Tortilla soup is a traditional Mexican soup made with fried corn tortilla chips / strips dunked in a creamy tomato broth served with fresh avocados and sour cream. Although it is popularly known as Tortilla soup, the highlight of this soup is the sour cream. It enhances the flavor of the tomatoes and spices, and leaves a lasting impact on the tongue, leaving you asking for more! So the next time your garden or your local market is flooded with juicy tomatoes, just bring them into your kitchen and make this delicious and comforting Mexican style Tortilla soup. Let’s get to making…
WHAT YOU WILL NEED for TORTILLA SOUP
Ingredients
Note: 1 cup = 235 ml
- 2 Tbsp. Avocado oil or any cooking oil
- 2 garlic pods, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 red bell peppers fresh, diced
- 2 lbs. or 1 Kg. tomatoes, diced (approx. 10 medium tomatoes)
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. paprika chilli powder
- 1 tsp. cumin powder
- Salt to taste (2 ½ tsp. salt)
- 1 liter vegetable broth/stock (low sodium) or 4 cups water
- 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 4 cups tortilla chips or (4 corn tortillas cut into strips and deep fried)
- 2 avocados, sliced – optional
If fresh peppers are not available, you may substitute 14 oz. can of roasted bell peppers instead
When tomatoes are not in season you can use diced tomatoes from the can. The soup does not taste good with tomato paste / puree however
You can cut plain corn tortillas into strips and either deep fry or air-fry them before adding to this soup, or you can simply use ready-made tortilla chips
Kitchen tools
- 3 or 6 qt. Instant Pot / Pressure cooker / Large stock pot
- Flat ladle
- Immersion blender
PREPARATION – TORTILLA SOUP (with step-by-step photos)
Step 1 – Set the Instant Pot on sauté mode and add 2 Tbsp. avocado oil. If using a pressure cooker or a stock pot, set it on medium heat
Step 2 – When the oil is hot add 2 chopped garlic pods and dices of 1 medium sized onion (I used a yellow onion) and sauté until the onions are translucent
Step 3 – Add the 2 diced red bell peppers, 2 lbs. diced tomatoes, ½ cup chopped cilantro, 1 Tbsp. paprika chilli powder, 1 tsp. cumin powder, salt to taste (2 ½ tsp. salt) and 1 liter of vegetable broth or stock
You can just add 4 cups water if you do not have stock/broth handy
Step 4 – Mix everything with a flat ladle, cover with lid and set Instant Pot on Manual High mode for 5 minutes with valve in sealing position. If using a regular pressure cooker, cook for up to 5 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker to release naturally. If using a stock pot bring everything to a rolling boil, cover and simmer until tomatoes are tender. Turn off the heat
Step 5 – Blend everything with an immersion hand blender. Alternately, cool the mixture and blend in batches in a blender or food processor. Bring the blended base soup back to a boil if it was cooled down for blending
Step 6 – Gently stir in 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt, and 1 Tbsp honey
Step 7 – Enjoy your sublime Tortilla soup with tortilla chips and avocado slices😋
Avocados are optional, but we like to add them as it makes the soup healthier and filling
Growing up, I thought that there was only one vegetarian soup in this world and that was a tomato soup. Be it a street side restaurant, railway catering hall, or a five star restaurant, the humble tomato soup was a regular feature in every menu, and in many cases the only soup option. If you can relate to this, you wouldn’t be surprised to assume that soup only meant tomato soup. When I later started to explore other cuisines, I learnt that there existed other types of soups and some of them were so unique and tasty that for a very long time I had stopped ordering tomato soup at restaurants. But on a recent visit to a fantastic Mexican restaurant here in Calgary – Native Tongues Taqueria – we decided to get their only vegetarian soup that night – their famous Tortilla Soup, which of course, was tomato-based. The taste brought back old memories and even my kids loved it so much that we ordered seconds. I just couldn’t resist recreating it at home and am now able to share it with all of you.
Tortilla Soup
Course: SoupsCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesTortilla soup is a traditional Mexican soup made with fried corn tortilla pieces dunked in creamy tomato and sour cream broth
What You Will Need
2 Tbsp. Avocado oil or any cooking oil
2 garlic pods, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 red bell peppers fresh, diced
2 lbs. or 1 Kg. tomatoes, diced (approx. 10 medium tomatoes)
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. paprika chilli powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
Salt to taste (2 ½ tsp. salt)
1 box vegetable broth/stock (low sodium) or 4 cups water
1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. honey
4 cups tortilla chips or (4 corn tortillas cut into strips and deep fried)
2 avocados, sliced – optional
Preparation
- Set the Instant Pot on sauté mode and add 2 Tbsp. avocado oil. If using a pressure cooker or a stock pot, set it on medium heat
- When the oil is hot add 2 chopped garlic pods and dices of 1 medium sized onion (I used a yellow onion) and sauté until the onions are translucent
- Add the 2 diced red bell peppers, 2 lbs. diced tomatoes, ½ cup chopped cilantro, 1 Tbsp. paprika chilli powder, 1 tsp. cumin powder, salt to taste (2 ½ tsp. salt) and 1 liter of vegetable broth or stock
- Mix everything with a flat ladle, cover with lid and set Instant Pot on Manual High mode for 5 minutes with valve in sealing position. If using a regular pressure cooker, cook for up to 5 whistles. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker to release naturally. If using a stock pot bring everything to a rolling boil, cover and simmer until tomatoes are tender. Turn off the heat
- Blend everything with an immersion hand blender. Alternately, cool the mixture and blend in batches in a blender or food processor. Bring the blended base soup back to a boil if it was cooled down for blending
- Gently stir in 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt, and 1 Tbsp. honey
- Enjoy your sublime Tortilla soup with tortilla chips and avocado slices😋
Thank you for stopping by. If you’ve tried this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Please add your comments below and / or rate this recipe. Your feedback will help me improve and share better recipes with you. Also, please consider subscribing to my newsletter using the signup form below.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Rajee. It means a lot to me! The purpose…
Excellent step by step explanation and illustration of the various steps involved in making this recipe. The do’s and dont’s…
Seems to be different and tasty recipe. Need preparations to prepare it. Thanks for sharing!
We love it too! Especially during summers.
Looks very appetizing !! Going to try .
This is one of my favourite soups. So much flavour and so comforting.
So glad hear that you love this recipe! Thanks!
Perfect for this chilly weather! It looks absolutely amazing can’t wait to try the recipe, thanks!
Thanks Farah! Can’t wait to hear back!
This looks so delicious and tasty! My husband is going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!
Thanks Beth!
What a fabulous and flavorful soup! Perfect on a cold winters night.
Thanks Andrea!
Prefect tortilla soup recipe! Family approved!
Thanks Joanna!
I tried soup recipe and its simple, quick and delicious. Thank you, Aparna for this delicious recipe.
Thanks for giving this recipe a shot, Mandakini. I’m really glad you liked it!
I tried this recipe and it’s a hit in our family.
I just skipped the onion garlic.
Thank you Aparna
This looks super delicious! at first I though it was going to be like taco soup, but wow! This looks sooo much better! I can almost taste it through the screen! I’ll have to try this when the weather gets colder! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Katherine! If you end up making it, do let me know how it turns out.
I look forward to trying this! I’m a big soup fan and I’m always looking for ideas for my instant pot! Looks yummy 🙂
It’s one of our absolute favorites, so do give it a shot, Yolanda. I would love to hear from a fellow soup fan