Creamy Taco Soup | The Recipe Critic

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This creamy taco soup recipe is full of fresh flavors, tender vegetables, and hearty beans. The seasoned beef mixed with the creamy soup is out of this world good! Top it with your favorite toppings, and your family will love this warm, savory soup!

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy: This soup comes together with ease and simple ingredients in less than an hour.
One Pot Meal: Throw everything in one pot and let simmer. Clean-up is a breeze!
Family Friendly: The flavors in this soup are universally loved! Moreover, your whole family will enjoy making it their own with different topping options.

Ingredients Needed For Creamy Taco Soup

My favorite thing about this recipe is the number of items ready to go. I just need to open up some cans, dump them into a pot, and let all of the flavors meld and simmer together! For exact measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Ground Beef: The best protein to absorb all of the delicious taco seasoning flavor and add a hearty beefy texture.
Yellow Onion: Gives the soup a nice sweet flavor and tender texture.
Jalapeno: Watch out! If you like it spicy, leave in the seeds; if not, omit the seeds to get that yummy jalapeño flavor.
Minced Garlic: Adds a kick of savory flavor that balances the other ingredients.
Taco Seasoning: Use store-bought or my homemade taco seasoning.
Beef Broth: This is my secret for giving the soup a very robust flavor.
Canned Corn: Adds sweetness to offset all of the savory items.
Canned Black Beans: These add a wonderful texture and healthy fiber.
Canned Pinto Beans: Gives the soup a creamy texture and more fiber!
Canned Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Adds a hint of smokey flavor that balances the other spices.
Canned Green Chiles: Give the soup a hint of heat and tangy flavor.
Cream Cheese: Provides the creaminess that sets this soup apart.
Salt and Pepper: To taste!

Creamy Beef Taco Soup Instructions

For this recipe, you simply season and brown your beef, dump in all of the canned beans and vegetables, and let the flavors meld together while they simmer. Its that simple! I have also included crock pot instructions in a tip bubble below!

Heat a stock pot over medium-high heat, add in the ground beef, onion, and jalapeño, and cook until the ground beef is evenly browned and fully cooked.
Add garlic and taco seasoning to the pot, and continue to cook until the taco seasoning covers all the meat.
Pour in the beef broth, corn, black beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, and green chiles. Then bring everything to a gentle boil, and reduce the heat to low.
Add in the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted into the chili. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then simmer everything together for about 10 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat and serve with your favorite toppings

Angle shot of beef, onions and jalapeños in a pot.

Angle shot of cooked beef mixture with minced garlic and taco seasoning added to it.

Creamy Taco Soup Tips and Variations

This soup is incredibly versatile and can be customized to fit your taste preferences. For example, you can try different proteins, like shredded chicken or ground beef, for a heartier meal. Additionally, adding your favorite vegetables, such as corn or bell peppers, boosts both nutrition and flavor. Here are some creative topping ideas to get you started!

Spice: Add in an additional minced jalapeño with its seeds for more heat. Removing seeds will reduce the heat, or take out the jalapeño altogether.
Vegetable Version: You can swap the ground beef for meatless crumbles or just omit the beef entirely. You’ll also want to use vegetable broth instead of beef.
Topping Ideas: I love getting creative with toppings. Some of my favorites are avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, fresh cilantro, and a fresh lime wedge.
Protein Options: You can use ground chicken or turkey instead of beef.

Overhead shot of a pot of creamy taco soup with a wooden spoon ladling out a scoop.

Crock Pot Instructions

If you want to make this in the crock pot and have it all ready for you when you get home after a busy day. I’ve got you covered! Here are the instructions below.

Cook: Saute the beef, onion, and jalapeño in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Coat: Add garlic and taco seasoning and cook until the taco seasoning coats everything.
Combine: Add the meat mixture to a large crock pot along with the beef broth, tomatoes, corn, black beans, pinto beans, green chiles, cream cheese, and salt and pepper.
Cook: Set to low and cook for 5 hours or high for 3 hours. Check after the first 2 hours and stir in the cream cheese if it is melted enough.
Serve: Turn the crock pot off and serve.

Storing Leftovers

Creamy taco soup is great to heat up for a quick lunch throughout the week. Here are my tips for proper storage.

Fridge: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezer: I wouldn’t recommend freezing this as is. But, if you want to freeze this for future use. Make everything except don’t add the cream cheese. You will want to add that when you are ready to eat it. Freezing dairy products can change the texture and make things taste strange.

Overhead shot of a bowl of creamy taco soup with a golden spoon scooping out a bite.

More Taco-Inspired Soup Recipes

Taco soups are some of my family’s favorite meals! I have quite a few recipes and variations for you to try! All of them are tried and true and are quick and easy to make! I know you’re a busy mom, and I’ve got your back!

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Heat a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add in the ground beef, onion, and jalapeño, and cook until the ground beef is evenly browned and fully cooked.
Add the garlic and taco seasoning to the pot and continue to cook until the taco seasoning covers all the meat.
Pour in the beef broth, corn, black beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, and green chiles. Bring everything to a gentle boil, and reduce the heat to low.
Add in the cream cheese and stir until it has melted into the chili. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer everything together for about 10 minutes.
Remove the pot from heat and serve with your favorite toppings!

To make in the crockpot:

Saute the beef, onion, and jalapeño in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add in the garlic and taco seasoning and continue to cook until the taco seasoning coats everything.
Add the meat mixture to a large crock pot along with the beef broth, tomatoes, corn, black beans, pinto beans, green chiles, cream cheese, and salt and pepper.
Set to low and cook for 5 hours, or high for 3 hours. Check after the first 2 hours and stir in the cream cheese if it is melted enough.
Turn the crock pot off and serve.

Add in an additional minced jalapeño with its seeds for more heat. Removing seeds will reduce the heat.
You can use ground turkey in place of beef.
For a vegetarian version, you can leave out the beef altogether and substitute the beef broth for vegetable broth.

Calories: 691kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 30gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 1731mgPotassium: 917mgFiber: 10gSugar: 68gVitamin A: 928IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 154mgIron: 6mg