This Instant Pot Taco Soup is a delicious 30-minute soup similar to chili but made with salsa, black beans, corn and other Tex Mex toppings.
Ingredients in this soup
Here’s what you need to make this taco soup – full ingredient amounts and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page. This list just gives you an overview of what you need on hand:
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and minced
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups corn
- 16 oz salsa or crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp lime juice
How to cook taco soup in the Instant Pot
- Turn Instant Pot to saute mode. Saute ground beef until browned.
- Add in onion, garlic, jalapenos, taco seasoning, and salt & pepper, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in remaining ingredients, except for toppings.
- Pressure cook for 5 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
- Add toppings.
- Serve and enjoy.
What is the difference between taco soup and chili?
Although some of the ingredients are similar, there are quite a few differences between taco soup and chili.
Many chili recipes call for a Tex-Mex seasoning, like chili powder. The ingredients in chili can vary, but when beans are used, more often than not, it is pinto or kidney beans.
In comparison, this Instant Pot taco soup recipe calls for taco seasoning, salsa, black beans, and corn.
Ingredient substitutions
- Extra lean ground beef – In addition to keeping it lower in calories and fat, using lean beef will prevent the soup from being too greasy. Feel free to substitute any ground meat of your choice.
- Onion – Red onion has a sharp flavor that compliments the other ingredients in this soup. You could certainly use white or yellow if you prefer, or omit the onion completely.
- Jalapeno peppers – Removing the seeds and membrane from the pepper tones down the spicy heat. You can also use jarred jalapenos to tone down the heat. If you like spicier foods, leave them in, or use a spicier chili pepper, such as serrano or habanero.
- Salsa – Obviously, the hotter the salsa, the spicier your soup will be. If you want to avoid spicy heat altogether, you can use crushed tomatoes instead
- Beef broth – Feel free to substitute beef stock or vegetable broth
- Black beans – You can substitute black beans with any bean of your choice
- Corn – Fresh corn niblets are delicious but depending on the time year, you may have trouble finding fresh ears. Frozen and canned corn are always available
Making it low carb
Fortunately, this recipe requires just a couple of changes to make it low carb. First, omit the corn – it is very high in starchy sugars and is not appropriate for a low carb diet. In addition to that, you’ll want to read the salsa labels carefully to be sure that you use a salsa with no sugar added.
What to serve on the side
When you’re thinking of what to serve with a soup like this one, think of what you would typically serve with any Mexican dinner. Sides of tortilla chips and Mexican rice would be delicious, not only next to the soup, but they’d be great stirred in as well!
More topping ideas
When deciding how to garnish your soup, let your creativity and your taste buds guide the way! Here are a few ideas:
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced onions
- Jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Cheese – shredded sharp cheddar, crumbled Cojita, or even queso fresco would be delicious
- Corn chips (Fritos, tortilla chips, etc.)
- Lime wedges
Storing and reheating
Cool the soup to room temperature before storing it in airtight containers. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
If your taco soup thickens as it sits in the refrigerator, this isn’t a problem. To thin it out, add a little water or broth to the soup when reheating it on the stovetop, in the microwave, or even in an Instant Pot.
To reheat the soup in your pressure cooker, use the simmer or sauté function. Stir it occasionally until it heats through.
Freezing taco soup
Instant Pot taco soup will freeze well for up to 3 months. Transfer room temperature soup to airtight freezer-safe containers. To thaw the soup, place it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it. Be sure to stir it occasionally and add a little broth if necessary.
If you want to freeze the soup in individual containers for a quick meal, it can be taken right from the freezer to the microwave. Reheat it on high power for about 8 minutes, stirring it after 3-4 minutes.
More Instant Pot soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls to store the leftovers
- I get all my grass-fed ground beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months

Instant Pot Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and minced
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cups corn
- 16 oz salsa or crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Topping ideas
- cheddar
- red onion, diced
- cilantro
- lime
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute mode. Saute ground beef until browned, then add in onion, garlic, jalapenos, taco seasoning, and salt & pepper, sauteeing for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in remaining ingredients in the order in which they are listed, except for toppings. Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal.
- Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 5 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 5 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Serve in large bowls, add toppings, then serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition