Soups
Creamy Tortilla Soup Recipe
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Yield
4
🥣 This creamy tortilla soup is vegetarian, vegan-friendly, and ready in 40 minutes! Hearty, flavorful Mexican soup with beans, spices, and crispy tortilla strips!
This healthy, easy, creamy tortilla soup recipe is one for the books because it combines all the traditional flavors of Mexican tortilla soup in a completely vegetarian version that’s just as hearty and satisfying as the original. Traditional tortilla soup features fried corn tortilla pieces submerged in a rich broth and topped with fresh ingredients like crema, salsa, and cilantro, so this vegetarian tortilla soup delivers that same comforting experience while this vegan tortilla soup version can be made completely plant-based with simple swaps. Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner or a crowd-pleasing party soup, this recipe comes together in just 40 minutes and feeds a crowd beautifully.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Tortilla Soup Recipe
- Lightning Quick: Prep this in just 10 minutes and have it ready to serve in 40 minutes total.
- Incredibly Hearty: The combination of vegetables and kidney beans makes this vegetarian tortilla soup super filling and satisfying.
- Packed with Flavor: The toasted spices, fresh toppings, and creamy broth create layers of delicious Mexican-inspired flavor.
- Meal Prep Friendly: Stores beautifully in the fridge for up to a week or freezes for easy future meals.
🍲 Ingredients
Kidney Beans – These protein-packed legumes can be swapped with your favorite bean variety, but kidney beans are an excellent plant-based protein source. They’re rich in essential minerals like iron and magnesium, B vitamins for energy production, dietary fiber for digestive health, and antioxidants that support overall wellness. They also add heartiness and substance to this vegetarian tortilla soup, so it’s filling enough to be a complete meal without any meat.
Heavy Cream (or Vegan Alternative) – This is what makes the soup luxuriously creamy and silky, but you can easily make this a vegan tortilla soup by using coconut cream, cashew cream, or any plant-based cream alternative. The cream balances the acidity of the tomatoes and the heat from the spices while adding richness and body to the broth, so every spoonful feels indulgent and comforting rather than thin and watery.
👩🍳 How to Make This Tortilla Soup Recipe
Sauté the Aromatics:
1. For the soup, add the olive oil to a large soup pot and heat for 20-30 seconds on medium-low heat before adding your diced red onion. Sweat the onion out for around 5 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning because sweated onions develop sweetness without browning. Next, add the minced garlic to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes until it softens and becomes fragrant.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the green onions by cutting them into small pieces, carefully separating the white parts from the green tops because the whites cook longer while the greens are used fresh as garnish. Dice the green bell pepper into small, uniform pieces and add it to the pot along with the green onion whites.
3. Cook the vegetables for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the green pepper to soften and release its natural sweetness.
Build the Soup Base:
4. Drain and rinse the kidney beans thoroughly under cold water to remove excess sodium, then add them to the pot. Stir and cook briefly, about 1-2 minutes, so the beans warm through and begin absorbing the aromatics.
5. Add all of the spices to the pot—cumin, chili powder, paprika, and any others you’re using—and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring constantly because toasting the spices releases their essential oils and intensifies their flavors. The longer you cook them, the stronger and more developed the spice profile becomes.
6. Add the bouillon paste and water to the pot, stirring well to dissolve the bouillon completely, then bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat so all the flavors begin to meld together.
Finish and Serve:
7. At this time, add the corn kernels and heavy cream (or vegan cream alternative) to the boiling soup, then continue to boil on medium-high heat to reduce and thicken for 8-10 minutes. As the soup reduces, the flavors concentrate and the texture becomes richer and more luxurious.
8. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if desired, adding more salt, pepper, or spices to reach your preferred flavor intensity because everyone’s taste preferences differ.
9. Serve the creamy tortilla soup immediately while hot, topping each bowl generously with Mexican crema (or vegan sour cream), salsa verde, the reserved green onion greens, fresh cilantro, and crispy tortilla chips or strips for that authentic crunch.
Optional Crispy Tortilla Strips:
Cut corn tortillas into thin strips. For baked: toss with oil and salt, bake at 375°F for 8-12 minutes until crispy. For fried: heat oil to 350°F and fry strips for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy.
