Vegan Pozole Verde Recipe (2 Ways)

Vegan pozole verde is a hearty Mexican hominy stew made with a tomatillo based green salsa and toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds. It’s easy to make and you can use either jackfruit or oyster mushrooms.

Legend has it that the original pozole was made with human flesh and reserved only for celebration of battles or for offering to the gods for a fruitful harvest. You can read more about this on my pozole rojo article and recipe.

Thankfully you don’t have to worry about human flesh, or even that of animal, we are making vegan pozole verde.

Pozole verde is made with different ingredients than the rojo version. The verde is made with a green sauce and the rojo with a red chile sauce.

As always, there are many recipe variations, depending of the region of Mexico and from family to family. But I’m happy to share my vegan version of this very special Mexican food.

The Three Pozole Colors

Did you know that there are 3 types of pozole?

There’s rojo, verde and blanco. Just like the 3 colors of the Mexican flag.

Traditionally they are made with pork but I’ve also seen chicken, beef and even some shrimp pozoles in Mexico.

Pozole rojo gets its red color from the dried red chilies used to make the sauce and broth.

Pozole blanco or white pozole doesn’t use any chiles. It’s just the broth and seasoned with herbs.

Pozole verde or green pozole gets its color from the use of fresh green chiles, tomatillos and fresh herbs.

They are all equally special and delicious in their own way.

What is Pozole Verde Made Of

Traditionally pozole verde is made with pork shoulder or chicken, broth, and a homemade sauce base of roasted salsa verde.

The green pozole salsa includes ingredients like roasted poblano peppers, tomatillos, herbs like epazote and cilantro, some people add spinach or lettuce.

Additionally many recipes use toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds, which lend a delicious creaminess to the salsa verde sauce and pozole. I highly suggest not skipping them!

How to Make it Vegan

In my recipe, we of course are going to make it without meat. This recipe is 100% vegan!

We are going to be swapping out the pork for either jackfruit or oyster mushrooms.

Both jackfruit and oyster mushrooms are fantastic meat substitutes in just about any recipe.

Jackfruit has more of the look and texture of shredded meat. Naturally, the taste is pretty bland so it can easily mix with the other ingredients to create a very flavorful dish.

Make sure to read my guide on how to properly prepare jackfruit for cooking. Don’t skip this step if you want to make your pozole verde more flavorful.

Oyster mushrooms are a really great substitute for meat. You can shred or pull them apart to resemble shredded meat. They too can easily be incorporated into just about any dish where you want to omit the meat.

Oyster mushrooms are also a good source of protein — more than jackfruit, actually.

If you’ve been following my blog and recipes, you’ll notice that I’m a HUGE fan of oyster mushrooms as vegan meat, or to replace meat when possible.

I not only love the taste of oyster mushrooms but also find them to be extremely delicious and versatile in vegan cooking.

In my recipe you’ll notice I used oyster mushrooms, but you could also use jackfruit, or even a mix of both just like I do in my tamales verdes. Read the full recipe below for more information.

Ingredients for Pozole Verde

The ingredients for green pozole aren’t complicated and you should be able to find them at just about any grocery store or Latin food market.

• tomatillos
• jalapeño peppers or Serrano peppers for a spicier pozole
• garlic
• onion
• poblano chiles
• pepitas or raw pumpkin seeds
• ground cumin
• Mexican oregano
• salt
• vegetable broth
• fresh cilantro
• fresh epazote
• olive oil
• oyster mushrooms (or prepared jackfruit)
• garlic powder
• canned hominy
• your favorite garnishes

How to Make Vegan Pozole Verde

First you need to decide if you’re want to use oyster mushrooms or jackfruit for your pozole verde.

If you choose jackfruit, make sure to prepare it just as stated on my How to Prepare Jackfruit post. Once you have that you can proceed with the recipe.

• Roast the tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic, onion, poblano peppers on a comal or under the broiler. Keep an eye on the garlic so it doesn’t burn.
• Toast the pepitas or pumpkin seeds on a dry pan without oil.
• Place the roasted veggies in a blender with 1/2 cup of vegetable broth and blend until smooth.
• Pour in another 1/2 cup of broth into the blender, add the toasted pepitas, herbs and salt and blend until completely smooth.
• Shred or pull apart the oyster mushrooms.
• Heat up the olive oil in a very large pot and sauté mushrooms until soft and a little crispy. Season with some garlic powder.
• Pour in the salsa over the mushrooms and mix until well combined.
• Pour in the remaining vegetable broth, then add the hominy and mix well.
• Simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
• Taste the pozole and adjust seasonings. If adding more seasonings cook another 10 minutes. Make sure your pozole has tender hominy before serving.
• Serve with your favorite toppings and sides.

