Pinto Posole
This hearty vegan posole is made with pinto beans instead of pork! This easy Mexican posole recipe is healthy, spicy and delicious. Leftovers taste even better the next day.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
It’s still cold outside! Let’s cozy up with some soup and trust that warm spring weather is on its way. If you enjoy bean-based chili recipes and tortilla soup, you are going to love this pinto posole.
I traded pinto beans for the pork you’ll find in traditional posole recipes, so this stew is vegan. It’s also hearty, spicy and delicious.
You’ll just need one pot for this stew, and I opted to use canned beans to cut the cooking time down to about 30 minutes. Leftovers taste even better the next day, and this dairy-free recipe freezes great for later, too.
What is posole?
Posole, pronounced poh-sOH-lay, is a Mexican stew that typically features shredded pork, dried chilis, hominy and cumin. In Mexico and New Mexico, it’s often served on celebratory occasions like Christmas or New Years, but it’s great on any chilly day.
My variation with pinto beans instead of pork is not quite authentic, but it’s full of redeeming fiber and protein. It straddles the line between a soup and a stew, so I’m using those words interchangeably here.
What is hominy?
Hominy is a variety of dried corn (maize) kernels that have been treated with an alkali, such as lye, to improve digestibility. You buy it dried or in cans, in a well-stocked grocery store (check the international aisle or look near the canned corn) or Mexican grocery store. I used canned corn for this recipe but you could substitute freshly cooked hominy, too.
What are guajillo chilis?
I’ll never forget the first time I tried guajillo chili-based enchilada sauce. Life changing! Guajillos offer a deep, intriguing mild-to-medium spice factor, unlike fiery-hot cayenne. You’ll find dried chilis in a well-stocked grocery store (again, check the international aisle) or Mexican grocery store.
Use two chilis for mild soup, or four for spicy soup (I like my posole spicy). Since the seeds contain the most heat, you’ll remove those before briefly toasting the chilis against the pan. If you want extra-spicy soup, you could even reserve those seeds to add after the soup is cooked, to taste.
I simply cooked the soup with the chilis and then discarded the chilis at the end. I just read a Bon Appetit recipe that suggested puréeing the simmered chilis with some broth and pouring the mixture back into the soup. You could try that if you want extra-rich chili flavor and don’t mind busting out the blender, but add the purée to taste instead of pouring it all in at once.
Watch How to Make Pinto Posole
Pinto Posole
This hearty vegan posole is made with pinto beans instead of pork! This easy Mexican posole recipe is healthy, spicy and delicious. Leftovers taste even better the next day. Recipe yields 4 bowls.
Ingredients
- 2 to 4 guajillo chili peppers*
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ cup (4 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) hominy, rinsed and drained
- 32 ounces (4 cups) vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided
- 1 lime, halved
- Recommended garnishes: sliced avocado, shredded green cabbage, chopped radish, onion and/or jalapeño
Instructions
- Cut off the stem ends of the chilis and shake/flick the chilis to remove as many seeds as possible (it’s ok if some remain). Rinse them and pat them dry.
- Heat an empty Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat until a few drops of water evaporate quickly from the pan. Toast the chilis in the dry pan, pressing them flat with a spatula for a few seconds until fragrant, then flip them over and press them again for a few seconds. Remove the toasted chilis and set them aside for now.
- In the same pot (still over medium heat), warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant while stirring, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute. - Add the toasted chili peppers, bay leaf, hominy, beans, vegetable broth and water to the pot. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 25 minutes.
- Remove the chili peppers and bay leaf from the soup and discard them. Stir the cilantro and juice of ½ lime into the soup. Taste, and add more salt (I usually add at least ¼ teaspoon more) and/or lime juice if necessary. For extra richness, add a little splash of olive oil and stir it in.
- Cut the remaining lime into small wedges. Divide the soup into bowls and garnish with lime wedges and other garnishes of your choice.
Notes
*Pepper note: Use 2 peppers for mild soup and 4 for spicy soup (I like my soup spicy). If you want extra-spicy soup, you could even reserve the pepper seeds to add after the soup is cooked, to taste. If you can’t find guajillo chili peppers, dried ancho chili peppers are a good alternative. Or, use 1 tablespoon mild chili powder instead—start the recipe with step 3 and add the chili powder with the garlic and cumin.
Change it up: For more color and textural variation, substitute one can of black beans for one can of pinto beans. For extra pepper flavor and color, sauté a chopped red bell pepper and/or jalapeño with the onion.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I cook for a vegetarian family and use your recipes more frequently than any others. The family loves everything I make, and I have you to thank for it!
