You haven’t had Taco Soup until you try this CHEESY, creamy Taco Soup version! It’s the ultimate comforting, hearty soup that readers call, “wonderful,” “a hit,” “fantastic,” and “LOVED” thanks to a flavorful broth infused with salsa, green chilies, enchilada sauce and cheese! This 30 minute, ONE POT recipe is a dump-and-simmer dinner perfect for weeknight dinners or is easy to double or triple for crowds.
Watch How to Make TACO SOUP RECIPE
Easy Taco Soup Recipe
Taco Soup Ingredients
The majority of ingredients in Taco Soup are either pantry staple cans or spices you dump into the soup so you can make this meal-in-one Taco Soup any night of the week! Let’s take a closer look at what you’ll need (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
CAN I SUBSTITUTE BEEF WITH OTHER MEATS?
Absolutely! You can make Taco Soup with ground turkey or ground chicken. Whenever I make these beef substitutions, I add 1 teaspoon beef bouillon and then add salt to taste (because bouillon is already salty). I use this trick in my Turkey Chili and Turkey Tacos and it is magic! It imparts a beefy flavor without the beef!
You can also make Taco Soup with chicken by either using shredded rotisserie chicken or simmering the soup with chicken breasts or thighs until they are pull-apart-tender like I do in my Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Do You Put Tomato Sauce in Taco Soup?
Instead of tomato sauce, I use enchilada sauce in this Taco Soup recipe because it has more flavor than tomato sauce and doesn’t leave the broth tasting like your slurping tomato sauce. If you are looking to make this Taco Soup gluten free, then substitute the enchilada sauce with tomato sauce (or use gluten free enchilada sauce) and add additional seasonings to taste. You will also need to omit the flour or use gluten free flour.
How to Make Taco Soup
Let’s take a closer look at how to make easy Taco Soup with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):
- Step 1: Brown Beef. The almost dump and run recipe begins by browning the beef with the onions until the beef is cooked through and the onions are softened.
- Step 2: Add Seasonings. Add red bell pepper and garlic. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
- Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients. Stir in kidney beans, black beans, corn, green chilies, salsa, enchilada sauce and chicken broth.
- Step 4: Simmer. Bring to boil then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Step 5: Add Cheese. Melt in some cream cheese, followed by sharp cheddar and pepper Jack cheese for creamy, Cheesy Taco Soup!
Taco Soup REcipe TIPS
Taco Soup Recipe Substitutions & Variations
HOW TO MAKE TACO SOUP IN THE CROCK POT OR SLOW COOKER:
This Taco Soup is easy to make in your slow cooker or crock pot for a walk-in-the-door eat right away dinner.
1. Follow step 1 and 2 in which you brown the beef with onions, add spices/seasonings, red bell pepper and garlic and cook with flour for 3 minutes.
2. Transfer beef mixture to lightly greased slow cooker followed by all remaining ingredients up to the cheeses.
3. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
4. Add very soft cream cheese and stir/whisk until melted, followed by pepper jack and cheddar cheese until melted. Add milk to thin to desired consistency if desired. Season with additional salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste.
5. Serve with desired toppings.
What to serve with Creamy Taco Soup
There is no right or wrong when it comes to toppings – the option to customize your soup with whatever toppings fit your mood is part of the fun! You can create a toppings bar and let everyone pile on their favorites of:
How to store this Recipe for Taco Soup
Taco Soup tastes even better the next day! It will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You may need to add a little water to the soup when reheating.
CAN I FREEZE TACO SOUP?
I do not recommend freezing Taco Soup with the cream cheese and cheeses because the fat in the cheeses will separate and create a funny texture. You can freeze your Taco Soup without the cream cheese and shredded cheeses.
Recipe for Taco Soup FAQs
This Taco Soup has a ton of flavor but is not spicy. That being said, the spice level can change depending on how spicy your salsa is. You can spice up the Taco Soup by adding hot sauce to individual servings if you like it spicier.
