Vegan Birria Pozole (Pozole de Birria)

If you love birria and if you love pozole, then you’re going to devour this scrumptious birria pozole recipe. It combines two of Mexico’s most iconic dishes and it’s sure to be a hit at the dinner table.

A vibrant blue and white bowl filled with vegan birria pozole garnished with radish slices, chopped cilantro, and chopped onions. The bowl sits on a round wooden board. Beside it are tostada squares and lime wedges. An accompanying bowl with additional garnishes and a floral napkin with a spoon are in the background on a patterned surface.
Vegan Birria Pozole

What is Birria Pozole

Birria pozole or pozole de birria is a scrumptious dish that combines two of the most beloved Mexican dishes: pozole and birria.

This dish was created in the past few years due to the sudden international popularity of birria and the creativity of Mexican chefs and home cooks.

It’s made using birria as the soup base then simply adding maiz pozolero (or hominy). The garnishes are the same as if you were eating either birria or pozole.

Birria pozole is actually such a brilliant idea and the two dishes perfectly blend into each other to create one of the most spectacular meals you can have.

Vegan Birria Pozole

So while traditional birria is made using goat meat or beef, and pozole is made with pork, my birria pozole recipe is made 100% plant-based.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know I’m a huge fan of using oyster mushrooms to replace shredded meat. That’s what I did with this recipe but make sure to look at the recipe notes for other plant protein options.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It combines pozole and birria for a magical combination.
The birria sauce recipe is based on my Mexican mom’s recipe.
Even meat-eaters will devour this dish.
Birria pozole is the perfect meal for special occasions.

View from above of a white an blue kitchen counter top with small bowls containing ingredients to make birria pozole. There are shredded oyster mushrooms, spices, oil, Maggi seasoning, apple cider vinegar, slice white onion, garlic cloves, tomatoes, and dried red chiles.
Birria Pozole Ingredients

Vegan Birria Pozole Ingredients

Mushrooms: I use oyster mushrooms to replace the meat, you can also use king oyster mushrooms instead.

Hominy: You can find this in most grocery stores, on Amazon, and in Hispanic food stores, it’s called maiz pozolero.

Dried Chiles: Guajillo peppers and I like to add arbol chiles for a little heat.

Vegetables: White onion, garlic cloves, Roma tomatoes.

Spices: All spiceclovescanela or Ceylon cinnamon, ground black pepper, and cumin seeds.

Herbs: Bay leaves, dried Mexican oregano.

Apple Cider Vinegar (or substitute with white vinegar).

Umami Flavor: I love to add some Maggi Seasoning to help give it a deeper umami flavor to the dish. You can substitute it with liquid aminos or low-sodium soy sauce instead.
 
Broth: Vegetable broth or vegan beef broth.

Oil: I use olive oil but you can also the oil of your choice.

Garnishes: Finely chopped white onion, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced or chopped radishes, lime wedges, and tostadas.

A view from above of a Mexican earthenware brown bowl filled with hominy. There are two arbol chile peppers on top of the hominy and the bowl sits on a dark grey kitchen towel that's on top of a blue and white countertop.

Ingredient Substitutions

If you can’t find oyster mushrooms you can replace them with sliced cremini mushrooms.

If you don’t like mushrooms then use jackfruit instead. And if you don’t like either mushrooms or jackfruit you could try soy curls. 

Two glass jars of vegan bouillon powders from a brand called Origen Sano and on the side is a glass pitcher filled with vegetable broth.
My favorite vegan broth bouillon.

How to Make Vegan Birria Pozole

The steps for making birria pozole starts off with the same base as when you’re making just birria. Let’s get started.

Step 1: In a medium pot add the cleaned and deseeded dried chilies, tomato, onion, and garlic and cover with plenty of water. Simmer until everything is soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Blending chilies and ingredients to make sauce for vegan birria tacos.

Step 2: Add the crushed bay leaf to the blender cup. Then scoop in the softened chiles, tomato, garlic, and onion, and pour half a cup of the boiling broth. Blend until completely smooth, adding more boiling liquid if needed.

Straining red chile sauce into a pot to make vegan birria tacos.

Step 3: Place a strainer over a large pot and strain the blended chile mixture into it. Discard the remaining bits. 

Adding spices to birria broth to make quesabirria tacos.

Step 4: To the pot add all of spices, the vinegar, some Maggi seasoning and the vegetable broth. Stir then place a lid on the pot. Leave to simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Sautéing sliced white onions in olive oil to make vegan birria.

Step 5: While the broth simmers heat a large skillet or large non-stick pan, then add the the oil and once hot add the sliced onion. Sauté until soft and translucent.

You can also get this going while the sauce ingredients boil in step one.

Sautéing oyster mushrooms to make vegan birria tacos.

Step 6: Now add the shredded mushrooms to the pan and drizzle some Maggi seasoning over them. Sauté until soft and a little bit crispy. 

Simmering vegan birria in broth.

