Instant Pot Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
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!
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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 has sneaky veggies.
- Still hearty enough for any meat eater in your family. Feel free to throw in some cooked chicken 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 portions 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!
What more could you want in an Instant Pot Soup!?
What’s in Tortilla Soup?
While I typically stick to the ingredients below, feel free to use up what you have on hand with this “kitchen sink”-type soup. Don’t have green chilis? Add a little more salsa. Don’t have rice? Try quinoa. Have fresh veggies on hand? I’ve thrown in chopped zucchini, spinach, and diced bell pepper before with great results. They will all cook in the Instant Pot just fine. Here is where to start though:
- Vegetable broth or chicken broth (make your own chicken broth here)
- Vegetarian refried beans
- Black beans
- Corn
- Petite diced tomatoes
- Diced green chilis
- Mild or medium salsa
- Taco seasoning (Use our homemade taco seasoning here)
- Cooked brown rice (or throw cauliflower rice in with all the ingredients and cook with all the other ingredients!)
Now get this… you will just dump all of these (minus the rice) into the Instant Pot and cook it! I told ya it was easy!
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 cook 7 minutes in the Instant Pot with a quick release. After that, you stir in your cooked rice and it’s done!
After testing hundreds of recipes, we have nailed down the PERFECT cooking times for almost any type of Instant Pot meal. You can download the one sheet Instant Pot recource here.
Can I Make it in the Slow Cooker?
One of the beauties of this recipe is that it can be made on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, AND in the Instant Pot. Try our stovetop or slow cooker instructions for Tortilla Soup.
Can I Freeze it?
You bet! And even better, you can cook it straight from frozen in the Instant Pot! Imagine how easy dinner will be for your future self: Plop the frozen soup in your Instant Pot, push a button and your dinner is done. Here’s how:
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: At least partially thaw the rice. 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 Pro Tips
- You can use pre-cooked brown rice from the store. OR, next time you make something with brown rice, just make extra rice and freeze it for the next time you make this recipe. Yes, rice freezes really well!
- You can fully cook and freeze the soup and freeze the leftovers if you’d like. However, the rice tends to soak up a lot of the liquid, so be sure to have extra broth on hand to add in when re-heating.
- You can add shredded cooked chicken in when you stir in the rice.
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This gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian Instant Pot soup recipe is one of the easiest you’ll ever make. Dump in your pantry ingredients, cook, and enjoy!
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.)
Instructions
Make It Now:
- 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.
- 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. 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.
COOKING NOTES:
- 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.
Want More Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot?
We’ve got you covered. Hop over to this post highlighting 20+ Best of the Best Freezer Meals for the Instant Pot. It includes freezer meal instructions for EVERY recipe plus tons of pro tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years.
How long would you cook this on the stove or in a crock pot?
Try using this recipe. It will give you directions for both: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/meatless-monday-anything-goes-tortilla-soup/