Do I Have to Soak the Beans Before Cooking?

You don't have to, but I really recommend soaking the beans before making slow cooker 15 Bean Soup. Pre-soaking insures that all of the beans will cook evenly within a reasonable amount of time. When I use my pressure cooker, I don't always bother pre-soaking the beans. Pressure cookers do a great job of cooking un-soaked beans. To soak the beans the night before (or at least 6 hours before), combine the bag of beans and 6 to 8 cups water in a large bowl, making sure the beans are covered by at least an inch or two of water. Add 1 tablespoon salt (or 2 tablespoons kosher salt). Soak overnight (or at least 6 hours). Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.

Do I Have to Use the Whole Bag of Dried Beans?

Not necessarily. Cooking the whole bag at once makes a hearty, thick bean soup. However, you can follow this same recipe but add only 1/2 the bag of beans if you prefer. Using less beans will make a soup with more broth. Or you can add more vegetables or more meat to the soup.

Can I Make This Recipe in a Pressure Cooker?

Absolutely! Instant Pot instructions are included in the recipe card below.

Should I Use the Spice Pack Included with the Beans?

Some brands of 15 bean soup come with a spice packet that you can add to the soup. I like adding a few spices myself and also adding the spice packet included with the soup. This gives the soup the most flavor.

Do I need to saute the onion/carrot/celery before adding it?

Sautéing the veggies helps soften the vegetables and adds more flavor to the soup. This is especially important for the onion, which can stay slightly undercooked even if it's in a slow cooker all day. It's less important to saute the carrot and celery. As a short-cut, you can lightly coat the diced onion with oil and microwave it for 2 to 3 minutes before adding it to the slow cooker. This will help soften the onion.

Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup - Meat & Vegetarian Options

Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup

Print Recipe

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5 from 8 reviews

Use your slow cooker to turn 15 bean soup mix into a flavorful, budget-friendly family meal. See the notes below for Instant Pot instructions.

For the best results, don't forget to soak the beans for at least 6 hours before making this soup in a slow cooker. Un-soaked beans take longer to cook and don't always get as tender.

Author: Jenny Meier
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings 1x
Category: Soup
Method: slow cooker
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 bag (13 to 20 ounces) of dried 15 bean soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste after the soup is cooked
4 sprigs of parsley or thyme, plus more to garnish the soup
8 cups water (you can use broth instead of water)
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Seasoning packet: some dried bean blends come with a seasoning packet. I like to use the packet to add more flavor.

Optional Ingredients

2 cups frozen spinach
1 cup frozen corn
1 can (15 oz) crushed or petite tomatoes
Ham bone or ham shank
Cooked, sliced sausage
Diced ham
Cooked bacon

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Instructions

Soak the beans overnight (or at least 6 hours): In a large bowl, cover the dried beans with approximately 6 to 8 cups water (cover by 2-inches). Add 1 tablespoon salt (or 2 tablespoons kosher salt). Soak overnight (or at least 6 hours). Drain and rinse the beans before cooking.

Make the Soup

In a saute pan over medium or medium-low heat, saute the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more.
Transfer the sautéed veggies to a slow cooker. Add the beans, water, salt and parsley or thyme.
If you're adding the optional ham bone or ham shank, add it now.
Cook on HIGH for 5 to 8 hours. After 5 hours the beans will likely be cooked and tender but still have some firmness. Cooking the soup for 6 hours or longer makes the beans softer and creamier. If cooking the soup on LOW, it will probably take closer to 8 hours.
When the beans are tender, stir in the chili powder and smoked paprika. If the beans came with a spice packet, add half of the packet and then taste the soup. You can add the whole spice packet if you want.
If adding tomatoes, spinach or corn add them now.
If adding pieces of ham or slices of sausage, add it now (you can saute the sausage first, for more flavor).
Add the vinegar. Add salt to taste.
Let the soup simmer in the slow cooker for another 5 minutes or so until the added veggies and/or meat are warmed.
The soup will have more broth right when it's done and will thicken the longer it sets.

Notes

In a slow cooker, I prefer to cook bean soup on HIGH because it ensures that the beans will become tender within a reasonable amount of time. You can cook this bean soup on LOW, but the cooking time becomes longer and more variable.

You can serve 15 bean soup with toppings such as hot sauce, sour cream or grated cheese.

Leftovers keep really well for up to 5 days. You can freeze the soup for up to 3 months.

Instant Pot Instructions

This recipe was tested in a 6-quart pressure cooker.

When using a pressure cooker, pre-soaking the beans is optional.

Step 1: In the Instant Pot, saute the onion, celery and carrot in olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more.

Step 2: Add the beans, water, salt and parsley or thyme. (8 cups of water will make a brothy soup, 6 cups will make a thicker soup). If adding the optional ham shank or ham bone, add it now.

Step 3: Un-soaked beans can be cooked for 40 minutes, natural release. Soaked beans can be cooked for just 20 minutes, natural release.

Step 4: After the natural release, open the lid and stir in the spices listed in the ingredient list and add the spice packet that comes with the dried beans. Add the vinegar, and add salt to taste.

Step 5: If adding the optional frozen spinach and/or canned tomatoes, add now. If adding diced ham or slices of sausage, add it now (you can saute the sausage first, for more flavor).

Step 6: Let the soup simmer for another 5 minute or so until the added veggies and/or meat are warmed.

Find it online: https://www.kitchenskip.com/slow-cooker-15-bean-soup/