Creamy Taco Soup {Made 3 Ways}
How about taking your favorite taco soup recipe to a whole new level? Whether you simmer this Creamy Taco Soup {Made 3 Ways} in your Instant Pot, slow cooker, or on your stovetop, it’s quick, flavorful and super easy.
The addition of just 2 creamy ingredients makes this Mexican classic a hearty blend of ground beef, beans, corn and seasonings. Just add your favorite toppings to serve.
Creamy Taco Soup Recipe
Of all the soup recipes in the world, I think taco soup is probably the mainstream favorite.
And no matter HOW you make it – taco soup in the crock pot, Instant Pot taco soup, or just a big ole Dutch oven full, it’s always a hit.
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Add some shredded cheese, crumbled tortilla chips and a bit of sour cream and voila – dinner’s done and everybody has a full belly. Score.
I personally love to keep soup of all kinds in my fridge so that I know I always have something to quickly heat in the microwave for a satisfying snack or a light meal.
A bowl of soup really helps me be able to eat something that’s good for me within minutes, instead of stuffing something into my face when I’m famished that’s unhealthy but convenient.
I often keep soup stored in pitchers in my fridge so I can give it a quick stir and then pour it right into a bowl that then heads to the microwave. So easy, so good-for-you, and so fast!
What to Love About This Recipe –
- You can easily customize it by using different types of cooked ground meats instead of just ground beef.
- You can also customize this soup by adding a different type of bean or a variety of beans.
- It’s a familiar soup that is great for feeding to a crowd.
What basic ingredients do you need to make Creamy Taco Soup?
- Ground beef (and any ground meat will work great in this soup)
- Taco seasoning, from a packet or your own blend
- Basic spices: oregano flakes, onion powder
- Broth – beef, chicken, or vegetable, as desired
- Red enchilada sauce
- Diced tomatoes and green chilies (such as Rotel)
- Black beans, optional
- Corn, canned or frozen
- Sour cream and cream cheese, for adding the creaminess
- Your favorite toppings, such as cilantro, crushed tortilla chips, etc, totally optional
Which tools are helpful for making taco soup?
Crock pot taco soup requires your favorite slow cooker, of course. Instant Pot taco soup, on the other hand, calls for your favorite Instant Pot (or any brand of 6-quart electric pressure cooker).
For cooking Creamy Taco Soup on your stove top, I prefer to use my Lodge cast iron Dutch oven, but any large pot will work just fine. I find that a 6-quart soup pot or Dutch oven is a good size to work with.
For stirring almost everything from batters to cookie dough to salads, and including taco soup, I love using silicone spoonulas in my kitchen. I keep an assortment of silicone utensils (in many different sizes and colors) in my utensil jar within easy reach.
I love how silicone spoonulas get securely up to the sides of the bowl or pot to “gather up” all the ingredients that need stirred, making sure that everything is evenly combined and mixed.
You may be wondering the difference between silicone spatulas and silicone spoonulas. A spatula is flat and a spoonula is slightly curved, just like a large spoon, yet not quite as deep.
Good silicone mixing tools are typically heat proof up to approx. 600-800 degrees F. so there’s no need to worry that they will melt.
For more intricate and small jobs, such as getting mayonnaise from a jar or for stirring things in smaller vessels, I find that I use skinny jar spatulas all the time – super handy!
Which other types of ground meat can be substituted for ground beef in this recipe?
My freezer is often loaded with ground venison since my sons enjoy hunting. I like to combine ground venison with either ground beef or ground pork for many of my favorite recipes that call for ground beef.
Or, if your family enjoys ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground bison, feel free to use any of these meats in this taco soup recipe in this place of the ground beef.
Can I make Chicken Taco Soup using this same recipe?
Absolutely. I often substitute shredded, cooked chicken (such as from a rotisserie chicken to make it super fast) in place of the ground beef. If you are adding a fully cooked meat, such as the shredded rotisserie chicken, you can stir it into the taco soup at the point in the recipe where you add the corn and black beans.
What makes this creamy taco soup unique?
The addition of red enchilada sauce really adds a unique Mexican flavor to this taco soup. For making this taco soup creamy and rich, adding the sour cream and cream cheese as the last step seals the deal. Yummy!
What if my family doesn’t like beans?
You can always omit the black beans from this recipe, or if your family likes a different type of beans, you can sure substitute any other type they prefer, such as pinto beans, chili beans, ranch-style beans, etc.
If your are stretching this recipe to make your food budget go further or need to serve this soup to a larger group, the addition of more beans will help. In this case, I like to have a variety of beans in my taco soup, which usually turns out to be black beans and pinto beans.
Can I freeze creamy taco soup?
Yes. Let the soup fully cool, then package it into freezer containers that have about one-inch of head space to allow for expanding as the soup freezes.
To reheat, thaw the soup in the fridge, then heat the soup on a low temperature to serve. Heating the soup on low ensures the dairy products (cream cheese and sour cream) don’t curdle.
Can I double this soup recipe? How long will this soup safely keep in the fridge?
Yep. It’s easy to double, just use a larger pot, slow, bigger Instant Pot (such as an 8 quart), or fill your slow cooker more full! Or, if you like, you can also easily cut this recipe in half.
You can safely keep this soup in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Other recipes to try
A couple of my very favorite soups that have big bold Mexican and Tex Mex flavors are Instant Pot recipes: Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup, Creamy Fiesta Soup, and Instant Pot Rio Grand Chili.
I also love to make steaming pots of Chicken and Black Bean Fideo Soup, White Chicken and Rice Chili, and Speedy Tex Mex Corn Chowder since these recipes make it easy to feed a crowd. All ya gotta do is add some bread!
Creamy Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 Tbs. taco seasoning from a packet or your own blend
- 1 tsp. oregano flakes
- 1 tsp. granulated onion or onion powder
- 3 cups beef broth
- 10 oz. red enchilada sauce mild or hot, depending on your heat preference
- 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, may substitute diced tomatoes is the added green chilies make this soup too spicy with juices
- 15 oz. can black beans, may substitute any type of canned beans in this soup, or add a variety of different beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. can sweet corn drained
- 1 cup shredded Colby-Jack cheese or shredded cheddar cheese may substitute low-fat shredded cheese, if desired
- ¾ cup sour cream or low-fat sour cream room temperature
- 2 Tbs. cream cheese or 1/3 less fat cream cheese very softened
Instructions
Stovetop Taco Soup
- In a 6-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium to medium high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef with the taco seasoning, oregano, and the garlic powder until the beef is fully cooked throughout; drain any fats that accumulate.
- Add the beef broth, enchilada sauce, black beans, diced tomatoes and green chilies, and sweet corn; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cooking the soup at a low simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and the cream cheese. A little at a time, stir 1/2 cup of the warm soup into the cream cheese mixture until smooth, then add this mixture along with the shredded cheese to the soup pot, stirring to combine.
- When the cream cheese mixture has incorporated smoothly into the soup, it's ready to serve! Garnish with your favorite toppings, such as chopped cilantro or crushed tortilla chips, etc.
Instant Pot Taco Soup
- Using the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, cook and crumble the ground the ground beef with the taco seasoning, oregano, and granulated garlic in a large soup pot until the beef is fully cooked throughout; drain any fats that accumulate.Â
- Add the beef broth, enchilada sauce, and diced tomatoes and green chilies, stirring to combine. Lock the Instant Pot lid into place and choose the high pressure setting; set the time for 5 minutes, bringing the Instant Pot to full pressure. When the timer sounds, perform a quick release to remove all the pressure from the Instant Pot. Carefully unlock and remove the Instant Pot, giving the contents a gentle stir; stir in the black beans and corn.
- Meanwhile, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and the softened cream cheese. A little at a time, stir 1/2 cup of the hot soup into the cream cheese mixture, whisking until smooth; add this mixture along with the shredded cheese to the Instant Pot, stirring to combine.Â
- When the cream cheese mixture has incorporated smoothly into the soup, it's ready to serve! Garnish with your favorite toppings, such as chopped cilantro or crushed tortilla chips, etc.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- In a large skillet over medium to medium high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef with the taco seasoning, oregano, and the garlic powder until the beef is fully cooked throughout; drain any fats that accumulate.
- Place the prepared beef mixture into a preheated slow cooker; stir in the beef broth and enchilada sauce. Cook the soup on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- 15 minutes before serving the soup, stir in the black beans and corn. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and the softened cream cheese. A little at a time, stir 1/2 cup of the hot soup from the slow cooker into the cream cheese mixture, whisking until smooth; add this mixture along with the shredded cheese to the slow cooker, stirring to combine.Â
- When the cream cheese mixture has incorporated smoothly into the soup, it's ready to serve! Garnish with your favorite toppings, such as chopped cilantro or crushed tortilla chips, etc.
Nutrition
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I love taco soup! This recipe sounds so good. Going to try this soon!
Hi Kellie –
Your family is going to love this creamy taco soup – I can’t wait for you to make it for them so I can hear back from you about what a hit it was. Nothing better than taco soup, right???
Sincerely,
Chef Alli