Vegan Menudo

Going meatless doesn’t mean having to give up menudo. Amigos this vegan menudo recipe is way better than the yucky tripe version. You’re going to love this!

How to make Mexican Menudo | A vegan recipe that everyone will love! #veganmexican #mexicanmenudo #menudo #vegan #mexicanmademeatless #soups #hungoverfoods #videorecipes

What Is Menudo

Menudo, or pancita, is what we in Mexico call tripe soup.

Blah! I know pretty gross.

But don’t worry because I’m going to be showing you how to make a delectable vegan menudo that you’re absolutely going to love — yes, even those that love the classic version will devour this vegan twist!

How is Traditional Mexican Menudo Made

Menudo is traditionally made with a red chile sauce base. In my family we use chile guajillo and chile de arbol.

The chiles are boiled with onion and garlic until everything is soft. Then they are blended with some of the boiling liquid to make a smooth chile sauce.

As previously mentioned, tripe is the meat used in traditional menudo. It’s washed, boiled with other ingredients then cut up before being combined with the chile sauce, herbs and spice and broth to make the menudo.

We, of course, won’t be using tripe here. My recipe uses oyster mushrooms as the meat substitute. They work incredibly well in adding not only great flavor, but a nice texture too.

Another mushroom that would resemble the tripe would be dried white fungus mushrooms. If you have access to them.

The menudo is allowed to simmer until ready to eat. To serve typically chopped onion, cilantro, dried crushed Mexican oregano, lime juice are used as toppings.

I always also liked some fresh warm corn tortillas on the side. And depending on my mood I may drizzle some spicy sauce into the menudo.

How to make Mexican Menudo | A vegan recipe that everyone will love! #veganmexican #mexicanmenudo #menudo #vegan #mexicanmademeatless #soups #hungoverfoods #videorecipes

Does Menudo Have Hominy

Typically when you think of a Mexican stew with hominy you think pozole.

Growing up I can remember the menudo we ate didn’t have hominy. Or if it did it was very few grains here and there.

It really depends on the region in Mexico you’re from or even your family’s recipe. Some like to use hominy and others don’t.

For me it depends on my mood — mostly how hungry I am. If I want a heartier menudo I’ll add hominy. I actually did so for my Instant Pot Menudo.

Some vegans like to add cooked garbanzos. As always, there are many variations to this dish. So feel free to adjust to your personal taste.

Menudo is a Sunday Meal in Mexico

Growing up my parents would buy menudo for our Sunday meal and I was never happy with the choice, just the thought of the…ummm…meat…disgusted me!

Much to the dismay of my parents, I would only eat the broth and push the tripe out of my bowl. Anyone else do this too?

All I’m going to say now is, Thank goodness for vegan menudo!!

How to Make Vegan Menudo

I’d like to give my sister a special thank you for sharing her vegan menudo tips with me, gracias hermanita, you helped my menudo taste so delish!

Vegan Menudo Recipe

Now you’re going to see just how easy vegan menudo is to make. Same great taste to the broth, minus the tripe!! (lol)

Vegan Menudo Recipe

Vegan Mexican Menudo Recipe

Nancy Lopez & MexicanMadeMeatless.com
A Mexican classic soup recipe gets a scrumptious vegan makeover! Amigos this vegan menudo tastes similar to the classic version but without any animal products. It’s so delicious that even those that enjoy classic menudo will devour this vegan version.
5 from 10 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 48 minutes
Course dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, vegan
Servings 2 large servings
Calories 149 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz oyster mushrooms, chopped roughly it's one small pack
  • 8 cups or 1.8 liters low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 5 guajillo chiles desseded & stem removed
  • 3 chiles de arbol stem removed & for milder taste seeds removed if desired
  • 6 large cloves of garlic
  • half large white onion
  • 4 cups water for boiling
  • 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 5 leaves of fresh epazote can substitute with 1 Tablespoon dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano to start & adjust to taste
  • 2 dried bay leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seed adjust to taste

Toppings

  • chopped onion
  • chopped cilantro
  • limes
  • Mexican oregano

Instructions
 

INSTRUCTIONS

  • In a small pot bring plenty of water to boil. While you wait for it wipe the chiles clean with a damp paper towel, remove the stems and the seeds. Also prepare the garlic cloves and onion. Once the water is at a soft boil add all of the chiles, the onion and the garlic and simmer until everything is soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending the chiles, onion and garlic with once cup of the boiling broth. Blend until you have a smooth sauce, set aside.
  • In a large pot heat the oil then add the chopped mushrooms and a sprinkling of salt, then sauté until they begin to brown a bit. Place a colander over the pot and very carefully pour in your chile sauce. Then add the epazote, half a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of dried Mexican oregano, quarter teaspoon of ground cumin and two bay leaves. Give the ingredients a good stir and cook for 5 minutes before pouring in all of the vegetable broth. Stir again, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
  • After 40 minutes, taste the broth and if needed add more seasoning if needed or desired — I added half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of ground cumin. After adding more seasoning simmer for 10 more minutes.

TO SERVE

  • Serve each bowl with freshly chopped cilantro, white onion, a sprinkling of dried Mexican oregano, lots of limes and plenty of warm corn tortillas. If you’d like you can also serve with some chopped raw chilies or your favourite spicy salsa.

TO EAT

  • The traditional way of eating is to roll up a tortilla and dip it into the broth. The taste is fantastic!

Video

Notes

This recipe makes 2 large servings or 4 small ones, but you can easily double or triple the amounts as necessary!
Some people also add tomatoes and/or dried chile anchos to their menudo.
Additionally others like to add some hominy or cooked garbanzo beans. Feel free to experiment and see what you like.

