Instant Pot Taco Soup

Last Updated on January 8, 2025

This Instant Pot Taco Soup is a colorful, flavorful soup the entire family will love.

It’s all the great taste of tacos, like these air fryer Indian fry bread tacos, in a hearty and satisfying soup.

If you love Taco Tuesdays but want some variety, this Instant Pot Taco Soup is a great recipe to add to your menu, along with this air fryer cheese bread, during cold weather. It’s also a great potluck recipe and is an easy, affordable way to feed a crowd.

Jump to:

• Are Dried Beans Better Than Canned Beans?
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔀 Substitutions
• 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
• 🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
• 🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Taco Soup
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🙏 Pairing
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• 📋 Recipe
• Recipe FAQs
• More Instant Pot Resources

Are Dried Beans Better Than Canned Beans?

This recipe uses canned beans, but you might wonder, is it better to cook with dried beans instead of canned beans? It depends on if you’re looking at the cost, convenience, and nutrition.

Cost

Overall beans are a lot cheaper than meat, so they are an inexpensive food. However, when you compare dried beans versus canned beans, dried beans are cheaper.

For example, a store brand one pound bag of kidney beans costs $2.00, which is about $0.16 per serving (a one pound bag makes 12.5 servings). A store brand can of kidney beans costs $0.94 which may seem like less money, but it is about $0.27 per serving because it only makes 3.5 servings.

Convenience

Canned beans are definitely more convenient than dried beans. All you have to do is open the can and drain and rinse the beans and they’re ready to use. Dried beans can take hours of simmering before they’re ready to be used in a recipe.

Also, canned beans have a longer shelf life than dried beans. The can is usually good for 2 to 5 years, while the dried beans should be typically used within 1 to 2 years for the best quality.

Nutrition

People usually think that foods made from scratch are usually healthier than prepared foods. While that may be true for some foods, you might be surprised to know that the nutrition of canned beans vs. dried beans is about the same.

Both kinds of beans have about the same calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates and are both a great source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Canned beans can have more sodium than dried, but to lower that amount you can purchase low sodium beans and then rinse the beans and drain the liquid before you cook with them.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Your family will love this taco soup and will want to have it often. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Ready in about 30 minutes: Usually when you think about cooking soup, you think it will have to simmer on the stove for hours. However, this soup cooked in the instant pot doesn’t take very long to make.
• Easy to make: Everything is cooked in the Instant Pot, so it’s easy to make. You only have to sauté the garlic and onions, cook the meat, add the rest of the ingredients and let the Instant Pot do the rest.
• Fills the house with a delicious aroma: Since this soup is so flavorful, it smells delicious. Everyone’s mouth will be watering by the time dinner is ready.

If you like tacos and like cooking in your Instant Pot, you should try these salsa verde chicken tacos.

🥘 Ingredients

You won’t need any fancy ingredients for this Instant Pot Taco Soup, but there are a lot of them. It’s the combination of all the flavors and textures that makes this soup so yummy.

• Minced Garlic: If you use cloves and mince them yourself, you’ll need about 6 cloves to get a tablespoon of garlic. Otherwise, you can just use the minced garlic in a jar.
• Lean Ground Beef, Pork or Turkey: You can use whichever kind of meat that your family prefers.
• Taco Seasoning: An envelope of taco seasoning, taco seasoning in a jar, or seasoning mix that you made yourself will work for this recipe.
• Red Salsa: Experiment with different types of red salsa (chunky, smooth, smoky, mild or spicy) to tweak the flavor profile to your liking.
• Diced Green Chilies: For this taco soup recipe, the best type of diced green chilies to use are mild canned green chilies so it doesn’t overpower the dish.
• Spicy Tomato Juice: They sell this in a bottle, like a regular juice bottle, or also in a can.
• Kidney Beans: The texture of kidney beans holds up well during cooking and their mild flavor allows them to absorb the rich, spicy, and savory flavors of the soup, enhancing the overall taste.
• Black beans: Black beans have an earthy, slightly sweet taste that complements the spicy and tangy flavors in the soup.
• Fresh Cilantro: Since you sprinkle the cilantro on top of the soup, you can chop it up first so it’s easier to sprinkly.

