Vegan Tortilla Soup

Dive into a savory bowl of vegan tortilla soup made with jackfruit, grilled corn, and an array of vegetables. Top with air-fried corn tortilla strips for an added crunch to this delicious vegan tortilla soup recipe.

When the weather gets chilly, I love making vegan tortilla soup. Jackfruit is a fabulous meat replacement and shreds into thin, delicate pieces. Then, it soaks in the thick sassy broth filled with beans, and vegetables. I always serve oil-free, air-fried tortilla strips on top of this vegan tortilla soup recipe for an added crunch.

Jump to:

• What is Jackfruit?  
• Recipe Ingredients
• Recipe Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Prepare Jackfruit
• Making the Soup
• Air-fryer Tortilla Strips
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Other Great Vegan Mexican Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

While meal prepping this week, I simultaneously made vegan tortilla soup and jackfruit enchiladas. Since I made vegan enchilada jackfruit "meat,"  I doubled the recipe to use half for my vegan tortilla soup recipe. 

Not only did it work as planned, but I ended up with a large pan of enchiladas and eight servings of vegan tortilla soup. 

What is Jackfruit?  

Jackfruit, though commonly found in a can, is a high protein, high antioxidant fruit. Its bland flavor is the perfect texture and blank slate to absorb marinade or spices. As a result, the jackfruit's neutral flavor allows me to transform it into spicy shredded meat. 

Jackfruit has the texture of chicken! I didn't say it tastes like chicken because I wouldn't say I like it.  But tortilla soup is generally full of chicken, so I plan to fill it with jackfruit and veggies. 

Making vegan tortilla soup, however, is easy and will keep you full and satisfied. So if you meal prep, take vegan tortilla soup to work for the week! 

Recipe Ingredients

• Jackfruit in Brine: Canned jackfruit is typically from underripe jackfruit so there is a more neutral taste. This jackfruit may taste slightly salty from the brine it's stored in but with an overall neutral meaty flavor.
• White Onion: Canned jackfruit is typically from underripe jackfruit so that there is a more neutral taste. This jackfruit may taste slightly salty from the brine it's stored in but with an overall neutral meaty flavor.
• Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Jalapenos: Jalapenos, with the seeds and vein removed, gives the soup a slightly spicy flavor. The seed and vein hold all the heat.
• Corn: I like to grill the corn for an added smokey flavor.
• Red Bell Pepper: Red Bell peppers are sweet and colorful and excellent in soups and stews.
• Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk at Costco because I often use it.
• Ro-Tel Tomatoes: Ro-Tel Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies is the one-of-a-kind blend of vine-ripened tomatoes, zesty green chilies, and spices that people love, all in one can.
• Black Beans: Black beans are hearty and taste great in this soup.
• Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast supplies a cheesy flavor to the soup.
• Corn Tortillas: The corn tortillas are air fried and added to the top of the soup before serving.
• Chili Powder: Chili powder is a blend of chile peppers and other spices, including cumin, peppercorn, oregano, and salt. The mixture depends on the brand, so check the ingredient label to find the exact spices it contains
• Limes: Limes are used in the jackfruit and the tortilla strips.
• Cilantro: Cilantro is cooked into the jackfruit and used as a garnish.
• Avocado: Sliced avocado is added to the top of the vegan tortilla soup recipe as a garnish.

Recipe Ingredient Substitutions

• Jackfruit in water works as well. However, do not use jackfruit in syrup. It is sugary and cannot be substituted in this recipe.
• Yellow onion is an excellent substitute for white onion in recipes.
• If you don't have fresh garlic, substitute ¼ teaspoon garlic powder for 1 fresh garlic clove. Substitute ½ teaspoon garlic flakes for 1 fresh garlic clove.
• Serrano peppers are often substituted for jalapenos in recipes.
• Use frozen corn or canned corn instead of fresh grilled corn.
• Choose green pepper instead of red bell peppers, or make it colorful using different colored baby bell peppers.
• Mix fire-roasted diced tomatoes, diced green chilies, lime juice, and a little bit of fresh cilantro. This makes the equivalent of 2 cans of store-bought diced tomatoes and chilies!
• Try pinto beans instead of black beans.
• Flour tortillas work if you don't have corn tortillas; however, they cook in less time in the air fryer, so oversee them.

How to Prepare Jackfruit

When drained and removed from a can, Jackfruit looks like triangles of chicken. However, it is tasteless if you taste it as it comes from the can. Jackfruit's bland flavor makes it the perfect sponge for absorbing flavors. 

For me, the fun is transforming a can of jackfruit into an incredible vegan tortilla soup recipe that would fool any meat eater. But first, buying the jackfruit in water or brine is vital. 

However, one of the biggest mistakes people make is buying jackfruit in syrup. Unfortunately, I made this mistake, and I ended up throwing my whole meal away. And I hate wasting food. So, avoid that pitfall and buy jackfruit in water or brine. 

Then, you rinse the jackfruit, put it in your food processor, and pulse until shredded. 

Although many recipes suggest using jackfruit as is, I'm afraid I have to disagree. Instead, I like to cook it first. Like vegan buffalo chicken dip, cooking the jackfruit first gives it a different texture and flavor. 

For the jackfruit to get the right flavor and texture, my goal is to absorb the onions, jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, and spices before it goes into the soup pot. 

Sauteeing the onions, garlic, and jalapeno brings the flavors before adding the cilantro.

However, the magic is sauteing the cilantro with the initial vegetables with lime and then add the jackfruit. 

First, I saute the red bell pepper with the grilled corn removed from the cobs. 

Making the Soup

Then, I add the cooked jackfruit meat and a can of drained and rinsed black beans. 

Then, I add all the vegetable broth, tomatoes, poultry seasoning, and nutritional yeast. Because the jackfruit is already pre-seasoned, you do not need other herbs or spices. 

Typically, tortilla soup contains cheese, but my vegan version uses nutritional yeast for that thick and cheesy flavor. 

Next, bring the soup to a boil and then lower it to simmer for 30 minutes to develop the flavor. In the meantime, make the oil-free homemade tortilla strips.

Air-fryer Tortilla Strips

Even though tortilla chips are usually used in and on top of tortilla soup, my vegan tortilla soup called for homemade oil-free tortilla strips. While the soup simmers, the oil-free tortilla strip can be made in the air-fryer. 

To begin, I used white corn tortillas and a pizza cutter; I cut the tortilla into strips. Then, I added the cut tortillas into a bowl and tossed them in lime juice. Next, I sprinkled a combination of chili powder and cumin. 

Once seasoned, add the tortilla strips to an air-fryer basket and cook at 370 degrees for 10 minutes, tossing once at the 5 minutes mark. 

When serving vegan tortilla soup, I like to add the tortilla strips on top of the soup and add diced avocado. 

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• When I packed this soup up for lunches throughout the week, I kept the air-fried tortilla chips on the side in baggies to add after heating. Of course, I did the same for the avocado, so it didn't turn brown. 
• If you are a meal prepper, soup is one of the easiest ways to prepare for a week of lunches in one pot. 
• Store the cooked tortilla strips in a covered container to keep them crispy.
• I suggest using Souper Cubes to freeze leftover soup. Or, double the recipe to save time food meal prepping.
• Making two recipes with similar ingredients throughout the week, such as vegan tortilla soup and jackfruit enchiladas, is a great way to save time cooking.
• Add vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, and hot sauce for those who enjoy additional garnishes and heat.

Try this fabulous vegan tortilla soup and top it with crunchy air fryer tortilla strips.

Other Great Vegan Mexican Recipes

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