Easy Taco Soup Recipe (Instant Pot, Stovetop or Crockpot)

By: The Real Food Dietitians Posted: 9/6/23

Ready to level up your Taco Tuesday? Our easy taco soup recipe takes just 28 minutes from beginning to end when you make it in your favorite Instant Pot. It’s loaded with veggies for a hearty, flavorful weeknight meal with endless topping possibilities.

Plus, it’s meal prep- and freezer-friendly! You can reheat this delicious, healthy taco soup in the days, weeks, or even months to come when stored properly.

Ingredients To Make Taco Soup

Here’s what you need to get this taco soup simmering away:

• Lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey — all of these meats work equally well for this easy Instant Pot taco soup. Just pick what you prefer! For the leanest nutrition profile, go with ground turkey or chicken
• Olive oil or avocado oil — these will prepare the same; choose what you have available
• Garlic cloves — cloves of garlic offer a more complex flavor than just using garlic powder, but you can substitute the powder in a pinch
• Onion, zucchini, and carrots — for the fastest meal prep, dice these ahead of time
• Bell pepper — any color will do. We liked orange and red for our recipe
• Chili powder, cumin, and oregano — we found this was our favorite combo for a perfect Tex-Mex ‘taco-y’ feel to our soup. As with any spices, feel free to adjust to your own taste. Other spices you may try might include onion powder, paprika, or even a taco seasoning packet. If you want more of a spicy kick, sprinkle in a ½ teaspoon of cayenne. (If you eat a lot of taco recipes, check out our homemade taco seasoning recipe and keep some on hand.)
• Tomato sauce
• Water or broth — water works just fine, but for a heartier taste, try beef broth or chicken broth
• Diced tomatoes — we recommend choosing an option with green chilies or fire-roasted tomatoes for the boldest flavor profile
• Black beans — this bean choice is our favorite because it’s the most authentic bean to use in a recipe like this. However, you can customize your taco soup and use any favorite legume, such as canned pinto beans or kidney beans
• Corn
• Lime juice — don’t skip this one, as it brightens all the flavors! 
• Sour cream or Greek yogurt — a dollop of sour cream will offer a slightly thinner consistency than Greek yogurt. Greek yogurt also contains more gut-friendly probiotics and is lower in fat and dairy than sour cream. Choose what works best for you
• Optional toppings — the possibilities are virtually endless. Our favorite toppings include avocado or guacamole, cilantro, green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream or Greek yogurt, and/or lime wedges

Find the full ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How To Make Taco Soup

We think making taco soup is easiest in the Instant Pot. However, our full instructions include how to make this taco soup recipe in an Instant Pot, slow cooker/crock pot, or on the stove.

Here, we walk you through the Instant Pot steps.

1. Using the ‘sauté’ setting on the Instant Pot, sauté the ground beef (or turkey or chicken) and chopped veggies until the meat is no longer pink.
2. Turn the ‘sauté’ setting off and add the spices, tomato sauce, broth or water, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. Stir to combine.
3. Lock the cover into place and turn the valve to ‘sealing.’ Set the Instant Pot for 8 minutes on high pressure. If you have the older version, use the ‘manual’ button; with the newer version, use the ‘pressure cook’ button. 
4. While the soup is pressure-cooking, prepare the toppings. Go all out, or keep it simple!
5. After the 8 minutes is up, allow for 5-7 minutes of natural release before flipping the valve to ‘venting.’
6. Once the pressure is fully released and the lid unlocks, remove the lid and stir in the sour cream and lime juice until evenly combined. This adds a delicious creaminess to the soup!
7. Instant Pot Taco Soup is ready to serve. Don’t forget the toppings!

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

To make this recipe Whole30, skip the beans and sour cream or Greek yogurt, and don’t add toppings like cheese or tortilla chips. Replace the missing beans with an additional ½ pound of your chosen ground meat.

To make this recipe Paleo, skip the beans and sour cream, and don’t use cheese or tortilla chips to top your soup. Replace the missing beans with an additional ½ pound of your chosen ground meat. Depending on how strictly you follow a Paleo diet, you may be able to use minimally-processed Greek yogurt rather than the traditional sour cream.

To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute to the sour cream for dairy-free alternative or you can also use coconut milk. It will change the flavor a bit but it will still be delicious.

How To Store Taco Soup

Our taco soup recipe keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

To reheat it from the refrigerator, pop it into a crock pot on medium or microwave it on high for 90 seconds. You can also reheat it on the stove; use a soup pot or Dutch oven and heat it on medium for 10-15 minutes.

You can reheat previously frozen taco soup in a slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in the microwave. Be sure to remove the frozen soup from the freezer and place it in your refrigerator to thaw for 24 hours before reheating.

To reheat in the slow cooker, simply heat on the high-heat setting for 2 hours. Soup may also be reheated in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Reheat individual servings of soup in a bowl in the microwave for 90 seconds or more as needed.

Endless Topping Ideas for Your Taco Soup

While this soup has amazing flavor and is incredibly tasty on its own, why not add in some fun toppings?! Here are a few ideas for a garnish using your favorite taco toppings…

• Avocado, sliced or diced (you can even try guacamole, if you’re feeling adventurous)
• Cilantro, chopped
• Green onion, thinly sliced
• Radishes, thinly sliced
• Crushed or whole corn tortilla strips
• Cheese (shredded or cotija)
• Sour cream
• Jalapeño slices
• Lime wedges
• Rotel
• Hot sauce (if you’re feeling spicy)
• Cornbread

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The photos in this blog post were taken by Rachel Cook of Half Acre House.

For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!