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.
Minimal prep work and simple ingredients makes this soup ready to cook in just 15 minutes, and it can cook for up to 8 hours, which makes it a great dinner on those busy days when you are out of the house or running around all day.
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 ♡ this crockpot 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
Recipe Video
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!
Ingredients you'll need
- 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
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
Can I cook this in the Instant Pot?
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!
Can I make this soup lower carb?
Sure, leave out the black beans and corn. You might want to double up on the ground beef.
Can I make this recipe vegan?
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!
Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe
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:
Video
Nutrition Information
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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 🙂