This creamy one pot vegan tortilla soup is made with red lentils, black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, corn and lots of fresh spices! It’s incredibly easy to make and the perfect hearty soup for a chilly day.
I don’t love the darkness of winter, but I absolutely love the cozy food! Soup season is my absolute favorite season, and recipes that I can prep in advance are the best.
This vegan tortilla soup tastes just like the classic, but is made with red lentils and black beans to keep it vegetarian! It’s rich and creamy, but doesn’t make you feel heavy.
With lots of fresh flavor from herbs and spices and homemade cashew cream, this recipe is sure to be a hit with all types of eaters. Serve it with homemade tortilla strips and lots of fresh cilantro for a cozy plant based dinner.
How to make this recipe
In a large pot or dutch oven, add the finely diced onion and olive oil. Saute for about 5 minutes.
Add in the minced garlic, diced bell pepper, and diced jalapeno. If you want less spice, just remove the seeds from the jalapeno or use less.
Add the diced tomatoes to a blender and pulse until they resemble something that looks like salsa. This is optional, but I do suggest it for the best flavor/texture!
Add to the pot with the onion along with all remaining ingredients, aside from the lime juice, we’ll add that at the end. I used 3 cups of veggie broth because I wanted this on the thicker side, if you like it more brothy, use 4. If you’re not sure, start with 3 and add more at the end if you want to thin it out.
Stir everything well to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After about 20 minutes, taste to check to see if the lentils are fully cooked. Let simmer for 5-10 more minutes if they still have a crunch to them.
Once the lentils are done, transfer 2 cups worth of soup to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the pot and stir to combine. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust flavors as desired, and/or add more broth to thin it out if you like.
Garnish with tortilla strips, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, avocado and sour cream.
Homemade tortilla strips
I had a hard time finding certified gluten free tortilla strips at the market when I was shopping for this recipe, so I opted to make my own and it was actually SO easy! All you’ll need is a few corn tortillas, oil of your choice (I used avocado) and some salt.
What you want to do is slice the tortillas into thin strips, then slice in the other direction to get about 1 inch long and ¼ inch wide strips. Add some oil to a pot on the stove (enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about ½ inch layer).
Once it’s hot, throw in the strips and let fry for a few minutes on each side until crispy. It helps to do this in small batches so the tortillas aren’t all on top of each other and crowded. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Top with a few cracks of salt.
FAQ’s
Can I freeze it? Yes! Once the soup is cooked, allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to an air tight and freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How long does it keep? Once prepared, this vegan tortilla soup will keep in the fridge for about 3 days. You can reheat it on the stove or microwave. It does thicken up a bit as it sits in the fridge, so you may want to add a splash of veggie broth when you reheat it.
What should I serve it with? I like to serve this vegan tortilla soup as the main dish since it’s nice and hearty from the beans and lentils. My favorite toppings include fresh lime juice, avocado, lots of chopped cilantro and sour cream. Ok, I actually don’t like sour cream, so I just use leftover cashew cream and pretend to the people I’m serving it to that it’s sour cream. Oops!!
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Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
Soup:
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno (seeds removed for less spice)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 15 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
- ¾ cup red lentils
- 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed )
- 1 cup corn
- ⅓ cup cashew cream (click for recipe)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 – 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp brown or coconut sugar
- ½-1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp lime juice (about ½ lime)
Serving Suggestions
- 1 cup tortilla strips
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, add the finely diced onion and olive oil. Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Add in the minced garlic, diced bell pepper, and diced jalapeno. If you want less spice, just remove the seeds from the jalapeno or use less. Saute for about 3 extra minutes, then add in the corn and saute an additional 2 or so minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes to a blender and pulse a few times until they resemble something that looks like salsa. This is optional, but I do suggest it for the best flavor/texture!
- Add to the pot along with all remaining ingredients, aside from the lime juice, we'll add that at the end. I used 3 cups of veggie broth because I wanted this on the thicker side, if you like it more brothy, use 4. If you're not sure, start with 3 and add more at the end if you want to thin it out.
- Stir everything well to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- After about 20 minutes, taste to check to see if the lentils are fully cooked. Let simmer for 5-10 more minutes if they still have a crunch to them.
- Once the lentils are done, transfer 2 cups worth of soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Transfer back to the pot and stir to combine. Stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust flavors as desired, and/or add more broth to thin it out if you like.
- Serve and garnish with tortilla strips (see the body of the post for how to make these homemade!), chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, avocado and sour cream.
Jennifer Jacobs
Really rich, really yummy. The red lentils are a great addition.
Cori
So GOOD! I only had one can of roasted tomatoes, so I bumped up the coconut cream, vegetable broth, and tomato paste and it was still perfect. 100% recommend!
Carly Hadley
The soup is delicious, but I really wish the ingredients were listed in the order you use them.
Claire Cary
So happy you enjoyed it! And thank you for the feedback, the recipe card is now updated and in an easier to follow order 🙂 Hope that helps!
Erin
Best tortilla soup ever! We kept it thick and used tortillas to dip and eat. Savory Cashew crema is a Must!
Claire Cary
yum, sounds perfect! So happy you enjoyed it!
Carla @ Foodie Digital
The whole family loved this! It came together really quickly, even with all of the toppings (don’t skip the cashew cream!). The addition of red lentils is so smart – they boost the nutritional profile and nobody could even tell they were in there.
Claire Cary
The cashew cream is a must! So happy you all enjoyed this, thanks Carla!
katie
my gf made this soup using this recipe and it was to die for!! love love love it, it’s now a favorite in our household 🙂
Claire Cary
Love to hear that!! It’s a favorite over here too 🙂
Alysia
So good!! Super easy to make. Very flavorful and filling! & sooooo tasty, going to be making this a lot. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Claire Cary
Yes! It’s going to be on repeat all winter!
Telina
AMAZING
I didn’t have cashews so I just used oat milk. Next time I’ll try the cashew cream.
Totally hit, I’m glad I had leftovers.
Claire Cary
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed it, thanks Telina!