Step 7: Next carefully add the mushrooms mixture and drained and rinsed hominy to the po. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the hominy is nice and tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

A white stove with a teal colored pot that's filled with birria pozole and there's a ladle with some of it scooped up.
A bowl of birria pozole garnished with sliced radishes, chopped onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. This vegan birria pozole is served in a blue and white bowl placed on a wooden board with a side of tortilla chips and more garnishes.
Birria Pozole

How to Serve

Birria pozole is the perfect stew for the cold days when you’re craving Mexican comfort food.

You can serve it birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, and holidays like Mexican Independence Day, Christmas and Cinco de Mayo.

Serve the birria pozole in pozole bowls and top with finely chopped onion, fresh cilantro, and chopped or sliced radishes. Serve with lime wedges and tostadas or Salma corn crackers.

You can also serve with some homemade spicy hot salsa if you’d like.

Drinks like ice cold agua de jamaica or agua de piña pair perfectly with birria pozole. For an adult drink a chelada goes well.

A spoon coming out of a bowl of birria pozole garnished with sliced radishes, chopped onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. This vegan birria pozole is served in a blue and white bowl placed on a wooden board with a side of tortilla chips and more garnishes.

Taste

This hearty plant-based birria pozole tastes exactly how you’d imagine. Heavenly.

It tastes like birria and pozole all at once and it’s savory, zesty, with the meaty mushrooms and tender with the creamy hominy. Served with the garnishes for added flavor and texture. And don’t forget the crunchy tostadas.

You’re going to love it – and so will the meat-eaters in your house.

A close up view of a spoon full of birria pozole, a bright red Mexican stew with mushrooms and hominy. In the background is a blue and white bowl filled with the pozole de birria and it's on top of a white plate.
Pozole de Birria

How to Store and Reheat

Allow leftovers to come to room temperature then store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days. 

You could freeze leftovers if you’d like, they’ll keep fresh for up to 3 months.

Reheat in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until warmed through. 

👩🏽‍🍳Nancy’s Tips

Amigos, remember that you can use the same birria soup base to make several different dishes like this birria pozole, birria ramen, and birria tamales

Nancy Lopez author of Mexican Made Meatless

Gracias

I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!

A bowl of birria pozole garnished with sliced radishes, chopped onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. This vegan birria pozole is served in a blue and white bowl placed on a wooden board with a side of tortilla chips and more garnishes.

More Vegan Mexican Stews

Now that the temperatures are starting to drop, make sure you have these recipes on your weekly meal plans.

A spoon coming out of a bowl of birria pozole garnished with sliced radishes, chopped onions, cilantro, and lime wedges. This vegan birria pozole is served in a blue and white bowl placed on a wooden board with a side of tortilla chips and more garnishes.

Vegan Birria Pozole (Pozole de Birria)

Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com
If you love birria and if you love pozole, then you're going to devour this scrumptious birria pozole recipe. It combines two of Mexico's most iconic dishes and it's sure to be a hit at the dinner table.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican, vegan, vegan mexican
Servings 4 servings
Calories 309 kcal

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 1 lb oyster mushrooms shredded (will yield 9 cups raw)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil more if needed
  • 1 medium white onion halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoons Maggi Seasoning

Broth Ingredients

Garnishes

  • 1 cup white onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
  • 6 radishes sliced or finely chopped
  • 2 limes sliced into wedges

Instructions
 

Make The Sauce

  • Use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe clean the chiles, then cut off the stem and deseed.
  • Place the chiles, the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves into a medium pot. Pour enough water to cover them and simmer until chiles are rehydrated and the onion is soft.
  • Once the chiles have rehydrated, use a slotted spoon to remove them and vegetables from the pot and place into a blender. Add the crushed bay leaf and ½ cup of the boiling broth, blend until you have a perfectly smooth salsa.
  • Place a colander over a large pot and strain the blended salsa into the pot. Use a spoon to help you move the sauce around help strain it better. Discard any leftover bits.
  • Add the oregano, ground black pepper, allspice, ground cumin, ground clove, canela, two teaspoons Maggi seasoning, the apple cider vinegar and stir until well combined.
  • Mix in the vegetable broth, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • (You could also get this started as the sauce ingredients boil.) In a large enough sauté pan to fit the mushrooms, heat up 2 Tablespoons of oil then add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent.
  • Next mix in the shredded mushrooms, and drizzle one teaspoon of Maggi seasoning over them and cook until they have softened and are a bit crispy.
  • Now add the mushroom mixture to the pot. Carefully add the drained hominy, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the hominy is tender or as long as you'd like.
  • Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. At this time you can add more broth if you'd like to make a thinner broth.
  • Serve in pozole bowls topped with finely chopped onion, radish, and finely chopped fresh cilantro. Also serve with lime wedges and tostadas. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 4servingsCalories: 309kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 9gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.04gSodium: 1603mgPotassium: 869mgFiber: 12gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 2065IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and tag me on social media @MexicanMadeMeatless or tag #mexicanmademeatless!

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