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Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup

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This creamy, flavor-forward, Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup is the perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner! It takes just 20 minutes to throw together and uses just a handful of pantry staple ingredients. It’s healthy but super hearty so the meat-eaters in your life won’t even realize that it’s totally vegetarian!

Overhead shot of a large pot of vegan lentil tortilla soup garnished with fresh chopped cilantro

You’ll Love This

  • It’s SO quick and easy! We are talking 20 minutes from start to finish. Which means you can walk in the door and have dinner on the table in a flash. The only prep required is chopping an onion and mincing a few cloves of garlic!
  • It’s vegan, but you’d never know it! This vegan lentil tortilla soup is a delicious meatless meal, but it’s also hearty and loaded with tons of familiar Mexican flavors, fiber-filled beans, and veggies! Top it with delish garnishes – tortilla strips, sour cream, and fresh cilantro – and the meat-eaters in your life are never even going to know that it’s vegan!
  • It’s a great meal prep recipe for a busy week! I love having a big pot of soup in the fridge for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week. This lentil tortilla soup and my Vegan Curry Lentil Soup are two of my favorite 20-minute soups!
  • This vegan lentil tortilla soup reheats beautifully which makes it one of our family’s favorites. Spend 20 minutes prepping on Sunday and you’ve got healthy, hearty meals all week!
Close up shot of a large pot of vegan lentil tortilla soup garnished with fresh chopped cilantro

Instructions

Saute onion in olive for 3-4 minutes in a large heavy bottom pot.

Add garlic, cumin, chili powder and chiles in adobo.

Stir and cook for another minute. 

Add black beans, corn, lentils, tomatoes.

Add V8 and coconut milk (this is my favorite brand!) along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper. 

Stir to combine and simmer over medium heat. 

Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through. Add lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish and enjoy!

Overhead shot of a large pot of vegan lentil tortilla soup garnished with fresh chopped cilantro

Tips

  • Don’t worry about the coconut milk giving this vegan lentil tortilla soup a coconutty flavor. The spices in this dish are going to flavor the coconut milk so much that you really won’t taste coconut at all. Also, the sweetness of the coconut milk is going to help balance out the acidity from the tomatoes which is why I love it in this recipe!
  • If you’re not worried about this soup being vegan, you can substitute 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream in place of the can of coconut milk. You may have to add just a teaspoon or so of granulated sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes if you’re using heavy cream as you’ll be losing that hint of sweetness from the coconut milk.
  • This is a simple recipe, so make sure that you salt LIBERALLY. Salt throughout the recipe and also season to taste with salt and pepper at the end too. Don’t be afraid of the salt in this recipe – it’s really going to boost the flavors of all the ingredients!
  • Feel free to use whatever lentils you have on hand if you don’t have split red lentils. Split red lentils cooks in 5-7 minutes. But if you use another kind of lentil, you’ll have to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Check the cook time on your lentils and start with the lowest recommend time. Taste the lentils throughout the cooking process and take the soup off the heat as soon as the lentils are tender and cooked through!
Close up shot of a bowl of vegan lentil tortilla soup garnished with fresh chopped cilantro

This is not an Authentic Tortilla Soup Recipe

  • This is in no way meant to be a classic tortilla soup recipe. This is my Midwestern vegan twist on tortilla soup using ingredients that my family commonly has in our kitchen.
  • If you’re looking for some background history on this delicious Mexican dish, here’s a brief summary.
  • While tortilla soup originally came from Mexico, the exact origin is actually still unknown, however, traditionally, tortilla soup is made with onion, garlic, chicken broth, roasted tomatoes, and fried tortilla strips.

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Overhead shot of a bowl of vegan lentil tortilla soup garnished with fresh chopped cilantro
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Creamy Lentil Tortilla Soup

★★★★★

5 from 38 reviews
  • Author: Kylie Lato
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
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Description

This creamy, flavor-forward, Vegan Lentil Tortilla Soup is the perfect quick and easy weeknight dinner! It takes just 20 minutes to throw together and uses just a handful of pantry staple ingredients. It’s healthy but super hearty so the meat-eaters in your life won’t even realize that it’s totally vegetarian!

Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1–3 teaspoons chiles in adobo, optional
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz.) can corn, drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup split red lentils
  • 32 oz. V8 or other brand vegetable juice
  • 1 (13.5 oz.) can full fat coconut milk
  • juice of 1 lime

Garnish: 

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
  2. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder and chiles in adobo and cook, stirring frequently for another minute. 
  4. Add black beans, corn, lentils, tomatoes, V8, and coconut milk along with a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. 
  5. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 
  6. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.  
  7. Add the juice of 1 lime and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Garnish and enjoy!

