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Ok, this was soooo good. It’s filling, colorful and delish. I also made the tortilla strips and WOW. Everyone went nuts over this combo.
katrina
Hi! Let’s make tortilla soup in the Instant Pot.
Also known as: let’s make an excuse to eat a complete buffet of Mexican toppings. You game?
This version of tortilla soup is two things:
- Easy. Like, pop it in the Instant Pot easy (although you can also make it without an Instant Pot if you have a few minutes to stand, stir, and simmer).
- DELICIOUS. There’s a classic smoky, limey, tomato-rich broth with onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tender chunks of sweet potato just to keep things interesting. Plus the essential crispy tortilla strips, and a few good hunks of buttery avocado to top it off.
And just like that, wham. You’re in BEST SOUP EVER territory.
Which is saying a lot, because I adore soup, and we have a lot of BEST SOUPS EVER here on the blog. Like this equally delicious chicken tortilla soup, this golden soup, and wild rice soup, and most recently, that lemon chicken soup with the pasta. What can I say? Add it to the list of greats.
Okay, I need to have a pep talk with you real quick.
I know you are tempted to just add tortilla chips to this tortilla soup and call it a day, but please. I beg of you.
FACE YOUR FEARS OF FRYING.
It is SO WORTH IT to make your own fried tortilla strips. Better shape – they make those perfect little tangled piles on top of your soup – and better taste, and better texture.
It’s not hard at all. Heavy pan, some hot oil, done.
Drain, salt, attempt self control.
Worth mentioning that in addition to being easy and so delicious, this is also clear-your-head-cold tortilla soup. When I was sick last week and feeling like I might never feel joy in my life ever again, I was legitimately lifted with every limey, spicy slurp.
No judgement for drinking straight out of the bowl on this one. Go ahead. Promise. I support you.
Check Out Our Video For How To Make Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup:
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup! A smoky, limey, tomato-rich broth with onion, garlic, jalapeño, crispy tortilla strips, and tender chunks of sweet potato.
Ingredients
Tortilla Soup:
- half an onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- one 28-ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo (canned), minced, or a dash of chipotle powder
- 1–2 cups sweet corn (optional)
Tortilla strips and toppings
- 12 corn tortillas
- oil for frying
- avocado
- cotija or queso fresco
- cilantro, red onion, lime wedges, etc.
Instructions
- Tortilla Soup: Place all soup ingredients in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release steam.
- Tortilla Strips: Cut the tortillas into small strips. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Working in batches, add tortilla strips and fry in the hot oil for a few minutes until golden and crispy. Remove with tongs, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt.
- Serve: Stir about half of your tortilla strips into the soup and reserve the remaining half for topping. Top individual bowls with… well… everything! I highly recommend avocado, and definitely don’t forget the lime.
Notes
Note: Expect about 10-15 mins for the Instant Pot to come to pressure before the cook time starts.
Adding Chicken: This works great with adding chicken as well! Add 1 lb of chicken breasts with everything else and increase the time to 8 minutes. Shred chicken once the steam is released. You can also check out this other recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Stovetop: Saute your onion, garlic, and jalapeno in a little oil. Add sweet potatoes and spices. Add tomatoes, broth, and corn. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Oil: Some of the oil from the fried tortilla strips will end up in the soup – you’ll see a very slight sheen on the top layer. That’s okay – it’s how it’s supposed to be. It gives the soup a little more of a luxurious texture and mouthfeel (I don’t think I’ve ever used the word mouthfeel before, but here we are). I prefer to fry my tortilla strips in olive oil so that olive oil is what ends up in my soup. But if you want something that has a neutral flavor, use vegetable oil.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: instant pot sweet potato tortilla soup, sweet potato tortilla soup, tortilla soup
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our flavor-packed jalapeño recipes page. Check it out!
This Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup looks amazing! I love how you combined hearty ingredients with a unique twist. Can’t wait to try it in my Instant Pot! Thanks for the recipe!
I made this as our temps are hitting record lows. However, we found there was a lack of flavor in the broth. I did not add the adobo as it’s too much spice for us, however I did add a TBS of smoked paprika and a tsp of fresh ground árbol pepper.
After having a bowl of this, I added cumin, salt, more smoked paprika, oregano, onion powder, and more garlic. Also added chicken as you suggested (2 breasts, shredded), along with a can of drained/rinsed black beans, and half a can of corn.
Definitely a keeper with tweaking. Thanks.
The Mexican grocery store sells sweet potatoes that are white and not as sweet. I used those when I made this today and we loved it. Also added chicken!
Good morning! Your description for this soup says “smokey & limey” but there are no limes listed. My soup turned out very smokey. Can you tell me how much lime juice to add?
Thanks so much,
Monica
Hi Monica! Lime wedges are listed under the toppings – just squeeze a quarter of a lime when serving!
This soup is one of my All Time Favs on Pinch of Yum and it really deserves some more love and promotion so more people will try it. Perhaps it could be featured on a holiday bucket list?
It is delicious as written, but I usually add chicken breasst and a can of black beans into the pot. Do not skip the cilantro and fresh lime wedges for serving! – it makes the dish. The homemade tortilla strips are easy to do and also takes the soup to the next level. This is a really flavorful and well balanced soup.
I’m not sure I cooked it right. 128oz of canned tomato’s was probably too much?
Hi, Adam! That’s one 28-ounce can. 😉 Just updated the recipe card so that things read a bit clearer. Thanks for letting us know!
I really love this recipe! I make on the stovetop. I always add the corn (frozen) and serve with tortilla chips (store bought), avocado, cilantro and a bit of red onion. Quick and super flavorful!
I make this soup on almost a weekly basis as part of my lunch meal prepping. Everyone who has tried it, loves it. Definitely my new go-to. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks delicious! Can you please provide instructions for stove-top or slow cooker?
Many thanks!:)
I LOVE this recipe. I do the add chicken breast mod, and also throw in a can of drained black beans after the pressure cook is done. It’s a great, quick, easy & filling meal for this busy mom to make.https://www.medisyrup.com
Hi Claudia! Yes, check the recipe notes for stovetop instructions.
I have tried this soup at my home after reading your post. it taste really well but doesn’t look as great like yours
Is it every serving for 100 g?
Hi! Unfortunately, we don’t have the exact weight of each serving.
I LOVE this recipe. I do the add chicken breast mod, and also throw in a can of drained black beans after the pressure cook is done. It’s a great, quick, easy & filling meal for this busy mom to make. Cheap & a crowd pleaser too! The home made fried tortilla strips are crucial.
Wow does this have flavor! So quick and easy to make. Definitely has a kick
This is on my menu plan for a warming soup on a frigid day. I will sub in a bell pepper for the jalapeno, and just a dash of my neighbor’s dried hot pepper blend from his garden. Still cooking without a kitchen, so I will be using store bought tortilla strips.
Great, filling lentil soup. This is the first time I tried using the soup setting on my instant pot; I confess I worried that my vegetables would turn to mush. I’m pleased to report that the vegetables were pleasantly soft, but not mushy. I’ve been cooking without a kitchen for a month (remodeling project), so my instant pot has been getting a workout. This lentil soup required little prep or clean-up to produce several hot, delicious lunches for my husband and me.
This is delicious! just a quick question-I may have missed this, but what size is a serving? 1 cup?
Thanks!
Hi Anna! The serving size will vary depending on the number of servings (6 or 8). We’d recommend measuring the soup with a 1 cup measuring cup to determine the exact size.
So easy and really delicious!! Love this for a weeknight meal. I added a can of black beans for extra protein.
Another winner! So good with chicken, and while I was hesitant about frying my own tortilla strips, it was worth it. It has a satisfying level of spice (adjustable to your own taste) and having leftovers for lunch was another win. Don’t skip the fresh cilantro and lime.
Thats cute.
This soup is easy and delicious! I added a jar of Trader Joe’s corn salsa instead of fresh corn and threw in some pre-sliced grilled chicken from the grocery store at the end and it was awesome!
Love the additions! Thanks for leaving a comment!
This was absolutely delicious. I thought I’d miss out on chicken or it would have too many potatoes, but the sweetness of the potatoes and creaminess of the avocados cut the spice perfectly. So fresh, easy and soul-soothing. Thank you once again! POY is my go-to recipe site.
This was very good! I added black beans for some extra protein and color.
I used plain crushed tomatoes since I couldn’t find fire roasted crushed tomatoes and I feel like it would have been better with diced tomatoes. The crushed tomatoes are just a sauce so the soup wasn’t chunky enough for us.
I’ve made this several times and, while I LOVE the flavors, the sweet potatoes are always mushy. Are sweet potatoes just too puny to withstand the Instant Pot?
Interesting, Rachel! The sweet potatoes should hold up in the Instant Pot. You could try cooking for 2 minutes instead of 3.
Those fried tortilla strips were amazing! I loved this soup and next time around might add chicken and black beans. I’d also consider roasting the sweet potatoes first and then making this in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, I thought the sweet potatoes were a little bland compared with the rest of the flavors of the soup. Thank you for the great recipe!