This quick and easy Instant Pot vegetable soup recipe is made exclusively with kitchen staples, and it’s jam packed with flavor! Best of all, this Instant Pot recipe is 100% Vegan and Vegetarian!
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Soup is a year-round staple in our family. It’s budget friendly because it stretches ingredients a little longer, plus the entire meal is served in a bowl, which makes cleanup much easier.
So when I can find a soup recipe my whole family loves, like this plant based Instant Pot Mexican Vegetable Soup, it goes right into my regular recipe rotation!
It’s ultra hearty, yet not too heavy, so it makes for a great light dinner. A large pot of soup is so simple to make too. With canned and frozen ingredients I almost always have, I can throw everything for Mexican soup into a large soup pot, let it cook and then serve it with store-bought tortilla chips or I make my own tortilla chips.
This soup has a rich, tomato-y broth, plenty of hearty, filling vegetables, and just the right amount of spice without actually being spicy. Best of all, this vegetarian soup is made with kitchen staples, so there’s no extra trip to the grocery store required!
Of course this version is inauthentic and only inspired by flavors of Mexican cuisine I enjoyed while traveling to Mexico, so I want to direct you to a more authentic version, if that’s what you’re looking for! Either way, making a big-pot meal is a great way to feed the entire family on a budget.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
With a savory broth and plenty of healthy veggies, this Mexican Instant Pot vegetable soup is just perfect. This recipe is great because:
- Not only is this a great main course for dinner, it’s the perfect lunch too. It won’t weight heavy on your stomach but will keep you full until dinner time.
- With all of the fresh vegetables and canned vegetables in this dish, there are loads of different health benefits. If you’re looking for a flavorful way to eat more veggies, this would be it!
- This recipe is great for meal prep. It stores and reheats really well and won’t take long to make during your main meal prep day for the wee.
Ingredients
These simple ingredients make the most comforting soup.
- Vegetable Stock: Use either homemade or store-bought broth or stock to add lots of flavor. If you aren’t following a vegetarian/vegan diet, chicken broth would work well too.
- Black Beans: One can of canned black beans is perfect, or you can make your own beans in the Instant Pot.
- Corn: I used frozen yellow corn, but canned corn or fresh corn works wonderfully too!
- Canned Tomatoes. I used a can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes from Aldi, but any kind of diced tomatoes would work well.
- Potatoes: Use one large or two medium russet potatoes. You can also substitute Yukon or red potatoes if that’s what you have on hand.
- Onion and Garlic
- Bell pepper: I prefer to use red bell pepper in this recipe, but any bell pepper will work.
- Spices: Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Salt & Pepper
- Serve with, all optional: Cilantro, lime, dairy free sour cream, and/or tortilla chips.
Variations and Substitutions
This vegetarian soup can have tons of different vegetables added to it. Zucchini, kidney beans, green beans, carrots, pinto beans, and any other canned or fresh veggies you want.
While this is a meatless recipe, you can add chicken breast or ground beef if you want. Ground turkey and ground chicken would be tasty too!
If you are not concerned about keeping this vegetarian, then you can use chicken stock or beef stock.
Add extra flavor to this dish by using canned fire-roasted tomatoes. You can also use fresh tomatoes instead of canned if you prefer!
For some added spice and flavor, mix some green chilies or chipotle chilis into the soup. Spices like red pepper and cayenne pepper would be great to add some spice to the Mexican flavors of this veggie soup.
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
The great thing about this recipe is how little hands-on work there is to do. The only actual prep work you need to do is a bit of chopping!
Truthfully, this entire recipe is unbelievably easy to make. That’s the beauty of the Instant Pot! I promise that even novice cooks can pull this off with ease! Here’s how to make it, step by step:
Peel and dice the potato, then dice the pepper and onion. Mince the garlic, then slice the lime in half too. Then open the cans of beans and corn, and rinse them well.
That was the bulk of the work you needed to do! Dinner is even closer now.
Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Heat the oil, then add the onions. Saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are translucent. This should take about 4 minutes.
Next, all in the rest of the soup ingredients. Then cover and set to High Pressure for 12 minutes.
