Best Taco Soup Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Megan Porta · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Warm up with this spicy, comforting, delicious soup. This is the best taco soup recipe and it comes together in 30 minutes! Cater the spice to your liking and enjoy this as a party food or weeknight meal.

Best Taco Soup Recipe (1)

Why This Recipe Works

There is nothing in the world like letting the smells of a comforting soup fill your home on a chilly fall or winter day. This soup smells fantastic as it simmers on the stove top and it tastes even better, warm in your belly.

There is room to increase the spice in this recipe and it is also very possible to prepare it mild. Cater it to your family’s tastes! Enjoy this comfort food. This is a tried and true family favorite that gets made a lot in our home.

Check out our web stories to see Pip and Ebby “recipes in action!”

How To Make Taco Soup

STEP 1

Heat olive oil in an extra-large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, bell pepper, green onions, jalapeño peppers, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until soft and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add parsley and cilantro and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Best Taco Soup Recipe (2)

STEP 2

Add the chicken stock or broth, diced tomatoes, corn, black beans and green chiles to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Five minutes before the soup is finished, add the chicken.

Best Taco Soup Recipe (3)

Ladle into serving bowls and top with desired toppings such as cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

Web Story For Taco Soup

Check out this taco soup recipe in action!

Recipe Notes

  • For a spicier soup recipe, add extra jalapenos and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
  • For a milder soup, decrease or omit the jalapeno peppers, as well as the green chiles.
  • Change up the meat in the recipe, if desired. Replace the chicken with a pound of cooked ground beef or even pork.
  • Homemade taco seasoning tastes amazing in this recipe. Consider going homemade!
  • Replace one can of diced tomatoes with a can of tomato sauce for a bolder flavor.
  • If black beans aren’t your thing, kidney beans or pinto beans are great replacements.
Best Taco Soup Recipe (4)

How To Make Taco Soup in a Slow Cooker

I’m glad you asked because it is definitely an option to prepare this soup in your slow cooker. After cooking the garlic, peppers, onions and spices on the stove top, add it to a slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients (minus chicken).

Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Add chicken, cook for 30 additional minutes and serve.

Favorite Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Here are a few of my favorite recipes to make for your next Cinco de Mayo gathering!

  • Easy Baked Churros
  • Fresh Spicy Salsa
  • Margaritas
  • 7-Layer Taco Dip
Best Taco Soup Recipe (5)

Uses For Taco Seasoning

If you grow tired of taco meat, we need to have a chat. Kidding, but here are a few other ideas for ways to use taco seasoning.

  • Stir it into any creamy dip (yum).
  • Really, you could add it to just about any meat-based meal to transform it into a tasty, spicy food. I’m thinking meatballs, burgers or even chicken.
  • Use it as a rub on your next Rotisserie chicken or batch of ribs!
  • Add it to salad dressing for an extra zing.
  • Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos
  • The BEST 7 Layer Taco Dip
  • Taco Pasta Salad
  • Homemade Ground Beef Taco Meat
  • Taco Sauce

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If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!

Best Taco Soup Recipe (6)

Best Taco Soup Recipe

Warm up with this spicy, comforting, delicious soup. This is the best taco soup recipe and it comes together in only 30 minutes!

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 375.46kcal

Author: Megan Porta

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red or green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
  • 2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped
  • 1 oz taco seasoning or 2 Tbsphomemade
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup Italian parsley finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
  • 32 oz chicken stock or broth
  • 56 oz diced tomatoes
  • 15 oz corn drained
  • 15 oz black beans drained
  • 4 oz diced green chiles
  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded (pull meat from a Rotisserie chicken)
  • 1/2 cup toppings shredded cheese, sour cream, etc

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in an extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, bell pepper, green onions, jalapeño peppers, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until soft and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add parsley and cilantro and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

  • Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, corn and beans to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Five minutes before the soup is finished, add the chicken.

  • Ladle into serving bowls and top with cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips.

Notes

TO MAKE THIS SOUP IN A SLOW COOKER: After cooking the garlic, peppers, onions and spices on the stove top, add it to a slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients (minus chicken). Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. Add chicken, cook for 30 additional minutes and serve.

For a spicier soup recipe, add extra jalapenos and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
For a milder soup, decrease or omit the jalapeno peppers, as well as the green chiles.
Change up the meat in the recipe, if desired. Replace the chicken with a pound of cooked ground beef or even pork.
Homemade taco seasoning tastes amazing in this recipe!
Replace one can of diced tomatoes with a can of tomato sauce for a bolder flavor.
If black beans aren’t your thing, kidney beans or pinto beans are great replacements.

Nutrition

Calories: 375.46kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.94g | Protein: 26.22g | Fat: 14.7g | Saturated Fat: 3.64g | Cholesterol: 57.77mg | Sodium: 1107.28mg | Fiber: 9.85g | Sugar: 11.83g

Did you make this recipe?If you loved this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Best Taco Soup Recipe (7)TRACEY DELEON

    Made this last yesterday, my family and boyfriend LOVED it. Definitely making this again, doesn't cost much to make, does take a little time to chop up items, but totally worth it!

    Reply

  2. Best Taco Soup Recipe (8)Tami W

    Wow! I made this tonight for my New Year's Eve dinner and it was fabulous! I did change a couple of things but it was still so darn good! I used ground beef instead of chicken and added a little taco seasoning mix and used cream cheese to garnish instead of grated cheese. It is so delicious! I will no doubt make this again and again.

    Thanks again for another delicious recipe!

