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The Instant Pot cuts the cooking time for this simple low carb taco soup recipe. After the cooker reaches desired pressure, it’s done in 15 minutes!
Instant Pot Makes Cooking Easy
Now that the weather is getting warmer, I don’t want to be spending too much time cooking. That’s why I need to revisit using my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.
If you don’t have one of these handy machines, you should definitely look into getting one. Not only does it pressure cook, but it can be used to sauté, steam, slow cook, and make yogurt.
I decided to test out the soup setting with this low carb taco soup. The inspiration for the recipe is from Linda at Genaw.com.
Since I didn’t have a lot of time to babysit the stove or wait around for the slow cooker to finish, the Instant Pot seemed like the way to go. And, it certainly saved tons of time!
Pressure cooking is brand new to me, but it’s been around for a long time. I still have an old stovetop pressure cooker still in the box which I bought to can garden vegetables.
I love to cook, but with my busy schedule, I don’t have enough time to really play in the kitchen. That’s what so great about using the Instant Pot to make this low carb taco soup.
Low-Carb Ingredients For Keto Taco Soup
Here is what we used in this recipe. I’ll also share some variations and ingredient swaps you can make.
Note: The entire recipe is in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Ground Beef – If you want to make turkey taco soup, use ground turkey instead. You can also swap it out with ground chicken or sausage if you want it a little spicier.
- Onion Flakes – These are optional. You can also use fresh-chopped onions too.
- Garlic Cloves – If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can sprinkle some garlic powder in the chili instead.
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Diced Tomatoes With Chilis – My favorite brand is Ro*Tel. If you leave these out it will decrease the carb count, but it gives it a lot of flavors so leave them in.
- Beef Broth -You can also use beef stock instead.
- Cream Cheese – Farmer’s cheese is a good substitute if you don’t have cream cheese.
- Heavy Cream
How To Make Keto Taco Soup In the Instant Pot
The typical soup recipe requires simmering on the stove for a while or using the crockpot to slow cook. By cooking this recipe under pressure, the soup only needed a total of 15 minutes in the Instant Pot.
I cooked the soup for 10 minutes on the “Soup” setting then allowed the pressure to release for 5 minutes.
However, I later discovered that it’s better to cook the soup for only five minutes and then let it sit for ten minutes after releasing pressure before removing the lid.
Either way, it’s only a total of only 15 minutes of cooking after reaching pressure for this Instant Pot taco soup.
Instant Pot Speeds Up Taco Soup Prep Time
The preparation time for the soup requires even less time. I took about 5 minutes to brown the meat on the “Sauté” setting, then all the other ingredients are dumped in.
With such speed, why would you cook this low carb taco soup any other way? I suppose price could be a factor as the Instant Pot isn’t cheap. But, with all the time you save, it’s well worth that initial cost.
I also love that the meat can be browned right in the same pot. Although some crock pots do have that feature, it’s not a standard feature on most slow cookers.
Don’t Use A Pressure Cooker to Cook Dairy
It’s recommended not to pressure cook dairy. Therefore, it’s best to add in the cream cheese and cream after pressure cooking.
Please remember to add the dairy at the very last step. The soup will be hot enough that the cream cheese and dairy will melt right away!
Change Up The Taco Soup Spice Blend
You can change up the seasoning blend as you like for this soup. I used a spice blend that’s similar to what I used in my Mexican Beef with Zucchini recipe.
Instant Pot Keto Taco Soup Toppings
You can top this tasty low carb soup any way you like!
I like to add in some:
- Cheese
- Black olives
- Jalapeno
- Avocado
- Sour cream
The toppings can add a bit more carbs so be careful if you are on a strict carb diet. The tomatoes also have natural sugar so I try not to go overboard with them.
How To Store Instant Pot Keto Soups
You should always store your leftover soups in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This soup will last about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze The Soup?
Yes, you can freeze the soup. If you want, you can mix all the ingredients together and store them in a freezer bag. They will last about 4 months in the freezer.
