Instant Pot Taco Soup is one of the easiest dinner you’ll ever make with pantry staples, in one pot and full of Mexican flavors!
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Making a big batch of Instant Pot taco soup is a one pot meal I like to make on busy days, cold days, lazy days, or on days when I’m preparing healthy freezer meals for the month.
Made with simple pantry staples and ground meat, it’s so easy to throw together.
It’s a pressure cooker version of my stove top ground turkey taco soup ready in 20 minutes and is absolutely delicious!
Both hearty and satisfying, it’s a complete comfort meal in a bowl and the amazing Southwest flavors will warm you up on the coldest days. Healthy soup recipes are our weeknight dinner savers!
Why You’ll Love It
- Healthy: Low sodium ingredients, high fiber beans, plus lean protein.
- Flavor packed: Rich and zesty flavor develop quickly under pressure, I call it magical!
- Easy: Brown the meat, dump the ingredients, and let the Instant Pot cook it to perfection.
- Leftovers: Portion out leftovers if you want to freeze some for later. Keep some in the fridge to reheat throughout the week.
Ingredients and Notes
These recipe ingredients could not be easier!
- Ground meat: I use ground turkey. Another lean choice is ground chicken. You can use ground beef, but will need to drain excess grease.
- Beans: Low sodium canned pinto and kidney beans. I like to use no sodium Instant Pot black beans if I have them on hand.
- Tomato sauce: Plain and low sodium, if you can.
- Corn: I use frozen corn kernels but you can also use fresh or canned corn.
- Broth: Vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth will work, each providing a bit different flavor. Sometimes I use low sodium bouillon cubes with water. Easy!
- Sugar: A bit of sugar, maple syrup or honey is used as a mild sweetener that cuts through the acid of tomatoes and mellows out the flavors.
- Seasonings: Homemade taco seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. You could use fresh garlic and onion, no need to saute first.
How to Make Instant Pot Taco Soup
No need to dirty extra pots and pans! This one pot soup is made right inside your Instant Pot for ease and convenience.
Sauté meat: On your Instant Pot, press the saute mode button, and when the display says “Hot” brown the meat, breaking it up into small pieces as you go.
Add all ingredients: In this order, add the beans, corn, taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, broth, and tomato sauce.
To prevent burn, do not stir. Pressure cook on high for 10-20 minutes. This soup is ready in as little as 10 minutes of cook time.
The longer 20 minute time is given for those who want to allow time to get the flavor even deeper.
Pressure release and serve: Do a quick release to expel the pressure. Open the lid, add optional cilantro and stir.
Taco Soup Toppings
Anything you love to top your regular Instant Pot chicken tacos with works here. Some of our favorite taco soup toppings include:
- Tortilla chips
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped green onion or red onion
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Lime juice
Serving Recommendations
A bowl of taco soup is a main dish in itself. So, serving it with the optional toppings will satisfy even the hungriest crowds.
However, it never hurts to plan for a larger meal or have a few sides.
Tips for Best Results
- Pressure build up time: When planning dinner, it’s best to remember that the Instant Pot will take 10-15 minutes to build up pressure before it starts counting down the cooking time.
- To thicken soup: Add 1/4 cup cold water whisked with 2 tbsp cornstarch and saute for a few minutes.
- Forgot to thaw meat: “Thaw” meat in Instant Pot using Instant Pot frozen ground beef method. It will come out half cooked. Then just break it into small pieces.
- Flexibility: This easy taco soup is quite versatile. Swap the beans for what you have on hand, omit the corn, use protein of choice, replace a can of tomato sauce with diced tomatoes like Rotel, or add in a can of green chiles.
- Adjust the seasonings and spice level: This recipe is quite mild, but it’s just a jumping-off point. Play around with the seasoning and spice as you see fit.
Can I Make This In the Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can make taco soup in slow cooker! Sauté meat, then combine everything in the crockpot and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
If serving a crowd, keep it on warm and serve straight from the slow cooker.
Can I Freeze This Soup?
Yes. Cook, cool, and place in a glass airtight container leaving some room for expansion. Freeze taco soup for up to 3 months. Thaw on a counter for 4-5 hours or in the fridge overnight.
You can also make this a freezer meal! Sauté meat until cooked and broken down into small pieces. Add all ingredients to a gallon-sized bag with tomato products going first. Do not add the broth.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Then cook from frozen with broth for 20-30 minutes on High pressure, after release the pressure.
More FAQs
I never do. The Instant Pot comes with a bunch of buttons and settings that, in my opinion, don’t always do the best job. For best results, my suggestion would be to follow the directions as listed that way there are no questions!
Yes. Ground turkey or ground chicken can be used.
Yes. Just brown the meat, add other ingredients and simmer 20 minutes or longer to develop flavor.
Keep in the fridge in a covered container for up to 5 days because there are no tender veggies or pasta to get soggy. That’s why I love to make a big batch for lunches throughout the week.
More Healthy Soups to Try
- Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup
- Instant Pot black bean soup
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Instant Pot zuppa toscana
- Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup
Browse 45 healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Instant Pot Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 x 15 oz cans tomato sauce low sodium
- 2 x 15 oz cans red kidney or pinto beans low sodium, drained & rinsed
- 2 cups corn frozen or canned (drained)
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 tbsp onion powder or flakes
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sugar, maple syrup or honey
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 3 cups any broth low sodium
- 1 tbsp oil for frying
- 1/2 small bunch cilantro finely chopped
- Yogurt, cheese, lime and tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- On Instant Pot, press Saute and wait until display says Hot. Swirl oil to coat, add ground beef and cook for about 5 minutes, constantly breaking into small pieces and stirring. Press Cancel.
- Then add ingredients in the following order: beans, corn, taco seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, maple syrup, salt, pepper, broth and tomato sauce. Do not stir!
- Close the lid, move pressure valve to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for 10 – 20 minutes. Longer cook time means deeper flavors but overall soup is ready quickly.
- After, release pressure by turning pressure valve to Venting. Add cilantro and stir.
- Serve hot with tortilla chips, yogurt, cheese and limes.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container or inner Instant Pot pot with a fitting glass lid for up to 5 days.
- Freeze leftovers: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
- Freezer Meal: Saute ground meat until small pieces. Add all ingredients to gallon size bag with tomato products going first, all other ingredients except broth. Freeze for up to 3 months. Then cook from frozen with broth for 20-30 mins on High pressure.
It says how many calories but doesn’t specify the serving size. Is it a cup?
Approx 1 1/2 cups.
This is a great find! Can someone please tell me how many WW points this would be? My mother in law loves this soup and want to make sure she stays within her limit. Thank you in advance.
Hi Hezzy! Unfortunately, I don’t calculate WW points for my recipes.