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Vegan tortilla soup with black beans & seitan

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Text overlay: Vegan tortilla soup with black beans & seitan. Bowl of soup with spoon & sliced avocado.

Vegan tortilla soup is filled to the brim with beans, seitan, corn, spices, and a fire roasted tomato base. Top yours with crunchy tortilla strips, cilantro, non-dairy cheese, and avocado. A tempting mix of hot & cool in every delicious bite!

Bowl of soup with avocado and cilantro by napkin.

Tortilla soup is welcome any time of the year. In cold weather months, it’s satiating and cozy, loaded with hearty stuff like beans, seitan, and corn. It fills you up & warms you from the inside out.

But when the weather turns warmer, tortilla soup is still welcome, because of all the fresh ingredients served on top. There’s cilantro and cooling bites of avocado.

I love aiming for the perfect bite – getting a spoonful of spicy soup with a cool chunk of avocado.

Overhead spoon over bowl of soup with avocado, cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips.

Plus, in the summer a lot of the ingredients are in season – bell peppers, onions, garlic, and corn.

(Although, feel free to use frozen corn, and pour it in directly from the freezer. That’s what I do!)

So whether it’s cool & rainy where you live or sunny & clear, now is the perfect time for vegan tortilla soup.

Tortilla soup is slightly brothier than chili. It’s usually made with chicken. But instead, I like to use chicken-style seitan. You still get that bite and filling protein, but it’s totally vegan.

Vegan tortilla soup in bowl with avocado and cilantro.

Is this soup gluten-free?

No, seitan is also known as wheat gluten. So it’s not suitable for a gluten-free diet. However, it’s easy to replace.

Instead of seitan, here are some gluten-free replacement options:

  • Use a second variety of beans like pinto, Great Northern beans, or chickpeas
  • Use hydrated Soy Curls, like I did in this meatless chili recipe

Overhead table with bowl of soup, lime wedges, and avocado.

Making your own crispy tortilla strips

Of course, it wouldn’t be tortilla soup without tortillas.

I like to use the air fryer to make crispy tortilla strips for topping the soup. Use kitchen shears to cut corn tortillas into strips. Then spray with oil & pop them into the air fryer basket for a few minutes.

Get the full directions in this air fryer tortilla strips recipe.

 Don’t have an air fryer? No problem. You can fry strips in oil 2-3 minutes, until crispy. Then drain on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

Or use store-bought tortilla chips. Crush them onto the soup with your hands. It’s also a great way to use the remaining broken chips at the bottom of the bag!

How to make vegan tortilla soup

Peppers, onions, and garlic in soup pot on stove.

Sauté onions, bell peppers, and garlic in a soup pot with oil for a few minutes.

Pot of soup with sliced seitan.

Then add the following:

  • Diced fire roasted tomatoes
  • Black beans
  • Corn
  • Water
  • Better Than Bouillon no chicken base (or vegetable bouillon cube)
  • Tomato paste
  • Spices: Cumin, paprika, ancho chili powder, and salt
  • Chicken-style seitan

Bring to a simmer & allow the flavors to develop.

Tortilla strips in air fryer basket.

Make tortilla strips in the air fryer, fry them in oil in a skillet, or use store-bought tortilla chips to top the soup.

Ladle the soup into bowls & top with:

  • Tortilla strips or chips
  • Shredded non-dairy cheddar or crumbled vegan feta cheese
  • Avocado
  • A squeeze of lime

Hand squeezing lime wedge over bowl of soup.

How to store leftovers

Keep the soup in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to five days. (I think it tastes best on day three, once the flavors have really had a chance to meld.)

Obviously, you’ll want to store the soup separately from the toppings (chips, shredded cheese, avocado, and lime).

This soup also freezes well. Put cooled soup into a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. Then pop it into the freezer.

Once you’re ready to eat it, let the soup defrost in the refrigerator. Or use the thaw setting on the microwave. (If using the microwave, make sure the soup is in a microwave-safe container.)

Then heat in the microwave or stove, stirring occasionally until it’s hot. Then add fresh toppings.

Overhead black bean & seitan soup with crispy tortilla strips, avocado, and limes in bowl.

Bowl of soup with avocado and cilantro by napkin.

