Mason Jar Christmas Gifts: Lentil Soup in a Jar

This Curried Lentil Soup in a Jar is an affordable homemade gift idea – read on for more Mason Jar Christmas Gifts that are perfect for the holidays! 

Ingredients in Mason jar Christmas gifts

OMGGGG say hello to my fave new mason jar soup! And it is the EASIEST soup you'll ever make, no lie!

And did I mention they make amazing mason jar Christmas gifts?!

Not only is this Curried Lentil Soup in a Jar the perfect gift idea, it's also just a plain old delicious last-minute meal idea for cold winter nights. So basically it's like Christmas food gifts and meal prep all in one. Amazing if I do say so myself.

Did I also mention that you already most likely have all the spices on hand in your spice drawer? I mean, hopefully your spice drawer is well-stocked, but most of the ingredient list is made up of no-cook pantry staples. Here's everything you need to make them:

• red lentils
• garlic powder
• onion flakes
• curry powder
• paprika
• turmeric
• cumin
• bouillon cube

How to make lentil soup in a jar

This lentil soup in a jar is SO easy to make! Here's how to assemble them:

1. Using 8oz mason jars, add 1/2 cup lentils, then all the spices. Add the remaining 1/2 cup lentils.
2. Add lid and set aside or give as a gift along with a can of coconut milk.

It's easy enough to turn this soup into a full blown meal once you have the jars assembled. You'll basically add some veggies, some optional coconut milk and heat on the stove for 20 minutes or so. It doesn't get any easier than that!

Other Mason Jar Christmas Gifts

And before we dive too much into these Mason jar gifts, I thought I would offer up some other delicious Christmas Food Gifts for you to gather some ideas as we are quickly coming up on the holidays!

Here are some other amazing mason jar Christmas gifts that are perfect to make for your loved ones, and they're an amazingly affordable way to get everybody a little something without having to run to too many different stores.

Peep these Christmas food gifts below:

• Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies in a Jar by Chattavore
• Moroccan Lentil Soup by The Healthy Maven
• S'mores Mason Jar Gift by A Night Owl
• Homemade Vanilla Cake Mix by Life, Love and Sugar
• Cinnamon Candied Almonds by Cooking Classy
• Gingerbread Granola by Five Heart Home
• Homemade Pancake Mix by Skip to My Lou
• Banana Bread Jars by One Sweet Mess

Add-ins for mason jar soup

I will say that the can of coconut milk adds a nice touch to these mason jar gifts but technically you don't even need that, or the veggies.

Though it's fairly common to find baked goods ready to go in a jar as Christmas food gifts, finding savoury options is much harder! You don't want to put the onus on your loved ones to have to go out and buy a bunch of ingredients they wouldn't already have on hand at home, so soup in a jar and cookies/pancakes/sweets are a more viable option to give as mason jar gifts since they don't spoil and all you often need to add is water or a staple like eggs.

If you'd like to make this soup a full meal, here are the add-ins I used:

• butter
• carrots
• celery
• coconut milk
• baby spinach

Here's how you would cook these jars:

1. Melt butter in a large pot, then saute carrots and celery.
2. Mix bouillon cube from jar boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add broth and coconut milk to the pot with veggies, bringing to a boil.
3. Add lentil soup mix and simmer for 20 minutes until lentils are fully cooked. Remove from heat and stir in spinach. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredient substitutions

Here are some other veggie options that would work with this soup if you'd like to switch it up!

• Bell peppers
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Sweet potato
• Greens like kale or Swiss chard
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Cabbage
• Leeks
• Green beans

You see it in the fridge? Dump it in here! Cooking times for different veggies may vary – celery and carrots for instance take longer to cook and won't be too unappetizing even if they cook too long, but other veggies like bell peppers and broccoli won't be as good if left in for too long so adjust the time you throw in the veggies as you make substitutions.

For a more delicate vegetable like zucchini or broccoli I would recommend stirring them in within the last 5 minutes of cooking time, while I would recommend stirring in greens like spinach, kale or Swiss chard in at the very end when you're removing the soup from heat. Don't cook them at the very beginning like I did with the carrots and celery – adjust accordingly.

And here are some other spices you can use:

• Thyme
• Rosemary
• Onion powder
• Chili powder
• Italian seasoning
• Coriander

More mason jar soup recipes

• Spiralized Zucchini Noodle Soup Jars
• Mason jar noodle soup 
• Minestrone soup jars

Storing and reheating cooked soup

You can store leftover cooked soup in the fridge up to 5 days in glass bowls, or even add the leftovers back into your glass jars! Simply reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or so and the leftovers taste just like new!

Freezing cooked soup

Now, on top of all the other things I mentioned, this Easy Coconut Curry Lentil Soup in a Jar is also FREEZER-FRIENDLY when fully cooked!

Whip up a giant batch, then store in individual serving-size glass containers and freeze up to 3 months, reheating for 6-7 minutes or so in the microwave. Could dinner GET any easier?!

Talk about a ton of power from a tiny little jar of food. Your friends and family are just going to LOVE these Mason Jar Christmas Gifts!

Tools for this recipe

• These are the mason jars I used in this recipe
• You can get larger 32oz mason jars too!
• These colourful mason jar lids are so fun and perfect if you lose your lids

Meal prep challenge

If you'd like some more help with meal prep, then you'll love my free 5-day meal prep challenge! Over the course of the challenge, I'll send you a free meal planner and shopping list templates so that you stay on the right track with meal prep (plus more goodies of course!)

Sign up for free below: