Home » Type » Soups + Stews » Vegan Pozole (Posole Verde)

Vegan Pozole (Posole Verde)

Vegan Pozole Verde is made with pinto beans, hominy, tomatillos and jalapeno for a delicious and vibrant flavorful Mexican main dish perfect for a hearty and delicious lunch or dinner! Stovetop, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker!

top down view of bowl with posole verde with spoon and items surrounding.

Today, we celebrate a Mexican-inspired dish called Posole, or green pozole in this case!

Pozole, which means hominy, is filled with lots of umami flavor and is simple, hearty, and delicious. It’s a traditional Mexican comfort food that’s often served for special occasions but is also a weekly staple for many.

When I ran across this recipe from William + Sonoma, I knew I had to create a vegan version using beans instead of chicken. It did not disappoint in the least and is an absolutely cozy and delicious meal!

So when you’re looking for a healthy and satisfying meal, I think you’ll love this vegan Pozole Verde. It’s a no-fuss recipe that can be made on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or in a slow cooker!

So without further ado, let’s make Pozole!

top down view of ingredients used to make posole verde with pinto beans and tomatillos.

Ingredients You’ll Need

In this posole recipe, onion, garlic, peppers, and herbs are sauteed and simmered with pinto beans, hominy, and tomatillos, creating a delicious meal that’s between a soup and stew.

Here is everything you will need, plus ideas for substituting ingredients:

  • Pinto beans – or use your favorites such as chickpeas, cannellini, black beans or tri-blend
  • Hominy – for ease use canned, but 2 cups freshly cooked is great too
  • Tomatillos – fresh, bright, with a lemony flavor, tomatillos add texture and heartiness
  • Herbs – dried cumin and oregano add just the right amount of flavor
  • Aromatics – garlic and onion, if you don’t have fresh garlic sub with 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • Chili pepper – I used a jalapeno, feel free to use 1 small poblano or 1 small can of diced green chilies
  • Broth – I use 1/2 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon Veg Paste (affiliate link) with water for my broth. It’s a great way to control what you’re adding and a jar lasts a long time.
side by side photos showing the process of making posole verde.

How To Make Vegan Pozole Verde

(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post and includes an Instant Pot and slow cooker method)

  • In a large pot, saute the onion for 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, jalapeno, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add the pinto beans, hominy, and tomatillos.
top down view of vegetable broth added to pot to make verde posole.
  • Pour in the vegetable broth.
top down view of posole stirred and ready to simmer.
  • Give it a good stir, bring it to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Add lime juice (shown below).

And now you’re ready to enjoy this simple, savory green posole!

Top Tips

  • Pozole is between a soup and a stew. If you prefer it a little soupier, add more broth.
  • This vegan pozole recipe is super easy to make on the stovetop, in an Instant Pot, or in a slow cooker (see recipe card below).
  • Change up the pinto beans, using your favorite – chickpeas, cannellini, great northern, black beans, etc.

top down view of freshly made pot of healthy posole verde.

How To Store

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator in a covered container.
  • Freezer: This vegan pozole is freezer-friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer-safe containers, leaving 1/2-inch head space for expansion. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags (remove as much air as possible before zip-locking). Let thaw before reheating.
  • Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 60 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm.

Serving suggestions

Posole is traditionally served with a variety of condiments and garnishes such as:

  • sliced avocado
  • radish slices
  • squeeze of lime
  • fresh oregano or cilantro leaves
  • shredded lettuce or cabbage
  • sliced chili peppers
  • tortilla chips or warmed flour or corn tortillas

Or serve with a few sides or main dishes for a hearty meal:

side angle view of bowl with posole verde with spoon and items surrounding.

More Tex-Mex Recipes!

If you try this posole recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

Print

VEGAN POZOLE (POSOLE VERDE)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 34 reviews

Somewhere between a soup and stew, this Posole Verde is hearty, flavorful and full of textures! Quick and easy recipe, ready in about 35 minutes.