Notes

Don’t worry about the coconut milk giving this vegan lentil tortilla soup a coconutty flavor. The spices in this dish are going to flavor the coconut milk so much that you really won’t taste coconut at all. Also, the sweetness of the coconut milk is going to help balance out the acidity from the tomatoes which is why I love it in this recipe!

If you’re not worried about this soup being vegan, you can substitute 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream in place of the can of coconut milk. You may have to add just a teaspoon or so of granulated sugar to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes if you’re using heavy cream as you’ll be losing that hint of sweetness from the coconut milk.

This is a simple recipe, so make sure that you salt LIBERALLY. Salt throughout the recipe and also season to taste with salt and pepper at the end too. Don’t be afraid of the salt in this recipe – it’s really going to boost the flavors of all the ingredients!

Feel free to use whatever lentils you have on hand if you don’t have split red lentils. Split red lentils cooks in 5-7 minutes. But if you use another kind of lentil, you’ll have to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Check the cook time on your lentils and start with the lowest recommend time. Taste the lentils throughout the cooking process and take the soup off the heat as soon as the lentils are tender and cooked through!

  • Category: Main Dish – Soup
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Mexican/American

Keywords: easy lentil soup, lentil tortilla soup, vegan chicken tortilla soup, vegan Mexican soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cindy

    This was very easy to make provided you have all the ingredients to hand. It was really delicious and you can adjust the amount of chilli you put in to your taste. I will definitely make this again. Thank you

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Cindy! I totally agree – this is an easy “pantry ingredient” dinner! Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

      • Kylie Lato

        Yes – you could totally cook this in the crockpot! Just add all ingredients to the crockpot insert. Then the cooking time will depend on whether you cook on high or low. If you choose high, I’d check the lentils after about an hour, if you choose low I’d check them after 2 hours. When the lentils are cooked through, the soup is ready!

  3. Charity

    So good and so easy!! Thank you. Next up, your creamy white bean and kale soup!!
    ps so happy to find some new vegetarian recipes that are quick and easy

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Charity! You will not be disappointed with that white bean soup – it’s one of my favorites! Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  5. Barbara

    This recipe was fantastic. We really enjoyed the flavors. I used ancho chili powder instead of the chipotle. My husband and I are not fans of chipotle. I also cooked it in the instant pot. The coconut milk really added a lot to the texture. Very smooth. Thank you for this recipe. It will be my forever tortilla soup recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I LOVE ancho chili powder!! We used to get it all the time, but haven’t for a while. I definitely need to do add it to my list and give it a try in this soup. Thanks so much for leaving a review, Barbara – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

      • Kylie Lato

        I’m not sure if Barbara will see that you asked her a question, but I would guess that it would just need 3-5 minutes on the manual setting as you’re just cooking the red lentils which take about 5-7 minutes to cook through when simmered on the stove. Other lentils would definitely take a bit longer to cook through. Hope that helps, Adriana!

  6. Morgan

    Looks so great! I’m making it tonight for my husband and I in the crockpot. Should I I’m going to wait to add the coconut milk until 30 minutes before we eat, should I also wait to add the lentils? I don’t cook with them often so I don’t want to mess them up. Also, does this freeze well?

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Yay! 1. You can add the coconut milk at the beginning – no problem with that. 2. You can add the lentils at the beginning also, just make sure you serve the soup as soon as the lentils are cooked through. 3. This freezes great! Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months! Also, when cooking in the crock pot – the cook time will depend on whether you do high or low. If you choose high, I’d check the lentils after about an hour, if you choose low I’d check them after 2 hours. When the lentils are cooked through, the soup is ready!

      Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Katherine! And glad you were able to use what you had on hand. Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  8. Diane

    Loved the recipe and the family loved it as well. I have people who don’t like tomatoes and even coconut and they loved this recipe as well. The only thing I added was roasted red pepper. My family is now asking for more which makes me happy and it’s affordable. Great recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I love the addition of roasted red pepper!!! What a great idea 🙂 Glad that your family enjoyed it – even the picky eaters! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Diane. I really appreciate it!

