Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup! Thick, creamy and packed with flavor. So simple and made in the slow cooker.
Break out your slow cooker. It’s time for a cozy dinner in the form of my Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup!
I’m so excited for the return of soup season; it’s one of my favorite weeknight meals, especially with how easy they are to make in a slow cooker. This one couldn’t be simpler or more delicious. If you love enchiladas, then you are going to love this enchilada soup. All the flavors with a fraction of the work.
It’s no secret that we love spicy food. I’ve got a heavy hand for cayenne and fresh peppers and both show up in this recipe. To tame the heat, I’m topping the soup with a dollop of lime yogurt, the perfect contrast for the bold flavors.
In fact, I think that’s the best part of eating spicy food- the yin and yang of heat with a cooling sauce. A spoonful of this rich, spicy stew with a drizzle of creamy lime cremé on top is an explosion of flavor and texture.
See below for more details, or scroll down for the full recipe.
Ingredient Notes and Substitution Notes
I know it looks like a lot of ingredients for this slow cooker enchilada soup, but this one is a dump meal– you’ll throw everything into the slow cooker, except for the lime and yogurt.
Most of the ingredients are also dried spices and canned options, so they can just be opened and thrown in. That said, a few things to consider:
- Enchilada Sauce: Of course, this is a slow cooker enchilada soup after all. As enchilada sauce can make or break a good enchilada recipe, you’ll want to make sure you really like the flavor. I make my own enchilada sauce, which does take a few extra minutes of prep, but it’s worth it to me.
- Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: I really like the taste of fire-roasted tomatoes but you can use regular diced tomatoes if you’d like.
- Cayenne Pepper: This, along with the green chiles, is what gives this soup its spice, so reduce, omit, or increase depending on your preferred spice level.
- Sweet Potato: The sweet potato gives this soup body and a nice boost of vitamin A and extra fiber. You can sub butternut squash if you’d like.
- Beans: I like the combo of both black beans and pinto beans, but you can use whatever bean you’d like.
- Toppings: To really make this feel like an enchilada soup, top with tortilla chips and shredded cheddar. If you want to keep this soup vegan, then use a dairy-free cheddar cheese.
Tips for Success
The best part of about this enchilada soup is that you can dump everything into the slow cooker and that’s it. I love simple meals like this, and one of the reason I’m such a big fan of my slow cooker. Open everything, throw in the slow cooker and by evening, dinner is ready.
For the lime yogurt sauce, whisk together plain yogurt (regular or dairy-free) with a little lime juice, then drizzle over the hot soup before serving. Sour cream can also be used in place of the yogurt. We also love this topped with crunchy tortilla chips, shredded cheese and sliced scallions.
If you have time, you can slice corn tortillas into strips and lightly fry until crispy for homemade tortilla strips.
How to Make this Vegetarian Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup
Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker
Place all of the ingredients for the soup, except for the yogurt and lime juice, in the base of a crockpot. Cook for at least 4 hours on high.
Blend
Remove ~ 1 1/2 cups of soup and place in the base of a blender and puree until creamy. Or, use an immersion blender and blend just a bit. You don’t want a fully creamy soup, but this does help to make this soup thicker and richer.
Serve
Divide the soup into bowls and top with the lime yogurt creme, if desired. I also like adding on tortilla chips and shredded cheddar cheese.
Stove Top Directions
To make this on the stove-top, sauté the onion and jalapeño in olive oil until tender and soft. From there, add the sweet potatoes and dried seasonings and sauté another few minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients except for the yogurt and lime juice. Simmer over low heat for 45-60 minutes until hot. Season to taste, as needed.
Serve warm with lime yogurt sauce on top.
How to Store
To store this slow cooker enchilada soup, let any leftovers cool completely and then place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or place in the freezer for up to 6 months.
I really like these souper cubes to easily freeze a serving or two of soup. Then, when you are ready to enjoy, just pop out a cube and defrost!
More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes:
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: soup, slow cooker, vegetarian
Method: slow cooker
Cuisine: American, Mexican Inspired
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x
Category: soup, slow cooker, vegetarian
Method: slow cooker
Cuisine: American, Mexican Inspired
Diet: Vegetarian
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce (or one batch of my homemade recipe)
- 2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 (15-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1 large sweet potato, diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (depending on spice level)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, regular or dairy-free
- Toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, avocado, shredded cheese, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for the lime juice and yogurt in the base of a slow cooker and cook on high for at least 4 hours.
- Remove 1 ½ cups of the soup, trying to get as much of the liquid as possible and place in a blender. Puree on high until creamy, then place back in the slow-cooker.
- Before serving, combine the lime juice and yogurt together. Laddle the soup into bowls and stir in the lime yogurt.
- Garnish with preferred toppings. We love this with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips.
This recipe was first published in 2018 and updated in 2024.