You will love this spicy, smokey, flavorful soup topped with buttery avocado, crisp tortilla strips, fresh cilantro and citrusy lime. This easy soup makes a quick and delicious dinner.
Vegan | Gluten Free
I’m not sure which part of this soup is the best part, the soup itself, or the toppings. Together, they create the tastiest bowl of goodness that will warm you through and through.
This soup is spicy, smokey and flavorful. And when topped with the richness of avocado, freshness from lime and cilantro and crunch from the tortillas…it’s like an explosion of flavors and textures in your mouth that all compliment each other.
If you’re in need of a hearty and satisfying one-pot meal, this is a dinner that you can make ahead of time, then just top off before serving. The tortillas do soften as they sit, but I think you’ll find it even more delicious.
Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspooon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspooon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo see Notes
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper finely chopped, seeds and veins removed
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 14.5 ounce can chopped fire-roasted tomatoes
- 29 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 8 corn tortillas sliced into about 1/4" wide strips
Toppings
- fresh cilantro or parsley
- avocado cubes
- fresh lime juice
- fresh jalapeno slices
- plant-based sour cream or yogurt
- drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
- extra tortilla strips
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté until the onions have softened, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute then add the cumin and thyme. Stir for a second until fragrant, then add the chipotle and jalapeño. Cook one more minute then add the broth and the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 – 25 minutes.
- Add the black beans and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the tortilla strips on a baking rack. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until just golden and crisp.
- Just before serving, remove the soup from the heat and add most of the tortilla strips to the soup, saving some to top it off later. Allow to sit for a few minutes while you prepare the toppings.
- Serve the soup with your choice of toppings. Don't forget a generous squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Notes
This post has been updated with new images and with recipe tweaks that make it even more delicious!
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I have been vegan for a few years and so glad I found this website. I am making this for the third time! It’s my favorite soup. I take leftovers to work. I can’t wait to try your chili. Thank you 🙏🏼
This is really the easiest soup to make, but wow, it has SO MUCH flavor! We are not vegan but this soup has more flavor than any other soup I make. Your recipes have had us eating a lot healthier! Thanks.
Emme, you just made my day! Glad to hear you love this soup. It’s one of my favorites. And…so thrilled that you’ve been finding healthy recipes here. That’s awesome!
I’ve made this numerous times. It is seriously delicious! I love the spices and that kick. I make it exactly as written every time. Thanks.
I had to come back to tell you that this is the best tortilla soup I’ve ever made! My family loves Mexican flavors and we have made a lot of tortilla soups, but this has such great flavors and I love all of the topping suggestions you have.Thanks.
Sadie! I’m so happy to hear you love this as much as I do! I make this soup often. We all love these flavors, too! Thanks for being so sweet! :)
We make this soup time and time again, and it is THE favorite of the entire family. Thank you for such a gem of a recipe.
Claudia, this made me more happy than I can tell you! So happy you all enjoy it! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! :)
O-M-G!!! I’m a tortilla soup fanatic. I just made this soup for the first time and it’s incredible!!! I followed the instructions to the T and it came out great! I have never cooked soup before, but I will definitely be making this again. I also liked the comment about the jalapeno- I wasn’t sure how spicy it would be with the chipotle, so I only used half a jalapeno. It had enough spice and kick. I want to have this all week long!!! Thank you so much!!
Liezl…you put a huge smile on my face! I could not be happier to hear you liked it so much. I have to say, I make this soup a lot. So glad you didn’t use the whole jalapeño! It’s always best to add spicy peppers in small amounts at first, then test. You can always add more. Thank you for taking the time to let me know! :)
this soup looks fantastic!!
Thanks so much Claire! So glad you like it! I make this one a lot!
Sounds delicious and I will make this soon! Thank you and have great day!
Thanks so much Liz! I’m so glad you’ll be making this. Let me know how you like it! You enjoy your day too!
Very nice! Delicious.
Thank you Jill! Glad you like it!
Hi Caroline!
I just made this soup and it was delicious! Dave and I really enjoyed it and will definitely make it again.
How are you and your family?
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Cathy
Ps – great website!
Cathy, This is the ultimate compliment for me! I love to hear it when someone has cooked one of my recipes! I’m so happy you liked it! We are all doing really well. I really miss you! Let’s try to meet up! Love to you all!
Soups are definitely in season, winter is still in full force and today they are predicting yet another dump of snow. Here I am researching some soup recipes to go and grab ingredients for the prediction of being snowed in for a couple of days. Thanks for your tortilla soup recipe, kids I bet will love it.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I agree with you, I think most kids will love this soup. I know mine do! You might want to start by adding less chipotle and less jalapeño and check the spiciness before adding all of it. My kids love spicy food, but not all do. Let me know if you make it and how you liked it! Stay warm! :D
My family and l are not vegan, but your soup looks and sounds so delicious, l’m going to give it a try. Your photo and description is mouth watering!
Thank you.
I’m so happy to hear that, Lisa! Hope you love it. Thanks for your sweet comment! xo