      Reply

  9. Rosita

    My 16 year old daughter made this recipe for dinner last night. It was so delicious! It was creamy, rich and hearty. My whole my family loved it.!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Yay!!! I love hearing that my recipes get kids in the kitchen!! And what a testament to how easy this recipe is – although I’m sure your daughter is an excellent cook! This is one of our family’s favorites and I’m so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for leaving a review, Rosita. I really appreciate 🙂

      Reply

  10. Penny | SparklingPenny

    Lentils and tortillas are always in my store cupboard. This is the perfect meal for my hungry boys. Thank you for this.

    Reply

  11. Lori

    This is the most delicious soup ever! So quick and easy to make. The only thing I will change when I make it next will be the amount of chili pepper. Lol. Probably just one teaspoon for me. The best part of this soup is…. leftovers!

    Thank you,

    Lori in St. Louis, MO

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Lori – I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Nothing wrong with adjusting the spices to suit your taste; great tip for others too! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  13. Jessie

    Made this for my husband and I using Spicy Hot V8. Turned out to be one of the best tortilla soups either of us have ever eaten…didnt even miss the chicken! So so SO tasty with plenty of leftovers 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I never thought to add the spicy V8 – that’s a great way to add some subtle spice! So glad that you guys enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review 🙂

      Reply

  14. Candice

    This recipe was easy to follow, simple ingredients and absolutely delicious. My whole family loved it. As I am trying to get them to eat more plant based meals, this recipe made it easy to help convince them!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Candice! They are always the toughest critics 🙂 Thanks so much for leaving a review – I really appreciate it.

      Reply

  15. Danielle Bohm-Meyer

    Okay, this soup is going into the weekly meal rotation. It is so tasty, filling and easy to make. I added jalapeños, sour cream, vegan cheese and tortilla chips as garnish! Healthy comfort food! And so much good plant based protein. Try this recipe. You won’t regret it. And trust me, you don’t taste the coconut cream at all.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I could not agree more!! The coconut milk flavor really does disappear with all the other spices that are added. I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe – and really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review!

      Reply

      • Kylie

        Is it possible to sub out the coconut milk for unsweetened almond milk (that’s all I have on hand) or will it change the texture/taste?

      • Kylie Lato

        I think it may change the texture and flavor, but it’s worth a shot! I’d recommend adding a bit less if you are going to use almond milk as it may end up thinning out the soup too much. Would love to hear how it turns out if you try it. Great question, Kylie. And I LOVE your name 😉

  16. Lisa

    I do not often leave reviews on recipes, but this one is worth it! Absolutely delicious! I did not have a fresh jalapeno so I added a small can of diced green chilis. I do not care for cilantro so I added some dried parsley and coriander. I will make this again and again! Thank you for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. Elaine

    I made this for a friend and they loved it! I saved some for my family as well and it was fantastic!!!! We will be making this one again and again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  18. Christina

    This recipe was absolutely amazing! It was like a soup/chili. I did not even miss the meat, I don’t think any meat lovers would miss the meat either. The coconut milk (which I was able to find in my local supermarket, the same exact one that she recommended)

    The flavors in this recipe are unbelievable! I will definitely try it again with different lentils as mine took a little bit longer to cook. Will absolutely make this again! Wonderful for if you are having guests coming over and if it is a little cooler outside. Make a little toppings bar, and everyone is satisfied! Thank you so much for this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      WOOHOOO! This might be the best review ever!! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe – isn’t that brand of coconut milk the best?! Could not agree more – a soup bar would be a great way to feed a large group or host a fun dinner! Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it 🙂

      Reply

  19. Kenny

    This soup was already off to a great start when I realized I had everything in my pantry to make it! (Except the Black beans, but I subbed in Pintos!) It was really easy and quick. I will definitely be making this again very soon! It was so delicious. 10/10 would recommend 😉

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  23. Christy C.

    Thank you for this recipe. I’m honestly making it again this evening because I still have adobo chiles and vegetable juice leftover from the last time I made this. You cannot taste coconut at all (I’m thankful!), and the lentils give hearty, toothy texture. My hubs doesn’t get home to eat dinner til around 11pm and this is so easy to throw together late! Thanks again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Woohoo! SO glad you enjoyed this soup, Christy! I agree about the coconut milk, although I’m a huge fan so I wouldn’t even mind if you could taste it. It adds such a creamy texture though – love love love it. Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it! 🙂

      Reply

  24. Ellery

    Delish- def don’t need to use V8. Use tomato sauce instead. I also added Green chili’s for kicks

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  25. Bob

    Made this tonight. We are Vegan so made our own sour cream also roasted two ears of corn on the BBQ. Much better than canned corn. Loved the nice touch of heat and will freeze leftover.

    Thanks for this yummy recipe.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Yummmm – grill corn would be amazing in this soup! I’ve never made my own sour cream; sounds delish! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Bob. Thanks so much for leaving a review!

      Reply

  26. Renee

    I want to make this for dinner tonight but don’t have any V8. I was thinking about substituting with half tomato sauce and half enchilada sauce. Thoughts?

    Reply

  27. Summer Yule

    Very delicious recipe using ingredients in the pantry! I couldn’t get frozen or canned corn so I cut corn off the cob to make this. It was really great (though a little more work, of course). Thank you for the meal inspiration!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  29. Amanda B

    I made this tonight and it was very good. My one year old is a total soup kid and said it was delicious. I added a little less liquid and more lentils to make it a bit thicker and served with corn bread. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Isn’t that funny – soup is my daughter’s favorite food! It’s the one thing that I know she’ll eat! 🙂 Cornbread sounds AMAZING with this. Thanks so much for leaving a review, Amanda!

      Reply

  30. Alice Norton

    This was wonderful! Even my husband who tends to dislike meals that don’t include meat was really loving it. Thank you 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Yayy!!! I have a husband who feels the same way – his favorite thing to say about a vegan meal is “this would be great with chicken” 🙂 But he loves this soup too! I’m so glad that it was a hit in your house 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review, Alice!

      Reply

  31. Darcy

    This was the perfect soup for this rainy day but it would be amazing on any day! It was delicious! I will definitely be adding it to my meal planning rotation and probably many more of the other vegetarian recipes that I have found on your blog. 😊

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  34. Ruth

    This soup was delicious and is going in my go-to recipe collection for how simple, tasty, and healthy it is! I made a few substitutions just based on what I had at home- used chipotles in adobo instead of chilis, used only half an onion, and used Rotel style tomatoes and 1 diced fresh one instead of fire roasted. This soup is perfect for using whatever you have!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Ruth! And great job using what you had on hand!! Sounds delicious 🙂 Thanks for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!

      Reply

  37. Tish

    So quick & easy! This soup has a ton of flavor and I love that you can control the spice based on how much of the ancho chilis you decide to use. Makes it kid friendly. I will definitely be adding this to my rotating weekly recipes. Thank You! So so yummy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Tish! This is one our family’s favorites also because it’s so easy and versatile. Thanks so much for leaving a review!!

      Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Thanks for your concern, Brittany. However, there are several brands of vegan sour cream that would keep this dish completely plant-based. In fact, you can pretty much find a vegan version of almost anything at this point! 🙂

      Reply

  39. Katelyn

    First of all this dish was amazing. My fam and I are vegan and I have been so busy all week I haven’t had a chance to cook really and this meal came together so quickly while also being nourishing and enough for leftovers!

    Also I really appreciate you including the history of the dish this was inspired by and links for people to learn more!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Katelyn! I can guarantee the leftovers are going to be even better!! Also, thank you for your kind words – I am trying to include the origin of each cuisine in my recipe (if they are not American) and I’m glad that you enjoyed that! Thanks again! 🙂

      Reply

  40. Heather

    Hi, I haven’t yet made the recipe yet because I can’t print it without ads appearing on the print page. Is there any way you can remove that setting somehow? I don’t want to waste my ink on the dark black videos appearing, and I would really rather not have your recipe disrupted by ads – that’s the whole reason I’m printing it in the first place

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      Heather, the recipe card is set up to automatically print without ads. Check your print preview and you’ll see that it just prints the ingredients and instructions – no ads at all! If you’re seeing ads, you’ve likely changed something in your print settings and will need to adjust that back to the default setting. Also, a friendly reminder that ads are one of the biggest ways that bloggers are able to give you FREE recipes right at your fingertips. Thanks for the comment – hope you enjoy this soup!

      Reply

  41. LJ

    Wow!! This is a keeper!! So delicious! I omitted the sour cream and the oil just to eliminate some of the extra fat since the coconut milk has enough of its own. I also used brown lentils and simmered on low for about 35 minutes. Wonderful flavors! 10/10

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Kylie Lato

      For optimal flavor and texture, it’s important to use full fat canned coconut milk. I stress this because people often mistake coconut milk (that you buy in a carton, like almond or soy milk) for the kind of canned coconut milk I’m talking about in this recipe. You are more than welcome to use whatever you’ve got on hand. But low fat will give you a thinner texture and also less flavor. Fat = flavor. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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