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Recipe for Taco Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 large onion, chopped
- 1 tsp EACH chili powder, ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp EACH salt, dried oregano, smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 15 oz. can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz. can sweet corn rinsed and drained
- 1 4 oz. can mild diced green chilies
- 1 cup mild salsa (or medium for heat)
- 1 10 oz. can mild enchilada sauce
- 5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
Add later:
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup freshly shredded Pepper Jack cheese
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cubed, very soft
Garnish (Pick your Favs!)
- tortilla chips or Fritos
- sour cream
- tomatoes
- lettuce
- avocados/guacamole
- hot sauce to taste
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Brown Beef: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Brown the meat with onions until meat is cooked. Add all spices/seasonings and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Flour: Add red bell pepper and garlic. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Stir in kidney beans, black beans, corn, green chilies, salsa, enchilada sauce and chicken broth. Bring to boil then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Add Cheeses: Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until melted, followed by pepper Jack and cheddar cheese until melted. Add milk to thin to desired consistency if desired. Season with additional salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste.
- Toppings: Serve with tortilla chips/Fritos and additional garnishes as desired.
Video
Notes
- Salsa: If you like spicy, heat it up with medium salsa! I use medium Kirkland brand salsa from Costco.
- Make Ahead: Once prepared, you can keep soup warm in your slow cooker until ready to serve if desired.
- Storage: Taco Soup tastes even better the next day! It will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. You may need to add a little water to the soup when reheating.
Crockpot Taco Soup
1. Follow step 1 and 2 in which you brown the beef with onions, add spices/seasonings, red bell pepper and garlic and cook with flour for 3 minutes.2. Transfer beef mixture to lightly greased slow cooker followed by all remaining ingredients up to the cheeses.
3. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.
4. Add very soft cream cheese and stir/whisk until melted, followed by pepper jack and cheddar cheese until melted. Add milk to thin to desired consistency if desired. Season with additional salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste.
5. Serve with desired toppings.
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Leave a Review, I Always Love Hearing From You!
Layne says
love a good taco soup, already planning on making this soon so this only made me more excited!
Jen says
YAY! There is nothing quite so comforting as a good taco soup – can’t wait for you to try this version!
Madelaine says
I made this taco soup tonight and it’s absolutely delicious
Jen says
Wonderful Madelaine, I am so happy you loved it, thank you!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Jen! This is perfect fr the cooler weather we are having! I was thinking about tacos the other day, but you just redirected me to a nice warm bowl of comfort!
Jen says
YAY! I am so happy you are making this soon – it seriously is one of my favorites with so many flavors and textures! I hope you love it and it warms you up on a cold day! xo
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
Yes! Yes! Yes! I am all in. I’ve got my bowl and super large spoon. I hope you have some left. It sounds delicious!! Just in case you don’t have any leftover for me I’m pinning to make this! Thank you, I think. I’m thinking of all I have to do to use up those delicious calories.
Jen says
LOL! a big bowl, big spoon and plenty of chips is the only right way to eat this soup! Seeing as I was the only one home when I made this soup, there were leftovers – but they were gone the next day 🙂 Hope you love the delicious calories – the only way calories should taste 🙂
Malinda @Countryside Cravings says
Mexican food is my comfort food and what makes it more comforting is putting it in soup form!! Love this!!!
Jen says
So true, Mexican food in soup form has to be one of the most comforting foods! Thanks Malinda!
Lisa Marutz says
LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog
Jen says
THANK you so much Lisa!! That means so much to me! xo
Alexis says
Just wanted to share, made the soup last night and LOVED it! It was so amazing. Both my husband and I couldn’t wait to have the leftovers. Thanks for this super simple, yet restaurant quality soup!
Jen says
You are so welcome Alexis, thank you so much for your comment! I am thrilled you both loved it so much and found it simple too – the best kind of recipe! I hope you got the leftovers 🙂
Dana B says
We had this last night for supper – incredible! The only change I made – because I was lazy and didn’t want to go to the grocery store for one item – was that I used a 28 ounce can of enchilada sauce that was in my pantry instead of the called-for 10 ounce size. Umm, yeah, it didn’t hurt the end result one bit!! THIS is a keeper! YUM!
