A commonly used macro‐Kjeldahl digestion method for the determination of total N in soils containing N was modified for use with an electrically heated aluminum block containing 250‐ml volumetric tubes. The method was shown to recover quantitatively the15N added to soil as NO3‐, NO2‐, and plant material. When similar size soil samples were digested, the means and coefficients of variation for total soil N and15N recovery were comparable for this method and a macro‐Kjeldahl method employing 300‐ml flasks with electrically heated digestion stands. The method is intended as an alternative for laboratories that desire to minimize sampling error by use of a macro‐Kjeldahl rather than a micro‐Kjeldahl digestion but do not have suitable macro‐Kjeldahl digestion stands and flasks for analysis of N‐labeled soils. The electrically heated aluminum block results in uniform heating of digests, conservation of laboratory space, and ease of handling of samples when compared with ordinary macro‐Kjeldahl equipment.