This hearty Taco Soup recipe bursts with crave-worthy Mexican flavors. In just 30 minutes, you’ll serve up a warm bowl of this protein-packed soup loaded with ground beef, tomatoes, corn, beans, and taco seasoning. Serve with your favorite taco toppings for the ultimate Tex-Mex weeknight dinner.
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Helpful Reader Review
“Delicious!! We have made this recipe several times and it’s always a hit! I love adding some fresh lime juice for a little something extra!” – Kate ★★★★★
Taco Soup Video
See how to make this easy 1-pot, 30-minute meal any night of the week (less clean up-yay). Taco soup is filling and great for meal prep since it keeps well in the fridge and freezer.
Like our Slow Cooker Beef Chili, this is the perfect bowl of comfort for cooler weather, and it also has the same crowd-pleasing flavors as our irresistible Taco Salad. This recipe is the best of both!
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
We love Mexican food around here. Whether it’s Chicken Fajitas, Fish Tacos, or even Ceviche, Mexican-inspired recipes are always on our regular rotation. This recipe is a great substitute for Taco Tuesday when you want tacos but want to cozy up to a bowl of something hot and cozy.
Everything you need to make this taco soup is probably already in your pantry, and it’s easy to swap ingredients to use what you have on hand, or to fit dietary needs, so this is sure to be a go-to meal!
Taco Soup Ingredients
The ingredients for taco soup are so simple – these are staples that I like to keep on hand in my fridge and pantry to whip up this easy weeknight dinner:
- Ground Beef – I used lean ground beef 85-90%. For higher fat content, skim off excess fat. You can substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or even shredded chicken like my Chicken Tortilla Soup.
- Aromatics – onion and garlic add great flavor to the broth.
- Tomatoes – tomato paste and original Rotel (canned diced tomatoes and green chilis). You can use spicy Rotel for more heat.
- Seasonings – Taco Seasoning, cumin, and paprika. For added heat, chop jalapeños to add with the garlic, or after cooking, add Sriracha or hot sauce
- Stock – low-sodium Beef stock or Chicken stock, you can also substitute bouillon cubes in water and adjust the seasonings.
- Beans – I prefer drained black beans or pinto beans, but you can use kidney beans or garbanzo beans.
- Corn – canned, fresh, or frozen will work
How to Make Taco Soup
You’ll love how easy this taco soup is to make, and it’s ready to serve in about 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Brown the ground beef with the onion in a dutch oven or soup pot until no pink meat remains.
- Spoon out any excess fat, if desired.
- Season – Add tomato paste, garlic, and seasonings, and then stir for another minute.
- Add stock, Rotel (with juices), drained beans, and drained corn, and then bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot while it simmers for 15 minutes.
- Serve – Season with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning, if desired, and then serve hot with your desired toppings.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
After sautéing the meat and onions in step 1, transfer the cooked meat with the rest of the ingredients to a slow cooker, and then cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours for a delicious crockpot taco soup.
What’s the difference between chili and taco soup?
Taco soup and chili have similar ingredients, but soup is thinner than chili, calls for less beans than chili, and calls for Taco Seasoning for a traditional Mexican flavor. It also doesn’t require lengthy simmering.
Toppings for Taco Soup
Just like serving regular tacos, I love serving a variety of toppings with taco soup:
- Tortilla chips or crushed Doritos
- A dollop of sour cream
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Cheddar or Mexican cheese, shredded
- Fresh cilantro or chopped green onions
- Lime wedges
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Warm Homemade Tortillas
This taco soup recipe brings together two amazing recipes in one: Beef Tacos and hearty soup, a perfect combination. The dish is hearty and warming, and so easy to make – perfect for busy weeknights.
P.S. Don’t Forget Dessert! Finish your taco soup dinner with a Mexican-inspired dessert like Churros, Flan, or Tres Leches Cake.
Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning, or more to taste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3 cups beef stock, or chicken stock
- 2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis with their juice, original or spicy
- 15 oz can beans, pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 oz can of corn, drained, or 1 cup frozen corn
Instructions
- Brown – Set a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat and add oil. Add ground beef and onion and sauté, breaking it up with a spatula for 6-7 minutes or until beef is browned.
- Spoon out excess fat if desired, leaving about 1-2 Tbsp.
- Season – Add tomato paste, garlic, taco seasoning, cumin, and paprika, and then saute another minute until garlic is fragrant and spices have bloomed.