Pozole Verde with Oyster Mushrooms

As you see above, to make pozole verde with oyster mushrooms we need to pull apart into strands. Then sauté with a little oil and granulated garlic.

Don’t add salt to them so they crisp up a bit.

If you don’t have oyster mushrooms you can use King oyster mushrooms or even regular button mushrooms or cremini work great too.

Pozole Verde with Jackfruit

Once you have prepared your jackfruit you can add it to the pot then pour in the salsa verde and the rest of the recipe is the same.

Some people like to sauté the jackfruit instead, it’s up to you.

Pozole Verde with Beans

There is a region of the Mexican state of Guerrero that makes pozole using black beans. That type of pozole is made different than either my green or red pozole. But I think beans make another good option for replacing the meat with a plant based protein. Either black or pinto beans would work. The beans I wouldn’t suggest would be white beans because they have a much different taste and texture. 

How To Make Oil Free Pozole

As you can see my recipe doesn’t require a whole lot of oil. But let me give you some tips.

For starters, the tostadas, instead of using the store bought ones take some corn tortillas and put them in the air fryer or oven until they crisp up.

The vegetable broth, you can use your own homemade or make sure to read the label for store bought.

To sauté the mushrooms you can skip the oil. Use your best non-stick pan to sauté them first then add to the pot and continue.

If you don’t have a good non-stick pan you can add a tiny splash of water to cook them in the pot. Just not too much so they don’t get soggy.

If you’re using jackfruit then you don’t have to worry because there’s no oil needed.

Toppings for Pozole

You can add any of your favorite toppings to vegan pozole verde. Below are some suggestions to choose from.

• shredded lettuce or cabbage
• finely chopped white onion
• sliced or chopped radish
• dried Mexican oregano
• lime wedges
• avocado slices or chopped
• Mexican crema or sour cream 

I like to add any of these toppings depending on what I have at home.

How to Serve Vegan Pozole Verde

Besides the toppings — don’t skip them, you can serve your pozole with some crunchy tostadas.

I love to smear my tostadas for pozole with some homemade Mexican vegan crema. It’s so delicious and adds nice texture to the pozole meal.

In Mexico we don’t really serve much else with the pozole besides the toppings and tostadas. Nothing else is needed, really. But it’s up to you.

Traditionally we Mexicans cook pozole for special occasions or holidays. Pozole is the perfect choice for Mexican Independence Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and the next day we reheat leftover for New Year’s Day.

But you know what, pozole is also one of those comfort foods you can serve on regular or busy weeknights. You can make it the day before or even as part of your meal prepping and serve it during the week.

There’s so many different ways to enjoy this incredibly flavorful Mexican stew. 

How to Store Leftovers

Store pozole leftovers in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days, if you don’t eat it before that is!

Reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Freezer I wouldn’t freeze longer than 3 months, the hominy texture changes, it becomes a little mushy.

Is Pozole Healthy

Yes it is, specially when you make it vegan!

Vegan pozole is lower in calories, packed with nutrients and all the vegetables used to make the sauce and for topping make pozole even healthier.

More Mexican Vegan Soup Recipes

• How to Make Vegan Pozole Rojo
• Instant Pot Menudo Made Vegan
• Easy Sopa de Fideo Recipe
• Frijoles Charros | Mexican Charro Beans Recipe
• Vegan Mexican Lentil Soup | Sopa de Lentejas
• Easy Mexican Fava Bean Soup

The Best Vegan Pozole Verde Recipe

One of the really great things about this vegan recipe is that it’s one of those plant-based recipes that the whole family will enjoy.

Another great thing about this traditional Mexican soup is that you can even cook it in the bowl of a slow cooker or in an Instant Pot – I love the pressure cooker idea because it doesn’t heat up the house and I don’t have to keep too close of an eye on the pozole pot. 

Ok amigos below is the printable recipe card for my vegan pozole recipe. It’s so flavorful and I think you’ll agree that it’s the BEST vegan pozole recipe you’ll find.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.