Once done, manually release the pressure by carefully turning the steam release valve (Quick Pressure Release/QPR). After the steam has released, open the Instant Pot and give it a stir.
Use a ladle to serve the soup in bowls. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top each bowl with a dollop of Vegan friendly sour cream, fresh cilantro leaves, creamy avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
For a little crunch, serve it with tortilla chips, sprinkle crispy tortilla chips on the bowl, or enjoy it all on its own!
How to Make Instant Pot Vegetable Soup in the Slow Cooker
If you’d like to make this easy Mexican vegetable soup recipe in your slow cooker, simply follow the instructions above, but skip the step that has you sauté the onions. Just add all the soup recipe ingredients to your slow cooker, turn it to high, then cover and cook for 2-3 hours. Garnish and serve!
How to Store Leftover Instant Pot Mexican Vegetable Soup
To store: Transfer to an airtight container. Set in the refrigerator and store for 4-5 days.
To reheat: Add the mixture to a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then serve. Alternately, microwave on High for 2-3 minutes in a microwave safe bowl.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
This delicious soup can be served all on its own, or paired with many different things. Serve with fresh corn tortillas or flour tortillas, or even a big slice of cheesy garlic bread. There are tons of toppings for this soup too. Pico de gallo, guacamole and salsa would all be tasty!
Cornbread, dinner rolls and breadsticks are all great sides for this hearty soup as well.
Tips for Success
Check out these few simple tips to have the perfect Mexican Instant Pot vegetable soup:
- To make the individual servings go further, serve the soup with a bit of rice or some cooked quinoa. However, don’t store the rice or quinoa with the soup.
- If you add lots of extra vegetables, you may need mix in more vegetable stock to make the broth go further.
- You can make this soup on the stove top with a big soup pot if you don’t have a pressure cooker or slow cooker.
FAQ
Adding lime juice or lemon juice, and some olive oil, to a veggie soup helps to make a more rich and flavorful broth. It is also important to have a variety of different veggies and to add plenty of seasonings and spices.
I prefer the flavor of sautéed onions in soup, but there is no problem in putting raw onions in a soup. For the slow cooker method of this recipe, raw onions can be added in. For the Instant Pot version, though you can use raw onions, using the sauté setting to cook the onions first adds a ton of flavor to the dis!
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Instant Pot Mexican Vegetable Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 ounces vegetable stock
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 large russet potato or 2 medium potatoes, about 1.5 cups diced
- 1/2 medium onion about 1/2 cup diced
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 15 ounces fire roasted tomatoes or diced tomatoes
- 1.5 cups black beans rinsed, about 1 can
- 1.5 cups corn frozen or canned
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoons cumin
- 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings, all optional
- 3 Tablespoon cilantro
- 1 lime sliced
- 1/8 cup plant based sour cream optional
- 1 avocado optional
- tortilla chips optional
Instructions
- First, do the prep work. You’ll want to peel and dice the potato, then dice the pepper and onion. Mince the garlic. Open the can of beans and rinse it well.
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Heat the oil, then add the onions. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Next, all in the rest of the soup ingredients: Corn (it’s fine if they’re still frozen!), beans, garlic, tomatoes, spices, and broth! Cover and set to High Pressure for 12 minutes.
- Manually release the pressure by carefully turning the steam release valve (Quick Pressure Release/QPR). Once the steam has released, open the Instant Pot and give it a stir.
- Use a ladle to serve the soup in bowls. Top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, cilantro leaves, diced avocado, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For a little crunch, serve it with tortilla chips or enjoy it all on its own!
Video
Notes
- Slow Cooker Adaptation: Follow the instructions above, but skip the step that has you sauté the onions. Simply add all the soup recipe ingredients to your slow cooker, turn it to High, then cover and cook for 2-3 hours. Garnish and serve!
- To store: Transfer to an airtight container. Set in the refrigerator and store for 4-5 days.
- To reheat: Add the mixture to a sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then serve. Alternately, microwave on High for 2-3 minutes in a microwave safe bowl.
Nutrition
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