Tortilla Soup
Warm up with a bowl of vegetarian tortilla soup, made with black beans instead of chicken. This soup recipe is so fresh and satisfying!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Do you enjoy tortilla soup? It’s one of my all-time favorites! Tortilla soup is fresh and flavorful, earthy and a little spicy. Topped with a big handful of crispy tortilla strips, it’s a light but satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. As a bonus, it tastes even better the next day.
Tex-Mex tortilla soups most often include shredded chicken, but it’s not unusual to find vegetarian tortilla soups in Mexico. I can’t call this recipe fully authentic, though. It’s a delicious variation on classic tortilla soup (Sopa Azteca) that you can make at home any time you get the craving.
In Mexico, you’ll find tons of regional variations and personal preferences for tortilla soup. For this recipe, I added black beans for some heft, as well as a red bell pepper because I love the flavor and texture it provides. I tried to keep the remaining ingredients in line with what you might find in Mexico, but to be honest, I have more personal experience with the Tex-Mex variations I’ve sampled over the years.
This recipe is a fully reworked version of an old tortilla soup recipe on the blog. Perhaps you’ve made that one and enjoyed it, but I tried it again recently and just knew I could build in more flavor along the way. If you want a copy of the original, I’ve saved a PDF of the recipe right here.
This soup is closer to the spin on tortilla soup in my cookbook, Love Real Food, which features an irresistible sweet-and-spicy interplay between sweet potatoes and jalapeño. Give that one a try, too!
Watch How to Make Tortilla Soup
Chili Pepper Options
You have several options when making this soup, which vary a bit in terms of authenticity, ease and ingredient availability. I’ve written options one and three into the recipe below, so you’ll be able to follow the recipe either way. Here they are:
Option 1) Chili peppers + blender (most authentic)
First, we’ll toast the peppers in a dry skillet to bring out their flavor, then we’ll roughly chop them and remove the stem and seeds. Then, we’ll blend the toasted peppers into the canned tomatoes and proceed. This option is great because it’s the most authentic and lends a gorgeous, fiery red color and extra body to the soup.
Option 2) Chili peppers + no blender (my least favorite)
Another option is to toast the peppers, then throw them into the pot with the liquid ingredients to simmer. This is method used for my old recipe, but I don’t like it as much as the other options. The chili pepper imparts some flavor to the soup, but not as much flavor as either of the other options. If you choose this route, simply discard the chili peppers before serving.
Option 3) Chili powder + no blender (easiest option)
This is the simplest option and honestly, it yields delicious flavor. You’ll just need to use fresh chili powder with good flavor. I’ve successfully used Frontier Co-op’s chili powder. This would also be a great time to use a fun specialty chili powder, like chipotle or ancho chili powder. If desired, you can moderate the spice level by using less chili powder in the beginning and adding more, to taste.
More Mexican Recipes to Try
These fresh recipes feature Mexican and Tex-Mex influences. View all Mexican recipes here.
- Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
- Chilaquiles Rojos
- Pinto Posole
- Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
Warm up with a bowl of vegetarian tortilla soup, made with black beans instead of chicken. This soup recipe is so fresh and satisfying! Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 mild dried chili peppers* or 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder, to taste
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced or crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted if possible
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow or red onion, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, more to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- 4 corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch long, ¼-inch-wide strips
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Garnish options: Thinly sliced and roughly chopped radish, diced ripe avocado, crumbled feta cheese or drizzle of sour cream
Instructions
- If using dried chili peppers, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat or directly over a gas flame with tongs, turning as needed. Toast until fragrant and turning darker all over—this can happen quickly, in just a minute or two. Set aside until the peppers are cool enough to handle, then roughly chop them, discarding the seeds and stem. Combine the canned tomatoes (along with their juices) and chopped peppers in the blender, and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In a medium Dutch oven or soup pot, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and turning translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cumin (and chili powder, if using) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomato-chili pepper blend (or just plain tomatoes, if going the chili powder route) and cook for a minute, while stirring, to bring out its best flavor.
