Instant Pot Tortilla Soup - Culinary Shades (2024)

Tortilla soup is a delicious Mexican soup made with tomatoes, onions, celery, corn, beans, and tortilla chips. It requires only a few minutes of prep time to make this vegan soup and gluten-free soup.

This dump and go instant pot tortilla soup recipe is nutritious, flavorful, and does not use any oil. It makes a perfect meal for busy weeknights. It can be made ahead of time for meal planning and also freezes well.

Ingredients

This gluten-free, tortilla soup is made with very few ingredients and without oil. Vegetables like carrots, diced celery, onion, tomatoes, and bell pepper are used along with some chopped garlic. Cilantro and fresh lime juice are added for enhancing flavor.

I have used homemade vegetable broth but store-bought low-sodium vegetable stock works well too.

Some minced garlic, red chili powder, a bay leaf, and taco seasoning add flavor to the soup. You can adjust the level of spiciness by using more or less of chili powder.

This Mexican soup is incomplete without some black beans. I used dried black beans and then soaked them for half an hour. Canned black beans can also be used instead.

Tortilla chips add a crunch and delicious flavor to the soup. I have used tortilla chips but you can also make freshly baked tortilla strips and add to the soup while serving.

Instructions

Making a vegetarian tortilla soup in the instant pot is very easy. Once you have all the vegetables cut and ready, it takes only a few minutes of your time.

Instead of canned beans, I used dried black beans and soaked them for about 6 hours before pressure cooking them. Once the beans are soaked well, discard the water.

Put all the ingredients including veggies, beans, spices, and vegetable stock. Do not add tortilla chips at this point.

Cook on high-pressure mode for 12 minutes with the pressure knob in the sealing position. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, and then release the remaining pressure manually by moving the pressure release knob to the venting position until the silver pin drops..

Add some chopped cilantro, lime juice and crushed tortilla chips while serving. Adjust the taste of salt and spices as per your preference.

Substitutions

The best part of this tortilla soup is that it is very versatile and you can adapt it to your preference and the ingredients at hand.

• Veggies - A combination of fresh and frozen veggies can be used. Canned diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes can be used instead of fresh ones.
• Beans - I have used dried black beans and soaked them before pressure cooking, however, you can use canned beans and the cooking time will reduce for that.
• Spices - instead of taco seasoning, adobo sauce can be added.

Variations

This tortilla soup is loaded with veggies, made without any oil, and is vegan.

• Spicy - add serrano pepper or more red chili powder while cooking the soup.
• Gluten-free - use gluten-free tortilla chips to make this soup gluten-free.

Serving suggestions

Tortilla soup can be served with some freshly baked tortilla strips or tortilla chips. You can garnish it with some chopped cilantro, and grated cheese and sprinkle some pepper if needed.

Equipment

I have made this tortilla soup in the 6 qt. instant pot. You can make it in other larger pots as well and make bigger batches too for storing or meal planning.

To make it on the stove top, you will have to add some extra vegetable stock or water compared to cooking it in the instant pot.

Storage

Any leftover tortilla soup can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. When you are ready to eat it, simply reheat it in the microwave, stovetop, or on saute mode in the instant pot.

You can always make this soup ahead of time for meal planning and refrigerate it in an airtight container. When you are ready to eat, simply reheat it before serving.

Tortilla soup can also be frozen. Allow the soup to cool down completely and then portion it and put it in the freezer. The best way to store or freeze it is to not add lime juice, cilantro, or tortilla chips.

When you are ready to eat, you can defrost it in the microwave or keep it in the refrigerator overnight. While serving add the lime juice, cilantro, and tortilla chips.

FAQ

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