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Mar 12, 2020 By Stacie Hassing

Instant Pot Taco Soup (Stovetop or Slow Cooker)

Egg-Free
Gluten-free
Grain-Free
Nut-free
Jump to Recipe

You’re about to up-level your ‘Taco Tuesday.’ Veggie-loaded, wholesome, hearty, and full of flavor, this Instant Pot Taco Soup is a quick and tasty weeknight meal with endless topping possibilities. It’s meal prep and freezer-friendly, making this a delicious reheat-and-eat meal that you can enjoy in the days, weeks, or months to come. 

Bowl of Taco Soup topped with sour cream, cilantro, green onion and avocado

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Get dinner on the table fast.

Instant Pot Taco Soup is a meal you can make and get on the table in less than 30 minutes (even faster if you pre-chop the veggies). I’m all for meals that are not only quick to make but also ones that are tasty, veggie-filled, prep-ahead friendly, and made with minimal dishes. This taco soup has it all and you’re going to love that this recipe is made entirely in the Instant Pot making for a quick kitchen clean-up. Additionally, it’s quite a satisfying meal thanks to the 10 grams of fiber and 25 grams of protein that’s provided in one serving.

Bowl of Taco Soup topped with sour cream, cilantro, green onion and avocado

Made flavorful with a blend of spices and lime juice.

Chili powder, cumin, and oregano come together to really give this soup that ‘taco-y’ flavor we love. You’ll find this soup to be milder on the ‘kick’ factor so if you do like a little ‘kick’, feel free to add a 1/2 teaspoon or so of cayenne. The flavor-boosting ingredient is the lime juice. The lime juice takes this recipe to another level. Truly, it does! So while it might be tempting to omit the lime (because one less ingredient), I highly recommend you add it. Heck, you might as well toss a couple of extra limes in your cart so that you can whip up our Real Food Margaritas, too! You won’t be sorry.

Two photos side by side. Left: small plate with Instant Pot Taco Soup spices. Right: small plate with lime cut in half with small bowl of lime juice.

Meal prep and freezer-friendly.

This is a recipe you’ll want to add to your weekend meal-prep rotation. When I meal prep, I like to include at least one recipe that’s freezer-friendly – something that I can tuck away in the freezer for a future meal down the road. Instant Pot Taco Soup is perfect for that. You can save a few portions to enjoy now and in the days to come and then freeze the rest for a meal to have on hand when time just isn’t in your favor. Additionally, this would make for a great meal to bring to a neighbor, friend or family member who might be going through a trying time or recently became a new parent and could use a good, home-cooked meal OR you simply just want to spread the ‘real food’ love.

Bowl of Taco Soup topped with cilantro, green onion and avocado

How to make Instant Pot Taco Soup:

If you’re looking for the Slow Cooker or Stovetop directions, you can find those below in the recipe card. Here, I walk you through the Instant Pot steps.

Collage of a photo-tutorial showing the steps for making Instant Pot Taco Soup.

  1. Using the ‘sauté’ setting on the Instant Pot, sauté the ground beef and chopped veggies until beef is no longer pink.
  2. Turn the ‘sauté’ setting off and add the spices, tomato sauce, broth or water, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. Stir to combine.
  3. Lock the cover into place and turn the valve to ‘sealing.’ Set the Instant Pot for 8 minutes on high pressure. With the older version use the ‘manual’ button, with the newer version use the ‘pressure cook’ button. 
  4. While the soup is pressure cooking, prepare the toppings. Go all out or keep it simple!
  5. After the 8 minutes is up, allow for 5-7 minutes of natural release before flipping the valve to ‘venting.’
  6. Once the pressure is fully released and the lid unlocks, remove the lid and stir in the sour cream and lime juice until evenly combined. This adds a delicious creaminess to the soup!
  7. Instant Pot Taco Soup is ready to serve. Don’t forget the toppings!

Photo of wooden ladle holding Instant Pot Taco Soup

Endless topping possibilities.

While this soup has amazing flavor and incredibly tasty on its own, why not have some fun with toppings?! Here are a few ideas…

  • Avocado, sliced or diced
  • Cilantro, chopped
  • Green onion, thinly sliced
  • Radishes, thinly sliced
  • Crushed corn chips
  • Cheese, shredded or cotija
  • Sour cream
  • Jalapeño slices
  • Lime wedges

Looking for guidance with meal planning? Check out Real Plans, a highly customizable online meal planning service that includes over 300 of our very own recipes.

Add this Instant Pot Taco Soup to your upcoming weeknight dinner menu or weekend meal prep!

If you love this recipe, you’ll also want to try our Instant Pot Veggie-Loaded Turkey Chili.

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Let's Get Cookin'

Instant Pot Taco Soup

Veggie-loaded, wholesome, hearty and full of flavor, this Instant Pot Taco Soup is a quick and tasty weeknight meal with endless topping possibilities.

