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Next time your family wants taco night, make this easy taco soup recipe. It has all of the zesty flavors of freshly made ground beef tacos but comes in the form of a hearty soup. It’s one of those easy stovetop soup recipes that the whole family will love.

If your family loves comforting soup recipes, be sure to also check out my tomato soup from spaghetti sauce – always a great option when you run out of boxed soup!

bowl of homemade taco soup with toppings.
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Why I love this recipe

  • Uses mostly pantry staples
  • Perfect for busy weeknights
  • Satisfies any taco craving

Ingredients needed to make taco soup

The exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below, but here are the main ingredients for your shopping list.

  • ground beef
  • homemade taco seasoning (or store bought)
  • chicken broth 
  • black beans 
  • pinto beans
  • canned diced and fire-roasted tomatoes (i.e. Rotel tomatoes)
  • tomato sauce
  • corn
  • roasted green chile
taco soup ingredients.

How to make taco soup

Step 1: Cook ground beef

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the onion. Continue to stir to break up the meat and promote even cooking. When most of the liquid has burned off and the meat starts to brown and stick to the bottom, add the taco seasoning. Stir well to combine and cook for a few more minutes.

Step 2: Deglaze pan

Add the chicken broth to the pot and use a flat-bottomed spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen anything that may have stuck.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients

Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Stir well to combine. Soup is ready to eat when everything is heated through. For even better results, bring the soup to a very gentle simmer, cover it, then reduce the heat to the lowest amount where it can still maintain a gentle simmer, and continue cooking longer to allow the flavors to develop.

Favorite toppings

This soup is fantastic on its own, but I think we can all agree that the toppings are what take it above and beyond.

Your favorite taco toppings are what you’ll want to use to top this soup. Some suggestions include a dollop of sour cream, sliced green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, crushed tortilla strips or corn chips, avocado, sliced radishes, diced red onion, green chiles, pico de gallo, and/or fresh cilantro. A few lime wedges on the side are great too!

ladle full of homemade taco soup.

Modifications and substitutions

  • Ground turkey can be used in place of ground beef. Diced chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken work as well, but at that point, the recipe is basically chicken tortilla soup.
  • Beef broth or vegetable broth can be used in place of chicken broth.
  • Kidney beans can be used in place of either black or pinto beans.
bowl of homemade taco soup.

Storage and reheating

Leftover taco soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It’s best if used within 3-5 days.

This soup also freezes extremely well. Simply place cooled leftover soup in a freezer-safe container. Freezer bags or plastic quart-sized individual containers both work great. It should last a good six months in the freezer.

To reheat, place thawed soup in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until heated through. Alternatively, you can place it in a covered bowl in the microwave and heat in one-minute increments.

Big spoonful of taco soup.

Best taco recipes

If you love the flavor of ground beef tacos, you’ll love these recipes.

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Taco Soup (Easy Stovetop Recipe)

Prep5 minutes
Cook40 minutes
Total45 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Next time your family wants taco night, make this easy taco soup recipe. It has all of the zesty flavors of freshly made ground beef tacos but comes in the form of a hearty soup.

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning more if desired
  • 6 cups chicken broth can increase it to 8 cups if you like extra broth
  • 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 15 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
  • 14 1/2 ounce can diced and fire roasted tomatoes
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups frozen corn roasted corn recommended
  • 1/2 cup roasted green chile more if you like it spicy
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt add more after tasting, if desired
  • top with sour cream, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, grated cheese, avocado, sliced radishes, and/or cilantro
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great recipe ideas from me every week!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Instructions 

  • Cook ground beef: In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef with the onion. Continue to stir to break up the meat and promote even cooking. When most of the liquid has burned off and the meat starts to brown and stick to the bottom, add the taco seasoning. Stir well to combine and cook for a few more minutes.
    adding taco seasoning to ground beef.
  • Deglaze pan: Add the chicken broth to the pot and use a flat-bottomed spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen anything that may have stuck.
    adding ingredients to pot to make taco soup recipe.
  • Add remaining ingredients: Add the remaining ingredients (except for the topping recommendations) to the pot. Stir well to combine. Soup is ready to eat when everything is heated through. For even better results, bring the soup to a very gentle simmer, cover it, then reduce the heat to the lowest amount where it can still maintain a gentle simmer, and continue cooking longer to allow the flavors to develop.
    Mixing ingredients for stovetop taco soup recipe.
  • Serve: To serve, ladle portions into bowls and top with sour cream, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, sliced radishes, and/or cilantro.

Notes

Storage and reheating

Leftover taco soup can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It’s best if used within 3-5 days.
This soup also freezes extremely well. Simply place cooled leftover soup in a freezer-safe container. Freezer bags or plastic quart-sized individual containers both work great. It should last a good six months in the freezer.
To reheat, place thawed soup in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until heated through. Alternatively, you can place it in a covered bowl in the microwave and heat in one-minute increments.

Nutrition

Calories: 320kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 1739mg, Potassium: 898mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 357IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 90mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave me a comment below

Hi! Iโ€™m Krissy.

I love to create the BEST versions of your favorite recipes. If you love to cook, love to eat, or just have a deep appreciation for good food, you're in the right place! Stick around... I have hundreds of recipes for you to make.

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7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Oh my this is seriously the best soup ever! So easy to make and heats up well for leftovers for the next few days. Thank you!