See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities

🔀 Substitutions

If you don’t have the ingredients you need, or if you have different dietary needs/preferences, you can either choose to leave some of them out or see if you have these instead:

Lean ground beef, pork or turkey: Use ground chicken, shredded rotisserie chicken, or plant-based ground meat for a vegetarian option.

Red salsa: Use green salsa (salsa verde), pico de gallo, enchilada sauce, or canned tomato sauce with added spices instead.

Diced green chilies: Substitute with fresh chopped jalapeños, poblano peppers, or a splash of hot sauce for heat.

Spicy tomato juice: Use regular tomato juice, V8, or a mix of tomato sauce and water with added hot sauce or spices.

Kidney beans: Replace with pinto beans, cannellini beans, or chickpeas.

Black beans: Use more kidney beans, pinto beans, or a bean medley.

Fresh cilantro: Substitute with parsley for a similar herbaceous note or leave it out if you don’t like cilantro.

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

Here are a few ways that you can personalize this soup recipe: 

• Vegetarian or Vegan: Omit the meat and replace it with extra beans (like pinto or chickpeas), lentils, or crumbled tofu. Use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
• Milder Version: Use mild salsa, omit green chilies, and choose regular tomato juice instead of spicy.
• Extra Vegetables: Add zucchini, bell peppers, diced potatoes, or spinach for additional nutrients and textures.
• Toppings: Top with shredded cheddar, pepper jack, or queso fresco; add tortilla chips, Fritos, or crispy jalapeños for crunch. Garnish with diced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, or a squeeze of lime juice.

If you want to try taco flavor with pasta, try this Instant Pot taco lasagna.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

You only need a couple of kitchen tools to help you make this easy soup recipe.

• Instant Pot: To make this taco soup recipe, you’ll need at least a 6-quart Instant Pot in order to provide enough room to mix everything without exceeding the “MAX” fill line.
• Knife and cutting board: The garlic will need to be minced (unless you use it from a jar), the onions diced and the cilantro chopped.

🔪 How to Make Instant Pot Taco Soup

You do have to add quite a few ingredients to this recipe, but you don’t have to do much cooking — the Instant Pot will do most of it.

Step 1: Saute Onions and Garlic

To begin, press the “Sauté” button on your Instant Pot. Wait for the display to read “Hot” then add olive oil, diced onions and minced garlic to the pot.

Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally until garlic is fragrant and onions are translucent.

Step 2: Brown Ground Beef

Next, add ground beef (or whatever ground meat you’re using) to the pot.

Cook until it’s completely browned and no longer pink. Turn the Instant Pot off.

Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients

Now we’re going to add everything else. First, add the chicken broth to the Instant Pot.

Then, add black beans, kidney beans, and corn.

Next, pour in the tomato juice.

Next up are taco seasoning, salsa, tomatoes, and green chilies.

Finally, sprinkle cilantro on top.

Step 4: Pressure Cook

Mix everything together by giving it a good stir. Secure the Instant Pot lid and make sure the valve is set to sealing. Cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes.

Step 5: Release the Pressure

When the cook time has finished, let the pressure release naturally for at least 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, move the valve to venting to release the remaining pressure.

Step 6: Serve and Enjoy

Spoon into bowls and add your favorite toppings. My kids like it with shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some diced green onions.

I like to add some extra cilantro and sliced jalapenos to mine. It’s delicious however you top it.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Instant Pot Taco Soup:

Ready to get cooking? Print off the recipe card below or toggle on Cook Mode to keep your screen from going dark while you follow along on your phone or tablet.

📋 Recipe

More Instant Pot Resources

Love your Instant Pot? Find more Instant Pot Recipes here. And check out my favorite Instant Pot Hacks.