I love tacos. I love soup. Naturally, I had to put them together to make this vegetarian taco soup. This is not to say I have invented this soup because there are thousands of iterations on the internet. With that said, I wanted to develop a low FODMAP and vegetarian (or vegan) version for those of us with dietaries. I don’t mean to be that guy, but I think I’ve nailed it.

Vegetarian taco soup (low FODMAP)

This vegetarian taco soup is low FODMAP, which means it contains no onion or garlic. For those who arrive here expecting onion and garlic, fear not! You could definitely sub them in place of the spring onion greens, which are a low FODMAP alternative.

This soup is incidentally vegan, but the toppings are what make it vegetarian. They’re also what make it taco soup, so I must insist you include at least some of them even if you switch it up for vegan options.

There’s no point me waxing lyrical about how delicious this soup is: just look at it! It’s comfort food at it’s finest.

Ingredient notes for your vegetarian taco soup

If you’re here for the vegetarian and not the low FODMAP, you have a number of options. Firstly, you can use white onion (1/2 – 1) and a couple of cloves of garlic, if you like. Cook them as you normally would before adding the remaining ingredients.

Secondly, you can use both tofu and kidney beans (or black beans!). Add them to your tastes as opposed to just the quantity outlined in the recipe as it caters to FODMAP limits. In other words: add more beans if you like beans.

For those of us with FODMAP constraints, I will delve into the protein options for this soup below. I have also added some finely potato to bulk out the soup and help thicken it.

FODMAP notes for your vegetarian taco soup

This recipe has been designed to be low FODMAP in 6 serves. We’ll go into the FODMAP notes below.

Firm tofu is low FODMAP in 170g serves per person. This makes it a helpful protein source for low FODMAP vegetarians. This soup uses 500g of tofu, which means each serve contains approximately 84g. This gives you some extra fructan content to play with.

There is the option to add a small amount of canned and drained kidney beans OR canned and drained corn kernels. Tofu, kidney beans and corn all have fructans as their primary FODMAP, so using all three runs the risk of overdoing it. Of course, if fructans are not an issue for you post elimination diet, so what you see fit.

A 400g can of Red Kidney beans contains approximately 240g beans once drained. 240g divided by six servings equals 40g beans per serve. This is under their 86g low FODMAP threshold.

A 400g can of corn kernels contains approximately 225g corn once drained. Canned corn kernels (which are lower FODMAP than frozen or fresh) are low FODMAP in 75g serves per person. However, they don’t become moderate for fructans until 244g. This suggests wiggle room in what constitutes a low FODMAP serve. 225g divided by six serves equals 37.5g corn per serve.

Monash has recently labelled smoked paprika as containing moderate amounts of fructose in 5g (2 1/2 teaspoon) servings. As of July 2024, they have no upper limit for regular (not smoked) paprika. If you malabsorb fructose, I recommend using regular paprika and adding some liquid smoke, if you have it. 

In summary?

You can add the ingredients you feel comfortable with. If fructans are a severe issue for you and you’re worried, just use tofu. If not, you can try using the corn or the red kidney bean option. Unless you’re not low FODMAP or don’t have any issues at all with fructans, I wouldn’t recommend both.

I am not a dietician or doctor and as far as my research goes, FODMAP stacking is a very individual thing. Some people might be fine with some corn while others may not. Do what works for you and what you will feel good eating.

FODMAP notes for your soup toppings

My preferred toppings for this soup are sour cream, freshly grated cheddar, corn chips, lime juice and coriander. Avocado would also be a delicious option.

If you have issues with lactose, choose a lactose free sour cream or yoghurt. Cheddar is low FODMAP naturally; I recommend freshly grated as the packaged stuff contains fillers. Some fillers, like inulin, are high FODMAP.

Corn chips are generally gluten free and low FODMAP. Choose a plain variety or one without onion and garlic powder.

