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. This super straightforward vegan Mexican bean 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 by simply including enchilada sauce into the broth to make for a deeper flavor and richer consistency. This vegan enchilada soup is so delicious and rich in flavors!
Similar to these vegan black bean enchiladas, 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 this vegetarian enchilada soup recipe 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
🗒 Ingredient notes (+ substitutions)
- 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.
- 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.
⭐️ See below in the recipe card for the measurements!
📝 Variations
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 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.
🍽 How to make vegan enchilada soup
Step 1: Warm up a large pot with a little oil, then add the onion, pepper and salt. Cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. Then, add the garlic and spices and cook for 1-2 more minutes.
Step 2: Add the canned beans, canned tomatoes, canned green chiles, corn, vegetable broth and enchilada sauce.
Step 3: Bring to a simmer, then keep cooking for about 15-20 minutes.
Step 4: Add the coconut cream and lime juice and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve while still warm with your favorite fixings. Enjoy!
⭐️ See below in the recipe card for the full recipe!
💡 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.
❗️ 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
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!
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.
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
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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📖 Recipe
Vegan Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 1 red bell pepper - diced
- 1 green bell pepper - diced
- 3 cloves of garlic - crushed
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 15 oz canned black beans - rinsed and drained
- 15 oz canned pinto beans - rinsed and drained
- 4 oz canned green chiles - mild or spicy
- 1 cup corn - fresh or frozen
- 8-10 ounces red enchilada sauce
- 15 oz canned diced tomatoes - fire-roasted if possible
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ lime - juiced, or more to taste
- 5 oz coconut cream - for a creamier soup, see notes
Toppings (choose your favorites)
- avocado
- cilantro
- tortilla strips
- jalapeño
- green onion
Instructions
- Warm up a large pot with a little oil on medium-high heat and then add the onion, red pepper, green pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
- Then, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin powder and paprika and stir to combine. Cook for another minute.
- Add the black beans, pinto beans, canned green chiles, enchilada sauce, corn, canned tomatoes and vegetable broth. Stir to combine and simmer on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. You can choose to cover or not depending on if you prefer a thicker or thinner soup.
- Add the coconut cream and lime juice. Stir and warm up for about 3-5 minutes. Serve with your toppings of choice.
Video
Notes
- Storage tips: keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep the topping ingredients apart. This soup stores well, so feel free to make more to have leftovers for lunch on a busy week.
- You can swap the coconut cream for about ½ cup of coconut milk or any vegan creamer (plain). You can also omit the cream altogether.
- This soup is very versatile and can be adapted to your taste and what you have. You can include other vegetables, add more spices or make it spicy. Check out the blog post for more ideas!
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Made this today. I used all organic ingredients. I chose an enchilada sauce that was organic and had few ingredients and no additives.
The soup is delicious. I served it with Ezekiel tortilla chips.
Great, glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing Perry! 😊
Yum, this was so good and it is such a fun way to use enchilada sauce!