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 4 – 6 1x
  • Category: Entree, Soup
  • Method: simmer, instant pot, slow cooker
  • Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 large jalapeno, diced (leave a few seeds for heat if you like)
  • 34 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 heaping teaspoon cumin
  • 1 heaping teaspoon oregano
  • 1 can (25 – 28 oz) hominy, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans (14 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 medium tomatillos (about 1 lb.), husks removed, well rinsed and chopped
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, + more as needed
  • 12 juicy limes
  • mineral salt + pepper, to taste

To Serve, optional

  • cilantro leaves
  • sliced avocado
  • sliced radish
  • shredded cabbage or lettuce
  • limes wedges
  • tortilla chips or warmed flour or corn tortillas
  • chili peppers

Instructions

Stovetop: In large pot, heat oil/water over medium, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Add the pinto beans, tomatillos, hominy and vegetable broth, bring to a boil, cover askew, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Add lime juice and season to taste.

Instant Pot: Set the Instant Pot to SAUTE, heat the oil/water, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Add the pinto beans, tomatillos, hominy and vegetable broth. Cover with lid and turn to the lock position. Set the valve to SEALED. Set Instant Pot to HIGH pressure and manually adjust the time to 20 minutes. Let naturally release for 10 minutes, and turn the valve to VENTING to release remaining steam. Add lime juice and season to taste.

Slow Cooker: In the bowl of a slow cooker, place all the ingredients and give a good stir. Cook on LOW for 6 – 8 hours or HIGH for 3 – 4. Add lime juice and season to taste.

Serves 4 – 6

Serve: Ladle soup into individual serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro, avocado (highly recommended) and radish, or any of the optional garnishes.

Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For longer storage, keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Notes

Change up the pinto beans using your favorite – chickpeas, cannellini, great northern, black beans or tri-blend.

Nutritional information is calculated without oil and with 2 cups of vegetable broth.

FOLLOW TSV on FacebookInstagramPinterestYoutube, Subscribe (email), or RSS for more recipes and inspiration!

50 Comments

  1. I loved this! Not hard to make, but delicious. The only substitution I made was that I didn’t have tomatillos, so I added a can of green enchilada sauce. And I actually added some frozen shrimp at the end, since I was making this for a dinner with our pescatarian daughter (sorry if this offends any vegans here, but I wanted to add the suggestion for others like me who aren’t vegan but still appreciate good vegetarian recipes that can be adapted). Thanks for the great recipe!






  2. Tasted amazing! I so missed pozole and this absolutely hit the spot. Could this recipe be pressure canned?

  3. Not sure how our calorie counts are so different…mine says 390 for 1 of 4 servings. I guess either the pintos or the hominy because I used no oil & just water for broth. Anyways, whatever the calorie count, I love the recipe and have made it several times. Thanks for sharing it!






    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Deb! After double checking the ingredients, there was a mistake and now reads 382 calories. I’ve calculated without oil and 2 cups of vegetable broth. Thank you for pointing that out and hope this helps everyone. I hope you the pozole often! :)

  4. Very good. Made in the instant pot. Super easy and delicious!






  5. Not only is this stew DELICIOUS, all three of my kids like it! The only thing I’m annoyed about is that I waited so long to make this recipe. So good!






  6. This one is going in the regular rotation, it’s truly one of the best vegetarian Instant Pot recipes I’ve tried. I doubled it for a community event and while no one there had ever heard of posole, the reception was very positive. The only thing I did different was to add additional cooked pinto beans (just about double the amount of beans in the recipe) at the end because the posole was more brothy than I personally prefer. I cooked my pintos from dry beans in the Instant Pot (30 minute pressure cook with quick release) in 6 cups of vegetable broth, then reserved the resulting bean broth to use in the posole. Wouldn’t change a thing other than that. I’ve been on the hunt for relatively simple/quick budget meals and this one hit all the right notes. Downright delightful.






  7. My favorite vegan pozole recipe! I make it all the time exactly as the recipe is written (with radishes, cilantro, and tortilla chips as garnishes). My sister (not vegan) likes it so much she makes this exact recipe and just adds shredded chicken for more protein!






  8. To much of lime flavor and I did not even add the Lime. I think is the tomatillos.






Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star