Instant Pot Low Carb Taco Soup with Cream Cheese

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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. 

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.

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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.

The typical soup recipe requires simmering on the stove for a while or using the crock pot to slow cook. By cooking 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.

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.

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.

You can top this tasty low carb soup any way you like. I like to add in some cheese, black olives, jalapeno, and avocado.

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.

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?

Recipe Video

Instant Pot Low Carb Taco Soup Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

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Instant Pot Low Carb Taco Soup

The Instant Pot cuts the cooking time for this simple taco soup. After the cooker reaches desired pressure, it's done in 15 minutes. 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8 people

Calories 386 kcal

Author Lisa | Low Carb Yum

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon onion flakes optional
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 20 ounces diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel)
• 32 ounces beef broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt & pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:

• sour cream
• sliced black olives
• sliced jalapeño peppers
• cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

1. Brown ground beef in Instant Pot on "sauté" setting. Drain excess grease if needed.

2. Stir in onion flakes, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cream cheese, diced tomatoes with chili, beef broth, heavy cream, 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.)

3. 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.)

4. When time is up, open vent valve and allow to depressurize for ten minutes before removing lid.

5. Serve hot with optional toppings.

Recipe Notes

It's recommended not to pressure cook dairy. Therefore, it's best to add in the cream cheese and cream after pressure cooking.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Low Carb Taco Soup

Amount Per Serving (2 cups)

Calories 386 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 28g 43%

Saturated Fat 14g 70%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 4g

Cholesterol 123mg 41%

Sodium 831mg 35%

Potassium 261mg 7%

Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 4g

Protein 27g 54%

Vitamin A 29%

Vitamin C 8%

Calcium 7%

Iron 21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.