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Home Recipe Index Freezer Meals Freezer Soups

Instant Pot Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

★★★★★ 5 /5
Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
Polly Conner
By: Polly ConnerPosted: 3/13/23Updated: 3/13/23

This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This dump-and-go Instant Pot Tortilla Soup is one of the easiest you’ll ever make. Almost every ingredient comes straight from your pantry!

We love the Instant Pot not just for the speed of making dinner, but because it comes together in one pot. One and done – just like our Instant Pot Chili, Instant Pot Crispy Carnitas or our Instant Pot White Chicken Chili. Explore our best Instant Pot Recipes Here.

instant pot tortilla soup

 
Table of Contents
  • What We Love About This Soup
  • Ingredients
  • What Brand of Brown Rice Should I Buy?
  • How Long Do I Cook Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot?
  • Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart
  • How to Make Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot
  • Pro Tip: Add Chicken!
  • How to Serve Tortilla Soup
  • Make It a Freezer Meal
  • Best of the Best Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot
  • FAQ
  • More Healthy Soups for the Instant Pot
  • Recipe: Instant Pot Tortilla Soup

What We Love About This Soup

  • Absolutely delicious and filling. It’s colorful, a little spicy, and full of bold flavors. Sooo satisfying, especially on a cold day.
  • Takes minutes to make. Just dump the ingredients in the Instant Pot, lock the lid, and cook for a few minutes.
  • Super healthy! It’s vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and filled with veggies and beans.
  • Still hearty enough for any meat eater in your family. Feel free to throw in some cooked chicken or taco meat at the end, if you want, though.
  • It makes a big batch and is freezer-friendly, which works well for serving a large group of people.
  • Provides healthy lunches all week long. I use my Souper Cubes to portion them out in individual servings to have on hand in the freezer, or you can keep it in the fridge for several days. I love having healthy lunches ready to go!
  • It’s flexible. It can also be made in the slow cooker or on the stovetop too.
    • Crock Pot Tortilla Soup (coming soon!)
    • Stovetop Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

What more could you want in an Instant Pot Soup!?

Tortilla soup in the instant pot

Ingredients

While I typically stick to the ingredients below, feel free to use up what you have on hand with this “kitchen sink”-type soup.

Ingredients in Tortilla Soup
  • Vegetable broth (or chicken broth) – I like Pacific brand from the store or make your own chicken broth.
  • Vegetarian refried beans – Look for ones that have all recognizable ingredients.
  • Black beans
  • Corn – Frozen corn or canned corn will work.
  • Petite diced tomatoes – If you want to kick up the flavor, try adding fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.
  • Diced green chiles
  • Mild or medium salsa – My favorite is Mateo’s brand.
  • Taco seasoning – Use our homemade taco seasoning, if you want. It’s delicious.
  • Cooked brown rice – Or throw cauliflower rice in with all the ingredients and cook with all the other ingredients!
lundberg brown rice

What Brand of Brown Rice Should I Buy?

I highly recommend Lundberg Organic Brown Rice, as it’s grown in California and is a brand that actively cares about avoiding dangerous arsenic levels in their rice. (Read more about how rice–especially when it’s grown outside California, Pakistan, and India–is contaminated by arsenic here.)

Buy Lundberg Brown Blend Rice

How Long Do I Cook Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot?

Ah, the burning question. With so much mixed information out there on Instant Pot cooking times, it’s a good thing you’ve come to two gals who have published an Instant Pot cookbook.

A vegetarian soup like this one only needs to pressure cook for 7 minutes in the Instant Pot with a quick release. After that, stir in your cooked rice and it’s done!

Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart CTA.
A Must Have for Instant Pot Users

Instant Pot Cooking Times Chart

After testing hundreds of Instant Pot recipes, we have honed in on the best timing and methods for cooking different types of meals in the Instant Pot.

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How to Make Tortilla Soup in the Instant Pot

It’s just so easy.

Combine broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning in the Instant Pot. Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.

Tortilla soup being cooked in the instant pot

Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes, then quick release the pressure.

Stir in cooked rice. Serve warm, with your favorite toppings.

tortilla soup with rice in the instant pot
Shredded chicken on a cutting board

Pro Tip: Add Chicken!

If you want to make this a chicken tortilla soup or use up some leftover rotisserie chicken, just add the fully cooked chicken in when you add the rice.

Another option is to make our Chicken Taco Soup.

How to Serve Tortilla Soup

  • Top with your favorite Mexican toppings, like crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado or red onion, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, shredded cheddar, etc.
  • Serve with cornbread muffins. (Look for a gluten-free mix at the store, if you prefer.)
  • Freeze leftovers in single serving glass bowls with lids. Thaw overnight and warm up for a healthy lunch. Works great to send in a thermos in a lunchbox, too.

Make It a Freezer Meal

You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for make-ahead freezer meals.

Not only have we written two freezer meal cookbooks but we also have some amazing 1 Hour Freezer Prep Plans that walk you through how to make 6 meals in one hour.

Like so many of our freezer meal recipes, this soup will work beautifully as a freezer meal.

Freeze For Later: Add all the ingredients, except the rice, to a gallon-size freezer bag. Seal, toss gently to combine, and freeze in a round bowl or container with a diameter similar to the instant Pot (so it will fit in the pot when frozen). Place the cooked rice in a separate small freezer bag. Seal and freeze alongside the soup. See more tips on Instant Pot freezer meals here.