  • Author: Stacie Hassing
  • Prep Time: 20 min
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes (+ natural release)
  • Total Time: 28 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
Print Recipe
★★★★★ 4.8 from 6 reviews

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. lean ground beef, chicken or turkey
  • 2 tsp. olive oil or avocado oil
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ medium onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small zucchini, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 (15-ounce) can  tomato sauce + 1 can of water or broth
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles or fire roasted-tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn, frozen
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
  • 2/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt + more for topping
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional toppings: Diced avocado, chopped cilantro, green onion, shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt and/or lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Instant Pot:

  1. Select ‘Saute’ on the Instant Pot and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add ground beef, garlic, onions, bell pepper, zucchini, and carrots and sauté for 5-7 minutes or until meat is cooked and no longer pink.
  2. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce, water or broth, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn. Stir to combine. Lock lid into place and flip valve to sealing position.
  3. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Allow for 5-7 minutes of natural pressure release before flipping the valve to the venting position to release any remaining pressure.
  4. Remove lid. Stir in sour cream and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Serve with toppings of choice.

Stovetop Directions:

  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add ground meat, garlic, onions, bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots and sauté for 7-9 minutes or until meat is cooked and no longer pink.
  2. Add seasonings, tomato sauce, tomatoes, beans, corn, and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes or until carrots are tender.
  3. Next, stir in sour cream and lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve with toppings of choice.

Slow Cooker Directions:

  1. Follow directions for the Stovetop version through Step 1.
  2. Add ground beef and vegetable mixture to a slow cooker.
  3. Add remaining ingredients (except sour cream and lime juice) and stir to combine.
  4. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
  5. Stir in sour cream and lime juice just before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Serve with toppings of choice.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe (~1½ cups)
  • Calories: 400
  • Sugar: 11 g
  • Sodium: 850 mg
  • Fat: 17 g
  • Carbohydrates: 35 g
  • Fiber: 10 g
  • Protein: 25 g

Pin now & make it later!


All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

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About Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she, her husband and daughter reside with their two pups. She’s a co-founder of The Real Food RDs and content creator of simple and wholesome recipes. She loves all kinds of fitness and has a passion to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life both in and out of the kitchen - the driving force behind the co-development of the The Real Food RDs brand.

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Reader Interactions

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Kelly says

    March 12, 2020 at 8:03 am

    This looks so yummy! If I wanted to leave out the corn, do you recommend a substitution in its place?

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      March 16, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      You could simply omit the corn and add additional veggies of choice in its place. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Melissa says

    March 15, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    This was so good!! Hearty and full of flavor. Can’t wait to add to my rotation

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. regs says

    March 17, 2020 at 9:07 pm

    That soup was heavenly delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Lindsay says

    April 10, 2020 at 7:48 pm

    A little tomatoey for my taste, extra toppings helped mellow it out though! Still very good and I’m looking forward to leftovers. I liked all the veggies loaded into it.

    ★★★★

    Reply
  5. Paige says

    July 27, 2020 at 2:52 am

    Is it best to cook everything together then freeze or freeze all the ingredients raw then cook when you need it? Thanks

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      August 1, 2020 at 7:16 pm

      I would cook everything except for the sour cream and freeze it. Then add the sour cream when you heat it up to eat. Hope that helps! It’s a really good recipe and I’d love to hear how you like it!

      Reply
  6. Joanna D. says

    September 13, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    This was delicious! I left out the carrots as I was too lazy to peel them. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to the tee. I thought it was great without the sour cream but the sour cream definitely amped it up. Thank you for sharing this. Looking forward to try more of your recipes!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Stacy C. says

    October 11, 2020 at 8:45 pm

    Love the flavors in this recipe! I didn’t have meat on hand, so I swapped out the meat and beans for a large sweet potato instead and added it with the other veggies when sautéing. Turned out super delicious and will guarantee I’ll eat my veggies for lunch this week. Thank you for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      October 12, 2020 at 3:48 pm

      What a great idea – thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  8. Kris Dalton says

    October 14, 2020 at 9:37 pm

    Made for lunches last week! Super delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Alison S says

    March 8, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    Made this recipe in the slow cooker today. It turned out so well! This will definitely be a recipe I’ll make again.

    I substituted a can of green chilis + a can of regular diced tomatoes since I didn’t have the fire roasted ones and it gave the soup a nice little kick. I used Greek Yogurt but didn’t quite get the creamier texture I was anticipating. Any suggestions for how get get the creamy texture next time?

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      March 11, 2021 at 9:32 am

      Oh good! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
      Sour cream will make it more creamy. You could also add a splash of heavy cream or coconut cream.

      Reply

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The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.

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