This Healthy Crockpot Taco Soup recipe is a quick and easy weeknight meal made from simple ingredients and pantry staples. It’s rich in flavor, high in protein, and easy to customize to suit your family’s taste buds. Throw the ingredients in your crockpot in the morning, then set it and forget it!
I use my slow cooker every single week because it is the most convenient kitchen appliance! I can start dinner in the morning when I have the most energy, make something quick and easy, and always make enough for lunch leftovers.
If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend getting on the crockpot train! After this taco soup, try my Lentil Sloppy Joes, Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup, Vegan Beef Stew, and Vegan Tortellini Soup!
A Family Favorite During Soup Season
Aside from being insanely flavorful and delicious, this slow cooker soup is a repeat on Taco Tuesday for several reasons.
- Dump crockpot recipe! There is nothing I love more than a hearty, healthy dinner I can get going in just 10 minutes in the morning. It helps me save my family money, makes me feel more productive and is SIGNIFICANTLY better for you than running through the drive-thru at 5 pm. With this dump crockpot recipe, there is no excuses. Simply dump the ingredients in the bowl and let the magic of the slow cooker do all the work.
- Can be made in the Instant Pot. If you forgot to start your soup in the morning, don’t worry! This easy taco soup recipe can also be made in the Instant Pot (full cooking instructions in the recipe card below!).
- Kid-friendly. The spice level of this taco soup is incredibly mild, meaning the kids can enjoy it, too! No more preparing 3 separate dinners at once.
- Cheaper than most crockpot taco soup recipes! Almost every single taco soup recipe on the internet calls for brown ground beef. And while it will work in this recipe as a substitution, I recommend making this flavorful soup an even simpler version by opting for a can of lentils. This not only omits extra prep work, but makes this recipe so much more affordable! If you’ve made my Lentil Sloppy Joes, you’ll know that beef is 14x more expensive than lentils!
💲 Money saving tip! If you are trying to save money on groceries, swapping ground meat for lentils (or even replacing half of the beef with lentils) is a great way to make your budget go farther. Even more so when purchasing lentils in bulk!
Taco Soup Ingredients and Substitutions
- Protein – My secret ingredient in making a protein-rich taco soup that’s also incredibly budget friendly is cooked lentils. If you purchase them in a can, this taco soup is the epitome of a dump recipe. Or, if preferred, you can replace the lentils with 1 pound of ground, chicken, turkey or beef (vegan or regular). If using, make sure to take the extra step of browning the beef crumbles in a large skillet and draining any excess grease before adding the ground meat to the slow cooker.
- Beans – I like to use a combination of pinto beans and red kidney beans, but you can use any combination of beans you’d like. Black beans, cannellini beans, or even chickpeas would work well, too.
- Corn – Either a can of sweet corn or 1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen corn kernels work.
- Broth – Any broth will work well. If full-sodium broth is too much sodium for you, opt for a low-sodium broth and add additional salt to taste as needed.
- Diced tomatoes – I used a can of no salt added diced tomatoes with juice, but if you want to add a spicy kick to your savory taco soup, a can of fire-roasted tomatoes is the perfect swap.
- Taco seasoning – Any packet of taco seasoning mix (mild or spicy) will work, so use your favorite. Or if in a pinch, make your own at home with this simple homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- Cream cheese – This helps make the soup rich, thick, and slightly cheesy. I used dairy-free, but regular full-fat cream cheese works too.
How to Make Crockpot Taco Soup
- Add all ingredients, except cream cheese and nutritional yeast to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine.
- Set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours.
- When there is 1 hour left, add cream cheese and nutritional yeast. In a separate small mixing bowl, whisk the cream cheese with hot water to make it pourable and easily blend into the taco soup without any chunkiness.
Pour this cream cheese mixture into the slow cooker along with the nutritional yeast. Stir well to combine and finish cooking for the remaining hour. - Serve. Serve the taco soup while warm with desired toppings.
Topping Options
Really any of your favorite taco toppings will work well here! Our favorite toppings include:
- dairy-free cheddar cheese shreds,
- sour cream
- tortilla chips or tortilla strips
- green onions
- creamy avocado
- fresh jalapeño slices or pickled jalapeño slices
- diced red onion
- squeeze of fresh lime juice
- fresh cilantro
- shredded romaine
- black olives
- red pepper flakes
- hot sauce
Serving Suggestions
In addition to loading your taco soup with your favorite toppings, this healthy soup is the perfect dinner for a chilly fall or winter night. It pairs well with several sides like Jalapeño Cornbread, Cilantro Lime Rice, or your favorite chips, salsa, and guacamole.
How do you thicken taco soup?
This crockpot taco soup is thickened with cream cheese, but if you find your soup is not thick enough, feel free to stir in a small cornstarch slurry or add additional cheese shreds. Keep in mind that the hot soup will thicken further as it cools, so don’t make it too thick or you’ll need to thin it out upon reheating leftovers.