I’m excited to hear that, Lauren! Thanks so much for your comment and review. Have a wonderful day!
This is my new favorite recipe. It is the perfect comfort food. I make it with mango salsa instead of the tomato paste, and it is amazing. Tried pureeing and adding the peppers back into it one time, but it was way too hot for me. However, putting crushed hot tortilla chips into a bowl of the posole is delicious.
Oh that sounds interesting! Thanks for sharing, El!
Didn’t make this earlier because I didn’t think I’d find guajillo peppers or even posole necessarily, but I went to a large grocery store near where I work and found both items in the Mexican section (peppers were dried) so I prepared this and it was terrific! I used three peppers but could probably have safely used four and added avocado as garnish. The lime was a key ingredient. Husband loved it too. We’ve both used posole before. Thanks Kate.
Love that you finally made it and loved it, Heather! Thanks for sharing!
I rarely leave comments but thought I would for this recipe. I have enjoyed many of your recipes and this one did not disappoint either. I made a couple of variations that readers may find helpful.
I made this in the slow cooker. My slow cooker has a saute function so I was able to toast the chilis and then saute the onions directly in the pot. I followed the recipe as directed and cooked on low for only 2 hours and then left it on keep warm for several more until it dinner time. The flavors were able to mingle during those hours.
I also used a mix of guajillo and pasilla peppers as well as the addition of one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
The depth of flavor from the chilis cooking in the sauce was delicious. This will be added to my regular rotation.
I’m glad you liked this one too, Melissa! I appreciate you sharing your approach. Thanks for your review!
I cook in a private household for a vegetarian family of 4 and have tried more than a few of your recipes out on them with great success. They (and I) LOVE this soup.
The first time I made it, I followed the recipe pretty much exactly and it was wonderful. The second time, I followed your suggestion below the recipe and sauteed a chopped red bell pepper and a minced Serrano chili with the onion. I used 2 cans pinto beans and 1 can black beans. I also used only vegetable stock (6 cups) instead of 4c of veggie stock and 2c of water. I know its more cost effective to only open 1 32oz container (if using store bought), but i use vegetable stock daily so having 1/2 a container in the fridge is not an issue.
Also, the Hominey I can find in stores only comes in larger cans than 15oz. (I think they are 24oz). I use it all and it doesn’t overpower the dish.
Thank you for sharing your truly wonderful/delicious recipes!
I’m glad this is a favorite, Lauren! Thanks for sharing your variation, too.
Another delicious recipe! Thank you Kate, we’ve loved every recipe of yours that we tried!
I love that! Thanks for sharing, Troy. If you would like to leave a star review since you liked this one so much, I would appreciate it!
Just had this and all three of us think it’s fantastic! We substituted anchos since we could finding guajillos. Because we don’t like our food too spicy, we discarded the peppers when we removed them from the pot, but next time we will puree them and return them to the soup, as it was just right for us with 2 peppers. This is our second big hit from this site (the lentil soup was also incredible). We warmed tortillas on the side and dipped them in the posole. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m glad you all loved this soup, Paul! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Loved this! So tasty. I used freekeh instead of hominy, which doesn’t exist in this part of the world, and it was divine.
Thanks for sharing, Sasha1
I made this tonight and was wondering about removing the guajillos after cooking (my first thought was to toast then grind to a powder) – came here and saw the comments about taking them out and blending them and adding back to the stew. Great idea and it thickened it up a little which works for me. Instead of the pintos I used half anasazi and half black beans (I was out of pintos, for some reason).
This is a fabulous stew and will be going into rotation.
Thanks Dan, for sharing!
I ate three bowls. It was delicious! I never added the water and I was generous with the olive oil. I loved it. And my meat-loving boyfriend loved it too! Thanks, Kate!
I love it! Thanks for sharing, Kim.
absolutely great soup with great flavor!
Thank you again
You’re welcome, Quinton! If you would like to leave a star review since you loved it so much, I would appreciate it!
My family and I LOVE this recipe! My husband could literally eat it everyday. Thanks for such a delicious veggie version of this classic! Brilliant!
Forgot to leave a rating. Sorry
Hi, in the intro to the Posole recipe, you state: “I used canned corn for this recipe but you could substitute freshly cooked hominy, too.”
But you don’t list that alternative option in the recipe.
Hi Carol, thanks for pointing that out. If you’re cooking your own hominy, you could add about 1 1/2 cups cooked instead of canned.