Jen says
Hi Dana, I am so happy this was such a hit and a “keeper!” Its always so nice to find a new recipe that everyone loves! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Mgan says
This soup is a little more high maintenance than a lot of taco soup recipes where you just dump in a bunch of cans, but it’s SO worth it. This soup is tremendous! I like my soups a little more chunky, so next time I would add another can of beans and maybe some corn, but that’s just my personal preference! Best taco soup ever!
Jen says
Hi Megan, I am thrilled this is the “best taco soup ever” in your book – thank you so much! Sometimes just a couple more minutes makes all the difference!
Debbie says
Was just wanting to know, does this soup freeze well? I like to make soup ahead of time and use it when we are busy. Was hoping this one was a good one to do that with.
Jen says
Hi Debbie, yes this soup freezes very well – yay! Hope you love it!
Melanie @ Gather for Bread says
Oh my goodness! You make everything look irresistible. Love that cheese!
I make soup every week and this one definitely needs to go on the menu plan.
Jen says
Thank you so much Melanie- I don’t know if its me making it look irresistible or all that cheese 🙂 Cheese makes everything better 🙂 I’m excited for you to try this one, hope your family loves it!
Amy says
Hi I am making this for our family Christmas dinner and will triple the recipe. I’m not a cooker at all and was wondering if you drain the meat? Thank you
Jen says
Hi Amy, yes, I would drain the grease from the meat after you cook it. Enjoy! Merry Christmas!
Cheryl Howard says
Oh my goodness- found this recipe on Pinterest tonight as I was tired of the same old dinners and let me tell you, my family said it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made!! Substituted ground turkey for ground beef and also added a can of Rotel- so delicious!! Thanks so much for the inspiration- my family and I (husband and two teens) absolutely LOVED this!!
Jen says
Hi Cheryl, I am so happy you stumbled upon my blog and that your whole family loved this recipe! YAY! I hope you find more new dinners to love here!
Cameron says
My husband just made this after church since we had a cold front that just came in. It is awesome and quite the hit with the kids. This is definitely our new go to taco soup recipe! So yummy!
Jen says
So sorry for my delayed response Cameron, I have been super behind with all the holidays but THANK YOU so much for your awesome comment! I am thrilled this was such a hit and your new go-to Taco Soup recipe! Happy New Year!
Mark McFarland says
Thanks for the recipe, it looks fantastic! Are you using red or green enchilada sauce? I wasn’t sure if it was ok to mix red sauce with green chilies. I have some Hatch red chile sauce and was thinking of using that. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Mark! That is a great question! I am using red enchilada sauce – so what you have on hand is perfect!
Rachel says
Finally got around to making this soup tonight and now wondering why I waited so long. Soooo good and pretty straightforward to make. Like your corn chowder recipe (which I also loved), this totally tastes like something you would get in a restaurant but doesn’t have any those weird, highly processed ingredients that I often see in taco soup recipes. I highly recommend.
Jen says
Awesome Rachel, I am thrilled you loved this Taco Soup as much as the Chicken Corn Chowder and found it “restaurant” delicious! Thank you! And thank you for trying my recipes and commenting!
Kelly says
Delicious and super easy to make!
I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and also some sweet corn.
My daughter asked for the recipe after one bite!
Jen says
I’m so happy you loved it Kelly and your additions sound delicious! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
Shelley says
Hi been looking and looking at your recipe and wondering if I can make this in a crockpot as my stove for some reason you can not cook on low so a lot of sticking happens so I use the crockpot a lot ..wanna make this this weekend thanks for letting me know in advance
Jen says
Hi Shelley! I would still do step 1 on the stove then add everything to the crockpot. I would stir in the cream cheese at the end (it will take about 30 minutes to melt on LOW) and then the other cheeses until melted. If you don’t want to do anything more on the stove than brown your meat, then I would do that and the you can whisk the flour with some of the enchilada sauce before adding to the crockpot. I hope that helps!
