Vegan Slow Cooker Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe

Black beans, fresh vegetables, and a rich vegetable broth give this Mexican Vegetable Soup Recipe tons of flavor. The whole recipe comes together in the slow cooker making it a delicious soup for busy families.

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This easy to make Mexican vegetable soup (Sopa de Verduras or Caldo de Verduras) is a complete meal in one bowl which I absolutely love on hectic weeknights when everyone gathers around the table and is HUNGRY!

Thick tomato sauce based soups and stews always seem to go over well with the whole family and is a great way to incorporate plant-based meals into our dinner routine. This one is particularly nice because you can switch up the veggies for different flavors. Don’t have chipotle chiles? Use chili powder! Want to add green chilies or poblano peppers instead of red bells? Go for it!

The secret is creating a solid foundation. The base of a good vegetable soup starts with slowly sautéed onions that have been seasoned generously with salt and pepper. This brings out their natural sweetness and flavor. Once you’ve got a good base then you can add your other ingredients.

This soup has chili vibes but is much more brothy with loads more vegetables. It has nice seasonal touches like sweet potatoes and spicy touches like chipotle peppers. Plus the ease-factor makes it a favorite for another good reason: I love the fact that the whole thing—dried beans and all—go into the slow cooker in the morning and are tender and ready when dinner rolls around.

As always, I’m a sucker for lots of toppings. Keep it simple with crispy tortilla strips and cilantro or go crazy and add a squeeze of lime juice, sour cream, creamy avocado, or minced red onion.

Ingredients

Nothing fancy here. Everything you need for this main course soup is easily available at any grocery store.

• Olive oil
• Yellow onion
• Red bell pepper
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• 4 cloves garlic
• Carrots
• Dried Mexican oregano or regular dried Mediterranean oregano
• Chipotle peppers in adobo
• Green beans or Mexican squash or zucchini
• Black beans
• Tomato paste
• Sweet potato
• Crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
• Vegetable broth or homemade vegetable stock
• Corn tortillas or tortilla chips
• Fresh cilantro
• Sour cream, for garnish if you are not vegan

How To Make This Recipe

step one

Sauté onions and peppers. Set the multi-cooker (Instant Pot) to the sauté function and add the olive oil. Let oil heat for a minute or two then add the onions and bell peppers. Season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.

step two

Add fresh veggies. Add garlic, carrots, oregano, chipotles, and tomato paste. Stir about 30 seconds to cook the tomato paste a bit and have it coat the veggies. Once it has darkened in color, add the sweet potatoes, crushed tomatoes, black beans, and broth.

step three

Slow cook. Put the lid on and set the multi cooker to slow cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. If you can stir it every couple of hours or so that would be ideal but it will be fine if you don’t.

step four

Add green beans. Stir in the green beans and continue cooking for another hour.

step five

Make tortilla strips. Meanwhile, make the tortilla strips for garnish. Heat oven to 400°F. Cut the corn tortillas into strips and place on a baking sheet. Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt . Spread into an even layer and bake until crisp, about 10-15 minutes.

step six

Serve. Taste soup and add more salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and top with tortilla strips and cilantro. Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It actually tastes better the next day!

How To Make This On The Stovetop

1. Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers and salt. Cook until soft.
2. Add garlic, carrots, oregano, chipotles and tomato paste. Stir about 30 seconds then add sweet potatoes, canned tomatoes, black beans and broth. You will have to add and additional 2 cups of broth for the stove top version.
3. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to medium heat or just so it is simmering. Simmer until beans are tender. This could take anywhere from 1-2 hours.
4. Add green beans, cook about 15 minutes longer. Taste and add more salt if needed.
5. Serve with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Top 5 Most Popular Soup Recipes

1. Slow Cooker Caldo de Pollo
2. Tangy Green Tomato Chili
3. Pork Pozole Rojo Recipe
4. Vegan Pozole Verde
5. Green Tomato Soup with Sausage and Rice

I Hope You Love This Meatless Recipe

Because we sure do! Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see, or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

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