- Add the beans and broth, and stir to combine. Raise the mixture to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to make the crispy tortilla strips. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. On the baking sheet, toss the tortilla strips with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and a sprinkle of salt until lightly and evenly coated. Bake until the strips are crisp and starting to turn golden, about 8 to 12 minutes, tossing halfway. Set aside.
- Stir most of the cilantro into the soup, reserving a bit for garnish. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice. Carefully taste the soup, and add more salt if the flavors don’t quite sing (I often add up to ¼ teaspoon salt). Add more lime juice if you’d like a little more zing.
- Divide the soup into bowls. Top with crispy tortilla strips, the reserved cilantro and any additional garnishes of your choice. Leftovers will keep well for up to 5 days; rewarm individual servings and top with garnishes when serving. Or freeze individual portions for several months and add toppings after reheating.
Notes
Recipe adapted from the Black Bean Tortilla Soup with Sweet Potatoes from my cookbook, Love Real Food.
Make it gluten free: Use certified gluten-free corn tortillas or tortilla chips.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Don’t top with cheese or sour cream.
Dried chili pepper options: Any mild chili pepper will do. Choose from pasilla peppers, ancho peppers, Anaheim (California) peppers, or New Mexico peppers (Chiles del Norte). I have tried this soup with Anaheim and New Mexican chilis and both were quite mild.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Sooooo good!!!!!
The husband and I are eating vegetarian now days, and I thought tortilla soup was a thing of the past b/c how could it taste right without chicken stock, BUT this was AMAZING!!!
With the dried pepper, black beans, and hominy, it has plenty of authentic Mexican flavor. We seriously didn’t miss the chicken stock one bit. Oh, and baking the tortillas rather than frying was so much easier too!
Also good with a little crema :)
THANK YOU – this is a definite keeper/repeat recipe for us!!
Hooray! Thank you, Shelly!
I’ve recently discovered I’m dairy and gluten intolerant so was looking for yummy recipes to try. I substituents the tortillas for gluten free ones and skipped the feta cheese but added a little swirl of soya cream and a little bit of grated violife dairy free cheese yum yum. Used sweetcorn as well instead of hominy as I’m in Scotland and couldn’t get it. Was very good thanx will be making it again soon
Made it yesterday and it was better than i expected. It was even better the next day!! Thanks!! :)
I’ve made this recipe for my co-op (which is basically just a giant house with 20+ college students) twice, and it’s been an absolute hit both times. Especially now when it’s a little cooler, the warmness of crispy tortillas with the rich broth just really hits the spot. Thank you so much!
Made this tonight and my husband and I both loved it! It came together with quickly and with ease. We don’t use any dairy so omitted the queso fresco. Wonderfully fresh tasting. Don’t omit the hominy. It is fantastic in this soup. Thanks so much for this delicious soup.
Made this last night and it was amazing! Such a simple soup and perfect for a weeknight dinner. I used a polano and 1/2 a jalapeno and it wasn’t too spicy for my little ones. Thanks for the recipe!
My whole family loves Mexican and we eat mostly vegetarian so I thought I’d give this one a try despite the fact that it seemed odd to add things like avocado to a soup :) It was great! I added diced fresh tomato and even included radish even though that’s not a familiar one for the kids. Happily, the tortilla crisps kept them all happily distracted and not a drop remained at the end of the meal. Excluded hominy as we’ve recently moved to Switzerland and the challenge of finding that (in french) was too great! Delish and will definitely be making a reappearance :)
Hi Kate,
I’m new to your blog. It’s amazing! I’ve made a few dishes now (including this tortilla soup) and they have all been a hit with my husband and 5 children. Thank you for the delicious recipes and fun stories about you and Cookie. I have a daughter named Kate, so I am particularly fond of your name ;) Looking forward to the news of your completed cookbook!
El encabezado Vegetarian Tortilla Soup es un engaño. Esto en verdad
no tiene nninguna relación con arturo ortega.
This was fantastic Kate, thank you for the recipe. (And thank you for improving on the one from Blue Apron, which was a little anemic). I’ve tried a number of vegetarian tortilla soup recipes before (some of them really complicated!) but none fit the bill so well with my mixed vegan/omnivore/vegetarian family. This was fresh and light, yet satisfying at the same time. 4 clean bowls and many smiles later, this is joining our permanent collection of recipes.
