Poblano Cream Soup is a rich, velvety dish made with smoky, earthy roasted poblanos. With a base of cream and broth, it’s smooth and comforting, while crispy tortilla strips and fresh cilantro add the perfect contrast of textures. This easy recipe comes together quickly with simple ingredients, and includes a dairy-free option.
Growing up, we always had poblano peppers ready for chiles rellenos, such as Bacon and Ground Beef Chiles Rellenos, one of my dad's specialties. Nowadays, I enjoy exploring new ways to use poblanos, transforming their smoky, earthy flavor into creamy, comforting creations like Espagueti Verde or today's crema de chile poblano soup.
This creamy soup is rich, velvety, and full of the bold, roasted flavor of poblanos, topped with crispy tortilla strips and fresh cilantro for the perfect balance of textures.
Let me show you just how easy it is to make this flavorful, comforting dish at home.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Rich and Creamy: The combination of roasted poblano chiles and cream creates a smooth, velvety base, while the crispy tortilla strips and fresh cilantro add the perfect contrast of crunch and freshness.
- Easy to Make: With just a few simple steps and simple ingredients, this soup comes together quickly, making it great for weeknights.
- Make it Dairy-Free: I've included easy ingredient substitutions to make this recipe dairy-free and vegan.
- Whole30 Option: Use ghee, one of the dairy-free alternatives, and leave out the tortilla strips for a Whole30 compatible version.
- Naturally Gluten-Free: The recipe uses corn tortillas and cornstarch, making it suitable for gluten-free diets.
For another velvety soup recipe topped with crunchy tortilla strips, check out Sopa de Tortilla Azteca.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Corn Tortillas are fried to make crispy tortilla strips that add texture and crunch to the soup. Use your favorite brand of corn tortillas.
- Oil: I prefer to use avocado oil for frying the tortillas.
- Poblano Peppers: Poblano peppers are large, mild chiles that are usually served roasted. They have a more robust flavor than bell peppers and at times can have a slight spice to them. Check out my post to learn how to roast peppers at home.
- Onion and Garlic: Sautéed in butter, these aromatics add amazing flavor to the soup.
- Unsalted Butter: Butter is used to sauté the poblanos, onion, and garlic, creating a rich, flavorful base. Oil or ghee can be used for dairy-free or different flavor option.
- Broth: Use either chicken or vegetable broth to add depth to the soup and balance the creaminess.
- Cream: I like to use half & half which adds a great creaminess without being too heavy. However, you can use a mixture of heavy cream and milk to achieve a similar result. For a dairy-free alternative, use full fat coconut milk or a dairy-free half & half like Nutpods.
- Salt and Pepper: I like to use kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Cumin: Just a tiny pinch of cumin will help round out the flavors without overpowering.
- Thickener: Use your favorite type of starch to help thicken the soup, such as tapioca starch, arrowroot powder or cornstarch.
- Fresh Cilantro: Although used as a garnish, cilantro adds a fresh, bright flavor that balances the richness of the soup.
See recipe card for quantities.
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How to Make Creamy Poblano Soup
1. Prepare Poblanos: Roast the poblano peppers by following the directions on this post Simple Ways to Roast Green Chiles at Home. Then, peel, deseed and roughly chop the peppers. Set aside.
2. Cut Tortillas: Cut tortillas into fourths and cut the quarters into thin strips.
3. Fry Tortillas: Fry tortilla strips, a handful at a time, in a deep pan with oil until golden and crispy. Set aside to drain.
4. Sauté Vegetables: Sauté the diced onion, garlic and poblano peppers in a deep pot with melted butter.
5. Add Ingredients: Add the broth, half & half and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Puree: Puree the soup until smooth using a blender or in the same pot with an immersion blender.
7. Add Thickener: In a small bowl, mix your starch and ¼ cup of the blended soup. Mix and combine with the rest of the soup in the pot.
8. Simmer and Serve: Simmer for 5 minutes or until the soup slightly thickens. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve.
Recommended for This Recipe
Immersion Blender
Sometimes I'd rather not transfer the soup to a blender and like the convenience of using an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot.
How to Serve
To serve, ladle desired amount of soup into bowls. Top with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and a handful of tortilla strips. I always place the bowl of tortilla strips on the table so people can pile on more tortillas into their soup if they wish.