Instant Pot Method:
Sauté aromatics using the sauté function, add beans and spices, then pressure cook on high for 10 minutes with natural release. Stir in cream and corn at the end.
Slow Cooker Method:
Sauté aromatics on the stove first, then transfer everything except cream to the slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Stir in cream during the last 30 minutes.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Toast Spices: Cooking spices for 5-6 minutes in oil releases their essential oils and dramatically intensifies flavor, so don’t skip this step.
- Partial Blend: Use an immersion blender to puree ⅓ to ½ of the soup for extra body and creaminess while keeping texture from whole beans and vegetables.
- Fresh Lime: Squeeze fresh lime juice over each bowl right before serving because it brightens all the flavors and adds authentic Mexican flair.
- Adjust Heat: Control spiciness by using mild or hot chili powder and adjusting cayenne pepper to your tolerance level.
🗒 Substitutions
- Beans: Replace kidney beans with black beans, pinto beans, white beans, or chickpeas based on what you have on hand.
- Cream: Use coconut cream, cashew cream, or blended silken tofu for a completely vegan tortilla soup that’s just as creamy.
- Protein Additions: Add cubed firm tofu, extra beans, or cooked lentils to boost protein while keeping it vegetarian.
- Salsa: Swap regular salsa for salsa verde or roasted tomatillo salsa for tangy, green chile flavor instead of tomato-based.
🍽️ Best served with
- Vegetarian Black Bean Tacos
- High Protein Birria Tacos
- Greek-Inspired Smash Burger Tacos
- Chicken Taco Recipe
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store tortilla soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Keep tortilla strips separate so they stay crispy. To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer to freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. Don’t add tortilla strips or fresh toppings before freezing. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through, adding a splash of water or broth if it’s too thick. Top with fresh tortilla strips, crema, and cilantro just before serving.
🤔 Common Questions
For baked strips, cut tortillas into thin strips, toss with oil and salt, and bake at 375°F for 8-12 minutes until crispy. For fried strips, heat oil to 350°F and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden, then drain on paper towels.
Heavy cream is traditional, but coconut cream, cashew cream, or silken tofu blended smooth all work beautifully for vegan versions. You can also use oat cream or soy cream.
Yes! Use an immersion blender to puree ⅓ to ½ of the soup, leaving the rest chunky so you keep texture from beans and vegetables while adding creamy body.
This recipe already uses kidney beans for protein, but you can add cubed firm tofu, extra canned beans, cooked lentils, or chickpeas because they’re all plant-based and boost protein content.
For Instant Pot, sauté aromatics, add ingredients except cream, pressure cook high 10 minutes with natural release, then stir in cream. For slow cooker, sauté aromatics first, cook on low 6-8 hours, add cream in last 30 minutes.
Absolutely! Replace heavy cream with coconut or cashew cream and use vegan sour cream for topping because all other ingredients are naturally plant-based.
The spice level depends on your chili powder and cayenne amounts, so start with less and add more to taste because you can always increase heat but can’t reduce it.
Creamy Tortilla Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium red onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bunch green onion
- 1 medium green pepper diced
- 1- 398 ml can white kidney beans
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Stock Paste
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1- 199 ml can or ¾ cup corn
Instructions
- For the soup, in a large soup pot add the olive oil and heat for 20-30 seconds on medium-low heat before adding your diced red onion. Sweat this out for around 5 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for 2 – 3 minutes to soften and become fragrant.
- Prepare the green onion, cutting them into small pieces, separating the whites from the greens. Dice the green pepper into small pieces and add it to the pot, along with the green onion whites.
- Cook for 3 – 5 minutes to allow the green pepper to soften.
- Drain & rinse the white beans and add it to the pot. Stir and cook briefly.
- Add ALL of the spices to the pot, cooking for 5-6 minutes. The longer you cook it, the stronger the spices will become.
- Add the bouillon paste and water, and bring to a rolling boil.
- At this time, add the corn and cream, and continue to boil on medium-high heat to reduce for 8 – 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning if desired.
- Serve immediately with Mexican crema, salsa Verde, the green onion greens, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips.
This soup is so good! It’s creamy with the perfect amount of spice. I topped it with lime, cilantro, avocado, and some cheese and it was absolutely amazing!
thank you so much for the love, hun!