Name: Instant Pot Taco Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
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; cheddar; red onion, diced; cilantro; lime; sour cream; tortilla chips

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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