Vegan Pozole

By Alexandra Caspero on October 10, 2016

Vegan Pozole! Hearty, protein-rich, flavorful soup made with hominy, peppers and beans. Vegan and gluten-free.

Back in grad school, pozole was known as the ultimate hangover cure. My roommates would rock-paper-scissor to see who would run down to the taqueria Sunday morning to grab a few bowls. I vaguely remember the smell of chili pepper, rendered fat, and smoky broth.

A vegetarian then, I never got the chance to try pozole. While my roommates would argue over the last bite, I was comforted in my cheese quesadilla or breakfast burrito, two fabulous hangover cures in their own right. But, I’m always curious about traditional dishes that I miss out on.

Hence, the inspiration for this Vegan Pozole.

Vegan Pozole! Hearty, Protein-Rich Soup Made With Hominy, Peppers And Beans. Vegan And Gluten-Free | Www.delishknowledge.com

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon hominy in the store. I was instantly brought back to 2007, reminiscing about the previous evening over bowls of pozole. I’m sure hominy is used in countless dishes, but there’s only one that I know about. So, I bought a few cans, came home and got to work. I can’t promise that this is authentic pozole, but it’s pretty damn good.

Vegan Pozole! Hearty, Protein-Rich Soup Made With Hominy, Peppers And Beans. Vegan And Gluten-Free | Www.delishknowledge.com

You’ll need dried chilis to make the flavorful broth, which can be found in traditional grocery stores, specialty marts or online. I tend to find dried chilis near the produce section.

From there, it’s all about layering chili spices, hominy, and peppers. To up the protein, I added kidney beans, which provide the right amount of bite and heft. Pozole is like chili, it doesn’t really count if there aren’t toppings. Try lightly fried tortilla strips, radishes, cilantro, and avocado. Always avocado. 

This is one vegan stew you can enjoy all winter long, with or without a crazy night of tequila.

Vegan Pozole! Hearty, Protein-Rich Soup Made With Hominy, Peppers And Beans. Vegan And Gluten-Free | Www.delishknowledge.com

If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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Vegan Pozole! Hearty, Protein-Rich Soup Made With Hominy, Peppers And Beans. Vegan And Gluten-Free | Www.delishknowledge.com

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Vegan Pozole! Hearty, Protein-Rich Soup Made With Hominy, Peppers And Beans. Vegan And Gluten-Free | Www.delishknowledge.com

Vegan Pozole

  • Author: Alex Caspero
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: soup, dinner, healthy, vegan, glutenfree
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Vegan Pozole! Hearty, protein-rich soup made with hominy, peppers and beans. Vegan and gluten-free.


  • Author: Alex Caspero
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: soup, dinner, healthy, vegan, glutenfree
  • Cuisine: American
  • Author: Alex Caspero
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: soup, dinner, healthy, vegan, glutenfree
  • Cuisine: American
Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 dried chiles de arbol
  • 2 dried ancho chiles
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Yellow onion, diced
  • Poblano pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon each: chile powder, ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (can sub regular oregano)
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 2 x 15 ounce cans hominy, drained
  • 1 x 15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (I prefer Pacific Food’s vegetable broth)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
  • toppings of choice: sliced radishes, diced avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, crispy tortilla strips

Instructions

  1. First, remove the stems from the dried chilis and as many seeds as possible. Next, place dried chilis in a bowl with hot water, submerging the chilis with a plate if needed until soft, about 15 minutes. Then, transfer the chiles and 1 cup of the soaking liquid to a high-powered blender along with the garlic. Puree until smooth.
  2. Next, in a stock-pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and poblano pepper and cook until brown, very soft and tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. Then, add in the spices (chile powder, cumin, dried oregano, paprika) and cook another minute or two.
  4. Then, stir in 1 cup of the chile sauce (can add more depending on spice preference), hominy, beans, vegetable broth, bay leaf and bring to a boil.
  5. Next, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until thickened.
  6. Finally, stir in the lime juice and cilantro and season to taste as needed, with salt and pepper.

did you make this?

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Meet Alex Caspero

Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Chef, and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.

(31 comments) leave a comment

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    1. Charles Redmond
      January 3, 2021 AT 4:00 pm

      I now see where the garlic is added. For meat eaters adding shredded browned jackfruit makes a great meat like texture.






      1. Alex
        January 4, 2021 AT 9:09 am

        Love the idea of shredded jackfruit!

    2. Charles Redmond
      January 3, 2021 AT 3:37 pm

      A Mexican friend has adopted this recipe and serves it to her siblings, children and grandchildren in Mexico! It’s a hit! I have re-read it several times and no mention where or when to add the garlic. I am putting in at the same time as the dried spices.






    3. Chloe LaPorte
      December 26, 2020 AT 8:14 am

      This was delicious! We didn’t have a poblano so we substituted a Serrano. It was definitely a little spicy, but perfect for our tastes. I’m excited to have leftovers today as I think the thickening over night will make it even better. Thank you for the simple and tasty recipe!






    4. Darren Bean
      January 13, 2019 AT 5:37 am

      Recipe is awesome. FWIW, I added a yellow pepper to the poblano and some basil + chipotle to the spices. Also found that using the kidney bean + hominy water with bouillon (ILO broth) and dried shitake (2x) upped the umami.






      1. Alex
        January 13, 2019 AT 12:25 pm

        So glad you liked it! Thanks Darren!

    5. Karl
      November 9, 2018 AT 10:59 pm

      It says a lot about your worldview that you call Italian oregano “regular” even though Mexican food is native to your Homeland and the Europeans we’re immigrants.

      Thanks for sharing this recipe, it’s delicious.

      1. Alex
        November 11, 2018 AT 8:53 am

        Hi Karl, my dad is from Italy so actually, Italian oregano is “regular” to me. Glad you liked it!

    6. Joanna
      April 30, 2018 AT 5:41 am

      I omitted the chili powder (not missed from ‘heat’ or flavor) and used only 1/2 of the pepper sauce (wow, I could smell the heat after I took the cover off from blender). This was absolutely DELICIOUS and spicy enough. Layers of flavor and texture is very good, I also loved the extra protein with kidney beans!






    7. Bronson
      April 6, 2018 AT 7:17 pm

      this was super spicy and super flavorful. Put a bunch of lime in to balance out the heat, and it was perfect. Thanks for this!






      1. Alex
        April 8, 2018 AT 1:54 pm

        Thanks Bronson! Glad you liked it!

    8. Vanessa
      February 26, 2018 AT 12:05 pm

      Hi! Does the poblano pepper just add spice or is it essential to the dish? I want to make this tonight, but I don’t have a poblano.

      1. Alex
        February 26, 2018 AT 7:28 pm

        It does add some spice, but you can omit it if needed. A bell pepper would also work if you have that!

    9. Paula
      December 10, 2017 AT 8:49 am

      In the directions, it mentions adding in chili sauce. i don’t see that in the ingredients list. What is chili sauce and where can I find it?

      1. Alex
        December 10, 2017 AT 11:27 am

        Hi Paula, the chili sauce is what you make using the dried chilis in step number 1.

    10. MELISSA
      November 16, 2017 AT 8:30 am

      I would definitely add more water/broth since it is supposed to be brothy AND omit the chili powder & paprika. Then it you got it. But the essentials are there 🙂

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