Our method: used Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes, only half of a jalapeno, and used nice gourmet multi-color baked tortilla chips from the store instead of doing it myself. (It was hot and I was lazy).
Thanks!!!
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the tortilla soup. Those Muir Glen tomatoes are the best!
Love, love, love this recipe! Added regular corn instead of hominy since its what I had on hand and it was delicious! This will be a staple soup this fall for sure! Thanks a bunch!
Thank you, Madeline! I’m glad you loved it!
This was the MOST yummy and satisfying soup!! I’m making it again tonight. It will be a regular in my house from now on.
Thank you, AnneMarie! I’m so glad you loved the soup.
Let me start by saying this recipe is really good. Very tasty soup, thank you for sharing it! Now my story of making it…
Found all the ingredients at the store: check.
Invited my mom and her husband to dinner: check.
Now to make the soup. Okay, it says it will take 30 minutes. Sweet, I start 30 minutes before they’re supposed to be here. Ummmmmmm….there is no way I can make this soup in 30 minutes. I’ll admit I am no master chef but all the dicing and baking and hand washing took a good 30 minutes by itself (for me). Also it turns out I cannot be trusted to put a dried pepper directly on my oven rack. Beware your whole house will smell and feel like a can of pepper spray exploded when your pepper falls through the grate and burns up on the oven heating element. And in my case, that may or may not have happened twice.
Annnnnyway, to wrap things up:
•Good soup
•Takes at least an hour
•Don’t put the pepper directly on the rack
Haha!
Oops! Well, thank you for your feedback. That timing may have been provided in the original recipe but I can understand this one taking longer. Did you lay the pepper parallel to the grates or perpendicular? I’m wondering if I can provide better directions or an alternative method. I know that the chile worked fine on my oven rack, but I’m sure racks/pepper sizes vary!
I placed it perpendicular to try to keep it from falling through but the pepper was just too small I guess. Would it work to just put it in a bowl or does it need to be directly on the rack?
I think it would work fine on a pan. I’ll revise the instructions now.
I made this soup last night for dinner! It was awesome! I have two picky kids. needless to say 1 out of two loved it! my husband was impress with the soup and wasn’t upset that the meat was missing.:0 who knew that going meatless would be so tasteful.
Thanks again!
The recipe turned ok in the end. I got kind of confused with the directions which is not a problem I normally have with your recipes.
Made it for my two kids the whole family loved it! i also put out some sour cream for them to eat it with. It was delicious and i’ll definitely make it again!
I made this tonight and it was a hit with the family. Would have been great as is, but i omitted the peppers for the spicy-sensitive folks and added some fake chicken (the trader joes chickenless strips stuff and browned in a little olive oil). I also cooked the hominy and black beans (only half can of the black beans since i had added the fake chicken) along with the onion and garlic since i prefer things a bit less chewy. I will make this again and again. THANKS!!
Happy to hear your variation worked for you, Shannon!
I love your recipes! They are bright and delicious. I made this for dinner last night, with some shredded grilled chicken on the side. No one even used the chicken, the pot of soup is gone and everyone said it was a favorite.
Thank you!
No offense to chicken, but I do think this Tortilla Soup is fulfilling and delicious all on its own :) Happy the family enjoyed!
This soup came together very easily – perfect for a Monday night dinner when the last thing I wanted to do is cook. It was a hit with my son. The hominy definitely makes it a hearty soup. Didn’t have radishes, but will try them next time. I can see how the crisp crunch of the radishes would be an excellent addition.
I’m so glad this was the simple dinner you were looking for, Shelly! Thanks so much.
I made this soup last weekend and it was soooooo good. I had never used dried smoked chili peppers before and was a little intimidated at first. I loved how easy it was and the amazing flavor that came out of it.
There are some vegetarians in my family and some that are not. I cooked up some shredded chicken for those that wanted to add it in. Everyone loved creating their own unique bowls of yumminess. I will definitely make this again and again. Thanks Kate and Cookie too!
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this, Joye! Those smoked chili peppers are one of my favorite ingredients in this soup, so I’m glad they didn’t give you a hard time!