Susan says
Just made this last night for my family and it was DELICIOUS! Thanks for an awesome recipe, its definitely going in the rotation.
Jen says
YAY! I’m so happy your family loved it so much! It’s always exciting to find a new recipe everyone loves! Thanks Susan!
Terri says
What could you use in place of cream cheese
Jen says
Hi Terri, you could leave it out all together but the soup won’t be as creamy or use more of either of the other two cheeses.
Susan says
This was another hit! Although I’ve yet to find a recipe of yours that hasn’t been a success. Thank you!
Jen says
Thanks so much Susan! Nice to hear there hasn’t been a flop yet 🙂
Kristin says
I made this a few days ago, but I wanted to let you know how much my husband and I are enjoying this soup! I love the creaminess. The flavor of the soup is so good! You really do a great job mixing all those herbs and spices together. The only thing I did differently was make a homemade enchilada sauce, but other than that, I followed the recipe. This is very delicious and definitely one we’ll remake. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes! I appreciate what you do.
Jen says
Thank you so much for taking the time to make my day! I’m so happy you both are loving this soup and I’m sure your homemade enchilada sauce made it that much more delicious!
Carol says
Your recipes are amazing and I love that you are so culinary knowledgeable. I’m in the process of collecting all of your wonderful soup recipes for when I have some serious dental surgery.
Since it will be a great time to diet, I would love to have an idea of the calories in your recipes.
Thank you for your recipes and any calorie help you may have.
Jen says
Thanks so much Carol, I’m honored you’re enjoying my recipes! I don’t include calories because of all of the variables but you can calculate calories for any recipe at: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator Good luck on your dental surgery!
Jequila says
Made this soup tonight and it was a hit. The kids loved it and even the husband went back fur 2nds. I will be adding this to my list of recipes!
Jen says
yesssss! I’m so happy it was a hit with everyone, thanks so much Jequila!
Janet says
The typed recipe is missing the corn….
Jen says
I don’t have corn in my recipe but you are welcome to add it!
Fern says
Confused. A can of corn is in the list of ingredients and the directions. Do I add it or omit? Can’t wait to try this!
Jen says
Hi Fern, I love it with corn, so I would add it. Enjoy!
Stephanie S. says
I made this a couple days ago for a do-ahead dinner, leaving out the cheeses and cream cheese until adding when I reheated it last night. Some good comfort food here when served with all the toppings, we all loved it! I make the cheater chili cheese dip with canned chili, mexican cheese blend and cream cheese in the micro so will have to try yours from scratch.
Jen says
Hi Stephanie, what a delicious idea for a make-ahead dinner! I’m so happy everyone loved it! Your cheater chili dip also sounds delish – I’m interested to see how they compare!
Iris says
I’ve made this about 8 times for my boyfriend. He has a hard time choosing his favorite requests for me to make, but he raves that this is easily in his all-time favorite 3. It turns out perfect every time! I’ve even tried it with ground turkey instead of beef, and other reduced-fat versions of the ingredients, and it still tastes the exact same – a totally scrumptious flavor bomb! Kudos to such an infallible, customizable recipe!
Jen says
Thank you so much for your awesome comment Iris! I’m thrilled it is such a customizable favorite!
Bill says
I first saw this recipe on Facebook a few months ago. I’ve been waiting for cooler “soup” weather here in the Midwest to make it. I did so last night. It was absolutely Fantastic! Everyone in the house couldn’t get enough. I followed the recipe dead-on but held back 1 cup of chicken broth until the end to see how thick it was. Didn’t need it. I served it with fresh chopped cilantro, diced green onions, sour cream and tortillas for dunking. Thanks for this recipe! It’s a “Keeper”!
Jen says
Thank you so much for your awesome comment Bill! I’m thrilled the whole house “couldn’t get enough!” And all your topping sound like perfection!
