Easy Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe

As much as we love our original taco soup, and even our chicken taco soup, this one is a favorite when it comes to simplicity! For being such a delicious soup, it’s so easy to make!

simple slow cooker soup

We’ve had our original Taco Soup recipe for as long as I can remember, but this one is slightly different and is made in the slow cooker. The slow cooker makes meals soooo much simpler! This Crockpot Taco Soup makes perfect sense! It’s packed full of delicious ingredients, most of which are canned I might add (talk about easy)! And let me tell ya, each of these ingredients combined make for a really delicious meal. It is super creamy, and I think you’ll agree that it is PERFECT for dinner on a cold day. Add some warm Mexican Cornbread and you’ll make the kiddos happy too.

making Taco Soup in a Slow Cooker

I don’t know about you, but I LOVE recipes where I can just dump all the ingredients and go. This is definitely one of those recipes. COMBINE. Just place shredded chicken in the crockpot and cover with 1/2 cup of water. Mix remaining ingredients (minus the optional toppings of course) in a large bowl and then add to the crockpot, completely covering the chicken. COOK. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Serve warm and top with your favorite toppings, such as:

Dairy: sour cream, shredded cheese, plain Greek yogurtGarnish: cilantro, crushed tortilla chipsVeggies: avocado, jalapeno, diced green onions, pickled onions, diced tomatoesGuacamolePico de GalloHot Sauce

alternative cooking methods

Instant Pot: Throw it all in the pot, cover and press the soup button. The times will vary depending on if the chicken is precooked, raw or frozen. Refer to your instant pot’s user manual. No matter the type of chicken it’ll be done in less than 30 minutes. You can’t beat that! Stove Top: Put everything in a pot on the stove and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Recipe Tips + variations

Precooked chicken: You can put raw chicken in the crock pot. However, you cannot put frozen raw chicken in there. If you choose to use raw chicken you’ll need to remove the chicken from the soup toward the end of the cook time, shred it, and return it to the soup. Thicken your crock pot taco soup:

Add some extra black beans or shredded chickenStir in a few tablespoons at a time of tomato paste until your soup has reached your desired consistency.

Variations:

Browned ground beef can be used instead of shredded chicken. Make sure to drain off the excess grease before adding it into your soup.Kidney beans, great northern beans, or pinto beans can be used instead of or in addition to black beans.Add in some extra spices to taste – crushed chili peppers, oregano, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili powder are all great choices.

A perfect make-ahead meal + Side Ideas

I don’t know about you, but I like to have pre-made meals and freezer meals on hand for busy nights. This soup is great for that. Make it a freezer meal: Place the chicken in an airtight freezer safe ziploc and add all the remaining ingredients (except for the ½ c water) to a separate airtight freezer safe container. Label and freeze both bags for up to 3 months. When you’re ready, thaw both the chicken and soup mix in the fridge overnight. Place chicken in the crock pot, cover with ½ c water and add the bag of remaining ingredients. Cook according to recipe directions. STORE leftovers in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days or FREEZE for 2-3 months. REHEAT small amount. If you’re short on time or have a small amount you can reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until warm. REHEAT large amount. If you have the time or have a large amount, you can also reheat on the stovetop or in a crock pot.