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
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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.
Kate, damn it, you’ve done it again.
This is, so..so good. I added fresh cooked corn too, and it was a nice veggie boost. Made it super filling. Anyways, Thank you x1000 ❤️
:) Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jill.
This soup is sooooo delicious. I surprised myself by doing the roasted peppers and blender route and it actually was not difficult and didn’t take much extra time. It really was such a lovely flavor, and it was filling and felt healthy.
I made mine with feta and avocado on top. The corn tortilla strips are DIVINE but don’t last more than a day before going stale. So only bake up what you need for the meal.
I’ve been staying in Mexico for the past month but haven’t been able to get my hands on any Tortilla Soup as it’s not traditionally vegetarian. Just tried this recipe for the first time and it turned out great! I used 2 ancho chiles; skipped the bell pepper; used 8 vine ripened tomatoes instead of canned (just removed the stem and popped them in the blender). The result was a thick and rich soup. Garnished with crema and avocado. It was delicious!
Thank you for sharing, Danielle!
Made just as written, except I used store-bought tortilla strips :) Just delicious, flavors were right on. I had another vegetarian tortilla soup recipe that turned out horribly, so I was hesitant to try again, but when this came up in the search, I was like “Oh, recipes from this site always turn out amazing!” And it did!
This is a fantastic recipe. I thought it might need more seasoning, but it was perfect! I did use a mix of bell peppers from the final garden harvest and subbed corn for the second can of beans. Next time I will double the recipe because none was left to freeze!
I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Kel!
I was hesitant to try this because I love your vegetarian chili recipe so much, but this might be even better!
Made this for two and it turned out amazing! We added grilled corn and all the recommended toppings (avo, cilantro, vegan sour cream and cheese). Def recommend using dried chili peppers for more depth of flavor. We just used chili powder and wished there was a bit more oomph. That said, we were able to stretch this soup three days and will def be making it again!
Sounds delicious, Leah! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, I made this and it was delicious. The only changes I made were to use two canned chipotle chilis in adobe sauce for the heat & a smoky flavor instead of the dried chili peppers and the cumin, and I also added a couple of cups of frozen organic chopped spinach and two cups of corn to get all the goodness from the greens. The spinach really didn’t impact the flavor, but it did add to the nutritional value. Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes. This is a favorite.
I Have Guajillo/Chili Pods, would that work for this recipe?
You could try it. Let me know what you think!
Excellent soup! I chose to do the chili powder option and it was perfect. Added a dollop of greek yogurt and tortilla strips on top. Healthy and delicious meal that’ll be in our rotation.
That’s great to hear, Jenna!
Looks yummy! I’m making this tomorrow for soup and Sammy night at church. I’m only going to use about 1/4 of the broth as it has entirely too much sodium. With all the yummy ingredients- I think it will taste great!
This was really yummy and easy to adjust to your liking. I did add roasted corn and used store bought tortilla chips. My husband won’t eat beans, so I made half with beans for me and half with smoked turkey for him. We both liked it.
That’s great to hear, Amy!
This is a soup worth the effort. Two times the effort. Maybe even three or four. The point is that it is VERY VERY GOOD. I wish I could attach a photo because the results are legitimately mouthwatering. Every member of my “not a meal without meat” family absolutely loved this and remarkably didn’t complain even ONCE; we served it with rice and from-scratch tortillas, plus some greek yoghurt. Added about 2 teaspoons of chipotle in adobo and used ~2 tablespoons of chili powder (skipped the cumin because it’s in the mix anyways) Highly recommend- a boon for vegetarians living in an omnivorous household. 11/10.
Wow! This was seriously delicious, and so simple to make. The only tweak I made was that I added some jalapeño peppers. Turned out great.
Great to hear, Rachel!
I followed the recipe exactly only I didn’t have corn tortillas to bake. I garnished with sour cream, Avacado and cilantro. It tasted amazing! And my entire family was extremely pleased!
That’s great to hear, Michelle!
I followed the recipe exactly only I didn’t have corn tortillas to bake. Didn’t miss them at all I garnished with sour cream, Avocado and cilantro. It tasted amazing! And my entire family was extremely pleased! This will be made again very soon!
We had Tortilla Soup in Cabo recently and loved it, so we found this recipe and gave it a try. Skipped the beans (wife hates them), Cilantro (tastes like soap to wife) and upped the salt a bit, absolutely delicious. I used two large ancho chiles and Wegmans fire roasted diced tomatoes.
Absolutely amazing! This has become a staple recipe, thank you so much Kate!!
Great to hear, Monica!
Hi!
I am from India. We don’t get black beans so easily here, can I use Kidney beans instead?