Vegan tortilla soup with black beans & seitan

This spicy soup is full of all the good stuff - corn, black beans, chewy seitan, and a flavorful tomato broth. Load it up with your favorite toppings like avocado, cilantro, and crisp tortilla strips for a full meal in a bowl. Make the tortilla strips in the air fryer or use bagged tortilla chips to save time.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan
Keyword: comfort food, tomato soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 363kcal
Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon organic canola oil
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes with juices
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup corn frozen or fresh
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base or vegan bouillon cube
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup seitan chopped
  • 2 batches air fryer tortilla strips or handfuls of tortilla chips
  • 1/4 cup shredded non-dairy cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

  • Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Add chopped onions, bell peppers, and garlic to the pot. Saute a few minutes, until fragrant and softened.
  • Add the following to the soup pot: diced fire roasted tomatoes with juices, drained & rinsed black beans, corn, water, Better Than Bouillon no chicken base (or bouillon cube), tomato paste, cumin, paprika, ancho chili powder, salt, and chopped seitan. Stir.
  • Bring the pot to a low simmer. Allow it to cook for 15 minutes, so that the flavors can develop & intertwine.
  • While the soup is simmering, make 2 batches of air fryer tortilla strips using 2 corn tortillas. The link to the recipe is in the ingredient list. (Or if you'd prefer, you can use store-bought tortilla chips.)
  • Ladle soup into four bowls. Top each one with shredded non-dairy cheese, cilantro, avocado, air fryer tortilla strips or crushed store-bought tortilla chips, and a couple of lime wedges. Have each guest squeeze lime onto soup right before eating.

Notes

For the seitan, I recommend a chicken-style seitan. I used the traditional variety of Upton's Naturals. Then I cut it thinly. Feel free to use the seitan of your choice, including chorizo-style seitan for extra spice.
For a gluten-free option, replace the seitan with 1 cup hydrated Soy Curls or a second variety of beans like chickpeas, Great Northern beans, or pinto. 
Instead of cooking the tortilla strips in the air fryer or using store-bought chips, you can also fry corn tortilla strips in oil. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until crisp. Then drain on paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 440mg | Potassium: 1030mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1153IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @cadryskitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #cadryskitchen!
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Posted On: May 18, 2020
Comment: Leave a Comment

About Cadry

Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

Comments

  1. Shell says

    May 19, 2020 at 8:19 am

    5 stars
    I agree with you, a soup like this is welcome anytime of the year! I love the addition of the crispy tortilla strips from the air fryer.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      May 19, 2020 at 2:47 pm

      Yes, got to love that extra crunch!

      Reply
  2. Alocasia says

    May 20, 2020 at 3:42 pm

    Would a cup of reconstituted soy curls work in place of the seitan?

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      May 20, 2020 at 3:45 pm

      Definitely! That would be a great option. I’d hydrate about 3/4 cup of dried Soy Curls. Let me know how it goes if you try it!

      Reply
      • Alocasia says

        May 21, 2020 at 12:16 pm

        5 stars
        We had this last night with the soy curls and fresh vaquero beans I made the night before. Can’t wait to have it again. 🙂

        Reply
        • Cadry says

          May 21, 2020 at 12:26 pm

          That sounds excellent! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for letting me know!

          Reply
  3. Samara says

    May 31, 2020 at 7:46 am

    5 stars
    I loved this delicious, warming soup so much it’s definitely going into regular meal rotation! Simple to make but rich in flavour and textures, it’s a winner!! Thanks for another great recipe Cadry 😍

    Reply
  4. Jane says

    December 15, 2020 at 1:14 pm

    5 stars
    I love this soup! Easy to make. Delicious to eat. It is in frequent rotation in my meal prep for work lunches.

    Reply
    • Cadry says

      December 15, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      Thank you for the great feedback, Jane! I’m delighted to hear that you are enjoying the soup.

      Reply

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Welcome

Hi, I'm Cadry Nelson. I'm the recipe creator, writer, and photographer behind Cadry's Kitchen.

Cadry's Kitchen is a vegan food & travel blog. It features plant-based comfort food classics that are ready in about 30 minutes.

You can also find travelogues & recommendations on where to eat vegan while traveling - even in unlikely places!

Contact me at cadryskitchen@gmail.com.

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