This vegan Tortilla Soup is made with seasoned jackfruit, black beans, corn, and crispy corn tortillas for an easy and delicious soup that can be made in just 30 minutes.
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Remember these Jackfruit Taquitos from the other day? Well, they were such a big hit at my house (and you guys seemed to like them, too) that I decided to make another Mexican-inspired jackfruit recipe for Y’all.
It’s vegan tortilla soup, friends! A deliciously spicy and smoky soup filled with seasoned jackfruit and topped with crispy tortillas and buttery avocado. This seasoned jackfruit is perfect for my vegan tortilla soup. Seasoned with cumin and chili powder and resembling the texture of chicken, it is my favorite whole food meat substitute for this recipe.
With Cinco de Mayo around the corner, this jackfruit tortilla soup is one to keep on hand.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
This soup is spicy, sweet, and filled with the perfect chicken replacement for a vegan tortilla soup like none other.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil – I suggest olive oil but any neutral-flavored oil will do.
- Jackfruit – One of my favorite whole food meat replacements, the stringy texture is similar to that of chicken or pulled pork. Read more about jackfruit below.
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Bell Pepper – Red, yellow, or green. Chef’s choice.
- Spices – Chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt
- Vegetable Broth
- Diced Tomatoes
- Black Beans – 1 (15) oz can or 3/4 cup dried beans
- Corn – Canned or frozen
- Toppings – Some of my favorite toppings are avocado, jalapeño, crispy tortillas (or tortilla chips), and fresh cilantro.
Recommended Equipment
Most importantly, you will need a good soup pot. I love my Dutch Oven from Le Creuset for soups. Made from cast iron, they are perfect for slow cooking and simmering soups and stews.
In addition, you will need a good chef’s knife, cutting board, a colander, a sauté pan, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How to Make Vegan Tortilla Soup
Step One – Prepare the Jackfruit
To begin, we must prepare the jackfruit. To do that simply follow these steps.
- Drain and rinse the fruit.
- Pat in dry with a kitchen towel.
- Shred the jackfruit.
When buying in a can, jackfruit comes in small triangles. At the base of the triangle, you’ll find a thick core. To shred it, hold the core between your thumb and forefinger and gently press up while pressing into the fruit with your thumb. The tops will easily shred into what you see below.
Watch this video to see it for yourself.
Once the jackfruit is shredded, sauté it with a bit of oil and salt until it is lightly browned and cooked all the way through.
Step Two – Sauté the Vegetables
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot sauté onions and garlic until they are translucent and fragrant. Add bell peppers and jalapeño. Once peppers are tender, stir in browned jackfruit and spices to the soup pot, stirring until spices have coated the jackfruit and onion/pepper mixture.
When the veggies are tender, add the broth, tomatoes, corn, and black beans. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover with a lid to let simmer for 20 minutes.
Step Three – Fry the Tortillas
Heat the remaining oil in your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add corn tortillas and pan-fry for 2 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel and let cool before cutting it into thin slices.
Serving and Storing
Serving – Let the soup cool 10 minutes before adding tortillas, avocado, jalepeño, and cilantro and serving. Pair it with my restaurant-style guacamole and cucumber margaritas for a delicious Mexican-inspired meal.
Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To thaw the soup, move it into the refrigerator the night before. When ready to serve, gently reheat the soup over medium heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
For those of you who are unfamiliar, jackfruit is a large green tropical fruit that, when green, has very little flavor. The stringy texture, however, is similar to that of chicken or pulled pork, making it one of the most popular whole food vegan meat substitutes.
While some people buy jackfruit whole, I find getting it canned is the most convenient way to introduce jackfruit into your recipes.
Jackfruit is an incredible whole-food meat substitute. It has a similar texture to that of chicken or pulled pork and it takes on any flavors you give it. (Hello, Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos!)
When buying jackfruit in a can, it comes in small triangles. At the base of the triangle, you’ll find a thick core. To shred it, hold the core between your thumb and forefinger and gently press up while pressing into the fruit with your thumb. The tops will easily shred into what you see below.
Watch this video to see it for yourself.
More Vegan Jackfruit Recipes
- BBQ Jackfruit “Pulled Pork” Sliders
- Vegan “Chicken” Taquitos w/ Jackfruit
- BBQ Jackfruit Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos with Creamy Slaw
- Vegan “Chicken” Salad Sandwich
Vegan Tortilla Soup with Jackfruit
Ingredients
Tortilla Soup
- 3 tbsp cooking oil, divided
- 1 (20 oz) can green jackfruit
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 (14 oz) can black beans
- 1 cup frozen corn
Toppings
- 1 ripe avocado, sliced
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded and sliced thin
- 4 small corn tortillas, fried and cut into strips
- a few sprigs of cilantro
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Lay on a paper towel and pat dry. Using your fingers, press the jackfruit chunks and the base to fan out, pushing it into large shreds. See this video for a visual. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add jackfruit and sauté until lightly brown, stirring frequently.
- In a large soup pot, add one more tbsp of oil. Once hot, add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add bell peppers and jalapeño and sauté for another 3 minutes until bell pepper is tender.
- Stir in browned jackfruit and spices to the soup pot, stirring until spices have coated the jackfruit and onion/pepper mixture.
- Pour in vegetable broth, tomatoes, corn, and black beans. Bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, heat the remaining tbsp of oil in your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add corn tortillas and pan-fry for 2 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel and let cool before cutting it into thin slices.
- Once the soup is ready to serve with corn tortillas, avocado, jalapeño, and cilantro.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Nikki says
Made it exactly as directed (with the exception of cheating on store bought tortilla strips as toppings), and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Kimberly@FoodTalko says
I have never tried a recipe that feature jackfruit before, but this looks really good. Can’t wait to give this a try.