Sixteen-bean soup is a true pantry classic that evolved from American frugality and resourcefulness. By mixing a variety of beans, such as kidney, navy, pinto, black beans, lentils, split peas, and more, home cooks can stretch a single pot into a protein-rich, budget-friendly meal.
These mixed-bean blends became especially popular during the 20th century, when packaged soup and bean mixes appeared in grocery stores. With a long simmer and simple seasonings, families could feed a crowd using inexpensive ingredients, making 16-bean soup a beloved staple in many homes.
It’s that time of year to make the best sixteen-bean soup ever! It’s full of delicious, healthy beans, and you can add so many vegetables, and some leftover ham for flavor and even more protein.
I froze some leftover ham cut into bite-sized pieces because I knew I wanted to make this soup. This recipe has been in my cookbook for years. When I see the 16-bean soup mix on sale, I always buy a few bags. Please keep in mind that you can buy beans in bulk and make your own dry bean soup mix.
If there was ever a time to know how to make a good bean soup, it is now, my friends! Please be prepared to feed your family beans now, before they have to eat bean soup every day. If you know how to make bread or biscuits, that’s a bonus for a belly filler. Homemade Bread or Homemade Biscuits
- Bread Pans (this is the size I use)
- Biscuit Cutter
- Silicone Mat for biscuits or bread dough
Soups of all kinds are used as a comfort food when people get sick, particularly at this time of year. Many of those soups have more broth than this soup recipe, but you might consider having it available just in case. I love soups and make them any time a family member is “under the weather,” or to have a feel-good moment on a particularly cold day. Give it a try, they will love you even more for your kind efforts!
The History of Sixteen-Bean Soup
Sixteen-Bean Soup didn’t begin as a single, traditional recipe but rather as a clever solution to two timeless kitchen challenges: stretching ingredients and reducing waste. For centuries, cooks around the world have combined various beans and legumes into hearty stews because beans were inexpensive, filling, and stored well through winter. Mixing whatever beans were on hand, kidney, navy, black beans, lentils, split peas—created a nourishing meal without relying heavily on meat.
In the United States, the idea of multi-bean blends gained popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s as dried-bean availability expanded. Rural families often kept jars filled with leftover beans from different harvests, making “mixed-bean soup” a regular part of homestead cooking. It wasn’t about a specific number of beans—it was simply practical, a comforting food.
The modern name “16-Bean Soup” emerged in the mid-20th century when food companies began packaging pre-mixed bean assortments. These mixes offered convenience and variety in one bag, appealing especially to home cooks looking for affordable, high-protein meals during economic downturns. Brands like Hurst’s and regional mill companies made sixteen-bean and fifteen-bean blends widely available, and the soups became a staple of frugal but flavorful cooking across the country.
As slow cookers and pressure cookers gained popularity in the 1970s through the 1990s, multi-bean soup found new life as an easy, dump-and-simmer meal. Today, Sixteen-Bean Soup remains beloved for its rustic charm, its nutritional value, and the cozy tradition of letting a pot of beans bubble on the stove for hours—turning humble ingredients into something delicious.
In case you missed this post, Easy Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients – Sixteen-Bean Soup
- 16 Bean Soup Bag: A delicious assortment of beans – typically contains: large lima beans, red kidney beans, small white beans, baby lima beans, cranberry beans, pink beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, lentils, whole green peas, green split peas, black-eyed peas, yellow split peas, small red beans, speckled lima beans, and green baby lima beans. It also contains a bag of seasonings to add to the soup as recommended in the instructions.
- Carrots: A root vegetable that is typically orange in color. It has a delicious crunch and is high in beta-carotene, a vitamin known for its role in eye health.
- Celery Stalks: Refreshingly crisp, light, and delicious! High in antioxidants, and the fiber contained within is excellent for the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
- White or Yellow Onion: Both onions have a very distinct spicy flavor that adds a lot to a savory soup, casserole, or other dish. White onions tend to be a bit stronger and pungent in taste than yellow onions.
- Garlic Cloves: Provide delicious flavor and may also offer health benefits due to their antiviral and antibacterial properties.
- Sweet Dried Basil: Sweet dried basil has a very distinct flavor but is a milder herb than regular dried basil. It has less of a licorice flavor.
- Dried Parsley: Parsley has a delicious, slightly bitter taste that contrasts nicely with other flavors. Used to enhance the different flavors of the soup.