That’s it! Your cookbook has been added to my birthday wish list and if no one buys it for me, it’ll be my gift to myself.
This soup, like everything else I’ve made from your site, is delish! Even my carnivorous husband loved it. Added to the rotation :)
I’m so glad, Carley! I hope you love the book, whether it’s a gift from yourself or not. ;)
I have had this recipe bookmarked, but my husband randomly made it before I could, as he knows how much I love every Cookie and Kate recipe. This soup was stellar. It was hearty, but still great for summer. I think he subbed out black beans for red beans, out of necessity. The toppings really make the soup top-notch! This will be (yet another Cookie and Kate) staple to add to dinner meal plans!
Hooray! Sounds like a keeper for the two of you. :)
OMG this is amazing. I tweaked it a bit and was very happy with the results. 1: time saver for busy cooks: instead of baking the corn tortillas, I used organic blue corn chips. 2: added juice of 3 limes to the soup when I put in the beans 3: instead of hominy I used chickpeas (no hominy in New Zealand) for extra fibre. This soup is a winner!
Perfect! I’m glad your version worked out just as well, Sue.
This was fantastic. I used half of a chipotle pepper in adobo along with 1 jalapeño, and frozen sweet corn instead of hominy. Ive challenged myself to lower my cholesterol by eating far less meat and finding your blog is making this easy. I’ve made 4 of your recipes and each one has been amazing. I’m sure I’ll be buying your cookbook soon! Thank you.
I’m so glad my blog has been helping you lower your cholesterol, Karen! I hope you pick up the book–I think you’ll love it.
My family and I lived in San Antonio for three years and I never tried the Tortilla Soup as a vegetarian but I always lusted after it. I was excited to make this for my 17 year old daughter tonight; just the two of us home. It was so flavorful and delicious that I kept going back for more despite being full. Thanks for making me happy tonight, Kate. I haven’t tried any new recipes in awhile, stuck in a rut and so busy at work.
This is one of the many recipes you have that uses sweet potatoes. While I love them, my husband, not so much. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for sweet potatoes in this or any of your recipes? Thx!
–plazadwellerkc
Hi Sandi! How about butternut squash?
I love how easy this came together – I’ll definitely be making it a lot this winter. Great use of hominy too!
My dried peppers weren’t smoked so I added some extra smoked paprika, some ground coriander and some extra chilli powder (+ both jalapeños) for a kick. I also added normal corn kernels because I’ve never seen hominy in Australia! It turned out really nice :)
I was so happy and surprised with how well this came out my first time. My (vegetarian) daughter and I both loved it.
I added some coarsely chopped celery and carrots and a bit of extra garlic and used frozen fire-roasted corn instead of hominy, which I couldn’t find. Also she’s not into a lot of spice so I just used 6 or 8 slices of pickled jalepeno.
I am glad you were happily surprised! Thank you, Ralph for trying it. If you would want to leave a star review, I would appreciate it!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! My husband and I loved it. I let it cook for a little longer than what’s on the recipe and only a dash of cumin (personal preference). So flavorful and very filling. I will be making this again.
I like to hear that! Thanks, Dee for your review.
Kate – I was curious whether you’ve tried replacing the hominy with garbanzo beans… I’m not super big on hominy, although I was ok with it in back when I ate Posole. Thank you!
I haven’t with this soup, but let me know if you try it! Love to hear how you make recipes your own based on your tastes.
Thanks! I ended up using hominy, and I can’t wait to have it tonight!
hi! first, i love your blog. i cookie recipes from here one night a week for my parents and we are all fans! second, i’m using a poblano pepper–should i roast it or just add it in as is with the onions/garlic?
Great question! You still want to roast briefly. Follow the same directions as it notes for the dried chili pepper. I hope this helps!
I made this and used non dairy cheese. Crushed red pepper seeds and golden homey. Delicious.
FIVE STAR RATING! THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS! SO GLAD I TRIED IT OUT! WILL ADD TO MY TOP FAVORITES!
I left the seeds in and used 2 jalapenos cause I like spicy. ;)
I also seasoned the tortilla strips with cayenne pepper, garlic salt, and cumin. I fried the poblano pepper with the onion and other stuff. My grocery store is limited so I made it without hominy. Was perfect! Wouldnt change a thing!
THANKS FOR SHARING!
Great Recipe, really not that hard to make. We have it every couple weeks and even freeze some for easy meals. I add more hominy and black beans. I also make more tortilla strips. Radishes are a must!
I agree with the radishes. Add a nice fresh flavor! I appreciate the review, Jon.
I am so sorry but this is not a tortilla soup. Tortilla soup is vegetarian. Pozole and tortilla soup (sopa de tortilla) are different things. Pozole has meat in it and the preparation is more complicated.
I’m sorry you feel that way, Mariana. I try my best to stay as authentic as I can and provide vegetarian options to readers.
We make this consistently and love it. So flavorful and healthy.
Great, Hannah!
I just made this, and omg!!! It’s delicious I will be recommending this recipe to everyone. Taste just like tortilla soup and you will forget that there’s not chicken in it. I have never had hominy before and I really like it.
Wonderful! I’m glad you liked it so much.
This recipe is easy and delicious. The perfect thing to warm you up on a cold day. Sometimes I add chopped kale when I’m trying to add more greens to my day.
That’s perfect! Thanks, Alyssa for sharing and letting me know your thoughts.
I haven’t made tortilla soup in years and it used to be a fav around here.I made this for supper last night and it was delicious! I used 2 jalapeños and seeded 1of them and instead of 1 tsp of cumin, I added 1 Tbsp. This will definitely be my go-to recipe for now on!
Happy to hear that, Caitlin! Thanks for your review.
Hi Kate,
There were a few types of fried chili pepper at the grocery store. Which one did you use i this recipe?
Sorry, I meant to say several types of dried* chili peppers.
Amazing recipe. Simply delicious. Have made it twice already!
Wonderful, Carmen!
I am sick and 9 months pregnant. This soup is everything I’ve been craving! Flavorful, comforting, hearty, healthy. My husband approved too… it was printed out and made the binder of family favorites.
Oh no on being sick. But congratulations! You are almost there. I’m glad this soup met the craving!
Made it twice. My picky son loves it .It is even more enjoyable with the avacado . The corn chips are fun. This is great for a week night.we used a Roasted poblano and two jalapenos and a chipotle in adobado sauce with the seeds removed.
Wonderful, Montag! Thanks for your review.
The 1st time I made this soup my husband asked me what restaurant I bought it from. He absolutely LOVES it. We had friends over for Taco Night and I made this soup, I actually have a friend that doesn’t care for soup in general and she even loved it.
I do cheat and actually use corn chips “fritos” instead of making tortilla strips.
Thank you for being so awesome! Our kitchen “cookie” is named Koira (like koi fish) she loves to be right at my side when in the kitchen.
Those are amazing compliments all around! Thank you for sharing, Angela!
I made this last night. OMG! What a wonderful recipe! My daughter who is not too excited about eating gave it an A+! We all loved it. It was perfect for a cold night. I just added more dry pasilla peppers and did not use the jalapeno peppers. I can’t believe how great the tortillas turned out in the oven and gave the perfect crunch. I am not vegetarian, so I added shredded chicken. Will definitely make again!
A+ and 5 stars! Thank you, Marisa! I appreciate the review.
My fiance and I both woke up with colds last week, so I made this soup to help with the healing process! It was absolutely delicious. I had never thought to add radishes to soup before, but they added such a fun textural element. Thanks, Kate!
I’m glad you loved it and it was just what you both needed, Aubrey!
This recipe is delicious AND healthy! I loved it so much that I featured it in my round-up of favorite vegetarian dinner ideas.
Thank you for posting such amazing recipes!
Thank you for supporting me work! I appreciate the feedback, Leah.
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! Used a second can of beans since I could only find enormous cans of hominy, still came out great. Thank you so much!
I’m glad it still turned out for you, Jess!
Just made the tortilla soup using dried, smoked ancho chillies. The broth was delicious, very rich and smokey. I went with one jalapeño and the amount of hot was perfect. Very easy to make also.
Great to hear, Jeany! Thanks for your review.