What to Serve with This Soup
This soup is great served by itself as a light lunch or as an appetizer. For a well-rounded meal, serve it with one of the following:
- Pork Flautas or Flautas de Pollo
- Tacos Dorados de Pollo
- Tostadas de Frijoles
- Open-Faced Ground Beef Tortas
Storing and Reheating
Store the soup without the tortilla strips.
Store soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or the freezer.
Leftover tortilla strips can be stored in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
To reheat, pour the soup in a small pot over medium heat or microwave it in a microwaveable safe bowl until heated through. Then, top with tortilla strips and fresh cilantro.
Tips and Variations
- Adjust Consistency: For a thinner soup, add more broth. If you prefer it thicker, increase the cornstarch mixture or let it simmer longer to reduce.
- Add Protein: Mix in some cooked shredded or cubed chicken for a heartier soup.
- Add Spice: If you prefer more spice, roast one or two jalapeño or serrano peppers and blend with the other ingredients.
- Vegan or Dairy-Free Version: Use oil, ghee or a dairy-free butter for sautéing the vegetables and full fat coconut milk or a dairy-free half & half like Nutpods.
FAQ
I wouldn't recommend freezing this soup. Cream-based soups often separate when frozen, and the texture can become grainy upon thawing.
Yes, roasting brings out their smoky flavor and makes peeling the skin much easier. Skipping this step will significantly affect the taste and texture of the soup.
Poblano peppers are typically mild, but their heat level can vary. If you prefer a milder soup, taste the peppers after roasting and remove the seeds and membranes. This will help reduce the heat.
I hope you enjoy! If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment with a star rating below. Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest to stay in touch, and don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter.
Related
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Recipe
Poblano Cream Soup (Dairy-Free Option)
Equipment
- Blender or immersion blender
- cutting board
- Knife
- Dutch oven or pot
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 8 corn tortillas
- ½ cup oil
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 3 cups half and half or a mixture of milk and heavy cream, see notes
- 1 ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon starch arrowroot, tapioca or cornstarch
- fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Poblano Peppers
- Roast the poblano peppers by following the directions on this post Simple Ways to Roast Green Chiles at Home. Then, peel, deseed and roughly chop the peppers. Set aside.
Tortilla Strips
- Cut the corn tortillas into fourths. Then cut the quarters into thin strips.
- Heat about an inch of oil in a deep pan or pot. Once hot, but not smoking, add a handful of the tortilla strips. Let the tortilla strips crisp up. Remove from the oil when they are a golden and crispy.
- Place the fried tortilla strips in a paper towel covered bowl to drain.
- Continue cooking the tortilla strips until all of them are fried. Set them aside.
Soup
- Melt butter in a medium pot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped poblanos, onion and garlic. Sauté for 2 minutes or until soft and fragrant.
- Mix in broth, half and half, and spices.
- Simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Puree the soup until smooth in either a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) or in the same pot using an immersion blender.
- In a small bowl, add corn starch and ¼ cup of the soup. Mix together until the corn starch dissolves.
- Add to the pot with the rest of the soup.
- Simmer for 5 more minutes until the soup slightly thickens.
- Serve garnished with tortilla strips and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Dairy-free and Vegan Option: Use oil, ghee or a dairy-free butter for sautéing the vegetables and full fat coconut milk or a dairy-free half & half like Nutpods.
- Whole30 Option: Use ghee, one of the dairy-free alternatives, and leave out the tortilla strips for a Whole30 compatible version.
- I like to use half & half which adds a great creaminess without being too heavy. However, you can use a mixture of 1.5 cups of heavy cream and 1.5 cups of milk to achieve a similar result.
Dawn
Even without the tortilla strips - I hadn't allowed enough time, so we garnished with tiny cheese crackers instead - this got rave reviews from my father in law and my vegetable-averse husband. I loved it too 😉
Bookmarked!
Gemma
Hi Dawn, that is so wonderful to hear! I am so happy you all liked it. You'll have to let me know what you think of it when you add the crispy tortillas next time.
Aaron
What's the proper amount of broth?
Gemma
I just realized I forgot to include that, thank you for catching it. You need 3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth.