Easy Taco Soup Recipe

Taco Soup (The Recipe That Saved My Weeknights)

Why is it so hard to find a decent taco soup recipe that doesn’t require like forty-seven ingredients or some obscure spice I’ve never heard of? I spent three weeks trying different versions from Pinterest and honestly, most of them were either bland as cardboard or so spicy my kids wouldn’t touch them.

Then one Wednesday night when I was completely out of ideas and staring into my pantry hoping dinner would magically appear, I just threw a bunch of cans together with some ground beef and… it actually worked? Like, really worked. My 9-year-old who “doesn’t like soup” asked for seconds. That’s when I knew I’d stumbled onto something.

Now I make this taco soup at least twice a month. Maybe more. My husband jokes that I should just buy the ingredients in bulk at Costco at this point.

What Makes This Easy Taco Soup Different

Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. This isn’t some revolutionary recipe. It’s basically a bunch of cans and ground beef in a pot. But here’s the thing—sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones you actually make, you know?

I think what makes this homemade taco soup work so well is the spice ratio. I’ve tried versions with taco seasoning packets (fine, but salty), versions with a million individual spices (annoying to measure), and this perfect middle ground where you use just a few key spices that you probably already have.

The first time I made taco soup was actually a complete accident. I was trying to make chili but realized halfway through that I was missing like half the ingredients. So I just pivoted and called it taco soup instead. My neighbor Sarah still brings up how I texted her in a panic asking if you could substitute kidney beans for pinto beans. (Answer: yes, obviously, and nobody will notice.)

Ingredients for Best Taco Soup Recipe

Okay, so here’s what you need for this easy taco soup recipe. Most of this stuff lives in my pantry permanently because we make this so often:

The Main Stuff:

• 1 pound ground beef (I use 85/15 because the 90/10 is too dry, but use what you like)
• 1 medium onion, diced (or half a big one if that’s what you have)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I use way more because I’m obsessed with garlic)
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed (see, beans are important here)
• 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
• 3 cups beef broth (or chicken broth—I’ve used both)

The Spices:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika (smoked if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Toppings (This Is Where It Gets Fun):

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips or Fritos (Fritos are AMAZING in this)
• Diced avocado
• Fresh cilantro
• Sliced jalapeños
• Lime wedges
• Green onions

Quick note about the beans—you need all three types. I tried making this with just black beans once because that’s all I had and it wasn’t the same. The variety matters! Also, don’t skip rinsing the beans. I forgot once and the soup was way too salty and had that weird bean juice texture. Gross.

And about the green chiles—get the mild ones unless you have an asbestos mouth. I bought hot ones by accident and my daughter literally cried. Not my finest parenting moment.

How to Make Taco Soup (Step by Step)

Alright, deep breath. This is so easy that calling it “cooking” feels generous.

Step 1: Grab your biggest pot. Like, your largest soup pot or Dutch oven. You’ll need the space. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. This takes about 8-10 minutes. You want it browned and crumbly, not in big chunks.

The key is—oh wait, I forgot to mention—don’t drain the fat until it’s completely cooked! I made that mistake once and had beef grease all over my stove. Learn from me. Once it’s cooked, drain most of the fat off. I leave a tiny bit for flavor.

Step 2: Toss the diced onion into the pot with the beef. Cook it for about 3-4 minutes until it’s soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Your kitchen will smell AMAZING at this point. Like, your neighbors might knock on the door asking what you’re making. (This has actually happened to me.)

Step 3: Time to add the spices. Dump in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, and onion powder. Stir everything together for about a minute. This “toasts” the spices and makes them more flavorful. I learned this from some cooking show and it actually makes a difference.

Step 4: Now comes the easy part. Add all three cans of beans, the corn, crushed tomatoes, green chiles, and beef broth. Just dump everything in. Stir it all together. It’ll look kinda chunky and weird at first, but that’s normal.

Step 5: Crank up the heat and bring the whole thing to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes. I usually do 25 minutes. Set a timer because I ALWAYS forget and then panic when I smell something burning. (Pro tip: this soup is pretty forgiving though—even if you simmer it for 45 minutes it’s still good.)

Stir it occasionally while it’s simmering. Maybe every 10 minutes or so. Actually, you know what? I pretty much leave mine alone for the first 15 minutes and then stir once or twice at the end.

Step 6: Taste it and adjust the seasoning. Sometimes I add more salt, sometimes more chili powder if I’m feeling spicy. This is where you make it yours.

Step 7: Ladle it into bowls and go crazy with the toppings. This is the best part! We usually set up a whole taco soup bar with all the toppings in little bowls and everyone makes their own.

My Taco Soup with Ground Beef Tips

After making this approximately a million times (okay, probably more like forty times, but it feels like a million), here’s what I’ve learned:

Use good beef broth. Like, the stuff in the carton, not the bouillon cubes. I tried the cubes once and it tasted like salty sadness. Swanson or Pacific Foods are my go-to brands.

This taco soup freezes BEAUTIFULLY. I usually double the batch and freeze half in a gallon freezer bag. Lay it flat to freeze so it takes up less space. Then on a busy night, I just dump the frozen block into a pot and reheat. Life saver.

If you want to make this in a crockpot (taco soup crockpot version), brown the beef and onions first on the stove, then dump everything into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Easy peasy.

Instant pot people—brown the beef using the sauté function, then add everything else with just 2 cups of broth instead of 3. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then natural release for 10 minutes. I’ve done this when I’m in a rush and it works great.

Want to make it spicier? Add some cayenne pepper or use hot green chiles. Want it milder? Skip the black pepper and use sweet paprika instead of smoked.

The Fritos thing is NOT negotiable in my house. I tried serving this with regular tortilla chips once and my son looked at me like I’d betrayed him. Apparently Fritos are the only acceptable chip for taco soup. Who knew kids had such strong opinions about corn chips?

Best Taco Soup Toppings

Okay, so the soup itself is great. But the toppings? That’s where this recipe really shines. Here’s what we usually put out:

The Classics: Sour cream and shredded cheese are non-negotiable. We go through an entire block of cheddar when we make this.

The Fresh Stuff: Diced avocado, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges. That squeeze of lime at the end? Chef’s kiss. Brightens the whole thing up.

The Crunch: Fritos, tortilla strips, or tortilla chips. Sometimes I make homemade tortilla strips by cutting corn tortillas into strips and frying them. Takes like 5 minutes and they’re way better than store-bought.

The Heat: Sliced jalapeños or hot sauce for the brave souls. My husband dumps Cholula on everything, including this soup.

My kids like to crush up the Fritos directly into their soup so it gets all soggy. I think it’s gross, but they’re eating vegetables (kinda—corn counts, right?) so I don’t ask questions.

Why This Hearty Taco Soup Works

Here’s the thing about this recipe. It’s not fancy. It’s not Instagram-perfect. But it’s the kind of dinner that you can make on a Tuesday night when you’re exhausted and everyone’s hungry and cranky.

It takes maybe 45 minutes total from start to finish, and most of that is just simmering time where you can do other things. I usually make this, throw laundry in, help with homework, and come back to perfectly cooked soup.

Plus it makes TONS. This recipe easily serves 6-8 people, or in our family of four, it gives us leftovers for two days. Which is basically the dream, right? Cook once, eat three times.

And the fact that you can make this taco soup one pot meal in your crockpot or instant pot? Game changer for busy days. I’ve started this in the morning before work and come home to dinner that’s ready to go.

My book club friends now request that I bring this to our meetings. Last month I made a double batch, brought it in a slow cooker, and set up the toppings bar. Everyone went crazy for it. I felt like a cooking goddess. (Never mind that it’s literally the easiest recipe ever—they don’t need to know that.)

Final Thoughts

So yeah, if you’re looking for a quick, easy, homemade taco soup recipe that actually tastes good and doesn’t require you to buy seventeen ingredients you’ll never use again, this is it.

It’s not going to win any awards for originality. But you know what? It’s going to get eaten. Every time. With enthusiasm. And sometimes that’s all you need from a recipe.

My freezer currently has three bags of this soup waiting for emergency dinner situations. My pantry is stocked with all the canned goods. And my family has stopped asking “what’s for dinner?” on taco soup nights because they already know it’s going to be good.

Let me know if you try this! And seriously, if you have any good topping suggestions I haven’t thought of, tell me in the comments. I’m always looking for new ways to jazz up my taco soup bar. 😊

Happy cooking (and may your soup never burn)!