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This 30-minute taco soup recipe is loaded with ground beef, flavorful taco spices, corn, beans, and has a completely irresistible creamy broth! It’s quick and easy to make.
If you like these flavors, you may also enjoy my Easy Chicken Taco Soup or Simple Taco Seasoning Recipe next.
Why you’ll love it
This creamy beef taco soup comes together easily and there isn’t too much preparation needed, making it great for busy weeknights. Everyone can choose their own toppings, so you get all the best taco vibes! I know there are a LOT of versions out there, but I think you’ll like my taco soup recipe with a creamy twist the best.
This is easily my favorite taco soup recipe that I’ve made so far. Adding cream cheese to soup gives the perfect amount of tanginess and creaminess! As the air begins to get a chill, I find myself turning to this warming and cozy soup for taco night instead of actual tacos.
What you’ll need
- Ground beef – I like to use at least 90% lean
- Red bell pepper – it adds a touch of veggie sweetness
- Rotel tomatoes – grab a can of these tomatoes with mild green chilies
- Chicken broth – to start the base of the soup off right
- Seasoning – my homemade taco seasoning blend for this soup has garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder
- Corn and black beans – I keep cans of them in my pantry at all times for this soup since they’re so convenient
- Cream cheese – for that creamy, luscious quality. Philadelphia is my go-to. I suggest taking the cream cheese out of the fridge to let it soften up ASAP. It takes a lot longer for it to incorporate into the soup when it goes in cold.
Taco soup toppings
- For an irresistible crunch, try tortilla strips or chips.
- Some of my go-to fresh toppings include diced avocado, scallions, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
- You can’t go wrong with cheese. Cheddar or a Mexican blend is my recommendation!
How to make taco soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Brown the beef in a large soup pot. Drain the excess fat if there’s any. Add all the ingredients apart from the cream cheese and salt & pepper. Bring it to a boil, and then simmer gently. Prep your toppings.
Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces and add it into the soup. Stir it in until completely melted. Season with salt & pepper, portion it out, and add the toppings!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the Dutch oven pictured. I love cooking with cast iron.
- My trusty OXO can opener has been going strong for years.
- Break up the beef effortlessly with a meat chopper.
Substitutions and variations
- This soup isn’t spicy if you use mild Rotel tomatoes with green chilies. You can buy the spicy kind or add some cayenne pepper if you want to make this a spicy taco soup, though.
- Our kitchen recommends trying the homemade seasoning blend, but you could swap out a packet of premade taco seasoning in a pinch. Just keep in mind those normally already contain salt.
- You can use beef broth if that’s all you’ve got, but the soup will turn out a darker color. Low-sodium broth is fine as well.
- If using regular diced tomatoes rather than Rotel, I suggest adding a can of diced green chilies to the soup because they add a ton of flavor. You can buy mild ones if you don’t like spice.
What to serve with creamy taco soup
- Along with all the suggested toppings above, it’s a complete meal on its own! A dinner roll or a slice of crusty bread would be a welcome addition, though.
- If you’re making it for taco night, you can’t go wrong with chips and Homemade Guacamole for the table.
- Craving soup and salad? Try mixed greens with my Chipotle Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing, or make this delicious Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad with Rice or Avocado Corn Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Any leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Warm them up in a pot over a low heat and slowly, giving it a stir every so often.
- This isn’t a soup that freezes great because of the cream cheese. It can get grainy when reheated. If you do want to make it ahead and freeze it, I suggest adding the cream cheese after it’s thawed.
Will you give this simple taco soup recipe a try? Questions? Ask me in the comments below, and I’d love it if you left a review! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Creamy Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 (10 ounce) cans Ro-tel diced tomatoes & green chilies with juices
- 1 (14 ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (12 ounce) can corn drained
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 ounces cream cheese (I used Philly) softened, see note
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Toppings (optional): grated cheddar, avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips, etc.
Instructions
- Add the ground beef to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown it, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, for about 10 minutes. If there's excess fat, spoon most of it out.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot except for the cream cheese and salt & pepper.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Turn down the heat so it's simmering gently, uncovered, for 8 minutes. While the soup cooks, prep your toppings.
- Cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces and add it to the soup. Let it melt in (you may have to stir it a fair bit until it's fully dissolved). Season the soup with salt & pepper and serve with toppings as desired.
Notes
- The cream cheese for this recipe should be super soft so it melts into the soup easily. I recommend taking it out of the fridge prior to starting the recipe and then microwaving it in 20-30 second intervals until it’s very soft.
- You can use beef broth instead of chicken broth if you don’t mind the soup being a darker color. If you have any concerns with salt, use low-salt broth.
- If you want to make this soup spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- If you’re not using Rotel diced tomatoes, you can use regular ones, but I suggest adding a can or two of diced green chilies as well (the 4 oz. size ones) since it really makes a difference in the way the soup tastes.
- This recipe is also in chapter 5 of the Salt & Lavender: Everyday Essentials cookbook.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on September 24, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
We had this tonight. My family usually runs when I saying I’m trying a new recipe. LOL But this was delicious and hubby said he would eat it again. I doubled everything but forgot to double the amount of broth and it was perfect. topped with crumbled tostitos corn chips and a drop of sour cream. Very flavorful.
Haha so glad it worked out! Thanks for letting me know!
You HAVE to make this! Amazing flavours.
Thank you 😀
BEYOND delicious!!
So glad to hear it!! Thank you!
Wow!!! This was sooooo good. I used regular paprika instead of smoked (cause that’s what I had) and I left out the chili powder cause I didn’t have it. Used all the rest of the powdered spices as directed even though I felt like it would all be too much but it wasn’t at all. Other subs were I sautéed a small yellow onion to start with the ground beef and I used two cans of white beans instead of one black. Just prefer them and i find they get creamier than black. One can of the mild Rotel and one of the hot. Perfect amount of spice for me but maybe a little hot for some. My husband and I LOVED it. Garnished with cheddar cheese (not even necessary but why not), scallions, cilantro and avocado. INSANELY GOOD!!
So happy you liked it, Carlye! Thanks for leaving me a comment! 🙂
Hello. I probably missed it? Do you have your nutritional content available? I can’t wait to try these recipes.
Hi! I don’t for most of my recipes. The occasional recipe I do calculate calories (usually the healthier ones), but I’ve tested some of the nutrition calculators out there, and I’ve found them to be very inaccurate, unfortunately. A lot of the nutrition info on online recipes is way off, and I don’t want to add to the problem. I am not a trained nutritionist, so I don’t feel comfortable calculating anything beyond calories myself. Calories will vary depending on the ingredients you use. Plugging the exact weights/measurements of the actual ingredients you use into one of the free calculators out there should give you a good idea of the calories if that’s the main thing you’re looking for. Sorry about that!
My family and I enjoyed this recipe very much. We like our food a little spicy so I added 1 jamaican pepper and it came out great. Thank you!
So glad to hear it!!
Very good. I added cilantro because I had some to use. Easy and delicious!!
Awesome!! Thanks for leaving me a comment, Valerie!
On the stove now ! Smells delicious !
Hope you enjoyed it! 🙂
delicious and super easy! chili meets taco meets soup! will definitely be making again
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving me a comment!
Amazing recipe! Very easy to make. The only challenging thing was trying to get all the cream cheese to melt. But it eventually did. This will be on our rotation of fall & winter meals!
Yes, that part is kinda annoying haha. I always take the cream cheese out of the fridge way too late and then it takes a bit to stir it in. So glad you liked the taste!
We LOVED this recipe!! I did use one can of hot Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies since we are obsessed with spice. I loved how the heat of the green chilies and the smoky flavor of the paprika came together. 12/10 would recommend making this soup! I will be sending this to all my friends as well as the cooler weather sets in.
I am so happy to hear that, Bri!! Thanks so much for leaving a review. ❤️❤️
I’d like to try this in my Instant Pot. Saute ground beef and red peppers. Stir in all other ingredients except for cream cheese, salt and pepper. Close the lid; set valve to “Sealing” and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick pressure release. Add small chunks of cream cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper then serve. Do you think this will work?
I do think that would work, Sherrie! Let me know how it goes. 🙂