- Add stock, Rotel diced tomatoes with their juice, drained beans, and drained corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Serve – Season with salt, pepper, and more taco seasoning to taste if needed, and serve with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- To Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Freezing: Transfer the soup into freezer-friendly containers or use freezer zip-top bags. In fact, we like to freeze in single-serving portions for easy defrosting. Eat within 3 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then reheat in the microwave or on the stove to 165°F. You can also reheat from frozen in a saucepan, stirring occasionally for even heating.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Soup Recipes
If you loved this taco soup recipe, check out these fan-favorite soup recipes for your next meal:
- Tomato Soup Recipe
- Zuppa Toscana Recipe
- Corn Chowder Recipe
- Potato Soup
- Hamburger Soup Recipe
- Split Pea Soup
- Cabbage Soup
- Roasted Tomato Soup
I had never had taco soup before, but this was better than chili, so may never make chili again! Instead of chopped fresh tomatoes I used a can of diced fire roasted tomatoes (did not have fresh on hand), but that’s the only change I made. I topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and pieces of grain free tortilla chips. Wish I could post a picture! It was SO Good! I put it on Facebook and did your hashtag.
No worries, we can imagine! I’m sure it was great and we’re glad you loved it!
Natashas can you make this in a crockpot? All the ingredients at once and for how long.
Hi Joanne, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let us know how it turns out.
crockpot worked great! It was so very good! I did precook meat and onions
Hi Inga! That’s great, thank you for sharing.
Do you have a ground chicken version? I have kids that will not eat beef.
Hi Julie! I do not, but you can definitely use this recipe with ground chicken.
It was 97 degree’s today. I’m sick of salads. I wanted chili but thought it would be to heavy. This Taco soup was PERFECT! It had excellent flavor. The spices were perfect! This and the zucchini fritters are the best!
Wonderful! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Vickie!
Wonderful! It became my son’s favorite. Making it at least one a month. Thank you!
That’s great! So glad it’s a favorite.
Hi Natasha.
What corn do you use for the recipe? Also, can I use taco seasoning from the store?
Hi Marina, in the winter, I use canned corn and in summer this is even better with freshly cooked corn on the cob. You can use store-bought taco seasoning. That is what I use.
Natasha, this was DELICIOUS I made this tonight for dinner, I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes,and I love how easy they are and how flavorful they are, keep the recipes coming. Thank you!
I will do that, Lisa! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try from my website. Thank you for the review!
Just made this recipe for dinner tonight in extremely chilly Florida! It is delicious! We loved it! Only thing I changed was using canned tomatoes instead of fresh because I didn’t have any fresh. Still wonderful! A comforting soup for cold days!
The perfect recipe to keep you nice and warm! I hope you love it, Betty!
This recipe is phenomenal! I am 31 and this will be my families forever chili recipe. I feel like making the taco seasoning makes all the difference. You hit it on the mail with the amount.
Thank you. Natasha
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Hope!
This is the best taco soup recipe I’ve ever had. Delicious.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I made this last night with the left over chicken from our roasted chicken. I made the stock the day before, skimmed the fat, shredded the chicken and used both instead of ground beef and beef broth. Garnished with crumbled corn chips, cilantro, and Mexican cheese. So warm and yummy on a cold mountain night. My teenagers even gave it a 95% yummy!
We love so many of your solid recipes. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Sheri!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I didn’t have any pinto or kidney beans so I used black beans instead, all else per the recipe. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad it was still a hit! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Tonight making a double batch of this delicious soup, so we can freeze some for future meals, absolutely delicious, love recipes from Natashas Kitchen ♥️♥️
I hope you love it, Gwen! I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes!
Sounds delish but looks like a chili recipe. What’s the difference?
Hi Juanita, it is similar but this one is a soup which is perfect also for the cold weather.
This recipe looks delicious. I want to make this recipe using my crockpot do you have any suggestions I should do differently?
Hi Karina, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Brown the ground beef on the stovetop; add to slow cooker, add the seasonings; then proceed as directed in the recipe.
I make this in crockpot all the time and just brown my beef first.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us!
Looks so good. What do you use for the corn? Fresh, frozen, canned? Thanks.
Hi Kathy, anything that you have would work. I sometimes use canned corn as it’s faster.
Can i use package taco seasoning? We dont have all those spices
I think that would work too. If you try that, please share with us how it goes.
Are the diced tomatoes fresh or canned?
Hi Ellen, fresh diced but you can substitute the fresh tomatoes for canned diced tomatoes with or without chili, depending on how spicy you want the soup to be.
What is the measurement for one serving?
Hi Emily, The serving size can be found at the beginning of the print-friendly recipe card (located at the bottom of the recipe post). The nutrition label shows counts “per serving.” You can adjust that by clicking on the serving size and using the slider. I hope that helps!
Wondering if the diced tomatoes can be substituted for tomato sauce? I’m not a fan of chunky tomatoes. Thanks so much !!
Hi Kayla, I haven’t tested that substitution, but tomato sauce would give this a thicker and more saucy consistency and would also change the flavor.
Kayla, my kids don’t like tomato chunks either. I tend to use crushed canned tomatoes. You don’t get additional flavourings like with sauce. I freeze any leftover crushed tomatoes for future recipes. I hope that helps. Great recipe Natasha! My family loves your borscht, too.