This crockpot taco soup recipe is a hearty but healthy soup loaded with your favorite taco ingredients and flavors! No sauteeing and crockpot ready in just 15 minutes.
Like my favorite Smoky Turkey Chili, this crockpot taco soup is hearty, but good for you and perfect for colder weather.
Have you ever avoided a recipe because you just didn't want to do the prep work? Me too. After seeing recipe after recipe for taco soup call for browning the ground beef, I decided to test it out and see if this step is really necessary. After experimenting with our favorite taco soup both with and without cooking the beef ahead of time, I've found that you can skip this step if you're being smart! It does require adding a little extra seasoning (you miss it from not sauteing the meat), but it's a quick and inexpensive payoff for turning this crockpot taco soup into a dump-and-go meal! You'll love how simple this easy taco soup recipe really is when it saves you 20 minutes and another dirty pan!
And this recipe is SUPER meal prep-friendly: assemble ahead and freeze as a freezer crockpot meal OR cook ahead and freeze for easy meals later.
Why You'll Love This Easy Taco Soup Recipe
- no sauteeing, minimal prep work, and it's into the slow cooker in 15 minutes or less
- meal prep-friendly: assemble ingredients and freeze pre- or post- cooking!
- healthy, hearty, and so tasty
Watch: Crockpot Recipe for Taco Soup
This is one seriously easy recipe. Want proof? Watch the video below! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Easy Taco Soup Recipe Ingredients
- lean ground beef- or swap for ground turkey
- canned ingredients- black beans, corn, green chiles and diced tomatoes (or rotel for a real kick!)
- fresh ingredients- diced red onion and bell peppers
- spices- taco seasoning (make my homemade taco seasoning for a cleaner recipe or use store-bought as a shortcut!)
- broth- I used my homemade bone broth but you can use store-bought chicken stock
How to Make Slow Cooker Taco Soup
- Open your ground beef and place it in the bottom of your Crock Pot, breaking it up with a spatula like you would normally do in a skillet.
- Pour in all remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Place the lid on.
- Cook for 6-8 hours on low, then serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Beef - to cook ahead or not to cook ahead
Almost every crockpot recipe I've seen calls to cook ground beef ahead, but I decided to test out whether this was 100% necessary.
Honestly? We didn't notice it at all. The texture of the beef was slightly less 'chewy' than it normally would be and it clumped together a little less than if we had sauteed it first. If you would prefer to sautee first, you should do that!
- Note- we use grass fed lean ground beef which naturally does not have a lot of fat in it. If you use ground beef with a higher fat content, you may wish to cook first and drain the fat off before adding.
Prep ahead for easy dinners
You can meal prep this recipe in one of two ways:
- Freezer crockpot- assemble all ingredients except the broth in a large meal prep container (I like the 3 quart ones from Ikea!), gallon-sized reusable silicone bag, or gallon-size freezer bag.
- squeeze out air, and freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- thaw completely, and cook in the slow cooker as directed (low 6-8 hours)
- Cook ahead- alternatively, you can cook up this slow cooker taco soup, cool, portion out and freeze. I like freezing my soups in 1 quart mason jars (leave ¼ empty and lids ajar to account for expansion) or these reusable plastic freezer jars.
- thaw, transfer to a bowl, then reheat in the microwave until steaming hot
What to Serve with Crockpot Taco Soup
- Mexican Cobb Salad
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Jalapeno Popper Cornbread Muffins
- Easy Mexican Rice
- Tequila Lime Cheesecake Bars
How to Store Leftover Taco Soup
- Fridge: Cool the taco soup and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Bring taco soup to room temperature, then transfer to a freezer-safe container (whole or individual serving sizes, whichever you prefer). Freeze for up to 3 months. For the best texture, allow the soup to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Crockpot Taco Soup FAQs
I bet you could, but I haven't tried. I would guess 5 minutes high pressure with 10 minutes of natural pressure release before releasing the rest. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try!
Sure, leave out the black beans and corn. You might want to double up on the ground beef.
Yes, I would leave out the beef, double up the beans, and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock. I bet that would be delicious! You might also want to check out my Vegan Crockpot Chili!
More crockpot soup recipes
- Thai Slow Cooker Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
- Slow Cooker African Peanut Stew
- 42 Healthy Crockpot Soup Recipes
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili
- Hearty Lentil Soup
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Easy Crockpot Taco Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 19 oz can of diced tomatoes (540 mL; include juices)
- 4.3 oz can of green chiles (127 mL)
- 11.5 oz can of corn kernels (340mL; drained)
- 19 oz can of black beans (540 mL; drained & rinsed)
- 3 cup chicken stock (or homemade bone broth)
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 1 red onion (diced)
- ¼ cup taco seasoning
Serving suggestions
- cheese
- avocado
- sour cream
- tortilla strips
- cilantro
Instructions
- In the base of a 6 quart slow cooker, place the ground beef. Use a spatula to break it up into small pieces.
- Add all remaining ingredients. Mix, then add the lid.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Serve with suggested toppings.
Storage
- Leftovers may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
To assemble as a freezer crockpot meal
- Add all ingredients except for broth/stock to a large meal prep container, reusable silicone bag, or sturdy gallon-sized freezer bag. Squeeze as much air out as possible and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw completely before cooking as directed above.
Tips:
Nutrition Information
© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Hi, I'm Annie. With a Bachelor of Science degree, a minor in nutrition and nearly 20 year of both classical training, and self-taught experience, I've spent my career proving that home cooking can be practical, delicious and inspiring. What started in 2013 as one food blog has grown into a full-time business. Today, my husband Clayton and I run five food websites that connect with millions of home cooks every month.
When I'm not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I'm using fueling my love of travel, or chasing down new ideas that keep food fun and fresh.
Anissa says
Delicious! My batch was done in just under four hours on low. About halfway through I broke up the ground beef and the temperature registers it at fully cooked early. Having it for lunch instead of dinner, so it works out! 🙂
Julie says
Any changes to the recipe if you make this the evening-of instead of in a crock pot?
Denise Bustard says
Hi Julie! I have only tested it as written, and prefer to use the low setting in the slow cooker in general. You can potentially use the high setting, though I'm not sure if it will affect the texture of the beef. I would try high for 3-4 hours. Let me know if you give it a try!
Debbie says
Made for dinner tonight....very good just as is! The toppings made it perfect! Thank you!
Denise says
So happy to hear you enjoyed, Debbie! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂
Dianna says
I swapped the beef for plant based crumbles to make it vegan!! The rotel added a nice kick. The whole family, including the kids enjoyed!!
Denise says
Hi Dianna! That's so great to hear! I can't wait for some of these cool plant based swaps to start coming out in Canada. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