- Salt and Pepper: They also help to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients in the soup.
- Water: Used to rinse the beans before cooking to wash away any rocks or debris; also used to cook the beans, vegetables, and seasonings.
- Ham: A type of pork that is roasted, pre-cured, or cooked in a variety of ways. Adds the final touch of delicious and savory flavor to this soup!
Kitchen Items You May Need:
- Soup Pot
- Slow Cooker
- Colander
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Good Knife
- Cutting Board
The Best Sixteen-Bean Soup
Step One – Gather Ingredients – Inspect Beans – Wash and Rinse – Cover with Water in a Large Pot
Gather all of your ingredients. Open the bag of 16-bean soup and look for small rocks or debris. Wash or rinse the dry beans.
Place the “washed” beans in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Let them soak overnight.
Step Two – The Next Day, Rinse the Beans and Drain
The next day, rinse the beans in a colander and drain.
Step Three – Place Soaked Beans in a Slow Cooker
Place the soaked beans in your slow cooker.
Step Four – Chop Vegetables
Chop the vegetables of your choice.
Step Five – Add Vegetables to the Slow Cooker
Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the slow cooker.
Step Six – Add Ham, Water, and Seasonings – Set Slow Cooker to High for 6 Hours – Add Seasoning Packet
Add the ham pieces.
Add 7-8 cups of water or enough water to cover the beans. Sprinkle the seasonings over the water.Set your slow cooker to 6 hours on HIGH. One hour before serving, add the ham seasoning packet included with the 16-bean soup.
Finished Product
Do you love homemade soup as much as I do? I wish you could come over and have a bowl with me, I would love it!
Sixteen-Bean Soup Recipe
Sixteen-Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 20 ounces 16 bean soup bag (save the "ham seasoning" bag included)
- 2 cups chopped carrots
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried sweet basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 7-8 cups of water
- 1-2 cups fresh thick pieces of ham (cut into chunks)
Instructions
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Gather all of your ingredients. Open the bag of 16-bean soup and look for small rocks or debris. Rinse the beans in a colander and drain. Place the "washed" beans in a soup pot and cover them with cold water. Let them soak overnight.
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The next morning rinse the beans in a colander and drain the water from the beans.
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Place the soaked beans in your slow cooker.
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Chop the vegetables.
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Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to the beans.
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Add the ham pieces. Add 7-8 cups of water. Sprinkle the seasonings on top of the water. Set your slow cooker to 6 hours on HIGH. One hour before serving add the ham seasoning package included in the 16-bean soup package.
What are the sixteen beans in the bag of soup?
It was fun to put together the list of bean varieties for this special soup. There were a few new names I wasn’t as familiar with. As with most soups from the shelf, you’ll find the old standby beans in most bean soups, such as lima, pinto, black, speckled, etc. We all tend to stick with those we know our family will eat, and have the flavor we enjoy the most.- Large Lima beans: Also known as a butter bean. They are larger lima beans shaped like a moon and are used in a variety of dishes. Starchier than other white beans, which creates a texture that resembles a potato. They have a buttery flavor and can become slightly mushy when cooked.
- Small White beans: An ivory bean that is very easy to prepare. They have a mild flavor, making them a versatile and common bean used in many dishes.
- Red Kidney beans: A very flavorful bean that is red in color and in the shape of a kidney. They have a nutty yet mild flavor with a hint of sweetness.
- Baby Lima beans: Smaller than navy beans, also a white bean. Known as butter beans because once cooked, they taste buttery and creamy.
- Great Northern beans: A medium-sized white bean with a mild flavor. A very versatile bean, it is widely used for its ability to absorb flavors and seasonings.
- Speckled Lima beans: Also known as speckled butter bean. They have a very creamy texture when cooked and are high in soluble fiber.
- Black beans: Very well known in Latin American dishes. Very rich in protein, antioxidants, carbohydrates, and fiber.
- Green Baby Lima beans: Very pale in color and plump in size. They are creamy and quite tender beans.
- Pinto beans: Are small and flavorful beans. Known for being made into refried beans. They have a very earthy flavor with a creamy texture. They have a “painted” look.
- Cranberry beans: A medium to large bean. They are also known as Borlotti beans. Light brown color with a splash or streak of red, black, magenta, or purplish pink spots. They have a slightly nutty flavor and are sweet and creamy.
- Pink beans: are oval-shaped and small. They are pale pinkish brown. Also known as a chili bean. They are similar to pinto beans but are smaller and rounder, with a deep, meaty flavor.
- Small Red beans: Also known as the adzuki bean. It has a strong, nutty, and sweet flavor.
- Navy beans: A small white bean in the shape of an oval. One of the most popular beans, it has a smooth white surface and a very mild flavor. Also known as a Boston bean or pea bean.
- Lentils: An edible legume that is naturally gluten-free. They range in color from yellow and red to black, brown, and green. They tend to have a bit of an earthy, sweet, or nutty flavor and hold their shape well while cooking.
- Whole Green peas: Part of the legume family. They are pale green and round. They have a sweet flavor and are nutritionally rich.
- Black-eye peas: A white bean with a small black eye. They are small, a bit plump, and round.
One of the fun things I like about this soup is the variety of colors. All the bean varieties, along with some pea variations, make for a very colorful bowl of soup.
How do I store this sixteen-bean soup after cooking?
After cooking, I store the leftover soup in a Tupperware-type container. It should stay good for 3 – 4 days in your refrigerator.
Can I freeze this sixteen-bean soup after cooking?
Absolutely, place the soup in an airtight container and store it in your freezer for 2-3 months.
Can I use canned beans that are already cooked?
Yes, you can skip the bean soaking and add 2-3 cans of your favorite canned beans.
Is sixteen-bean soup good for me?
Yes, it has a lot of protein, fiber, and nutrients all in one bowl!
My sixteen-bean soup is too thin. How can I thicken it?
Sometimes, we may add a bit too much water, and we want the soup to be thicker, I get it. To thicken your soup, use your ladle to remove three tablespoons of the broth and place it in a bowl.
Stir in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch into the broth, and stir until smooth. Add the mixture back to the slow cooker. It will thicken as it cooks.
Another trick I learned from a reader is to use a package of instant potatoes, add a little, and stir it in the soup until you find the right consistency.
Can I make this sixteen-bean soup without a ham bone?
Yes, you can. Do I love a ham bone? Oh, yeah! But sometimes I don’t have one, and this soup is perfect without one.
Can I use a Ham Bone in this sixteen-bean soup?
I didn’t have one today, but yes, you can throw a ham bone in when you start the slow cooker. After the soup finishes cooking, remove the ham bone, cut off the remaining ham pieces, and return them to the soup.
Can I use LENTILS to thicken up this sixteen-bean soup?
A reader, Janet (thank you, my friend), has taught me slowly how to use lentils in so many ways. Add about 1 cup of lentils to this recipe, and it will thicken up really well.
Rinse the lentils as you did the beans, and add them to the slow cooker with the beans. The 16-bean soup mix has some lentils, but this would be an additional cup of lentils.
Can I use another meat in the soup besides ham?
Deborah, one of my amazing readers, reminded me about adding ground beef instead of ham. Great tip! If you’re interested in trying another meat, I highly recommend cooked Italian sausage or pork; either would taste delicious!
Can I make this sixteen-bean soup meatless?
You can make this soup vegetarian by skipping the ham or any other meat. It still tastes delicious!
Is this sixteen-bean soup considered gluten-free?
As with any food allergy, I would highly recommend reviewing the ingredients of any product you use in this recipe, or on any other packaging, if you decide to add additional ingredients. With the recipe made as is, the most common ingredient that may contain gluten is the seasoning packet included in the sixteen-bean bag. Please review all packaging if this is a dietary concern.
What can I serve with this sixteen-bean soup?
- Tossed Salad
- Fresh Fruit
- Dinner Rolls
- French Bread
- Sliced Cheese
- Crackers
- Cornbread
- Jello Salad
Looking for other delicious bean recipes? These are some of my favorites!
Did you know? Some interesting facts about beans:
- The Top Health Benefits of Beans
- How To Cook Beans And Save Money
- Why And How We All Need To Store Lots Of Beans
- How And Why To Store Different Beans
Final Word
Let me know if you try making my sixteen-bean soup recipe. You know I love to hear from you. It’s a great recipe to teach our kids and grandkids how to make soup with only a few ingredients. Soups of all kinds are a welcome meal this time of year as the weather turns a little colder. Nothing like a hot soup to warm up our bodies and spirits!
Plus, we can teach them how to stretch a meal with more beans! May God bless this world, Linda
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