Vegan pozole verde is the perfect comfort food in a bowl. You can easily make pozole without meat and have all the traditional flavors!
Pozole, but make it vegan! If you’re asking yourself, “what is pozole?” I’ve got it all right here. Traditionally, pozole is a soup made with hominy and pork. I’ve taken those classic flavors and added them to mushrooms and beans to get that same chew (without the meat). Pozole verde takes it a step further by using tomatillos to add a rich green color.
This soup is great for serving a crowd. It can be a main dish on its own or the perfect small bowl starter for a multi course feast. It would be wonderful served with tacos and salad. Everyone can customize their bowl with toppings and up the spice if that’s what they’re after! Pull up a bowl and join me.
Ingredients for Vegan Pozole
This vegan pozole requires a bunch of pantry staple flavors and adds some flair with hominy and tomatillos. Head over to your local Mexican mercado to get the freshest ingredients!
- Flavor Base: Onions, garlic, and jalapeños are the base for our soup.
- Cumin and Oregano: These add richness and build up our flavor even further.
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms often stand in for meat as they can have a meaty texture. Keep the slices thick enough so they retain some chew. I love using button mushrooms here, but you could use any mushroom variety.
- Hominy: This de-germed corn is a staple in Mexican cuisine.
- Pinto Beans: Add protein here (plus, I love the texture in soup)!
- Tomatillos: This fun ingredient adds green color and subtle chew to the pozole.
- Veggie Broth: Any soup needs broth! Feel free to use plain vegetable broth or amp it up with a vegan “pork” broth base.
- Lime Juice: This finishes everything off and ties it all together.
Tomatillo Tip
While tomatillo might seem to mean “little tomato,” it actually isn’t a tomato! They are related but have a more acidic and less sweet taste than tomatoes. Unlike most produce, tomatillos are most flavorful when unripe, hence the green color. Remove the paper husk just before using, and rinse off the stickiness with warm water before dicing.
How to make Pozole Without Meat
There’s lots of dicing, draining, and sautéing here but it’s all quick and easy! You’ll have the full pot on simmer in no time.
Step 1: Flavor Base
Add your diced onion, jalapeño, and garlic and season it up. This is the first layer to making just about any soup!
Step 2: Mushrooms
This step takes a good five minutes. You want the mushrooms to let all their water out and begin to brown. This ensures the flavor isn’t watered down.
Step 3: Fillings
Add the prepared tomatillos, beans, hominy, and broth. Cover and let simmer for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Step 4: Finish
Just before serving, give a quick squeeze of lime and add salt and pepper to taste. Let everyone adjust their spice to their liking and add their favorite toppings.
Recipe tips
Top it Off: Serve with sliced radish and avocado! Chopped fresh cilantro is also always a great idea.
Enjoy Later: If storing longterm, I recommend freezing this vegetarian pozole before adding lime and seasoning. This will help give the soup a fresh taste when reheated.
Crowd Pleaser: If you have a large enough pot, this soup is easily doubled to feed a crowd.
Create a Flavor Fiesta
Serve this pozole verde with our other vegetarian Mexican recipes for a real feast!
- Homemade Tortilla Chips but make them strips, instead! The perfect crunch on top.
- Mexican Street Corn Salad is a nice cool side to this hot soup.
- Mexican Paletas, because no feast is complete without the perfect dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp oil 15 mL
- 1 yellow onion finely diced, about 1 cup
- 1 jalapeno deseeded and finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 8 oz sliced button mushrooms 226 g
- 1 15-oz can hominy drained, 425 g
- 1 15-oz can pinto beans drained, 425 g
- 1 lb tomatillos diced, 450 g
- 4 cups vegetable broth 950 mL
- 2 Tbsp lime juice 30 mL
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Garnishes: sliced radish, avocado, cilantro
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cook until onion is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Mushrooms: Stir in mushrooms, cooking until they release out their moisture, about 5 minutes.
- Fillings: Stir in hominy, beans, tomatillos, and broth. Cover and let gently simmer for 20 minutes.
- Finish: Right before serving, add lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper (taste and add more as needed). Serve hot with garnishes.
Margaret says
Delicious! I just made this and it’s so good. Only changes I made were used half cremini and half button mushrooms and I also blistered my tomatillos under the broiler before cutting them up. Highly recommend!
Sarah Bond says
YUM! So trying the blistered tomatillos next time. Happy you liked it, Margaret! 😀
Alicia Taylor says
I really want to try this, but my husband won’t touch mushrooms most of the time. What can I sub for them?
Sarah Bond says
You could try subbing it with seasoned and sautéed eggplant or zucchini!