Tanvi says
I wish I could leave picture/ video comments to show you how much everyone LOVED this soup! I used ground turkey and pre made taco seasoning since that’s what I had on hand and added yellow & white hominy as well. I took some of the meat/beans mixture out before adding the liquids and used it for tacos couple days later- so good! I wouldn’t have thought about adding enchilada sauce or salsa to the soup but a total game changer!! Thank you for another great recipe
Jen says
Thanks so much Tanvi, I’m thrilled everyone loved the Taco Soup and =what a great idea to use some of the meat/bean mixture for tacos!
Middy says
Hi. I came across this recipe on facebook today and I want to try and make it for me and my parents. I am learning how to cook and they are my guinea pigs lol. Problem is, my mom doesn’t like kidney beans. Is there something you would recommend as a substitute for it?
Jen says
Hi Middy, you can use pinto beans or cannellini beans instead or leave them out completely if she doesn’t like beans at all 😉 Good luck!
Katie says
Can I convert this to a croc pot recipe? Maybe brown the beef and add all the ingredients except the cheese and wait until the end to add it?
Jen says
Hi Katie, I have a section on how to make this recipe in the crockpot listed in the post – between the second to last and last photo. Good luck!
Cody W Walton says
Jen,
I love all of your recipes that I’ve ever tried and this looks great for a dinner party we are hosting tonight. Question – one of the guests at the party eats a gluten-free diet…are there any modifications I need to make to this recipe for her? Or is it ok as-is? Thanks in advance and keep up the great recipes.
Cody W.
Jen says
Thanks Cody! The flour is the only ingredient that contains gluten. I would substitute the flour with 2 tablespoons cornstarch (half the flour) by whisking it into some of the broth until smooth before adding the broth to the soup to simmer. With that one change you are good to go! Have fun!
Tina Bergstrom says
I love this soup, and I’ve never had this exact recipe. Can you post the levels of protein, fat and carbs?
I looked for it, but didnt see it anywhere
Jen says
Thanks Tina! You can calculate them here: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Michelle says
Hi,
I am low-carb these days, but am craving this soup! Do you think subbing another pound of meat in place of the beans and corn and maybe adding some canned diced tomatoes would make up for it? What do you suggest?
Jen says
Yes, that would absolutely work or you could swap the beans and corn for lentils instead.
Cheryl Duncan says
I made this soup last night. It was a hit with ALL five kids. Not an easy feat. My picky twelve year old gave it a scrumptious out of ten. We will definitely add this to our soup rotation. YUM
Jen says
Thanks Cheryl, I’m so pleased everyone loved it!
Chalene says
This is absolutely delicious! It came together pretty fast which is nice on a busy night! I try so hard but I can’t seem to make anything in 30 minutes…lol. Maybe if I had a more organized kitchen. If you are debating on making this because it looks like a lot of ingredients, please just try! It is just a little bit more effort than the dump taco soup recipe, but the taste is ALOT of delicious. Taco-ey and creamy. My picky girls ate it and rated it a 4/5 and 5/5. For reference, the 4/5 daughter loves plain buttered noodles, so her rating is HUGE!
Jen says
Thank you so much for the awesome review, Chalene! I am so happy it was such a hit and worth your time!! I know it can be hard to get food on the table on a busy night!
G Baker says
I make this soup a lot, and it never fails!
I always double the recipe so we have plenty of leftovers.
This is the only Taco Soup recipe I ever use. Super yummy!
Jen says
Thank you! I’m so happy to hear that it is your go-to!
Kent says
I’ve made taco soup before but never with cream cheese, what a great addition, BRAVO JEN! One other thing, I added about an ounce, maybe 2 ounces of Sweet Baby Ray’s Mild Buffalo Sauce, another great addition! Thanks for all of your recipes, Jen. I’ve cooked a lot of them 🙂
Jen says
Thank you for trying so many recipes, I appreciate it! I’m so glad that the cream cheese was a great addition!