This Crockpot taco soup recipe is a hearty, comforting soup with all your favorite taco ingredients! Ground beef, chilies, tomatoes and taco seasonings are all simmered to flavorful perfection in your slow cooker. Don't forget to top it off with all of your favorite fixings!
Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe
Taco soup is a go-to recipe in our kitchen. This recipe specifically is loaded with seasoned ground beef, lots of chili peppers with tomatoes, garlic and more! It's all simmered low and slow until we're ready to go. And, all the toppings! We can never get enough.
We really love slow cooker recipes because you can just toss everything in and let it do all the work for you. It really doesn't get much easier than this when it comes to cooking, unless you order takeout, which isn't cooking!
Plus, if you've seen takeout prices lately on food delivery apps, you may be more inclined to keep cooking at home.
Slow Cooker Taco Soup Ingredients
- Ground beef - You can also make this with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Peppers - I'm using bell peppers, jalapeños, and some habanero, but you can use your favorites to your own heat level preference.
- Garlic
- Taco seasoning - Try my homemade taco seasoning blend with LOTS of chili powder. It's a great seasoning mix.
- Tomatoes - Canned whole tomatoes are great, or use fresh diced tomatoes.
- Tomato sauce
- Beans - Red beans are great, or kidney beans or pinto beans, all drained and rinsed. Try it with black beans, or a combination.
- Chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
- Garnishes - Chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, jalapeño slices, lime wedges, tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado – anything you might put on a taco.
How to Make Crockpot Taco Soup - The Recipe Method
Cook the beef and veggies. Heat the oil in a large skillet or pan. Add the ground beef with the onions and peppers. I used a mixture of jalapeño, habanero and bell peppers, though feel free to vary that up to your preference. Add the garlic and taco seasonings and give it a quick simmer.
Slow cook it. Toss all of this into the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Let it cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
Serve. Serve the taco soup in bowls and top with all of your favorite toppings!
Boom! Ready to eat! So easy to make, isn't it? And WOW is it delicious. Crockpot taco soup in the house!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- GO NUTS with your fixings. I like to roast some jalapeno peppers, slice up an avocado, added shredded cheese, crema, cilantro and lime juice. Hot sauce is a must. Try tortilla strips for crunch. Go for whatever you'd like with your favorite taco toppings. Diced green onions or chopped green herbs are nice.
- You can change up the meat. The choice is yours if you'd like to use ground beef or ground turkey. Ground beef has more flavor, but ground turkey absorbs all those other wonderful flavors, and you'll save yourself some calories, too. Other ground meats that work here are Mexican chorizo (favorite!), ground chicken, or ground pork.
- Vary up the chili peppers. I've used jalapeño and habanero peppers here, which will give you a very good level of heat. To dial back on the heat, skip the habanero peppers and core out the jalapenos. Or, use milder peppers, such as poblano peppers, Anaheim peppers, or even mild bell peppers.
Can I make Crockpot taco soup creamy?
Yes! Toss in 8 ounces of cream cheese in the last 20 minutes of the recipe for a creamy, cheesy version of this dish. I love it! It really is SUPER creamy this way. You can also swirl in a cup or more of Mexican crema or sour cream to achieve a similar creaminess. So good!
Can I make taco soup on the stovetop?
If you do not have a slow cooker, you can absolutely make this slow cooker taco soup recipe on the stove top. Simply follow the instructions, but use a Dutch oven or large pot to cook down the vegetables and the meat.
Add all of the ingredients, bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the whole pot for at least 30 minutes. An hour would be better, though, to really let all of those wonderful flavors mingle and develop.
See my Taco Soup Recipe for more detailed instructions.
Storage and Reheating
Once your taco soup cools to room temperature, you can transfer it to an airtight container and keep it stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Feel free to reheat in the microwave or right back in the Crockpot. You can also use your stovetop if you'd like.
You can also freeze it! I like to make an extra large batch of this soup and freeze it in batches for super quick and easy lunches or dinners. Just transfer it to sealable freezer containers. Keeps easily for 6 month. Let it slow thaw in the fridge for about 8 hours before reheating.
Try Some of My Other Popular Soup Recipes
If you make this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Please share this recipe with your friends! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Crock Pot Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- Olive oil as needed
- 2 onions chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped (use red or orange for a nice color)
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers chopped (core them out for milder taco soup)
- 1 habanero pepper chopped (optional, for SPICY taco soup)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons taco seasoning (or more to preference - I usually use about 6 tbsps)
- 2 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes Or use equivalent fresh tomatoes – GO GARDEN!!!
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 12-ounce can red beans
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lime wedges
FOR SERVING/OPTIONAL/IDEAS
- Chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, Jalapeno slices, Lime wedges, Tortilla chips, Shredded cheddar cheese, Sour cream, avocado, hot sauce – anything you might put on a taco
Instructions
- Heat a large pot to medium heat and add a couple tablespoons olive oil. Add ground beef along with onion and peppers. Cook about 8-10 minutes to brown the meat and soften the onion and peppers.
- Add garlic and stir. Cook another minute or so.
- Add taco seasoning and stir to incorporate.
- Add everything to a crock pot/slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Serve into bowls and squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top, then swirl it in. Just a bit, about ¼ to ½ a lime.
- Top with your desired ingredients. We used some cilantro, green onions, jalapeno slices, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and lime wedges. So good!
Notes
Nutrition Information
Janki says
Hi I am a vegetarian...can u post some vegetarian options...thanks
REPLY: Janki, you can easily omit the meat for this recipe and double or triple up on the beans. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.