To store soup in the freezer, lay the cooled soup that’s in a freezer bag flat on a cookie or baking sheet and put both in the freezer. This will let the soup freeze flat. After it is frozen, you can remove the baking tray.
When you are ready to eat the soup, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Heat it on the stove for the best results.
Instant Pot Low Carb Taco Soup Recipe
If you haven’t cooked soup in the Instant Pot yet, give this soup recipe a try. You may never go back to cooking soup on the stovetop again!
Do you have an Instant Pot? If so, what’s your favorite food to make in it? I love making Instant Pot Meatloaf!
OTHER RECIPES TO TRY
Looking for more tasty keto soups that are easy to throw together? Check out a few of these favorites:
- Keto Chili is bursting with flavor and can be made on the stove, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot!
- Low Carb Cream of Chicken Soup with bacon is a rich, creamy, one-pot soup that’s hearty enough to be served as a main course.
- Sinigang Soup is a classic Filipino sour soup. This version features shrimp and vegetables in a base of tamarind broth. It’s simply delicious!
- Keto Chicken Chili is a thick, tasty dish that is totally dairy free.
- Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup made with cheese and sausage is a comforting dish that’s super flavorful, yet so easy to make!
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Instant Pot Low Carb Taco Soup
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 tablespoon onion flakes optional
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 20 ounces diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel)
- 32 ounces beef broth
- salt & pepper to taste
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
Optional Toppings:
- sour cream
- sliced black olives
- sliced jalapeño peppers
- cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in Instant Pot on “sauté” setting. Drain excess grease if needed.
- Stir in onion flakes, garlic, chili powder, cumin, diced tomatoes with chili, beef broth, and salt & pepper. NOTE: It’s not recommended to pressure cook dairy so you may want to add in the cream cheese and heavy cream after pressure cooking. (I discovered this after so the video does not reflect this change.)
- Cover Instant Pot and cook on “soup” setting for 5 minutes. (Original recipe pressure cooked for 10 minutes and let sit at no pressure release for 5 minutes. However, it’s better to pressure cook soup for a shorter period and then let it sit in the pot for a longer time period after releasing pressure before opening the lid. The video does not reflect this change.)
- When time is up, open allow pot to sit with valve closed to depressurize for ten minutes before opening vent valve and removing lid. Add in cream cheese and heavy cream.
- Serve hot with optional toppings.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published: May 26, 2017… Last Updated: September 10, 2020 with updated images and additional recipe information.
Sharon
I wanted to add some vegetables to this recipe so I sautรฉed 1 medium chopped onion, with the garlic (called for in the recipe), 2 bell peppers chopped, and riced cauliflower. Then I added the canned tomatoes and seasonings. On top of those ingredients I added 1 pound frozen ground beef and 1 pound frozen ground turkey. I set the instant pot on Pressure Cook for 28 minutes, then released the pressure, removed the lid and added the cream cheese and heavy cream as called for in the recipe. It took about 10 minutes to blend well. We enjoyed this Taco Soup with toppings of sour cream and guacamole. It was sooooo good!
sue houser
Lisa, I make this and I use I lb. hamburger and 1lb. sausage and it’s so much better…it kick’s it up a notch.
Lisa MarcAurele
Thanks for the tip Sue! I’ll try it that way next time.
Jenifer Bell
I absolutely love this! I added a bag of frozen cauliflower rice to increase the batch size. Came out perfect.
Trudi Daniells
I am making this tonight ๐
Are the optional toppings counted in the macros please?
Lisa MarcAurele
The optional toppings aren’t included in the macros, but they shouldn’t add much if used in moderation.
Katrina
You put add the cream cheese and cheese for the last step. It should be heavy cream and cream cheese, right?
Lisa MarcAurele
Yes. It’s recommended to add in the dairy after pressure cooking. I’ll fix that. Thanks!
Kim
I made this Taco soup tonight exactly as instructed, WOW, it was the best soup and so tasty!!! I put avocado slices in it and yum!!!!
Midge Burton
My pressure cooker is not an IP…..so it doesn’t have a “soup” setting. What time and temp would that be?
