Easy Taco Soup

Learn how to make Easy Taco Soup at home with this simple recipe! Ground beef simmers with convenient canned items like chili beans, corn, tomatoes, beef broth, and a packet of taco seasoning. This taco soup recipe is so hearty and flavorful, and is best served with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. 

For more taco inspired dinner ideas be sure and try my Taco Salad Casserole, Taco Chili, and One Pot Taco Pasta. 

Easy Taco Soup Recipe

This recipe for easy taco soup is one of my all-time favorites because it's so quick and simple to make. It starts with ground beef and onion, and then you add canned ingredients and a packet of taco seasoning and let it simmer! 

My simple secret to really good taco soup is adding chili beans. It provides so much more flavor with no effort besides opening a can. 

Be sure and top off each serving of soup with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. My kids love taco soup for dinner because they can use their hands and dip chips into their dinner.

Ingredients Needed

Here is the list of ingredients that you will need for this recipe. I also share some tips so that you can have success recreating it in your own kitchen. 

• Ground Beef - I almost always use 93/7 ground beef, but you will be draining the excess grease anyways, so feel free to use any fat percentage that you prefer. 
• Onion - Finely dice a yellow onion or a white onion. I prefer a yellow onion because it's a bit more mild in flavor than the white onion.
• Reduced-Sodium Beef Broth - I have tested this recipe using full salted beef broth and we thought it was too salty. Remember, that you are using other canned items that also have a sodium content. Of course, if you prefer it or want more of that salty taste, then use regular beef broth. 
• Chili Beans - The "secret ingredient". Some may think that these are only for chili recipes, but they're not! Chili beans are pinto beans that are in a mild chili sauce. So not only are you adding pinto beans (which is a common taco soup ingredient) but you are also adding all that flavor from the chili sauce they are soaked in. 
• Petite Diced Tomatoes - I always use petite diced because my kids prefer the smaller bits of tomato. Regular diced tomatoes can be used if preferred. 
• Corn - Do not drain the corn. Just dump in everything from the can. The corn liquid has lots of flavor and it helps to give some liquid to our soup. As the soup simmers, it gets thick so don't worry if it looks like too much liquid once you add it. 
• Tomato Sauce
• Taco Seasoning Packet - Any packet will work here! Regular taco seasoning, hot taco seasoning, mild, or low sodium taco seasoning. I always use a packet of mild taco seasoning. 

How To Make This Taco Soup Recipe

Learn how to make this recipe for taco soup with these easy steps. Be sure and read to the bottom of the post to the recipe card with the full ingredient list and detailed instructions. 

• Ground Beef + Onion : In a skillet pan, or you can use the soup pot that you will cook everything together in, cook and crumble the ground beef and diced onion until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain or soak up the excess grease in the pan. If you used a separate skillet pan, transfer the cooked beef and onions to a soup pot. If using the same soup pot, simply leave the cooked and drained ground beef in the pot. 
• Taco Soup : Add the remaining ingredients into the soup pot and stir. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, and let it simmer for 25 minutes. Do not cover it with a lid. 
• Serve : We love this served with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado chunks, and tortilla chips. 

Tips For Success

Here are a few of my helpful tips for this recipe. 

• Simmer : This taco soup is so much better after it has had time to simmer, at least 25 minutes. The flavors come together, the soup thickens, and it just makes it so much better. Make sure that you plan ahead and allow time for this step. No need to cover the pot with a lid during the simmer time. Leaving the lid off allows the soup to thicken. 
• Beef Broth : Use the reduced-sodium beef broth for best taste. The other canned ingredients have sodium content and don't forget the toppings will also add some too, especially tortilla chips. 
• Toppings : Kids and adults love this meal because everyone can top their bowl of soup with whatever they like. I put several different toppings into bowls and set up dinner buffet-style, and everyone can choose what they put on top of their taco soup. Some topping ideas are shredded cheese (any variety), sour cream, chopped cilantro, jalapeño slices, avocado slices or chunks, black olives, tortilla chips or Fritos Scoops corn chips. 

Easy Taco Soup FAQ's

• Can I Make Taco Soup Spicy?
  • Yes, this recipe is so adaptable and easily made spicy if wanted. Use a packet of hot taco seasoning, add some chili powder or red cayenne pepper, top the serving of soup with jalapeño slices, use shredded Pepper Jack cheese, add a can of diced green chilies. 
• How To Store Leftovers
  • Store any leftover soup in an air-tight container, in the fridge, for up to 4 days. 
  • When ready to eat, simply warm it up in the microwave or in a soup pot on the stove top. 
• Can I Freeze Taco Soup?
  • Yes! Taco soup is one of the best freezer meals. Let the soup cool down to room temperature and then transfer it into a freezer-safe container or a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. 
  • When ready to eat, you have a few options. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and warm it up in a soup pot on the stove or try adding the frozen taco soup into a slow cooker and let it cook on LOW heat for about 4-5 hours. 
• Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
  • If you need to prepare this ahead of time there are several things you can do. Taco soup does really well on the 'warm' setting of the slow cooker. If making it for a crowd or if you just need to keep in warmer longer, make the soup as directed and then move it to a slow cooker. 
  • You can make it the day before and reheat it on the stove top when you're ready to serve it. 
• Serving Suggestions
  • Of course, the best thing to serve taco soup with are all your favorite taco toppings. 
  • I also love to serve Cornbread with it along with some fresh cut fruit. 

More Soup Recipes You'll Love

• 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup
• Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
• Cream Cheese Chicken Soup
• Vegetable Soup
• Minestrone Soup
• Turkey Chili Taco Soup
• Hamburger Soup