    Tami

    Reply

  3. Best Taco Soup Recipe (9)crystal

    This looks amazing. I am going to try a veggie version of this.

    Reply

  4. Best Taco Soup Recipe (10)Katrina @ WVS

    This soup looks soooo delicious! Lovely!

    Reply

  5. Best Taco Soup Recipe (11)Susan

    I love that this soup isn't ALL canned products. I've had the other version, it's good, but I avoid it because its all processed!
    I'll be making this version before the New Year!!
    Thanks for posting!

    Reply

  6. Best Taco Soup Recipe (12)Tracy | Pale Yellow

    What a warm and lovely soup! Perfect for a winter dinner. Your family has a wonderful Christmas tradition, Merry Christmas!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Best Taco Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do I thicken up my taco soup? ›

One option is to add crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips to the soup. The chips will dissolve and create a thicker consistency. Another alternative is to use instant mashed potatoes. Simply sprinkle some into the soup and stir well, allowing it to thicken before serving.

What is a substitute for beef broth in taco soup? ›

What can I use as a beef broth substitute in soups and stews? In soups and stews, you can use a combination of water and soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to mimic the savory flavor of beef broth. Additionally, mushroom broth or a combination of vegetable broth and beef bouillon can also work well as substitutes.

How to make taco soup less spicy? ›

A squeeze of lemon or lime juice or a little vinegar can help cut through spiciness. Acidic foods tone down the spiciness in foods and can add some flavor, making this a good trick for seafood dishes or creamy soups and chowders.

How many calories are in taco soup? ›

Nutrition Information
NutrientsAmount
Total Calories204
Total Fat5 g
Saturated Fat2 g
Monounsaturated Fat2 g
34 more rows

How can I make my soup thicker and creamy? ›

6 ways to thicken soup:
  1. Blend all or part of it. If you've made a broth with chunks of vegetable in it, such as minestrone soup, then pour the soup through a sieve. ...
  2. Add cream or yogurt. ...
  3. Add flour or cornflour. ...
  4. Use a butter and flour paste. ...
  5. Blend in bread. ...
  6. Add lentils or rice. ...
  7. 5 of the best soup recipes to try next:

Is it better to thicken soup with flour or cornstarch? ›

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

What to do if I don't have beef broth? ›

Like beef broth, chicken broth is a kitchen staple and makes a good substitute if you are all out of the meaty broth. This savory, salty liquid has a milder flavor than beef broth but is a good one-to-one replacement. Chicken broth also has a similar nutrition profile to beef broth, low in calories and high in sodium.

Which has more flavor, beef stock or beef broth? ›

As a result, stock is usually a healthier product, delivering a richer mouth feel and deeper flavor than broth. Stock is a versatile culinary tool that can deliver taste to any number of dishes. Darker in color and more concentrated in flavor than broth, it's ideal for use in soups, rice, sauces and more.

Can I use Worcestershire sauce instead of beef broth? ›

Worcestershire sauce offers complex umami flavors that take care of the salt factor required in the dish and can even make it a better flavorful choice versus something like soy sauce. To use Worcestershire sauce as a substitute, add 1 tablespoon to 1 cup of water or vegetable broth for each cup of beef broth.

What cancels out spicy in soup? ›

Turns out, the fiery chemical in hot chilis, capsaicin, likes to bind itself onto a compound in milk, which neutralizes the burn. Add a generous dollop of sour cream, creme fraiche, or yogurt to scorching hot chili or stews, or even a touch of milk or cream. For best results, though, go with full-fat dairy.

How do you keep soup from getting too spicy? ›

Add more broth to help dilute the spices.

Use the same broth or stock so you don't affect the other flavors in your soup. Stir in about 12–1 cup (120–240 ml) of the broth at a time before tasting the soup again. If it still tastes too spicy, keep adding more broth until you're satisfied with the flavor.

Can you add milk to soup? ›

Yes, you can definitely add cream to your soup. Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

How many calories are in Paula Deen taco soup? ›

Paula Deen Taco Soup (1.3 cups) contains 44g total carbs, 32g net carbs, 14g fat, 26g protein, and 391 calories.

How to add more protein to soup? ›

Simple Soup Ideas To Up Your Protein
  1. Meat. Meat is a great source of protein. ...
  2. Pulses & Beans. Bulking out your soups with pulses and beans is a tasty, easy way to up your protein. ...
  3. Dairy. Dairy is a super-important source of protein. ...
  4. Eggs.

Is soup good for muscle gain? ›

Soup done right can give you everything you need to build muscle, which is where our Bigger Pecs Chicken and Beetroot soup comes in. Filled with protein, this soup is a perfect post-workout meal, and, as if that wasn't enough, it'll also warm you up on these cold Winter nights.

What can I use to thicken my tortilla soup? ›

Incorporate Cornstarch

Cornstarch is another popular thickening agent that can be easily added to your chicken tortilla soup. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water to create a slurry.

What is the best thickener for soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

How do you thicken watery taco meat? ›

While either cornstarch or flour can be used to thicken a mixture, cornstarch is the popular thickening agent when creating smooth, translucent sauces.

How can I thicken my beef soup? ›

You have lots of options;
  1. Use a spoon to mash some of the potatoes (gold works best). You can also buy potato starch from many grocery stores. ...
  2. Add leftover mashed potatoes.
  3. Add flour directly to the stew. ...
  4. Add gelatin.
  5. Add beef gravy granules. ...
  6. Keep a neutral thickener in your pantry.
Oct 1, 2023

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