Vegan Pozole Recipe with Pinto Beans (Posole Rojo)

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This easy Vegan Pozole with pinto beans is a delicious Mexican stew that is packed full of flavor. Ready in just 30 minutes, with rich spices, crunchy veggies, and chewy hominy – this healthy soup is perfect for a quick one-pot meal.

My Instant Pot has been a lifesaver on busy weeknights, when I want something hearty, filling, and flavorful but do not have time to spend standing in front of a stove all day. And while traditional pozole is not typically a vegetarian or vegan friendly dish, I love the deep spices that give pozole such a satisfying and warming feel. Since the base of posole (spices + hominy) are vegetarian friendly, I figured why not replace the traditional meat with healthier beans and create a vegan pozole in my Instant Pot!

Top it with diced red onions, diced tomatoes, cilantro, lime wedges, guacamole, crushed tortilla chips (or for a non-vegan option: Plain Greek Yogurt or Shredded Cheese) – and you have got yourself an easy weeknight meal that feels like it’s been cooking all day!

The great thing about this recipe: It makes for amazing leftovers and tastes even better the next day because the flavors have more time to blend together!

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy to make
• No meat: Made with pinto beans instead of pork!
• High in fiber and plant protein: 8 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein in every serving!
• Nutritious, filling, tons of flavor
• Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free
• Can be made in the Instant Pot or on the stove top (we have directions for both here!)
• The ultimate comfort food dish
• Easy to customize!

How to Make The Best Vegan Pozole

Ingredients and Notes

This vegan version of pozole can easily be made with simple ingredients found at your local grocery store!

Extra virgin olive oil, Red or white onion, and Garlic: You’ll saute onion and a few cloves of garlic in olive oil to start this recipe.

Yellow Bell Peppers: You can use any peppers you like in this vegan recipe — orange peppers, red peppers, green bell peppers, or even poblano peppers would all taste great.

Baby Spinach: For some added greens!

Spices: Cumin, Chile Powder, Ancho Chili Powder, Coconut Sugar, Sea Salt, Bay Leaves. Feel free to adjust the spices depending on how much heat you want this

Pinto Beans: I used canned pinto beans to save time. You could also use black beans or red kidney beans if you don’t have pinto!

Can of Hominy: This might be the most important ingredient in this vegan posole recipe, because hominy is what makes posole, posole!

Vegetable Broth and Tomato Paste: Combine these together to get the base of your vegan pozole rojo broth!

Equipment Needed

• An Instant Pot or Large Stock Pot
• Chopping Knife
• Cutting Board
• Garlic Press
• Can Opener
• Cooking Spoon

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Turn the Instant Pot to saute on low. Add olive oil through garlic, saute 5-10 minutes

Step 2: Add the cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, coconut sugar and salt. Saute another 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Add tomato paste, bay leaf, pinto beans, hominy and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.

Step 4: Secure lid of the instant pot. Press “pressure cook” and set timer to 15 minutes (you’ll be cooking at high pressure this whole time). Natural release. Turn off your instant pot and open the lid. Give your pozole a good stir and let it sit uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Step 5: Top with anything you like! (e.g. cilantro, lime, avocado, etc)

How To Make on the Stove Top

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers, spinach, garlic, tomato paste and spices. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until the onions have caramelized slightly. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, simmer for about 30 minutes until all of the flavors have combined. Serve this delicious meal with warm corn tortillas or any other toppings you like!

Recipe FAQs

How to Store and Keep

This recipe makes enough for a large crowd with plenty of leftovers!

To Store: Let leftovers cool completely. The leftovers will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container for about a week

To Freeze: Transfer the posole to freezer-safe, airtight containers or bags with as little air as possible to prevent freezer burn. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. To Reheat: thaw overnight in the fridge, and warm over low heat on the stovetop or microwave.

Serving Suggestions

A good pozole is all about the toppings! Here are our favorite toppings:

• Fresh Herbs and Garnishes: Fresh Cilantro, Fresh lime juice, Chopped radishes, Chopped green onions, Diced tomatoes
• Crunchy Toppings: Crushed tortilla chips, Pumpkin seeds
• Creamy Toppings: Avocado or guacamole, vegan sour cream, or a vegan yogurt
• Your Favorite Salsa: salsa verde or even a pico de gallo would work well
• Non-Vegan Toppings: If you don’t need to make this recipe vegan, you can use a shredded Mexican cheese blend, sour cream, or Plain Greek Yogurt!

Expert Tips For Making This Vegan Pozole Recipe

• If you don’t have an instant pot or pressure cooker, you can make pozole on the stove top, it will just take a little longer.
• Ready-to-eat Hominy is sold in the canned section of the supermarket. You can also cook it yourself but it takes much longer! If you choose to cook dried hominy on your own, follow the same process as you would for dried beans.
• You can experiment with different types of beans in this recipe: black beans, kidney beans, even navy beans would all work well. Or you could do a combination of beans and make this a 4 bean pozole!
• Feel free to mix up the veggies used in this dish. I used bell peppers and spinach primarily, but you can use anything you have in your fridge. You can even make this a vegan pozole verde by using 1/2-1 cup of salsa verde along instead of tomato paste when making your pozole.
• Don’t forget the toppings! Our favorites include: Cilantro, Lime juice, Avocado or guacamole, Chopped radishes, Chopped green onions, Diced tomatoes, Crushed tortilla chips.

More Soup Recipes!

• Spicy Tomato Bean Veggie Soup
• Black Bean Hominy and Kale Stew
• Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup
• Skinny Broccoli and Cheese soup
• 30 Vegetarian Soups and Stews
• 65 Vegetarian Mexican Recipes

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