Looking for an easy dinner recipe tonight? Slow cooker taco soup with ground beef is your answer. It features ground beef, 3 kinds of chiles, 2 kinds of beans, and fresh herbs and spices. Quick prep, easy meal.
Slow cooker taco soup combines all your favorite taco ingredients with a spicy flavorful broth. And just like that, a taco becomes soup.
Taco soup with ground beef is an easy dinner for busy weeknights. And it's a great option for meal prep or as a freezer meal. Plus, it makes amazing leftovers!
The soup base is the star of the show. Its a blend of onions, garlic, cilantro, tomato, and other spices. Best of all, the base only takes about 5 minutes to make.
Toss all the soup ingredients into the slow cooker before you leave for the day. And have a hearty soup ready for dinner when you come home.
RELATED: You may also be interested in the best side dishes for taco soup.
Jump to:
- Slow Cooker Taco Soup Ingredients
- Taco Soup Toppings
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to Make Slow Cooker Taco Soup with Ground Beef
- Taco Soup with Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
- Taco Soup Recipe on the Stove
- Tasty Tips
- How to Store Leftovers
- How to Reheat Taco Soup
- How to Freeze Taco Soup
- How to Thaw and Reheat Frozen Taco Soup
- What to Serve With Taco Soup?
- More Amazing Recipes with Ground Beef
- Recipe
- Hungry for More Soup?
- Comments
Slow Cooker Taco Soup Ingredients
- Lean ground beef: Not all ground beef is created equally. To get the best taste and nutrition from your ground beef, choose the best cut.
Ground chuck is the best choice, but sirloin will give you good results too.
- Beef broth: This is the base into which herbs, spices, tomatoes, and chile peppers will be blended to create a mouthwatering, spicy, flavorful soup base.
- Beans: Use a combination of beans for interest and flavor. I prefer pinto beans and kidney beans. However, substitute black beans for either one of these beans if you prefer.
- Diced tomatoes and broth: I prefer canned tomatoes because of all the juice in the can.
- Corn: Use canned or frozen corn, whichever is easiest.
- Herbs and spices: Fresh cilantro, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, salt, and pepper add a rich flavor.
- Chile peppers: Fresh jalapeno, chipotle chile powder, and diced green chiles in a can (or homemade) go into this recipe.
Chipotles are smoked, dried jalapeno peppers. The chipotle chile powder adds a new layer of flavor on top of the fresh jalapeno cooked with the ground beef. Diced green chiles are often a mild pepper, such as the Anaheim chile pepper.
You can omit one or more of the chile peppers if you want, but to get the full flavor, I highly recommend using all three.
Taco Soup Toppings
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- A dollop of sour cream
- Guacamole or avocado pieces
- Corn chips
- Hot sauce
- Green or red onion
- Lime wedges
Substitutions and Variations
- Use ground turkey if you want a leaner meat.
- Use any bean interchangeably with the pinto or kidney beans. White or black beans work especially well.
- Use shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken instead of beef for chicken taco soup.
How to Make Slow Cooker Taco Soup with Ground Beef
STEP 1: BROWN THE GROUND BEEF
When it is almost finished cooking, add diced onions and diced jalapeno. Add a half or a whole jalapeno, depending on how spicy you like it. Or go crazy and add two.
STEP 2: MAKE THE SOUP BASE
Pour beef broth, tomato juice, 2 tablespoons of diced tomatoes, garlic cloves, ¼ cup of diced onions, 2 tablespoons of green chilies, cilantro, cumin, and paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper into a blender.
Puree for 30 to 45 seconds.
STEP 3: SLOW COOK
Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker. Pour in the soup base broth, ground beef, beans, corn, tomatoes, and green chiles. Stir to combine.
Cook for 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 6 hours on low. As the ingredients heat up, the flavors marinate together.
STEP 4: SEASON
When the soup is done, add the lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. I usually add an additional teaspoon of salt and sometimes the juice from the rest of the lime.
STEP 5: GARNISH
Serve the soup with taco garnishes, such as shredded cheese, lettuce, sliced olives, chopped avocado, sour cream, and tortilla strips.
Taco Soup with Ground Beef in the Instant Pot
Alternately, you can cook the soup in the Instant Pot.
- Brown the ground beef in the pressure cooker pan on the brown setting. Add diced onions and diced jalapeno and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Make the soup base according to the directions for slow cooker taco soup.
- Pour the soup base and the rest of the ingredients into the pressure cooker with the ground beef. Stir to combine.
- Pressure cook the soup for 10 minutes. Place the lid on the pressure cooker. Pressure cook on high and let the soup release naturally.
- When the soup is finished, add the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. I usually add an additional teaspoon of salt and sometimes the juice from the whole lime.
- Garnish with your favorite taco toppings.
Taco Soup Recipe on the Stove
If you prefer cooking your soup on the stove, here are the instructions.
- Brown the ground beef in a stockpot on the stove. Add diced onions and diced jalapeno. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Make the soup base according to the directions for slow cooker taco soup.
- Pour the soup base and the remaining ingredients into the large soup pot with the ground beef. Stir to combine.
- Cook covered for 20 minutes, or until soup is heated through. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
- When the soup is finished, add the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Add additional salt or more lime juice.
- Garnish with your favorite taco toppings.
Tasty Tips
Use these pro tips to make the best taco soup you’ve ever eaten.
- Make your own soup base. Don't use any seasoning packets.
You'll use fresh herbs and spices, chili peppers, and aromatics to make a soup base layered with flavor.