You can try it! The taste will change. Let me know what you think!
I have made this recipe more than a dozen times. It is one of my favorites and I recommend it to anyone looking to try vegan food or wanting to add more black beans into their diets. I don’t know if anyone’s suggested it before but, I don’t always have red pepper on hand. However, carrots make an excellent substitution, and can be a cheaper option when peppers aren’t in season. Just wanted to share.
Thank you for sharing, Trista!
Hi Kate,
I’m from Malaysia so I usually use Indian dried chilies to make the soup base (I go the blender route). The deep spicy kick works perfectly!
I recently came across a can of chipotle peppers in abodo sauce at the grocery so I thought I’d use it in this recipe. I’ve never cooked with chipotle peppers before and I’m ready to wing it but I thought I might pop in and see if you have any pointers for adding them? Should I sautee them first with garlic or add them straight to the blender? I’m probably going to just slightly reduce the amount of dried chilies I use – I like it spicy anyway.
Thanks for a lovely – and versatile – recipe!
I’m on a low-sodium diet, so I used dry beans and fresh tomatoes instead of canned, used low-sodium vegetable broth, and skipped salting the tortilla strips. I doubled the recipe and also added a bag of frozen whole kernel sweet corn. The seasoning on this were just right, and it is so warm and filling! It was even better the next day! Since it’s just me and a GIANT pot of soup for several days of meals, I take 2 tortillas at a time, give a quick spritz of olive oil spray, then slice them up and toss them in the air fryer for 6-7 min at 320°F while I heat up a bowl of soup. A little sprinkle of shredded Mexican-style cheese blend and a small dollop of sour cream. Heavenly!
(For the curious, a cup of the soup made this way with the listed toppings is 285 mg sodium)
This is probably a silly question but do I buy a fresh ancho (or other type) pepper and then roast it as described or do I start with a dried ancho pepper? Thanks!!
I recommend this best as written. I’m not sure with roasting your own. I would be interested if you try it!
I’m anxious to try this, but I looked at the nutritional information and it indicates 1800.7 milligrams of sodium! Is that correct? Realizing I can reduce that with low sodium broth and salt free beans, but that still seems really high.
Hi Becky, more on my Nutrition Disclaimer.
This soup is excellent!! My whole family, including my kids, loved it! I had to omit the garlic and onion for my hubby with IBS, but the flavor was still great. I also added corn. It was so easy too. Thank you for yet another delicious recipe!!!
You’re welcome, Rachel! Thank you for your review.
This recipe looks delicious! Do you think it would work well with a spicier chilli? Like thai dried chillis?
You could try it. Let me know what you try!
I added a pack of ground impossible beef I cooked beforehand and didn’t add any extra liquid, because the taco soup from my childhood was pretty thick, and then we could use scoop tortilla chips instead of spoons.
I always recommend recipes from your site when people ask where to find vegan recipes! I just love how the veggies shine in every one of these.
Hi! I’m making this as I type and it smells amazing! My favorite Mexican restaurant makes a smooth tortilla soup. Have you ever blended (maybe used an immersion blender) before serving? Thanks!
I do blend some parts of some recipes, but I haven’t tried it with this one. Let me know if you try it!
Even my kids like this soup! I use pre-made tortilla crisps I find in the salad section. They are likely not as healthy, but it saves time which is always nice.
I love to hear that, Donna!
I made this & it was so good! It was easy to make. I’ve made a huge batch & froze them in portions for quick & easy lunches & dinners.
Thank you for sharing, Donna!
Really good soup – I used chipotle paste which worked well – the tortilla strips were particularly popular!
I’m excited you loved it, Nicky!
I can always count on this site for great recipes! Enjoyed this and will make it again.
This is so, so good. I’ve made it for years. I like to use a roasted Poblano pepper. I also like to add a big of tomato paste to make it juicier. Additionally, adding some hominy makes it yummy. I like to use Soy Curls soaked in a broth of Better than Bouillon or other vegan chicken in the soup. It’s a good way to make use of stale corn chips. Adding vegan cheese to the top (cheddar) and / or vegan sour cream is so yummy. It’s delicious with vegan cornbread with jalepenos and vegan cheese. Yum. I make my own black beans and add them later on. I also make mine in the instant pot on pressure cooking mode. YUM!
I love almost all of your recipes, use them constantly, share them, revise them and I love your cooking. Thank you!
This soup was so good. I used hominy instead of the corn. It gave it that true Mexican flavor.
What are some examples of mild chili’s you used? I have a bunch from the Mexican store, but want to make sure I’m using the right one. Thank you.