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Home Method Instant Pot
/5
1 hour hour 2 minutes minutes

Instant Pot Taco Soup

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Freezer Friendly Freezer Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise BustardLeave a Comment
Posted: 8/16/21 Updated: 8/3/21

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Instant Pot taco soup has all the flavors of your favorite ground beef tacos wrapped up in a cozy bowl of soup. With black beans, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, load it up with toppings, and enjoy.

The Instant Pot is so great for cooking soups, as it has the 'set it and forget it' factor- no stirring or watching for a pot to boil over. We love making Instant Pot tortilla soup as well as Instant Pot beef & vegetable soup.

overhead view of bowl of taco soup with spoon
Jump to... show
1 Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
2 Recipe video
3 Ingredient notes
4 Step by step directions
5 FAQ
6 Topping ideas
7 Storage & meal prep
8 More Instant Pot soups
9 Instant Pot Taco Soup (+ vegan option)

This recipe combines richly seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, corn, black beans and bell peppers in a delicious broth. It's perfect for loading up with your favorite toppings like tortilla strips, avocado and cheese, and is the kind of soup that tastes even better on day two.

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe

  • taco seasoning infuses a ton of flavor into the soup without the need to measure out individual spices
  • relying heavily on canned items, this soup is a great pantry meal
  • you can swap the ground beef for plant-based beef to make it vegan without sacrificing on flavor

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this Instant Pot taco soup. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Ingredient notes

ingredients (labelled) for instant pot taco soup
  • ground beef- this recipe was tested both with lean ground beef and Beyond Beef, and worked great with both. If using Beyond Beef, reduce the cook time to 3-4 minutes, and be sure to deglaze the pan well before bringing to pressure.
  • worcestershire- enhances the beefy flavors, but traditionally contains anchovies, so if you'd like to make this recipe vegan, swap for soy sauce.
  • diced tomatoes- we used unflavored diced tomatoes, but you could swap for Rotel for a little kick
  • green chiles- we used mild here, feel free to swap for hotter varieties to kick things up a notch.
  • taco seasoning- we used Old El Paso seasoning, if you'd like, you can make your own homemade taco seasoning for even better flavor and to control what goes into the soup.

Step by step directions

sauteeing onions in the instant pot

1. Sauté onions- Set the Instant Pot to 'sauté'. Add the olive oil and onions to the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are soft and transluscent.

ground beef sauteeing in instant pot

2. Add ground beef- Add the ground beef (or Beyond Beef) to the pot with the worcestershire sauce, and break it up with a spatula. Sauté for 3-4 additional minutes (Beyond Beef) or 6-7 minutes (ground beef), until cooked through. Add 1-2 cups of stock to the pan, scraping up the bottom to ensure nothing is stuck.

TIP- it's a good idea to deglaze the bottom of your Instant Pot after sautéing to avoid triggering the burn warning.

instant pot taco soup before cooking

3. Other ingredients- Add the rest of the stock, diced tomatoes, green chilies, corn, black beans, taco seasoning and bell peppers.

TIP- this recipe works in both a 6 quart Instant Pot and 8 quart Instant Pot!

instant pot with 5 minutes on the timer

4. Cook- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to the 'sealing' position, and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the cooking cycle has completed, allow the Instant Pot to sit for 10 minutes (10 minute natural pressure release), before carefully releasing the remaining pressure.

overhead view of taco soup in a bowl with spoon

5. Serve- Top soup with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, cilantro and avocado, or your favorite toppings!


FAQ

Can I swap the ground beef?

Yes, you can swap the ground beef for Beyond Beef or plant-based beef crumbles. Alternatively, you could swap for 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (same cook time), and shred them after cooking.

Is it spicy?

Using mild green chiles, this soup is mild. If you'd like to kick things up, consider swapping the diced tomatoes for Rotel, or using medium to hot green chiles.

Can I make it in the slow cooker?

Yes! See this crockpot taco soup.

taco soup scooped up in ladle above the instant pot

Topping ideas

Just like chili, Instant Pot taco soup is all about the toppings! Here are some suggestions:

  • tortilla chips or strips
  • shredded cheese
  • lime wedges
  • cilantro
  • avocado
  • guacamole
  • salsa
  • pico de gallo
  • fresh or pickled jalapeños
  • red onion
  • sour cream

Storage & meal prep

  1. Cool soup completely, then portion out into an air tight container (see below for my favorite containers!)
  2. Refrigerate for up to 4 days, freeze for up to 6 months.
  3. Thaw completely.
  4. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in a pot until steaming hot.

TIP- I love using these plastic freezer jars to store soup.

close up shot of instant pot taco soup on spoon

More Instant Pot soups

  • instant pot chili in blue bowl garnished with sour cream, cheese and avocado
    Thick & Beefy Instant Pot Chili
  • overhead view of instant pot broccoli cheese soup in three bowls
    Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
  • three bowls filled with hearty lentil soup with a spoon and bread in the background
    Incredible Instant Pot Lentil Soup
  • Overhead shot of carrot ginger soup in a blue bowl with a spoon stirring it
    Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup (Vegan)

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

overhead view of bowl of taco soup with spoon

Instant Pot Taco Soup (+ vegan option)

No ratings yet
Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
Cook Time: 12 minutes mins
Time to pressurize + natural pressure release: 35 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 2 minutes mins
Print Rate
Instant Pot taco soup has all the flavors of your favorite ground beef tacos wrapped up in a cozy bowl of soup. With black beans, corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, load it up with toppings, and enjoy.
6

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 lb lean ground beef or Beyond Beef (see note 1)
  • 2 teaspoons worcestershire see note 2
  • 30 oz chicken stock 900 mL
  • 15 oz can of diced tomatoes 443 mL; include juices
  • 4.3 oz can of green chiles 127 mL
  • 11.5 oz can of corn kernels 340mL; drained
  • 14 oz can of black beans 443 mL; drained & rinsed
  • 1 package taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons homemade
  • 2 bell peppers diced

Instructions 

  • Sauté onions- Set the Instant Pot to 'sauté'. Add the olive oil and onions to the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot, and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are soft and transluscent.
    sauteeing onions in the instant pot
  • Add ground beef- Add the ground beef (or Beyond Beef) to the pot with the worcestershire sauce, and break it up with a spatula. Sauté for 3-4 additional minutes (Beyond Beef) or 6-7 minutes (ground beef), until cooked through. Add 1-2 cups of stock to the pan, scraping up the bottom to ensure nothing is stuck.
    ground beef sauteeing in instant pot
  • Other ingredients- Add the rest of the stock, diced tomatoes, green chilies, corn, black beans, taco seasoning and bell peppers.
    instant pot taco soup before cooking
  • Cook- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to the 'sealing' position, and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. When the cooking cycle has completed, allow the Instant Pot to sit for 10 minutes (10 minute natural pressure release), before carefully releasing the remaining pressure.
    instant pot with 5 minutes on the timer
  • Serve- Top soup with shredded cheese, tortilla strips, cilantro and avocado, or your favorite toppings!
    overhead view of taco soup in a bowl with spoon

Tips:

1- if using Beyond Beef reduce cook time to 3-4 minutes total, and deglaze the pan well.
2- to make it vegan, swap the worcestershire for 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Storage
  1. Cool soup completely, then portion out into an air tight container (see below for my favorite containers!)
  2. Refrigerate for up to 4 days, freeze for up to 6 months.
  3. Thaw completely.
  4. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or larger portions in a pot until steaming hot.

Video

Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican

© 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.

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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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