Avocado has a low FODMAP threshold of 60g or 3 tablespoons. It becomes moderate in sorbitol/perseitol in 80g serves. I would recommend cubing or finely slicing the avocado so it looks and feels like you get more.

More low FODMAP vegetarian dinner recipes

• Low FODMAP vegan chilli
• Low FODMAP peanut tofu bowls
• Easy low FODMAP pasta
• Gluten free low FODMAP vegetable buns
• Low FODMAP vegetarian curry

Low FODMAP vegetarian taco soup

*Tablespoons are in Australian tablespoons, which are 20ml as opposed to the more common 15ml.

Use ml for international accuracy or add extra teaspoons to suit.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Food Intolerance Friendly

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the spices:

• 1-2 tablespoons* regular or smoked paprika (see notes) (add one or two extra teaspoons for NZ, USA and Canadian users)
• 3 tablespoons* cumin powder (add three extra teaspoons for NZ, USA and Canadian users)
• 2 teaspoons + dried sage powder optional but adds a meaty umami
• 2 teaspoons + dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon* sugar I used light brown
• Asafoetida powder to your tastes (optional)
• Cracked pepper to your tastes

For the taco soup:

• 60 ml (3 tablespoons)* neutral oil
• 1 large bunch spring onion greens washed and chopped (green parts only)
• 1 bunch coriander roots and stems, washed and chopped
• 2 medium carrots chopped into small cubes
• 2 medium potatoes chopped into small cubes
• 500 g firm tofu, crumbled
• 1- 1.5 litres water or low FODMAP vegetable stock (see notes)
• 1 X 400g plain tinned tomatoes
• 50-75g (2-3 tablespoons)* tomato paste
• 40-60ml (2-3 tablespoons)* Tamari to taste
• 40-60ml (2-3 tablespoons)* lime juice to taste (juice from 2-3 medium juicy limes)

Optional:

• 1 X 400g tin canned corn kernels rinsed and drained OR 1 x 400g Red Kidney beans rinsed and drained
• Pickled jalapenos to your tastes, chopped

To serve:

• Sour cream
• Freshly grated cheddar
• Corn chips

Instructions

 

• Measure your spices and sugar into a bowl and chop all your vegetables.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot until shimmering, then add the spring onion greens and coriander. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant, then add the spice mix, water, chopped carrot and chopped potatoes.
• Stir and turn the heat to medium high. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until the potato and carrot are soft (it takes longer than you think, trust me).
• Once they are soft, add the tofu, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste and canned corn or beans if you are using them. The tomatoes are added last because their acidity stops the potatoes and carrots cooking properly. If you add them before the vegetables are cooked, they might never cook through properly.
• Cook for another 10 minutes or so, then add the Tamari and lime juice to taste. Adjust for any taste preferences – whether you think it needs more salt, pepper, chilli or whatever else.
• Serve with recommended toppings and anything else you fancy.
• Leftovers keep for a number of days, but tend to absorb the liquid and become more like chilli. You can eat it as chilli or add extra water (and some Tamari to balance the salt) to eat as soup again.

Notes

• Monash has recently labelled smoked paprika as containing moderate amounts of fructose in 5g (2 1/2 teaspoon) servings. As of May 2024, they have no upper limit for regular (not smoked) paprika. 
• Because this soup uses tinned tomato (which also contains fructose) I recommend using half smoked paprika and half regular paprika or all regular paprika. 
• The tomatoes are added last because their acidity stops the potatoes and carrots cooking properly. If you add them before the vegetables are cooked, they might never cook through properly.
• I prefer to use water over stock here because I can control the salinity with Tamari. I also find it adds more depth of flavour when compared to cheap commercial stocks.
• If you want to use stock, I have a recipe for low FODMAP vegetable stock. I recommend leaving the salt out so you can season your soup to perfection. 
• Read the body of the post for extensive FODMAP notes. Yes, you can use canned corn or canned Kidney beans on the low FODMAP diet. 

Keyword low fodmap taco soup, taco soup, vegan taco soup, vegetarian taco soup

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