Vegan Taco Soup (with Crispy Tortilla Strips)

Taco soup has got to be one of the most irresistible ways to eat your vegetables. It's a simple bean and vegetable soup, inspired by one of my favourite Tex-Mex dishes - tacos!

Although it uses simple ingredients, taco soup is packed with flavour, and some crispy tortilla strips on top really add that crunchy taco vibe.

It's light yet filling, simple yet interesting, healthy yet comforting... and you can't say all of that about many dishes.

The base of the soup is a nutrient-packed mixture of all my favourite vegetables - basically anything I'd usually put into tacos or fajitas. I added some black beans too, as they make the soup extra hearty with more protein - and you can't bean a good black bean taco.

To add the taco-like crunch, I topped the soup with some crispy strips of tortilla - they're like a Mexican version of a crouton! They add a different texture and flavour to the soup, which is really lovely. You could use broken tortilla chips or taco shells if you prefer!

I also added some sliced avocado too, but there are all sorts of other toppings you could go for - read below for some more ideas.

❤️ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's absolutely packed with good, wholesome ingredients.
• It's full of flavour!
• You can customise it with whatever vegetables or spices you like.
• The soup makes a great base for all kinds of toppings!
• It feels just as good in the middle of the summer as it does on a cold winter's day.

🥗 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this recipe:

A few ingredient notes:

• vegetables. I used peppers, onion, mushrooms and sweetcorn, but you can switch these up if you like! Use whatever you'd usually put in your favourite vegetarian tacos.
• garlic
• spices. I like to start with my favourite fajita spice blend, to speed things along a bit. This time I also added some extra cumin and smoked paprika.
• tinned tomatoes
• black beans
• veggie stock. I used a stock cube, but liquid stock would be fine too.
• flour tortilla - to make the crispy tortilla strips for topping.

You might also want to prepare some additional toppings, such as:

• sliced avocado
• fresh coriander (cilantro)
• sliced spring onions
• sour cream*
• grated cheese*

*(use vegan versions if needed)

See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

🔄 Ingredient Swaps

To keep with the 'taco soup' theme, I used the sorts of vegetables I'd usually use in tacos or fajitas - peppers, mushrooms, onions, sweetcorn... But you can totally use different vegetables instead, if you prefer - just use whatever you have on hand (I love a good fridge-clearer!).

If you change the vegetables too much, your soup might lose the 'taco' vibe, but it should still be tasty!

Any vegetable that can be simmered for a while without becoming overly soft or soggy should work just fine.

🔪 Equipment

I love to use a silicone spoon when cooking something with a strong flavour, like this vegan taco soup - you can see my favourite bright pink one in almost all of my recipe photos!

Unlike with a wooden spoon, silicone doesn't absorb flavours from your cooking, so you can use it for curry one day, and custard the next, without any flavour contamination or staining. Silicone spoons are even dishwasher safe, to help with thorough washing.

My favourite shape is a spoon with slightly square corners, as it makes it so easy to scrape around the corners of a saucepan. You can buy them here on Amazon US / Amazon UK.

📋 Instructions

Here's how to make this recipe - see below for the printable recipe with detailed ingredients and instructions.

Step 1: Sauté the peppers, onion and mushrooms in a large saucepan.

Step 2: Add the garlic and spices, and let them cook for a few minutes until your house smells like a Mexican restaurant.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients, and let the soup simmer for a while. The vegetables will soak up the tasty liquid, and become soft and flavourful.

Step 4: While the soup is simmering, cut a large flour tortilla into strips.

Step 5: Fry the tortilla strips in a splash of oil, until they're browned and crispy.

Step 6: Serve the soup topped with the crispy tortilla strips and any extra toppings you've chosen.

💭 Taco Soup FAQs

🌮 More Vegetarian Tex-Mex Recipes