Don't worry. It only takes 5 minutes to make the base.
- Cook the ground beef with fresh jalapeno and onion. You will get incredible flavor from the pepper and onion as they cook with the beef.
- Use 3 kinds of chili pepper -- Jalapenos, diced chiles, and chipotle chili powder.
The jalapenos cook with the ground beef. And the diced chiles and chili powder blend with the base.
Something about three layers of chili (each with a unique taste) makes this taco soup unbeatable.
- Use pinto and kidney beans. Cook them fresh if you have the time. If not, open a can. Two types of beans add even more flavor and interest to the taco soup.
- Garnish with taco toppings. Chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado (or guacamole), olives, salsa, red bell pepper, and red or green onions are our favorite toppings for the soup.
This is a quick and easy taco soup recipe. It is delicious and you can customize it to your taste. Make slow cooker taco soup, cook it in an electric pressure cooker, or on the stove top.
How to Store Leftovers
Slow cooker taco soup is often better the second time around. You'll love a bowl of soup for lunch.
Store the leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The soup will last 3 to 4 days when correctly stored.
If you won't eat the soup that quickly, freeze it.
How to Reheat Taco Soup
For an individual serving bowl of soup, heat it in a microwave-safe container in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir, evaluate temperature, and heat for another minute if necessary.
To reheat a large batch of soup, warm in a covered pan on the stove. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
How to Freeze Taco Soup
This simple taco soup recipe makes a fantastic freezer meal. This recipe will be a family favorite, so make a big batch so you can freeze some.
- Cool the soup completely.
- Place the soup in freezer zip-top bag or another freezer-safe container. Label with the contents and the date.
- Put the soup container in the freezer near the back.
- Keep in the freezer up to 3 months.
How to Thaw and Reheat Frozen Taco Soup
- Take taco soup out of the freezer and place it in the refrigerator.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Heat the soup in a pan on the stove over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the soup is heated through.
What to Serve With Taco Soup?
In addition to taco toppings (cheese, olives, sour cream, guacamole, etc.), here are some ideas for food to eat with taco soup.
- Tortilla chips. Add salsa if you want.
- Tortillas -- homemade if possible. Tear the tortillas into pieces and add them to your soup. Or simply eat the tortilla on the side.
- Quesadilla. Change up the tortilla idea by toasting it with cheese. A quesadilla is dippable. Perfect for soup.
- Dinner Salad. Cold salad + hot soup = complete meal.
- Coleslaw. If your taco soup is especially spicy, serve it with coleslaw to cool things down.
Taco soup is best eaten within three days. If you don’t think you will eat it that quickly, try freezing it and then eating it later.
Taco soup freezes very well. It can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Amazing Recipes with Ground Beef
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Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Taco Soup with Ground Beef
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of white or yellow onion, diced (about ½ a medium onion)
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeds removed
- ¼ cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef ground chuck is best
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 (15 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1½ teaspoons of cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 4 peppercorns (or ⅛ teaspoon ground pepper)
- 1 (15 ounce) can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or 1⅓ cup of home cooked pinto beans)
- 1 (15 ounce) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or 1⅓ cup of home cooked kidney beans)
- 1 (15 ounce) can of corn, rinsed and drained (or 1⅓ cup or frozen corn)
- 1 (4 ounce) can of diced green chiles
- Juice from ½ a lime
Toppings
- sour cream
- cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- red onion diced
- black olives sliced
- tortilla chips
- avocado sliced or diced or guacamole
Instructions
- MINCE the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Wash and chop the cilantro.
- BROWN the ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up as it cooks until it is in crumbles.
- ADD ½ cup of onion and the minced jalapeno to the ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion and jalapeno start to get soft.
- BLEND the beef broth, the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes, plus 2 tablespoons of diced tomatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons of diced onions, 2 tablespoons of green chiles, cilantro, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, and peppercorns in a blender or food processor until smooth. This is the soup base.
- MIX the remaining ingredients into a slow cooker. Add the liquid base. Stir to combine.
- COOK in the slow cooker for 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 6 hours on low.
- PREPARE the toppings and set aside while the soup cooks.
- STIR the lime juice into the soup when it has finished cooking.
- TASTE and adjust seasonings (add more salt or more lime juice if needed).
- SERVE immediately with your choice of taco toppings.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Or freeze in a freezer-safe container for 6 months.
Nutrition
Hungry for More Soup?
- Black Bean Soup: Mouthwatering vegan black bean soup made with roasted polbanos and tomatillos, corn, red onions, carrots, celery, and cilantro.
- Butternut Squash Soup: Rich, creamy soup with butternut squash, cream cheese, white beans, diced tomatoes, and flavorful herbs.
- 15 Bean Soup: Craving a hearty meal? How about a soup stuffed with protein? Wholesome beans and savory meat crammed into one soup bowl. That is what you get with this colorful, scrumptious 15 bean soup recipe.
- Vegetable Soup with Ground Beef: Combine tender vegetables and savory ground beef in a flavorful broth to get a mouthwatering vegetable soup with ground beef, packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein.
- Pumpkin Soup: Blend fresh herbs and spices with pumpkin puree, coconut milk, red lentils, and apples in this seasonal soup, ready in 30 minutes.
- Turkey Soup: Use leftover turkey, along with potatoes, onions, leeks, celery, and fresh seasonal herbs for a true comfort food experience. Don't have turkey? Substitute chicken instead.
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