Vegan Enchilada Soup

This easy vegan enchilada soup is loaded with bold flavors and done in just 30 minutes. Includes bell peppers, beans, enchilada sauce and tomatoes. Perfect comfort food to enjoy on a chilly day!

Vegan Mexican soups are one of my favorite types of soup to prepare on a cold day. They are hearty, wholesome and easy, plus nicely packed with spices, which is everything that I need to help warm me up and feel satisfied.

This super straightforward vegan Mexican soup is a classic, although we especially love this fun-to-make and noodley sopa de conchas.

Today I wanted to share an ultra-simple way to improve your Mexican-style soups without much effort: simply include enchilada sauce into the broth to make for a deeper flavor and richer consistency.

This can be an original way to use store-bought enchilada sauce that has been forgotten in your pantry without the fuss of preparing an enchilada casserole.

This vegetarian enchilada soup recipe is absolutely packed with tons of flavor, but we also love how it makes for a nourishing meal on its own. It is made using tons of vegetables, such as onion and peppers, but also pinto beans, black beans, and tomatoes. It also includes a small amount of coconut cream to add a rich creaminess, but it is an optional ingredient and I'll share a few swaps you could use instead.

You can then serve the soup the same way you would serve traditional enchiladas with all your favorite fixings, especially avocado and cilantro, and pair it with a side of crunchy tortilla chips to scoop up the yummy saucy beans.

Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️

Why you will love this recipe

• Easy one-pot vegan soup recipe
• Family-friendly and the recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd
• Serve with fun personalized toppings
• Healthy and rich in fiber
• Provides plenty of plant-based protein, thanks to the beans
• Great recipe for meal prepping ahead of time
• Amazing way to use up leftover taco ingredients from a previous meal
• Fully vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free

Ingredients you will need

(See below in the recipe card for the measurements)

• Onions and pepper: I used a yellow onion, a green bell pepper and a red bell pepper. This soup is delicious with lots of pepper, but you can use different colors if you prefer.
• Enchilada sauce: use your favorite brand! I used the red enchilada sauce from Saucy Lips, although I also like the brands Somo and Hatch.
• Garlic: I like to add 3-4 cloves to this soup to enhance the overall flavor.
• Corn: you can use frozen or fresh. 
• Canned beans: I used a can of pinto beans and black beans. Feel free to use other types of beans that you already have, such as kidney beans or even white beans, as long as you use 2 cans.
• Diced tomatoes: fire-roasted diced tomatoes add lots of flavor, although regular diced tomatoes are fine too.
• Canned green chiles: use mild or spicy, you can find small cans of 4 oz in any grocery store.
• Spices: a lot of the flavor will come from the enchilada sauce, but I like to also add some chili powder, ground cumin powder and smoked paprika to help make it even more tasty. 
• Vegetable stock: use any kind that you like. I used the vegetable broth paste from the brand Better than Bouillon mixed in with water.
• Lime juice: try not to omit, freshly squeezed lime juice brightens up the flavors!
• Coconut cream: I used a small can of 5 oz of coconut cream, which is easy to find everywhere, usually just beside the larger cans of coconut milk. You can check in the Asian aisle. If you don't have any, you can also use some regular coconut milk.

How to make vegan enchilada soup

(See below in the recipe card for the full recipe)

Cook the vegetables with the aromatics

Warm up a large pot (I like using a Dutch oven) with a little oil and then, add the onion and peppers with a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Then, add the garlic and spices and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring often. It should smell very aromatic!

Simmer

Add the canned beans, canned tomatoes, canned green chiles, corn, vegetable broth and enchilada sauce.

Stir and bring to a simmer. Keep cooking on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. Check once in a while to stir and also, you can keep the cover on or off depending on if you would like a thicker or thinner soup.

Finish up and serve

Once the soup looks done and the vegetables are tender, then add the canned coconut cream (see swap options below) and the juice of ½ a lime. Stir and taste to adjust saltiness and spices level.

Serve while still warm with your favorite fixings. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

• Adjust consistency to your liking. If you keep the cover on the whole time, then the soup will be more brothy. For a thicker soup, especially if you would like to scoop some with tortilla chips, then simmer uncovered. You can always add a little more broth or water at the end if it ends up too thick.
• Feel free to add more spices to taste, which will also depend on the flavor of the enchilada sauce you will be using. Some are more spicier or stronger in flavor than others!

Serving suggestions

This healthy soup is amazing when garnished with fresh and crunchy ingredients! Don't skip on the toppings, they make this recipe even better!

Here are my favorite toppings:

• Crushed tortillas right over the bowl (plus some more on the side for scooping the thick soup) or crispy tortilla strips
• Avocado slices or cubes
• Fresh cilantro
• Green onions
• Vegan sour cream
• Chopped jalapeño
• Hot sauce
• Lime wedges

As a side note, if you want to add a creamy touch to your bowl when serving, then simply keep a spoonful of coconut cream aside and swirl some of it over the bowl when serving.

Variations

As for many soups, this recipe is very versatile and easy to adapt to your taste and the ingredients that you have.

Here are a few variations you can try:

• Cheesy enchilada soup: add a spoonful of nutritional yeast when adding the coconut cream. You can also toss in a handful of vegan mozarella cheese if you have any.
• No coconut cream: you can swap the coconut cream for coconut milk, vegan creamer (I like the plain creamer from Nutpods) or a regular plant-based milk (make sure it is plain and unsweetened) to smooth out the flavors and make it creamier. You can also make a quick cashew cream by blending the same amount of raw cashews with water (or more if necessary) until smooth. Or, add a few spoonfuls of this vegan sour cream once done cooking, then dollop some more over your bowl when serving.
• Other vegetables: you can also try adding sweet potatoes, zucchini, poblano peppers, celery, carrots and more!
• Spicy: I did not include chopped fresh jalapeño when cooking the other vegetables so my kids would eat it, but if you like spicy food, then definitely add some! A few chopped chipotle peppers would also be amazing in this recipe or simply look for a spicy enchilada sauce recipe.
• Grain: for a soup that's thicker and even heartier, then add some cooked whole grain, which can be a great way to repurpose some leftover grain from the night before. Great ideas include quinoa, brown rice, farro or barley (make sure to cook the grain apart first or add more broth to compensate).
• Leafy greens: make your recipe even more nutrient-dense by tossing in a large handful of baby spinach or chopped kale towards the end of simmering the soup. 

Storage tips

This soup stores and reheats well, so I highly recommend making more to have yummy leftovers over the next few days!

Keep the extra soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat using the microwave or the stove. Keep the topping ingredients separated during storage. 

You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.

FAQs

Is this soup gluten-free?

This will depend on the brand of the enchilada sauce that you are using. Many enchilada sauces are NOT gluten-free since they are thickened using regular flour (the brand that I used is GF (Saucy Lips)). You can look for a brand that uses cornstarch or arrowroot powder as the thickening agent. The rest of this recipe is naturally GF!

How can I make this soup higher in protein?

An easy and healthy way to boost the protein of this soup would be to add some quinoa (add more broth to compensate). You can also simply add an extra can of beans or vegan meat products (such as soy curls), which will give you a thicker soup.

Are all store-bought enchilada sauces vegan?

Most brands of enchilada sauce are naturally vegan. They are typically made with tomato products, peppers, spicy peppers, lots of spices, starches and sometimes broth. That being said, I like to make sure it is vegan by looking at the ingredient list (especially check for no butter and no animal-based broth).

Similar recipes to try

• Lemony white bean soup
• Vegan Mexican pizza
• Lentil barley soup
• Butter bean tomato stew
• Mexican buddha bowl
• Vegan black bean and kale taco
• Creamy braised white beans
• Vegan white bean chili
• Vegan Mexican rice
• Mexica baked potatoes

I hope you like this vegan enchilada soup recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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