Lisa MarcAurele
You may want to use a low pressure setting and increase time. The “soup” setting is supposed to automatically control pressure so the liquid doesn’t boil since you want soups to simmer.
Emily
I am not a big fan of chunks of cooked tomato and chilis, what can i use as an alternative to still incorporate tomato?
Lisa MarcAurele
You could try a tomato puree instead.
Georgia
My husband does not like chunks of tomato. So I use the stick blender to make it into a “sauce”.
Jaime Crowley
This recipe is outstanding!!!
Some red and green bell peppers would be really good in here to add substance and are low carb veggies..
lI also like to add just a little cilantro and cheddar cheese as toppings!
Heidi
Looks really good, but there’s no way this makes eight 2-cup servings. It has 64 ounces of liquid (Rotel, broth, cheese) plus two pounds of ground beef, which has a lot of space that liquid will fill. Maybe 2 to 3 cups of volume. That’s 88 ounces, being generous. Nowhere close to 128. If you base your nutrition information on dividing the total by 8, it’s way off. It should be closer to 5.5 servings, or, your serving needs to be about a cup and a third.
I’ll still try it…I’ve seen good reviews.
This is what 5 servings looks like:
Nutrition Facts
Servings 5.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 621
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 46 g 70 %
Saturated Fat 22 g 110 %
Monounsaturated Fat 7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 197 mg 66 %
Sodium 1474 mg 61 %
Potassium 401 mg 11 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g 4 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g 10 %
Sugars 6 g
Protein 43 g 86 %
Vitamin A 45 %
Vitamin C 14 %
Calcium 11 %
Iron 34 %
Lisa MarcAurele
Servings may have been more like 1.5 cups. But thanks for the info for the larger serving size!
Ruby
This soup is delicious.
I made it in my slow cooker and had enough to freeze for another meal.
Suzy
Do you add the liquid with the canned tomatoes?
Lisa MarcAurele
Yes. The entire contents of the canned tomatoes are used.
Ed Lawrence
Whoops!
I’ll try that next time.
Ashley
This is the best soup I have ever made! Including non-keto soups! I will be keeping this recipe for sure!
Carol
I like that this is low carb. Might be good to say that it’s KETO. 28grams of fat per serving … WOW.. My gallbladder was removed a number of yrs ago. This recipe, as you have it, would be overload for my liver!! I might try leaving out heavy cream & the cream cheese & substitute 1/4 cup blanched sliced almonds & 1 1/2cups cauliflower … which get cooked separately & pureed with immersion blender after cooking, then added to cooked soup to thicken & give more flavor. I’d also use extra lean ground turkey instead of ground beef.
Lisa MarcAurele
Definitely good subs if you need to cut the fat.
Tina W
This was pretty darn good. I added a little chipotle pepper flakes and some extra garlic (as always) to kick it up a notch– very tasty.
Danielle
How is this leftover??
Lisa MarcAurele
I find it’s just as delicious.
Danielle
One more question….sorry. if i were to use chicken. I would use chicken broth correct. I have chicken and dont wanna end up wasting this meal. Lol. And would i cook longer with raw chicken?
Lisa MarcAurele
Chicken broth works much better if you are going to do a chicken taco soup. I would just brown the chicken pieces using the saute setting. They will cook completely in the pressure cook cycle.
Laura Jinkins
For those who arenโt confident in the kitchen and/or new to Instant Pots, the instructions are hard to follow. Mine is cooking as I type… pressed soup, adjusted to five minutes and started it. Now as I wait, I am reading comments and discover itโs better to use low pressure (my IP defaulted to high) and itโs unclear if I should vent at end of cooking cycle or walk away… I was excited to try this recipe, but now Iโm stressed over whether Iโm doing it right or not. ?
Lisa MarcAurele
Low pressure is what’s best for this recipe. I should probably just change the directions for that as not everyone has an Instant Pot. I don’t vent soups as it can clog the vent.
Tanya
This was a quick and easy recipe and my family loved it!!