Can taco soup be made ahead of time?
Absolutely! Similar to recipes like Instant Pot Chili or Tomato Soup, this easy recipe will be more flavorful the next day. Feel free to make this crockpot taco soup up to 2 days in advance or make it on a Sunday night and eat it as a quick dinner on busy weeknights.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
This crockpot taco soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before storing, allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container (preferably glass when refrigerating) or Souper cubes, if freezing leftover cooked soup.
Silicone Cubes
My favorite way to freeze individual portions and meals. Use code HOMECOOKEDROOTS10 for 10% off.
How to freeze uncooked soup: This taco soup can also be frozen before cooking to make an easy freezer meal. To do so, place all ingredients, except for the cream cheese, nutritional yeast, and broth in a freezer safe, gallon-sized ziplock bag. Seal tightly, removing any excess air.
Place inside a second freezer safe bag (this is optional, but will help prevent freezer burn) and seal again, removing any excess air. Store flat in the freezer for optimal space saving.
Tips and tricks
- Purchase a budget friendly broth. If you’re in the habit of purchasing cartons of broth, I hate to say it but you are spending much more on broth than you need to! Instead, hunt down the Jumbo jars of Better than Bouillon Paste at Costco and store it in your fridge. It lasts forever, contains enough paste for 100 cups of broth and is only $7!
The Best Budget-Friendly Vegetable Broth
This bouillon paste contains 100 cups of broth in one jar and sells at Costco Wholesale ONLY for $7.
Do not buy on Amazon – it is way overpriced!
- Customize this recipe to fit your fridge and pantry. If you have fresh ingredients like red bell pepper, peppers, or ancho chiles, feel free to add them to your taco soup to taste. This comforting soup is very forgivable so don’t be afraid to experiment.
- Make sure to thoroughly drain and rinse the lentils, beans and corn before adding them to the slow cooker bowl. This will help aid digestion and keep your crockpot taco soup the right consistency.
More Easy Slow Cooker Recipes You May Enjoy
Healthy Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups yellow onion - diced
- 3-4 cups vegetable broth - any broth will work
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans - drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can lentils - drained and rinsed (see notes for substitutions)
- 1 (4-ounce) can green chilies - mild or hot
- 1 (15-ounce) can corn kernels - drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 (1 ounce) packet taco seasoning
- 4 ounces cream cheese - I used dairy-free
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Place the onion, broth, diced tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, chopped green chilies, corn, paprika and taco seasoning in the bowl of the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 8 hours. After 7 hours of cooking, place the cream cheese in a separate small bowl and mix with a little bit of hot water until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese, nutritional yeast to the slow cooker bowl and stir to combine. Cook for the remaining hour.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve while hot with cheese shreds, sour cream, corn tortilla chips, and cilantro.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the onion, broth, diced tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, lentils, chopped green chilies, corn, paprika and taco seasoning in the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Cook under manual high pressure for 7 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. Then, release the remaining pressure and set the pot to the sauté function.
- Place the cream cheese in a separate small bowl and mix with a little bit of hot water until smooth and creamy. Add the cream cheese, nutritional yeast to the slow cooker bowl and stir to combine. Allow to thicken and melt into the soup, about 5-7 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve while hot with cheese shreds, sour cream, corn tortilla chips, and cilantro.
Storage Instructions
- This crockpot taco soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before storing, allow the soup to cool completely to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container (preferably glass when refrigerating) or Souper cubes, if freezing leftover cooked soup.
Freezer Meal Instructions
- Place all uncooked ingredients, except for the cream cheese, nutritional yeast, and broth in a freezer safe, gallon-sized ziplock bag. Seal tightly, removing any excess air. Place inside a second freezer safe bag (this is optional, but will help prevent freezer burn) and seal again, removing any excess air. Store flat in the freezer for optimal space saving. When ready to cook, dump bag contents into slow cooker bowl frozen. Pour over vegetable broth and cook per instructions as usual.
Recipe Notes
- Lentil substitutions: Use another can of beans, or ground beef (vegan or regular). If you choose to use ground beef, make sure to brown it in a large skillet, then drain the excess grease before adding to the slow cooker bowl (this applies to both regular and vegan beef).
- Bean options: I used pinto beans and kidney beans, but you can use any beans you like. Black beans, chickpeas, even cannellini beans will work.
- Corn options: I used canned corn, but frozen corn or fresh corn will work. Swap 1 ½ cups corn in place of 1 can.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
Delicious and so easy to make in my crockpot. Used low sodium vegetable broth and still thought it was super tasty without adding more salt. Served it with warmed up tortillas.
I’m curious; I make my own taco seasoning from a recipe on the ‘net. Can you suggest how much I should start with in seasoning?