Tortilla Soup Gumbo

Soup is such a cozy and comforting meal, and this tortilla soup gumbo hits all my favorites about soup. Customizable, favorable, hearty, warm, and just comforting.

Quick Overview → Making the Soup

This Tortilla Soup Gumbo is surprisingly easy to make. The soup starts with simple vegetables and aromatics, cooked until soft and fragrant. From there, the soup is built in layers — adding each ingredient intentionally to create deep, complex flavor without a complicated process.

For the full ingredient list and step-by-step instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

I love topping this soup with homemade corn tortilla strips for extra crunch. If you’d like to make your own, you can find my easy baked method here:
👉 Homemade Corn Tortilla Strips (Baked & Crispy)

Serving the Soup

I love serving this soup family-style, right in the pot, with all the toppings laid out so everyone can build their own bowl.

Toppings I set out:

• Cooked rice (on the side)
• Shredded cheese
• Cilantro (or parsley)
• Homemade corn tortilla strips
• Sour cream
• Avocado (sliced or cubed)
• Hot sauce

(You can use store-bought tortilla strips in a pinch, but homemade really takes this over the top.)

How I plate mine:
Rice on the bottom, soup on top, then all the toppings — especially extra tortilla strips and a good drizzle of hot sauce.

Want to Make It Vegan or Vegetarian?

This recipe adapts beautifully:

• Chicken stock: swap for vegetable stock
• Shredded chicken: omit and add extra beans or sautéed mushrooms
• Toppings: skip or adjust as needed for your diet

Still hearty. Still cozy. Still delicious.

Why I Love This Recipe

Slow Cooker Friendly

Add all ingredients (except the rice) to the slow cooker and cook on medium-low for 4–6 hours.

Freezer Friendly

This soup freezes beautifully (without toppings). Make a big batch and stash it away for busy nights or last-minute meals.

A Little Backstory

(Originally published in 2016 — refreshed and loved ever since.)

Spring always comes in like a lion around here — snow, rain, warm days, cold sleet… sometimes all in the same week. This was the kind of weather my dad used to combat with a big pot of Tex-Mex-inspired tortilla soup.

I added black beans and rice to make it heartier and stretch further — especially helpful when feeding a crowd.

Fun fact: Gumbo is traditionally a Louisiana stew made with a deeply flavored stock and hearty ingredients. While this recipe doesn’t use the classic “Holy Trinity” of vegetables, it does have that same thick, comforting, stick-to-your-bones energy — which is exactly why I call it a Tortilla Soup Gumbo.

It’s also high in protein, with about 37g per serving.

If you’d like to cut back on carbs, simply skip the rice and tortilla strips — I always serve the rice on the side so everyone can choose.

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©Photo, Prop Styling, and Food Styling by Jenn Smith