Nutrition

Serving: 4servingsCalories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 10gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1219mgPotassium: 729mgFiber: 10gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2651IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 68mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review and tag me on social media @MexicanMadeMeatless or tag #mexicanmademeatless!

Amigos let me tell you, this vegan menudo tastes so similar to the classic version that it’s going to blow your mind that there was no yucky tripe involved in this recipe.

The broth is super flavorful and has just a touch of heat. The vibrant broth with the tender oyster mushrooms, the crunch of the onion the burst of the cilantro and oregano and the tartness of the lime — yum the tastes and textures are amazing together.

Let’s not forget a rolled up tortilla to dip into the broth before taking a bite. Amigos, I’m talking toe-curling foodie heaven!

I really hope you make this menudo and see how fantastic it tastes!

How to make Mexican Menudo | A vegan recipe that everyone will love! #veganmexican #mexicanmenudo #menudo #vegan #mexicanmademeatless #soups #hungoverfoods #videorecipes

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35 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Hola, I tried your vegan Menudo last night since I don’t eat meat on Fridays. I was very impressed.I had tried one a while ago, but hated it. It’s the mushrooms, isn’t it? Thanks for posting. My broth was mushroom/vegetable broth.

  2. I can’t wait to try your recipe. I do have one question for you. If I were to add hominy, when would I do that? Thanks for the recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    Yes! It’s mid May 2020
    And this recipe was amazing! I mean not my abuelitas real meat one but still really darn good! I’m not vegan but made this for my siblings whom are.
    They didn’t care for mushrooms so I didn’t add them!
    But I did change the broth to Vegan “chickn” broth.
    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Now it’s like I don’t even need the meat!

  4. 5 stars
    Love the recipe (: if u use a regular size of mushrooms use more lol mine sauteed to almost nothing, I also added hominy. The broth seemed a little thin to me so i blended 1cup of hominy and strained it in so the broth could be a little thicker. It was awesome!

    1. Hi Judith! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and am happy to hear you adjusted it to your liking. Thanks and hope you make it again soon. 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      Kavan, you can purchase powdered vegan veggie stock or Better than Bullion – this way you can quickly make the amount of broth you need when you need it. Its cheaper and less wasteful. If you have more time, save all sorts of raw veggie scraps from cooking prep in your freezer. Simmer them and strain when ready and freeze extra for use as needed.

    1. I grew up in El Paso and Las Cruces eating Menudo which I loved the broth (with hominy) but hated the tripe. This recipe looks close to the way my mom made it. I dont like mudhrooms but wondered if this would be good with silken tofu (which I love!). I was also thinking of thickening it with a little corn starch for hesrtiness.

      1. Hi Brent! I’ve never made it with tofu nor corn starch — the later I would really suggest against because then the texture is going to be like gravy and not menudo. If you want to make it hardier do add the hominy, serve some side dishes with it or and maybe some vegetables. Thank you and enjoy!

  5. Hola Nancy,
    I rarely write reviews about recipes but in your case I felt I had too. This is absolutely delicious! I’ve never had Menudo before because of the tripe so my main Mexican ‘soup’ dish has always been a vegan pozole, which our family loves. But when I saw your recipe for a vegan version of Menudo I had to try it. I make a lot of Asian dishes so I could see how well King oyster mushrooms would work in this recipe as a sub for the tripe. I followed the recipe to a tee except that I used half Better Than Boullion Vegan Beef and half BTB Vegetable for the broth in place of the salt. I’d like to add that the addition of some onion, cilantro, lime juice and dried oregano at serving as you suggest is a must to make it come truly alive and binge worthy…it was hard to stop eating it. Thanks so much for the great recipe, it’s always a pleasure to add something new and delicious to our meal planning.

    1. Hi Ted!

      Thank you so much for the fantastic feedback. I really appreciate it and am thrilled that you enjoyed my vegan menudo so much. I’d love it if you could give the recipe a star rating. Thanks!
      Regards,
      Nancy

  6. 5 stars
    I have made this several times and love it. Works with different kinds of mushrooms depending on what you have available. I don’t recommend wiping peppers with paper towel (why use something disposable?) – just rinse and slice carefully so as not to burn fingers with hot peppers. I use whatever type of peppers and oregano I have on hand – this recipe is versatile and delicious! I use better than boullion for the broth and avoid additional salt also. We make a more condensed version I guess – I just use 8 cups of diluted broth and no water when boiling the peppers onion garlic etc. Then I add the mushrooms/spices to the blended mix and simmer. Thanks for great recipe!

  7. 5 stars
    Menudo is my most favorite soup. When we went plant based I thought I would never be able to have my favorite soup again. It’s been over 4 years since I’ve had it. This made me so happy to make this recipe, as I started eating it my eyes filled with tears of joy to not only be able to eat it but to be able to make it in my own home. It tasted so fresh and clean and no fat to upset my stomach. I used the white fungus “snow mushrooms” they have little flavor and the perfect texture to replace the tripe. I added hominy and garnished with cilantro, raw onion, Mexican oregano, cabbage and big squeeze of lime. With my heart filled with joy and my belly full of Menudo, I thank you. ❤️

    1. Hi Cindy!
      Oh your words totally made my day. I’m so happy you found my vegan menudo recipe and that you enjoyed it. What you expressed is exactly why I do this. Sending you a big hug – thank you!

  8. 5 stars
    I love this recipe! I’d love to share that adding Hot Pot style fried Tofu skins REALLLYYY adds a meaty bite similar to tripe that takes this to an authentic feeling level.
    Don’t simmer them, just add right in the bowl like you would if you’ve ever had Chinese Hot Pot. Any kind work but I like the fried rolls best cut in half.
    Also topping with some Avocado slices on the side is nice too.

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