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Home Recipe Index Easy Weeknight Dinners

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

5 /5
Jump to Recipe Rate Recipe
By: Rachel TiemeyerPosted: 1/10/24Updated: 3/13/23

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

Filled with beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, and more, our Vegetarian Tortilla Soup only gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. It’s the easiest, healthiest “one-pot wonder” soup ever! I’ve been making and freezing it for years for my family.

Or try our Crockpot Tortilla Soup or Instant Pot Tortilla Soup.

A white bowl of vegetarian tortilla soup with a dollop of sour cream, avocado chunks, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips on top. this …


 

“I loved this! So delicious and filling. It was a snap to put together. Definitely make this again and again!” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Iris

Table of Contents
  • Why You’ll Love This Soup
  • Ingredients
  • What Brand of Brown Rice Should I Buy?
  • How to Make Tortilla Soup on the Stove
  • Pro Tip: Add Chicken!
  • What to Serve With Tortilla Soup
  • Make It a Freezer Meal
  • Recipe FAQs
  • 25+ Amazing Mexican Recipes
  • More Healthy Soup Recipes
  • Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Why You’ll Love This Soup

  • It’s cheap to make. The ingredients are very affordable and it makes a big batch. You can keep all the ingredients on hand in the pantry.
  • It’s healthy. This soup is jam-packed with vegetables. The refried beans and rice make it filling too.
  • It’s made in one pot. If you value recipes with minimal dishes, this one will be your jam.
  • It’s freezer-friendly. There are multiple options on how to freeze this soup.
  • It’s flexible. It can also be made in the Crock Pot or Instant Pot.
    • Crockpot Tortilla Soup
    • Instant Pot Tortilla Soup
  • You can mix up the ingredients. Don’t have green chiles? 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 (just cook until they are soft).

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.

Vegetarian tortilla soup ingredients measured out and labeled.

Ingredient Notes

  • 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.
  • Petite diced tomatoes – If you want to kick up the flavor, try adding fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead.
  • 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 frozen cauliflower rice in with all the ingredients and cook with all the other ingredients!
Stock photo of a bag of 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 to Make Tortilla Soup on the Stove

It’s just so easy. In a large pot, combine broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning. Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.

Easy vegetarian tortilla soup ingredients dumped into a dutch oven.

Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally while it cooks.

Stir in the cooked rice and serve warm with optional toppings.

Cooked brown rice being stirred into a Dutch oven of vegetarian tortilla soup.
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.

What to Serve With Tortilla Soup

When serving tortilla soup, top with your favorite Mexican toppings, like torn up tortillas or crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado or red onion, cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, shredded cheddar, etc. Serve with one or more of these side dish ideas.

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Sweet Potato Cornbread

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Chips and Guacamole

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Mexican Chopped Salad

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Classic Fruit Salad

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:

Method 1 (Uncooked): Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag or container with lid, except rice and optional toppings. (Don’t worry if the refried beans aren’t completely integrated.) Seal and freeze alongside a package of cooked rice.

Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the soup according to instructions. Stir in the rice. Let cool. Freeze in freezer bags, containers, or Souper Cubes, as individual servings or one full meal. Freeze until ready to use.

Prepare From Frozen: 

Method 1 (Uncooked): Fully thaw the soup. Cook according to instructions.

Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Warm over low heat on the stove or in the slow cooker.

A gallon-sized freezer bag of soup labeled Tortilla Soup and a quart-size freezer bag of cooked rice next to it.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make it creamy?

You sure can. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream, cream cheese, or plain Greek yogurt at the very end.

Can I add meat?

Yes, this recipe is super flexible. When you add in the rice at the end, you can also add fully cooked shredded chicken or fully cooked taco meat.

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 and taco seasoning is labeled gluten-free.

What cooked rice do you use?

Any type of fully cooked rice will work. I prefer brown rice or cauliflower 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?

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

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup in a bowl with sliced jalepenos, fresh cilantro, and shredded cheddar cheese on top.
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 7 reviews

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

This one-pot wonder is packed with flavor but is also vegetarian! This winning combination of ingredients and flavors is sure to impress your family and friends.

Yield: 8 servings (1 1/2 cups each) 1x
Prep: 10 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 20 minutes
Print Recipe Rate Pin for Later [socialpug_share networks=”email” networks_labels=”Email” show_labels=”yes” overwrite=”yes”]
Units:
Scale:

Ingredients

  • 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable stock (sub: chicken broth)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can vegetarian refried beans (sub: drained pinto beans that have been smashed with a fork)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (sub: kidney or pinto beans)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can corn, drained (sub: 2 cups frozen corn)
  • 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes (juice and all) (Tip: Fire-roasted diced tomatoes are delicious!)
  • 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (sub: 1/2 cup salsa)
  • 1 cup salsa (this is my absolute favorite salsa)
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1–2 cups cooked brown rice (sub: frozen cauliflower rice)
  • Optional Toppings: torn up tortillas or tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, lime wedges, diced avocado, sliced or minced jalapeños

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

  1. In a large pot, combine broth, refried beans, black beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, salsa, and taco seasoning. (Note: If using frozen cauliflower rice in place of brown rice, you can add this now.)
  2. Stir and break up the refried beans as much as possible.
  3. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer.
  4. Cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally while it cooks. Stir in the cooked rice and serve warm with optional toppings.

Freeze For Later:

Method 1 (Uncooked): Combine all ingredients in a gallon-sized freezer bag or container with lid, except rice and optional toppings. (Don’t worry if the refried beans aren’t completely integrated.) Seal and freeze alongside a freezer bag of cooked rice.

Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the soup according to instructions. Stir in the rice. Let cool. Freeze in freezer bags or containers, as individual servings or one full meal. Freeze until ready to use.

Prepare From Frozen: 

Method 1 (Uncooked): Fully thaw the soup. Cook according to instructions.

Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Warm over low heat on the stove or in the slow cooker.


Notes/Tips

  • Short-Cut Option (new!): I have now tested this recipe multiple times using instant brown rice–the kind that boils for 5 minutes and sits for 5 minutes. It works! Add at the end of the cook time when there is about 5 minutes left. 
  • 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: Rachel Tiemeyer
Cuisine: Mexican Method: Stovetop

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Photos and video by Whitney Reist of Sweet Cayenne.

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Rachel Tiemeyer

As co-founder of Thriving Home, Rachel dreams about creating recipes (literally) and uses her husband, her 3 kids, and even the neighbors as guinea pigs several nights a week. She believes that good food has the power to bring families and friends closer together and continues to wake up excited about her job each day, even after 10+ years!

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  1. Chandra says

    Posted on 2/10/25 at 7:55 pm

    I have been making this recipe for years and feel like it is about time I review it and say thank you. My kids love this soup and it is the easiest to make. It’s my go to when I am packing to stay in an Airbnb because all the ingredients are easy to gather and transport and all 4 kids will eat this easily. I can’t tell you how many vacations I have made this on! Thanks for the great recipe.

    Reply
    • Carla from Thriving HomeCarla from Thriving Home says

      Posted on 2/11/25 at 8:41 am

      Thank you for taking the time to leave a review Chandra! Love hearing how it helps you on vacations too.

      Reply
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