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This vegan posole verde is a soulful twist on the Mexican classic, built around tender hominy, silky cabbage, and poblano peppers simmered in a vibrant green broth. Sauteing the poblanos deepens their earthy sweetness while cabbage adds a satisfying, almost silky texture that soaks up every herbaceous spoonful. Bright, smoky, and deeply comforting, it's a plant-based bowl with plenty of body and character. Serve topped with radishes, avocado, pickled red onions, and cilantro with a side of Cuban black beans and aromatic coconut ginger rice.
Flavor Profile: This green pozole hits a high note with green chiles, and herbs; it's tangy, smoky, and layered with slow-cooked warmth. The balance of acidity and depth makes every bite fresh yet deeply satisfying.
Texture Profile: Tender hominy brings bounce and chew, while the rich broth hugs each spoonful in silky smooth comfort. The veggies add a crisp lift, making the texture symphony complex but comforting light enough to groove with, hearty enough to fill you up.
Cooking Technique & Time: This vegan pozole verde is all about the slow simmer of cabbage and chiles to build the base with everything coming together low and slow in about an hour. The magic happens as those green ingredients meld into one harmonious, soulful broth.
Key Flavor Ingredient - Hominy
Hominy is dried corn (maize) that’s been treated through a traditional process called nixtamalization where the kernels are soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution (usually limewater or lye) which softens the kernels, enhances their flavor, and gives it that signature puffy texture.
Hominy is the heart and soul of pozole, it brings a satisfying chew and subtle corn sweetness that grounds the whole dish. Its hearty bite stands in for meat, soaking up all that verde goodness like a rhythm section holding down the groove. But if you prefer a meat or seafood based version try this smoked chicken pozole verde or shrimp and fish based seafood pozole. Or if you prefer red, go with this fed chili spiced chicken pozole rojo.
Beats and Eats (music to pair with vegetarian pozole verde)
Just like War’s timeless jam, this dish is about unity through flavor. Every ingredient tomatillos, chiles, cilantro, and hominy comes from a different corner of the kitchen, but they vibe together perfectly. It’s soulful, funky, and deeply human a bowl that celebrates connection, not competition.
Key Secrets to Making It Great
- Roast your tomatillos and poblano peppers for smoky depth, don’t skip it.
- Blend your verde sauce smooth, but keep some texture for body.
- Use quality vegetable broth and a splash of lime juice to balance richness.
- Don’t rush the simmer, flavor builds with time, like a good jam session.
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Easy Vegan Pozole Verde Soup with Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups vegetable stock homemade or low sodium store bought
- 30 oz canned hominy
- 1 head cabbage shredded
- 1 bunch collard greens (optional) de-stemmed and cut into strips
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 medium poblano pepper chopped coarsely
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
Method
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onions and poblano peppers. Saute until slightly tender.
- Stir in garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes.
- Pour in chicken broth and add bay leaf and epazote if using
- Stir in cabbage and collards.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.
- Stir in dried herbs, red pepper flakes, and spices
- Cook until cabbage is tender 20-30 minutes
- Taste broth and adjust seasoning if needed.
Nutrition
Notes
- If you have time steep a dried smoked chili (chipotle or morita) or two in the stock for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the other ingredients for extra flavor
- Garnishing with radishes adds some color and a bit of piquant aka pleasant, but biting sharpness. But feel free to be as creating as you like with toppings options. cilantro, onions, avocado, etc. are common
- Use this homemade vegetable stock to elevate this pozole recipe
- Epazote as an optional ingredient adds a very rustic note to the dish
- Taste the pozole before serving it, as you may find it needs more salt. Hominy and cabbage dishes will typically need more salt than you would think initially.
- Finish the soup with a squeeze of lime juice
- This dish and pozole, in general, are best made a day ahead if possible, as it tastes even better the next day.
I assume you add the hominy toward the end...?
Great catch! I need to update the recipe as I didn't realize I didn't include the hominy step. I add it at the end and let it simmer about 10 minutes.