My creamy keto taco soup recipe turns your favorite taco flavors into a thick and hearty soup. It’s comforting and comes with multiple cooking methods.
Ready for more keto soup recipes? Try my keto chicken soup, keto French onion soup, or keto broccoli cheese soup next.
Craving the flavors of Mexican food but in a warm bowl of soup? You’ve come to the right place.
For this easy weeknight dinner, I combine the flavors of tacos and make my famous keto taco soup: taco-seasoned ground beef, veggies, and cheese. I skipped the tortillas (although you can crush up some of my keto tortilla chips!) and slow-cooked everything in an aromatic broth, adding even more flavor to every spoonful.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Multiple cooking options. I prefer the stovetop method because it makes my house smell SO good, but like any good soup recipe, you can make it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- The perfect meal prep. It gets even better the following day, and honestly, you don’t even need to reheat it for it to taste incredible.
- A one-pot soup. So clean-up is quick. Or, if you’re like me, you let the one pot ‘soak’ for a couple of days…
- Deceptively healthy. The soup is mostly made up of lean ground beef, veggies, broth, and only a dollop of cream cheese.
Ingredients needed
- Ground beef. I like using lean ground beef since it’s not too greasy, and you’ll get the richness from the cream cheese. Either 80/20 or 90/10 ground beef works.
- Bell peppers. Technically green bell peppers have the least carbs, but it’s pretty negligible, so I used red bell peppers.
- Canned diced tomatoes. I prefer canned over fresh because the flavor is more intense, plus they’re cheaper.
- Beef broth. To thin out the soup and enhance the beefy flavors.
- Taco seasoning. For essential flavor.
- Cream cheese. Adds creaminess and richness. Chop the cream cheese into bite-sized pieces so it mixes into the soup. Heavy cream also works, but not sour cream. Sour cream breaks in the hot soup and makes it gritty.
- Toppings. I went with avocado, cheddar cheese, lime juice, and cilantro, but you can add any of the typical taco toppings you prefer.
How to make keto taco soup
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Cook the beef. Add the beef to a well-oiled soup pot and cook until browned. Drain the excess grease.
Step 2- Simmer. Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the cream cheese) and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and let it cook until thickened. Add the cream cheese and mix until creamy.
Step 3- Garnish and serve. Pour the soup into bowls and top with your favorite taco toppings.
Alternative cooking methods
As I mentioned, you can make this soup more convenient by making it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. Here’s how:
Instant Pot method. Add all ingredients, except cream cheese, to the pressure cooker. Cook on High for 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir in the cream cheese, and cover for 10 minutes. Whisk until smooth and serve.
Slow cooker method. Add all ingredients, except the cream cheese, and cook on Low for 6 hours or High for 4 hours. Remove the lid, stir in the cream cheese, and put the lid on to steam briefly. Whisk until smooth and serve.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Make your keto taco seasoning. Most brands will sneak in added sugar, and it’s easy to make your own so long as you have household spices like garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
- Add aromatics. Like freshly minced garlic or finely chopped onion.
- Give it some heat. Sauté finely chopped jalapeno peppers or, if you’re a spice fiend like me, skip straight to the habaneros, but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
- Swap the protein. Use ground turkey or my Instant Pot shredded chicken.
- Not watching your carbs? Add black beans and corn for added texture and flavor.
Storage instructions
To store: Leftover soup should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
To freeze: Place the cooled soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
Reheating: Microwave the soup in 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over low heat until warm.
Frequently asked questions
Any broth can be keto-friendly provided there are no added sugars. When in doubt, stick to organic or preservative-free broths with fewer than 2 grams of carbs per serving.
More low-carb comfort foods
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In a large soup pot, add the ground beef and place it over medium heat. Brown the beef then remove excess fat.
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Add the bell pepper, canned tomatoes, beef broth, and taco seasoning. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes.
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Add the chopped cream cheese and mix it into the soup until completely smooth.
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Transfer into bowls and top with sliced avocado, shredded cheese, finely diced tomato, and cilantro.
TO FREEZE: Place the cooled soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
TO REHEAT: Microwave the soup in 30-second intervals or in a small saucepan over low heat until warm.
Serving: 1servingCalories: 150kcalCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 16gFat: 7gSodium: 643mgPotassium: 375mgFiber: 2gVitamin A: 828IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mgNET CARBS: 2g
Originally published October 2021, updated and republished October 2024