I made this and everyone loved it. I think it is the tomato paste that adds a unique flavor. My store did not have hominy (New England), so I just added a can of corn niblets, and they were great. I made some skillet cornbread, and it was a wonderful, meal.
Thanks for sharing!
This is really good! We added a jalpeno as the peppers are mild. Avocado as garnish is a must!
Thanks for sharing!
Really a great recipe! I added and extra can of hominy as I like its texture. Wonderful flavor. Next time I will puree the chilis after removing them and slowly add back to taste. Definitely a keeper!
Wonderful, Roger! Thanks for sharing.
Subbed some jackfruit for one of the cans of beans and added bell peppers – so good!
Thank you, Sara!
Fantastic recipe. I found the guajillo peppers at the local Mexican market, and they added such a fantastic flavor that it was definitely worth making an extra stop. I served the soup with corn tortillas heated on a griddle with a little salt and oil, which was a nice complement to the hominy in my opinion.My wife isn’t a fan of spicy foods and she loves this soup (I only used one of the guajillo peppers). Delicious!
Wonderful, Matthew!
This is one of my very favorite dishes! So good and great for leftovers. Knocked this one out of the park Kate!
Thank you, Kelley!
I made this, and I don’t know if I bought an off brand of the hominy or what. I didn’t recognize any of the brands. Maybe I just don’t know what hominy is supposed to taste like. It didn’t taste like corn to me and it had a really gummy texture. I liked the flavor of the soup, but the hominy was a bust.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it. You can always use corn instead of the hominy if you like!
Love, love, LOVE this recipe! It was one of the first dinners I made after we adopted a vegan lifestyle, and six months later I’m still making it at least once a month. Over time I’ve made some small changes (e.g., I use dried beans and just throw everything except the hominy in our Instant Pot), but overall it’s basically as you have it here. Makes awesome leftovers for lunch.
That’s great, Dr. J!
This was soooo good! Back in my meat-eating days, my family and I had an amazing traditional posole while visiting friends in Guadalajara, Mexico, which we tried many times to replicate but never could quite get it right. This version captures the flavor perfectly- and honestly, I like the bean version better!
Everything I’ve ever made from either your blog or your cookbook has always come out delicious- thanks so much for always being a consistent source of food inspiration.
I’m glad this one measured up, Beth! Thanks for your review.
Searching for a meatless posole recipe, this one came out on top of the search. And am I glad it did. This tasted fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, substituting one can of black beans for pinto beans as suggested here. The guajillo chiles are indeed life (in the kitchen) changing. Will probably try the Bon Appetit method of making a chile puree next time. Thinking of perhaps skipping the water next time as the ratio of liquid to beans & hominy seems a bit much. Thoughts?
Thanks so much for your time and effort in creating this dish, and a special thanks for creating smiles and happiness for so many. Means a lot in this day & age!
You’re welcome, John! I like the ratio as stated in this recipe best, but feel free to adjust to your liking. Thank you for your review!
Making this for the 3rd time in the last 6 months since I found this recipe. Absolutely love it!
I’m excited you love it, Jen! Thank you for your review.
Hi. Made this with Ancho chili. Haven’t found Guajillos yet… Excellent flavor. Avocado and radish make a lovely addition.
Great to hear, Shelley!
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! We’ve made it a couple times and honestly I could eat it every other day.
Fantastic! Soup is always a good choice.
This looks delish!!..trying this for vegan friends…..
FYI Posole (correct spelling is Pozole) is pronounced po-so-leh (e like Elephant is correct pronunciation in Spanish… not “ay”…. not an uncommon mistake.
Thanks for sharing these recipes. Love to try new recipes from you.
This one is a winner! I used 3 Guajillos. I’ll leave the seeds in 1 the next time. Had great flavor, but no heat. I like a little heat. I also added a ladle full of beans to the blender with the peppers. This thickened the broth just a bit. Garnished with cabbage, radishes and avocado. I’m new to plant based dinners so I was looking for something full bodied and satisfying. This hit the mark. Thank you!
Oh, but this is delicious. Really, really great taste. A few minor suggestions. I served the posole with rice, which worked well, but the the recipe serves 6-8, rather than 4 when served with rice.
You need more salt – I used 1 1/2 teaspoons and that gave a good balance. I don’t have easy access to guajillo chillies, and used Ancho chilli powder instead – which gave a rich, deep flavor and is easier to find. Finally, I would leave out the 2 cups of water, I had to simmer for about an hour to get down to a stew-like consistency.
Thank you for sharing, Dan!
