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This hearty vegetable hominy soup is packed with chewy hominy, tender veggies, quinoa, and tofu, all simmered in a lime and cilantro broth. It’s a vegetarian (and vegan!) Mexican-inspired soup that comes together in one pot in just 45 minutes.
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This recipe is from my first cookbook, Plant-Based on a Budget, and it was inspired by my childhood love for the hominy in menudo. It’s filling, nourishing, and made with simple, affordable ingredients you can find at almost any grocery store.
Quick Glance
- Recipe Name: Mexican Vegetable Hominy Soup
- Why You’ll Love It: A hearty, one-pot soup with protein, veggies, and grains in every bowl.
- Time and Difficulty: 45 minutes, easy.
- Method: Sauté and simmer on the stovetop (or use a pressure cooker).
- Texture and Flavor: Chewy hominy and tender vegetables in a savory, citrusy broth.
- Quick Tip: Add more broth when reheating, since the grains keep soaking it up.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Hominy Soup
One pot: Everything cooks together, so cleanup is easy.
Hearty and filling: Hominy, quinoa, and tofu make it a complete meal.
Budget-friendly: Canned hominy, carrots, celery, and zucchini keep the cost low.
Great for leftovers: The flavor gets even better the next day.
If you love Mexican-inspired soups as much as I do, try my black bean soup, quick Mexican bean soup, sopa de fideo, and caldo de tofu, too.
Ingredient Notes
- Hominy: You’ll need one 15.5-ounce can. Canned hominy is ready to use, so just drain it. White or golden hominy both work.
- Grain: I usually use quinoa or white rice. Farro, bulgur, barley, and brown rice work too, but adjust the cooking time. Love quinoa in soup? Try my quinoa vegetable soup.
- Tofu: Super-firm tofu holds its shape best as it simmers. You’ll need half of a 16-ounce block.
- Vegetables: Onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and zucchini make a classic base.
- Broth: Use a rich vegetable broth or no-chicken broth for the most flavor. I really enjoy the no-chicken bouillon from Better Than Bouillon.
- Lime juice and cilantro: They add a fresh, tangy finish. Lemon juice works too.
You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
This soup is easy to change up with whatever you have on hand:
- More vegetables: Broccoli, bell peppers, or spinach.
- Root vegetables: Cubed potato, sweet potato, or butternut squash.
- Beans: Add cannellini beans, kidney beans, or chickpeas, with or instead of the tofu.
- Spicy: Add minced chiles, red pepper flakes, or hot sauce to taste.
- Flavor boosters: Mexican oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, 1 to 3 bay leaves, or 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste.
How to Make Mexican Vegetable Hominy Soup
Step 1: Sauté the aromatics: Slice the onion and celery, dice the carrots, cut the zucchini into half-moons, and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, then sauté the garlic and onion for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft.
Step 2: Add the carrots, celery, and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes. For the most flavor, let them brown a little.
Step 3: Add the hominy, grain, and tofu: Stir in the uncooked grain, tofu, and hominy.
Step 4: Simmer: Add the broth and lime juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grain and vegetables are tender. Add more broth if needed.
Step 5: Finish and serve: Stir in the cilantro, then taste and add salt, pepper, and more lime juice as needed. Serve hot, garnished with more cilantro.
Common Problems To Avoid
- Bitter quinoa: Rinse it first to remove its natural coating, unless the package says it’s pre-washed.
- Soup too thick: The grains keep absorbing broth, so add more as it simmers and when you reheat it.
- Mushy vegetables: Cut them into even, bite-size pieces so they cook at the same rate, and don’t simmer longer than needed.
- Needs more flavor: Add a squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt, or a little cumin or Mexican oregano at the end.
FAQs
Hominy is dried corn that’s been soaked in an alkaline solution, a traditional process called nixtamalization. It makes the kernels puff up and gives them a chewy texture and mild corn flavor. It’s the star of soups like pozole and menudo.
Hominy is made from corn kernels, so it’s technically a grain, but it’s often cooked and served like a vegetable in soups and stews.
Chickpeas or corn kernels both work well in this soup.
Yes. Stir them in right before serving so they don’t get mushy, and use less broth.
Yes. For the most flavor, sauté the garlic, onion, and vegetables first using the sauté function. Then add everything except the oil and cilantro and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a quick release. Stir in the cilantro before serving.
Yes! Soak it overnight, rinse it well, and simmer it for 1½ to 3 hours, until tender but still chewy. Then add it to the soup in step 3.
Serving Suggestions
This vegetable hominy soup is a meal on its own, but it’s also great with:
- Toppings: Cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, sliced radish, extra hominy, or vegan queso.
- Bread: No-knead bread, vegan garlic bread, dinner rolls, or flatbread.
- Cornbread: Jalapeño cornbread or vegan cornbread muffins.
- Side salad: A simple green salad.
Storage Instructions
- Fridge: Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 4 to 6 days. The flavor gets even better, but the grains will soften, so you can store them separately if you prefer.
- Freezer: Portion the soup into freezer bags, freezer-safe containers, or silicone trays and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat: Warm it on the stovetop over medium-low heat, or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring in between. Add a splash of broth, since the soup thickens as it sits.
More Hearty Vegan Soup Recipes
If you tried this vegetable hominy soup recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
If you’re loving my recipes and would like a more comprehensive resource, check out my cookbooks!
Mexican Vegetable Hominy Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 3 celery ribs sliced
- 2 zucchini sliced into half-moons
- 1 cup (about 180 g) uncooked white rice or quinoa
- 8 ounces (227 g) super-firm tofu cut into ½-inch cubes
- 15.5 ounces (439 g) canned hominy drained
- 8 cups (1.9 L) rich vegetable or no-chicken broth plus more as needed
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) lime or lemon juice plus more to taste
- ½ cup (8 g) minced cilantro plus more for garnish
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the carrots, celery, and zucchini and cook for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the uncooked grain, tofu, and hominy.
- Add the broth and lime juice and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grain and vegetables are tender. Add more broth as needed.
- Stir in the cilantro, season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice to taste, and serve hot with extra cilantro.
Notes
- Rinse the quinoa first, unless the package says it’s pre-washed.
- The size of your chopped vegetables and the amount of broth change the texture, so adjust to your liking.
- The grains keep absorbing liquid, so add more broth when reheating.
- Pressure cooker: Sauté the garlic, onion, and vegetables using the sauté function. Add everything except the oil and cilantro, cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then quick release. Stir in the cilantro before serving.
- No hominy? Use chickpeas or corn kernels instead.
![completed Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup [Stove + Crockpot] in two bowls on a white surface](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Screen-Shot-2023-12-06-at-10.47.55-AM-378x378.png)
This is so easy to make. I really enjoyed the comforting flavors during this chilly weather.
Happy to hear that you enjoyed this veggie soup 🙂 It’s definitely a great soup to cozy up to!