30-Minute Vegan Tortilla Soup with Black Beans, Corn and Baked Tortilla Strips

A 30 minute vegan tortilla soup built in one pot with black and pinto beans, corn, green chiles and smoky tomato broth, topped with oven-crisped tortilla strips.

VeganHigh ProteinHigh FiberIron-RichContains GlutenMeal Prep
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
30-Minute Vegan Tortilla Soup with Black Beans, Corn and Baked Tortilla Strips — A 30 minute vegan tortilla soup built in one pot with black and pinto beans, corn, green chiles and
Illustration generated by AI · SDXL

30-Minute Vegan Tortilla Soup with Black Beans, Corn and Baked Tortilla Strips is a vegan dinner recipe made with corn tortillas (6-inch), olive oil, fine salt. It takes 30 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 468 calories, 18 g of protein and 20 g of fiber.

The tortilla strips bake while the soup simmers, so everything is ready at the same time and nothing gets fried. Blooming the cumin and smoked paprika in oil with tomato paste gives the broth depth quickly, and mashing some of the pinto beans against the side of the pot thickens it without a blender. Two torn tortillas simmered into the broth add the toasty corn flavor the soup is named for.

Ingredients

4 servings

Baked tortilla strips

Soup

To serve

Kit: Large pot or Dutch oven, Rimmed baking sheet

Cook mode · 30-Minute Vegan Tortilla Soup with Black Beans, Corn and Baked Tortilla Strips

Tips

  • Start the oven before you chop anything: the strips bake during the first half of the soup, which is what keeps the whole recipe inside 30 minutes.
  • Slightly stale tortillas crisp faster and more evenly than fresh ones. If yours are very fresh and moist, expect to need the upper end of the baking time.
  • Broths vary a lot in saltiness. Season lightly during the simmer and adjust after the lime juice goes in, since the acid changes how salty the soup tastes.
  • Add the tortilla strips to each bowl just before eating so they stay crunchy.

Swap ideas

Use two cans of black beans instead of one black and one pinto
A slightly firmer, earthier soup; mash a few extra beans since black beans thicken the broth less than pintos.
Replace the canned green chiles with 1 finely diced fresh jalapeño, cooked with the onion
Brighter, sharper heat and a less tangy broth.
Swap the baked strips for a handful of crushed store-bought tortilla chips
Skips the oven entirely; check the chips' ingredient list and hold back a little salt in the soup.
Stir in 1/2 cup salsa in place of the tomato paste and chili powder
A looser, tangier broth with whatever heat level your salsa has.

The numbers

468kcal per serving

Protein17.9 g
36% DV
Fiber19.9 g
71% DV
Carbs75.1 g
27% DV
Fat14.1 g
18% DV
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
Saturated fat
2.1 g 11%
Sugars
8.7 g
Sodium
1671 mg 73%
Potassium
1271 mg 27%
Calcium
191 mg 15%
Iron
5.6 mg 31%
Vitamin C
47 mg 52%
Vitamin B12
0 µg 0%

% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.

Sources: Tortillas, ready-to-bake or -fry, corn, without added salt, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Salt, table, Onions, raw, Garlic, raw, Spices, cumin seed, Spices, paprika, Spices, chili powder, Spices, oregano, dried, Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, Peppers, hot chili, green, canned, pods, excluding seeds, solids and liquids, Soup, vegetable broth, ready to serve, Beans, black, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Beans, pinto, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt, Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels cut off cob, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Lime juice, raw, Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties, Coriander (cilantro) leaves, raw

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the tortilla strips with 2 teaspoons olive oil and a pinch of salt on a rimmed baking sheet, then spread them out in a single layer so they are not overlapping.

  2. Bake the strips for 8–11 minutes, stirring once halfway, until light golden and crisp at the edges. Pull them before they turn deep brown; they keep crisping as they cool on the pan.

  3. While the strips bake, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent, 4–5 minutes.

  4. Stir in the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano and tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens a shade and the spices smell toasty, about 1 minute.

  5. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, the green chiles, vegetable broth and torn tortillas, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

  6. Stir in the black beans, pinto beans, corn and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until the torn tortillas have dissolved into the broth and the corn is hot through.

  7. Mash a few spoonfuls of beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon and stir them in to give the broth a little body. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the lime juice, then taste and add more salt if needed.

  8. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the diced avocado, cilantro and a generous handful of baked tortilla strips. Serve with lime wedges and sliced jalapeño if you like.

Storage: Cool the soup and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat on the stove until steaming, adding a splash of broth or water if it has thickened. Store the cooled tortilla strips separately in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, and cut the avocado fresh when serving.

Questions

How much protein is in 30-minute vegan tortilla soup with black beans, corn and baked tortilla strips?
Each of the 4 servings has 18 g of protein, 20 g of fiber and 468 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
Is 30-minute vegan tortilla soup with black beans, corn and baked tortilla strips vegan?
Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
How long does 30-minute vegan tortilla soup with black beans, corn and baked tortilla strips take to make?
10 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking, so 30 minutes of hands-on time.
Can you make 30-minute vegan tortilla soup with black beans, corn and baked tortilla strips ahead?
Cool the soup and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months; reheat on the stove until steaming, adding a splash of broth or water if it has thickened. Store the cooled tortilla strips separately in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, and cut the avocado fresh when serving.
What can I substitute in 30-minute vegan tortilla soup with black beans, corn and baked tortilla strips?
Use two cans of black beans instead of one black and one pinto — a slightly firmer, earthier soup; mash a few extra beans since black beans thicken the broth less than pintos.. Replace the canned green chiles with 1 finely diced fresh jalapeño, cooked with the onion — brighter, sharper heat and a less tangy broth.. Swap the baked strips for a handful of crushed store-bought tortilla chips — skips the oven entirely; check the chips' ingredient list and hold back a little salt in the soup.. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa in place of the tomato paste and chili powder — a looser, tangier broth with whatever heat level your salsa has..
Does 30-minute vegan tortilla soup with black beans, corn and baked tortilla strips contain gluten?
Yes — the ingredient list includes gluten. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.

Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.

Published October 21, 2026 ·Mexican