In the ingredients list it says 1/4 cup cilantro, divided. What does it mean by divided? I don’t see anywhere we might need to add a portion of the 1/4 cup.
Hi Anna! See steps 5 & 6. Add to the soup and then to top as you like. I hope this helps!
This is one of my go-tos. Thank you! It’s so good!
Great to hear!
I made this a few nights ago. I am in Rancho Gordo Bean Club, and my last shipment had a bag of hominy. I had no clue what I was going to do with it. Being vegetarian, I found your recipe. I had a lot of variations! I cooked pinto beans and the hominy, guessing at the right proportions. I didn’t want it too hot, so used 1 poblano pepper and one anaheim. It turned out great, and could’ve been a little spicier. I will definitely try this again!
I’m glad you made it! Feel free to kick up the spice as you see fit, Kate.
Also forgot to mention that since I was cooking the pinto beans I used about 1.5 cups bean broth, which added a nice, rich flavor,as well as more protein.
This soup was absolutely delicious, and not at all difficult to make. I used chili power because the type of chilis you mentioned are not available where I live. Serve with some quesadillas an it was a great dinner. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Thanks for sharing! I’m happy you were able to enjoy it, Vivian.
Could I use ancho instead
Yeah for pinto posole! I made it for Christmas dinner accompanied by a huge bowl of fresh quacamole and chips and it was a hit with my whole family – ages 10 to 87! Especially delicious with a hoppy beer. I now have a double batch on the stove for New Years Eve by a bon fire with friends. I had the time – so I bought dry pinto beans and cooked them up with onions, carrots and a bay leaf. I then splurged on extra high quality dried guajillo peppers from Penzey Spices. Penzey stores are located throughout the US and online. Per recipe suggestion – I removed peppers at the end and blended them with an immersion blender. Delish!
Thank you for sharing! I’m glad it was such a hit with everyone, Ruth. I appreciate your comment and review.
I absolutely loved this recipe. The flavor was perfect: a hint of lime and spice. Instead of three cans of beans, I added one cup of cooked quinoa at the very end. This recipe was easy to follow with simple ingredients. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Natalie!
I make this in bulk about every other week. I love it, and my non-vegan friends do too!
That’s great to hear, Alice! Thank you for your review and comment. I love this soup this time of year!
This recipe is absolutely delicious
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Savanah!
made this with Chipotle peppers! hot and smokey\sweet! so tasty
Thank you for sharing, Emma! I appreciate your review.
Amazing recipe. Thank you so much for sharing
I was a bit disappointed with this one! I put in 3 chilis and can’t taste the flavor or heat of them at all. the soup just tastes like the other ingredients plus salt. I was hoping for more. Maybe I didn’t heat the chilis long enough independently?
I’m sorry you didn’t love this soup, Dana. It could be your chilis varied in their heat level.
I have a question. Why do you rinse your beans before adding to the soup?
Hi Melodi! I think they can retain some odd taste or texture from the liquid in the can.
This will be my 3rd time making this. We have a restaurant that makes an excellent pork pisole, and I’m working on making the taste somewhat close. I think this time I’ll fry up some green jackfruit and add that it for a little porky texture!
Amazing soup! Easy to make and the flavor was out of this world
what about using dry beans for more flavor ?
Hi Lea, I designed this with canned. Bu if you have dried you want to use them, prepare and add the amount designated.
YUM! This was absolutely delicious, and is a dream pantry dinner. Made this with skillet cornbread and boom, great meal. I followed the Pepper Note and used Chilli powder from the pantry. I also added a red bell pepper and a jalapeno per the second note. I used a full 6oz can tomato paste, because the leftover 2 oz would eventually die in the back of my fridge. But dinner turned out great, so no big deal. I am a big fan of yours. Thanks for another fabulous recipe.
That is a great meal combination, Britni! Thank you for sharing.
This is one of my favorite recipes. So delicious, comforting, and flavorful.
I made this and it is delicious! I made a couple of substitutions. I sauteed my onion in veggie broth because I am trying to avoid oil. l I used Ancho Chili Powder instead of fresh peppers, because that is what I had on hand. And I subbed in one can of black beans for one of the cans of pinto beans. I was also a little heavy on the lime juice. YUM YUM YUM! I have never been a big fan of chili, but THIS DISH IS AMAZING. I hadn’t had hominy since my grandmother served it to me as a young kid. This dish is so Delicious, and I will definitely be making it again.
Will dried guajillo’s work?
Yes! That’s what the recipe is designed for. :) Enjoy!
Thanks for the quick reply, Kate! I will rate as soon as I make it!