Prepare From Frozen: Put the rice on the counter to thaw. Set the Instant Pot to “Saute.” Transfer the frozen soup to the pot and cook for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel.” Follow Steps 2 and 3, but cook for 12 to 17 minutes.

tortilla soup prepped as a freezer meal for the Instant Pot
Instant pot freezer meal collage.

Best of the Best Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot

We’ve rounded up a fabulous collection of freezer meals for the Instant Pot. If you’re looking for more recipe that can be prepped in advance and later plopped into the Instant Pot from frozen, this post is a must!

See the Recipes

FAQ

Can I make it creamy?

You sure can. Just stir in 1 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt at the very end.

Can I add chicken?

Yes, this recipe is super flexible. Add in fully cooked, shredded chicken or fully cooked taco meat at the end with the rice.

Can I make this soup gluten-free or dairy-free?

This recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free. However, when buying processed ingredients from the store, it’s always important to check the labels if you have a gluten allergy.

  • Make sure store-bought broth is labeled gluten-free.
  • Make sure store-bought taco seasoning is labeled gluten-free.

What cooked rice do you use?

Any type of fully cooked rice will work. I prefer brown rice because it’s healthier. I’ve also used quinoa instead of rice as well as our Cilantro Lime Rice. P.S. You did know you can freeze rice, right?

tortilla soup in multiple bowls

More Healthy Soups for the Instant Pot

Overhead portrait photo of tomato bisque soup

Tomato Bisque

a bowl of pizza soup

Pizza Soup

Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya

beef stew in bowls with cornbread on a plate nearby.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

See All Instant Pot Recipes

Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!

instant pot tortilla soup
★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

Instant Pot Tortilla Soup

This gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian Instant Pot Tortilla Soup recipe is one of the easiest you’ll ever make. Dump in your pantry ingredients, cook, and enjoy!

Yield: 8 servings (1 1/2 cups per serving) 1x
Prep: 5Cook: 7Total: 12 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
  • 1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian refried beans (Sub: drained and rinsed pinto beans)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (Sub: drained and rinsed kidney beans)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained (Sub: 1 1/2 cups frozen corn)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, with their juices (Sub: fire-roasted diced tomatoes are a delicious alternative!)
  • 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilis, with their juices (Sub: 1/2 cup salsa)
  • 1 cup mild or medium salsa
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (Try our homemade taco seasoning here.)
  • 1 to 2 cups cooked brown rice (Sub: See Cooking Notes for a cauliflower rice substitution idea.)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions

Make It Now:

  1. In the 6-quart Instant Pot, combine the broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chilis, salsa, and taco seasoning and stir to combine, breaking up the refried beans as much as possible. 
  2. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
  3. Stir in cooked rice. Serve warm, with your favorite toppings. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3-6 months.

Freeze For Later: Add all the ingredients, except the rice, to a gallon-size freezer bag. Seal, toss gently to combine, and freeze in a round bowl or container with a diameter similar to the instant Pot (so it will fit in the pot when frozen). Place the cooked rice in a separate small freezer bag. Seal and freeze alongside the soup. See more tips on Instant Pot freezer meals here.

Prepare From Frozen: Put the rice on the counter to thaw. Set the Instant Pot to “Saute.” Transfer the frozen soup to the pot and cook for 5 minutes to release some liquid. Press “Cancel.” Follow Steps 2 and 3, but cook for 12 to 17 minutes.


Notes/Tips

  • Optional Topping Ideas: lime wedges, diced avocado, shredded cheddar cheese, minced jalapeños, diced red onion, chopped cilantro, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, crushed tortilla chips.
  • The soup will thicken as it sits. Add more broth, as needed.
  • If you have a heat-sensitive palate, cut the taco seasoning back to 1 tablespoon and use mild salsa.
  • Try adding in frozen or fresh cauliflower rice and cook with all the other ingredients. It works really well, adds even more nutrition, and is virtually tasteless. We have tested this many times, and it’s delicious.
© Author: Polly Conner
Cuisine: Mexcian Method: Instant Pot

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Polly Conner

Polly Conner

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Polly’s passionate about helping busy parents get dinner on the table. With a house full of kids, dogs, and (usually) a DIY project in the works, she knows firsthand how every minute (and every dollar) counts. As a business owner, she enjoys wearing multiple hats and serves best as a project manager for Thriving Home.

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  1. AvatarCharity says

    Posted on 2/2/23 at 8:03 pm

    This soup is amazing! I wasn’t 100% sure about the riced cauliflower, but wow so delicious! Made all the toppings and enjoyed on a rainy day. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 2/3/23 at 9:08 am

      Hi Charity! So glad you gave the riced cauliflower a try and enjoyed the dish. It does seem perfect for a rainy day!

      Reply
  2. AvatarVicki A says

    Posted on 12/11/20 at 6:48 pm

    How long would you cook this on the stove or in a crock pot?

    Reply
    • Rachel TiemeyerRachel Tiemeyer says

      Posted on 12/14/20 at 3:15 pm

      Try using this recipe. It will give you directions for both: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/meatless-monday-anything-goes-tortilla-soup/

      Reply

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