Rice Cooker Tortilla Soup

Easy to make Rice Cooker Tortilla Soup (I also have stove top and slow cooker directions) is one of the easiest ever soup recipes and a family favorite! This vegetarian Mexican-inspired soup is made with a tomato broth base and makes a great budget friendly weeknight dinner

You’ll love that this recipe comes together in one pot, and is a meal in itself.

This recipe comes from my Cupboard Cooking Cookbook. I also published the easy tortilla soup recipe on the blog earlier this year. This cookbook has been my go-to cookbook lately with my kitchen under construction for so long. But I wanted to make it even easier to make and a little bit heartier.

In the original recipe the onions and corn tortillas were fried in the skillet on the stove. Then the simple ingredients were simmer in tomato broth.

For this updated version I added corn, brown rice, and black beans. I also decided to use dried onion flakes instead of sautéing them, and swapped fried corn tortillas for tortilla chips for convenience.

And I’m in love with the outcome! So hearty and delicious – veggies, rice, and beans simmered in that lovely seasoned tomato broth – so good!

This vegan soup recipe is just as good as any restaurant, but way more budget friendly. So, skip going out to Qdoba, Cheesecake Factory, or El Pollo Loco, and stay home. Be sure to check out more Frugal Meals to Save Money as well!

We appreciate your support

Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.

Why you’ll love this

• This vegan tortilla soup recipe is super easy to make
• No need to precook anything; just toss everything in the pot
• It’s dairy-free, low in carbs, and full of healthy goodness
• It reheats and freezes well for future meals, making it great for meal prep too

How to make

Let’s take a quick look at how to make this recipe, because this recipe is super easy.

The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.

Rice cooker:

Add all ingredients except tortilla chips to the bowl of the rice cooker. Cover the cooker with the lid, and set to cook for 45 to 60 minutes, or until rice is tender.

Stove top:

Place all ingredients except tortilla chips in a medium saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat, and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Slow cooker:

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours, until the rice is tender.

more how to

Regardless of the method you used to make the soup, taste for seasonings. Depending on the broth and the tortilla chips you use, you may need to adjust the salt to taste at the end.

Top each serving with a handful of broken corn tortilla chips. I really like the {affiliate link} Guerrero Toastdas that you see in the picture because they aren’t covered in salt the way that some store bought chips can be.  

Make-Ahead Tip: the soup gets more flavorful the longer it sits, so it’s a great make ahead option. Make a big batch and eat it for lunch throughout the week. The rice may soak up some of the broth, so as you reheat, you might need to add broth or water.

How to store

• Store leftover soup without toppings in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• You can also freeze the soup without toppings in an airtight container for up to two months. When you’re ready to eat it, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat soup by bringing it to a boil in a saucepan or reheating it in the microwave.

Toppings

The soup is delicious just as it is, but you can have fun and top it with so many different things. Here are some starter ideas. You could even do a toppings bar for your family and make a taco bar party out of it.

• Garnish with fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley
• Toss on some shredded cheese or crumbled Cotija cheese
• Make it creamy with sour cream or avocado
• Serve it with fresh lime wedges for squeezing in
• Kick up the spiciness with some jalapeno slices
• Garnish with some veggies like chopped red onion, pickled onion, black olives, or salsa
• You could also top it with {affiliate link} pre-made tortilla strips instead of chips

Variations to the recipe

Soup recipes are great because once you have a strong base, you can mix it up in numerous other ways. Here are some starter ideas for this bean soup and rice recipe.

• Add chicken. Even use last night’s leftover rotisserie chicken. It makes a great chicken tortilla soup!
• Out of black beans, use white beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, or really any beans you like
• Up the veggies by adding red pepper, celery
• Yes, you can use white rice; it will cook more quickly so you’ll have to check it early
• Wild rice and black rice will have a similar cook time as the brown rice and can be swapped
• Regular or low-sodium chicken broth may be used instead of the vegetable broth
• Ro-tel makes different levels of heat in their tomatoes, feel free to try them all out. They even have a chipotle one that would be great
• Add in some spices like homemade taco seasoning, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, or Tajin

Serving suggestions

This soup is a meal on its own, but you might want to pair it with some no knead bread, Mexican Corn Salad, or Shrimp Quesadillas.

You can also reuse the leftovers in a fun new way if you strain the goodies out of the soup and use them as a great taco or burrito filling!

More Mexican inspired soup recipes

I love Mexican flavors, and have lots of easy to make ones on the blog. Check out my Black Bean Enchilada Soup, Crock Pot Mexican chicken, and Chili Verde Stew.

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