 Bean Soup

This soup is broken down into 2 parts: first, we’ll slow cook the beans in a well-seasoned herby broth. Second, we’ll sauté veggies on the stovetop to pour into the soup later.

Q: So why don’t we do it all in the slow cooker?

A: For flavor and to get a creamy base (without curdling). To get the most flavor out of the celery, onion, and carrots, sauté them in oil. This also ensures even cooking so you aren’t left with crunchy raw onion in the finished soup! Since we’ll need a separate pot anyway (to create the creamy base),  using that separate pot to also create the tender veggies is the best way to prepare this soup! We use a separate pot for making the base because if we cook milk in the slow cooker for 8 hours, it will curdle.

A few more tips:

• Finely dice carrots, onion, and celery into even-sized pieces. Or use the food processor to quickly chop the veggies! Purchasing mirepoix (already chopped carrots, onion, and celery) is another shortcut option.
• Cook until the mixture thickens. When making the creamy base, don’t remove the pot from the heat until the cornstarch mixture has fully thickened into a sludge-like mixture. 
• Don’t skip the finishing touches! A couple of fresh additions (the parsley and lemon) add freshness and vibrancy, bringing the soup alive.
• Add more salt! Don’t underestimate the magic an extra pinch of salt can offer. Especially in a soup filled with beans — you may be surprised how much salt is needed.

More Tasty Soup Recipes:

• 30 Best Soup Recipes all our favorites in one spot!
• Lentil Soup with the best seasoning blend!
• White Bean and Sausage Soup with Italian sausage
• Vegetable Noodle Soup with orzo pasta
• Vegetarian Split Pea Soup Recipe with loads of veggies!

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5 from 15 votes

15 Bean Soup

By Chelsea Lords

This is the best 15-Bean Soup recipe! Using dried assorted beans, it cooks in a Crock-Pot or Instant Pot until perfectly tender—no soaking needed!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 9 hours hours

Servings: 10 servings

Equipment

• Crock-Pot or Instant Pot

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Beans:

• ▢ 2 cups dried 15-bean mix discard seasoning packet, see note 1
• ▢ 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 3 bay leaves
• ▢ 6 cups chicken stock or chicken broth, see note 2
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

Soup:

• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 cups finely diced yellow onion 2 medium onions
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups finely diced carrot 4 carrots
• ▢ 1-1/2 cups finely diced celery 4 stalks
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic 4 cloves
• ▢ 2-1/2 cups milk whole preferred, divided, see note 3
• ▢ 1/3 cup cornstarch
• ▢ Serving suggestions see note 4

Instructions 

• 15-Bean Soup (Crock-Pot): Add everything listed under “Beans” to a Crock-Pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook 8 hours on low or on high for 4 hours.
• 15-Bean Soup (Instant Pot): Add everything listed under “Beans” to an Instant Pot. Season to taste with salt pepper. Seal the Instant Pot, turn the valve to seal, and cook on manual mode for 45 minutes. (Keep in mind that it takes about 15–20 minutes to get up to pressure.) Once finished, allow for a natural release of 25 minutes (I recommend setting a timer so you don't forget!) before releasing the rest of the pressure manually.
• 15-Bean Soup (stovetop): Soak beans overnight (or 8 hours). Drain beans and discard liquid. Add soaked beans and 8 cups stock to a large pot. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer (uncovered) for 2–1/2 hours. After beans are tender, pour in vegetable cream mixture (instructions 4–6) and simmer until thickened and creamy.
• Veggies: Add olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; season to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper). Sauté, stirring occasionally, until very tender, 10–12 minutes). Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add 2 cups milk and stir.
• Thicken: In a separate bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup milk and 1/3 cup cornstarch. Whisk with a fork until completely smooth. While stirring constantly, pour the mixture into the pot. Stir until the sauce is very thick. Once it has thickened, scrape it with a spatula into the Crock-Pot or Instant Pot. Mix well until soup is smooth. Slow cook with lid on for 20 minutes on high or sauté in Instant Pot for about 5 minutes—until heated through and thickened to your liking.
• Finishing Touches: Taste and adjust seasonings; I typically add another 1/2–3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Optionally add some chicken bouillon powder for extra flavor (1–2 teaspoons.) For some acidity, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a swish of red wine vinegar. The flavors should sing!
• Serve: Serve bowls garnished with a sprinkle of parsley and some Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve some hearty buttered bread on the side if desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Use only 2 cups of the bean mix, not the whole bag. Discard the seasoning packet (or save it for another recipe) Rinse the beans in a strainer and pick through them, discarding any shriveled beans, debris, or rocks.

Note 2: The quality of the stock makes a big difference! I prefer Swanson’s Chicken Stock, but for a vegetarian option, use their vegetable stock.

Note 3: I like whole milk best—it will deliver the creamiest, most flavorful soup, though 1% or 2% milk works too. I don’t recommend skim milk or milk alternatives.

Note 4: Serve with chicken bouillon, lemon or red wine vinegar, fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese, or hearty buttered bread.

Storage: You can store this soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4–6 days. Because of the dairy in this soup, it does not freeze or thaw well.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.4g | Protein: 12.2g | Fat: 27.1g | Cholesterol: 3.3mg | Sodium: 677.8mg | Fiber: 3.1g | Sugar: 8.9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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