Quick Look at our Ultimate Creamy Taco Soup with Ground Beef Recipe
- Ready In: less than 45 minutes!
- Serves: 10
- Main Ingredients: ground beef, black beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, chicken broth & taco seasoning
- Dietary Info: gluten-free, dairy-free friendly, one-pot dinner
- Pairing Suggestions: best gluten free cornbread, crispy tortilla strips, sour cream, fresh cilantro, avocado, or a side of easy salsa rice.
- Why You’ll Love It: As a mom of 3 kids, I love nothing more than a super easy one pot meal that can be on the table in less than 45 minutes! My creamy chicken taco soup was a huge hit with the family and brought all those familiar taco flavors to a warm bowl of soup, so why not try it with ground beef!? The result was incredible and it makes enough to enjoy the leftovers as lunch all week!
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Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Ground Beef: option to swap it for ground turkey or cooked, shredded chicken.
- Taco Seasoning: I always have a few packets of Siete Taco Seasoning on hand or make a large batch of my homemade taco seasoning.
- Lime Zest + Lime Juice: this combination brings so much amazing flavor and are our secret ingredients to stand out against the competition.
- Cream Cheese: adds the best, most velvety texture to the pot of soup!
How To Make One-Pot Creamy Taco Soup
Step 1 – Brown the ground beef in a large pot, then add the onion & garlic.
Step 2 – Add all of the remaining ingredients, except the cream cheese. Bring to a simmer.
Step 3 – Cut the cream cheese into large chunks (it melts faster) and add to the pot.
Step 4 – Simmer until the cream cheese melts. Taste and adjust any flavors as desired.
Best Ways To Serve Creamy Taco Soup
This velvety taco soup with beef can be enjoyed with any of your favorite taco toppings! We love adding dairy free sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, fresh cilantro, diced avocado, fresh jalapeรฑo slices, and a few tortilla chips for a little crunch. You could also serve it with a big piece of crusty bread, grilled bread, or a honey cornbread muffin!
Storage & Freezer
- Refrigerator: Let it cool, transfer to an airtight container, and store in the fridge for 4-5 days.
- Freezer: For best results, wait to add the cream cheese until reheating. Creamy dairy-based soups don’t reheat very well. To freeze, stop after step 4, and let it cool. Place in a freezer-safe container, with room to expand, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop (add the cream cheese at this time).
Slow Cooker Creamy Taco Soup
Cook the ground beef with onion and garlic on the stove top and add it to the crock pot along with the other ingredients (except the cream cheese). Let it all cook on the low setting for 3-4 hours and add the cream cheese during the final 30 minutes.
Creamy Taco Soup FAQs
Cream cheese was used to thicken this taco soup. Option to use 4 ounces or up to 8 ounces, depending on how thick you like your soup. Soup can also be thickened by simmering on the stovetop (uncovered). Liquid will steam off and create a thicker soup.
The spice level of this soup can easily be adjusted. If you make it as written in the recipe card, it will taste very mild with just a touch of warm heat. To spice it up, add some of the jalapeรฑo seeds, some hot sauce, orย a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, 85/15
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeรฑo, minced (remove membrane and seeds)
- 1 Anaheim pepper, minced
- 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 15 oz can of corn, drained
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1-2 taco seasoning packets, (or 2 batches of homemade taco seasoning)
- zest of 1 lime
- juice of 1/2 lime, more as-desired
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (use 8oz for more creaminess)
- Toppings: sour cream, cilantro, shredded cheese, avocado
Instructions
- Brown Beef: Bring a large dutch oven to a medium-high heat. Add 1 pound ground beef and move around pan, breaking it apart, until fully cooked. Drain excess grease.ย
- Sautรฉ: Add onion and 3 teaspoon garlic. Move around pan until onion softens, approx. 2-3 minutes.ย
- Combine: Add jalapeรฑo, anaheim pepper, black beans, tomatoes with green chiles, corn, 4 cups chicken broth, 1 taco seasoning packet, zest of 1 lime, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir to combine.ย Taste and add more taco seasoning (up to 1 more package) + the juice of the other half of lime + any additional salt. Everyone has different tastes, so adjust as desired.
- Cream Cheese + Simmer: Add 4 oz cream cheese and stir on medium heat until it is fully melted and combined. Cover and let simmer 10 minutes, to let the flavors meld.ย
- Serve: Enjoy with your choice of fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado.ย
Notes
- Dairy Free: simply use a dairy-free cream cheese alternative.
- Taco Seasoning: pick-up your favorite store-bought packet or learn how to make taco seasoning at home!
- Storage: store taco soup leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Alissabeth says
This was amazing! My taco seasoning and jalapeรฑos were a bit spicy so it had a kick, but everyone loved it!
Allison Segalini says
Yum!
Erin Jensen says
Glad you enjoyed it, Allison!
Laura Jervis says
I very rarely post comments but i needed to tell you how good this soup was. Weโve tried many taco soup recipes and this was by far the best. I think the lime zest really upped the game. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!!!
Erin says
Aw yay!! Thank you so much, Laura!! So glad you enjoyed and thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a rating and review – I really appreciate it ๐
Diane says
This was delicious! The only change I did; I left out the Anaheim. Used 1 1/2 pkgs of spicy taco seasoning and used plant based hamburger. I liked it better than chili.
Laura says
Can leftovers of this be frozen?
Saesha McAllister says
My whole family raved about this soup. I was out of black beans so subbed white beans but the rest was made as stated. I was worried it might be too spicy for my 7yo with both peppers but I used both and it was the perfect amount of spice. Such a great recipe that we will use again and again. Thank you!
Shanna Johnson says
Sooooo good!!!! I added chorizo sausage with the ground beef. It was next level.
Erin says
Yay!! So happy to hear that, Shanna!
Donna says
This soup was amazing and so easy! I made it in my crockpot so I could come home to an almost completed meal. Perfect! And the house smelled amazing as well! Itโs a keeper! Thank you Erin!
Mollie B says
This soup is so flavorful and comes together quick. Made my grocery order while at an appointment and didnโt check my pantry so made a few substitutions when it came time to prepare – used kidney beans instead of black and a jar of Trader Joeโs Corn and Chile salsa for the can of corn. This will now be a regular on our soup rotation.
Erin says
Yay!! Awesome to hear, Mollie!! Thanks for taking the time to come back and leave a review – I really appreciate it!