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This Instant Pot Taco Soup is a low-carb and Keto version of taco soup that the whole family is going to love! This can also be made on the stove if you prefer, and see this post for more Taco Soup recipes.
PIN Instant Pot Taco Soup to try it later!
When the weather is really cold, soup made in the Instant Pot is a great idea for a quick dinner, and for this week’s Friday Favorites pick I am reminding you about this tasty Instant Pot Low-Carb Taco Soup. This has been a hit on the blog, and I’ve made it quite a few times myself as well. And there are stovetop directions as well!
I adapted this recipe from the popular Easy Taco Soup recipe on the blog, and if you haven’t joined The Church of Instant Pot yet you can easily make this on the stove; just use these ingredients but consult that recipe for the timing for stovetop cooking. But I do love the way the Instant Pot intensifies flavors and keeps the colors vivid in the food, and it’s the spicy Ground Ancho Chile Pepper (affiliate link) that gives this that beautiful dark red color. If you don’t have Ancho chile, your soup might be a little lighter in color with regular Chili Powder, but it will still be delicious.
I did use a generous amount of both Ancho and regular chili powder for a spicy result, but if you’re not that much into spicy foods, just cut it down a bit. To cut down the carbs, I used a chopped Poblano chile pepper and a chopped red bell pepper to replace the beans. If you’re not a low-carb eater, you can cut down on those peppers and add some beans to the Instant Pot version if you’d like.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- ground beef
- olive oil
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- onion
- red bell pepper
- Poblano chile pepper, chopped small
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- ground cumin (affiliate link)
- ground Ancho chile (affiliate link)
- Chili Powder (affiliate link)
- canned beef broth
- canned petite diced tomatoes
- Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or other hot sauce, to add at the end
- fresh-squeezed or fresh-frozen lime juice, to add at the end
What are Poblano Chili Peppers?
Poblano chiles are large mild chili peppers that have a delightful flavor. They are sometimes called Pasilla Peppers in U.S. grocery stores. You can make the soup with canned green chiles if you can’t find Poblanos, but they do add so much flavor to the Taco Soup!
What gives this soup amazing Mexican flavors?
I’m a firm believer that every soup recipe can be made to taste! But in this soup recipe I’ve added lots of Mexican flavors with Poblano chiles, cumin, ground Ancho chile, and chili powder. And personally I would never skip a few dashes of Green Tabasco Sauce added at the end.
Do you prefer a few beans in your Taco Soup?
If you can’t imagine Taco Soup without a few beans, check out my Easy Taco Soup recipe that’s made on the stove. That recipe is still quite low in net carbs, and equally delicious! And on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site there’s also a great collection of Taco Soup Recipes Your Family Will Love to make in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot.
What size Instant Pot did I use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot recipes.
Love Your Instant Pot?
Take a look at my growing collection of Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Recipes!
How to Make Instant Pot Taco Soup:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe including nutritional information.)
- Turn Instant Pot (affiliate link) to SAUTE, heat the oil, and brown the ground beef, breaking apart with the turner and seasoning the meat to taste with a little salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- While the ground beef is cooking chop the onions, red bell pepper, and Poblano pepper into small pieces.
- When the meat is browned add the minced garlic, ground cumin, Ground Ancho Chile Pepper (affiliate link) and Chili Powder (affiliate link). Stir spices into the meat and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Then add the onion, chopped red pepper, and chopped Poblano and cook 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the beef broth and petite diced tomatoes with juice, and stir. Lock the lid on the Instant Pot and set to MANUAL, HIGH pressure and 10 minutes cooking time.
- When the ten minutes is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes, then use quick release.
- (Check the soup at this point and if you want it a bit thicker, use the SAUTE setting to cook off some of the liquid.)
- Stir in Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) and fresh-squeezed lime juice to taste.
- Serve hot, with extra pieces of lime, chopped avocado, grated cheese, sour cream, and Green Tabasco Sauce to add at the table as desired. And yum!
More Low-Carb Soup in the Instant Pot:
Instant Pot Low-Carb Loaded Cauliflower Soup ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
50 Amazing Low-Carb Instant Pot Soup Recipes ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot Soup with Ground Beef, Green Beans, and Tomatoes ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Soups ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 T olive oil
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
- 1 small onion, chopped small
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped small
- 1 Poblano pepper, chopped small (see notes)
- 1 T minced garlic (garlic from a jar is fine for this)
- 2 T ground cumin
- 1 T Ground Ancho Chile Pepper (or use more chili powder if you don’t have Ancho)
- 1 T Chili Powder (see notes)
- 3 14 oz. cans beef broth (see notes)
- 2 14.5 oz cans petite diced tomatoes
- 1 T Green Tabasco Sauce or other hot sauce, to add at the end (more or less to taste
- 2 T fresh-squeezed or fresh-frozen lime juice, to add at the end (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to SAUTE, heat the olive oil for 1-2 minutes, then add the ground beef and cook until the beef is fully browned, breaking apart with the turner as it cooks and seasoning to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
- While the beef cooks, chop the onion, red bell pepper, and Poblano pepper into small pieces.
- When the meat is fully browned, add the minced garlic, ground cumin (affiliate link), Ground Ancho Chile Pepper (affiliate link), and Chili Powder (affiliate link).
- Stir spices into the meat and cook 1-2 minutes; then add the chopped onion, red bell pepper, and Poblano pepper and cook 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the beef broth (or homemade beef stock) and petite diced tomatoes with juice and stir.
- Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, set to MANUAL with HIGH pressure and 10 minutes cooking time.
- When ten minutes is up, let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes, then use the quick release method to release the rest of the pressure.
- Check the soup to see if you think there is too much liquid and if so, use the SAUTE setting to cook for a few minutes and evaporate some of the liquid.
- Stir in Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) and fresh-squeezed or fresh-frozen lime juice to taste. (I like a lot of both in mine!)
- Serve hot, with diced avocado, grated Mexican Blend Cheese, Sour cream, cut limes, and Green Tabasco Sauce to add at the table if desired.
Notes
I made this soup in my 6 quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) but look at the end of the recipe if you’d prefer to just make the soup in a pan on the stove.
Poblano peppers are often called Pasilla peppers in U.S. grocery stores.
The amount of Ancho and chili powder I used, with the addition of Green Tabasco Sauce makes a slightly spicy soup. If you’re not that big on spicy food you might want to use less of those ingredients. Use 5 1/4 cups homemade beef stock if you have some.
Recipe adapted from Easy Taco Soup. If you want Instant Pot Taco Soup but don’t care if it’s low in carbs, you can eliminate the diced red bell pepper and add beans like the inspiring recipe.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 370Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 965mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 34g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Eliminating the beans and replacing them with chopped red bell pepper and Poblano pepper makes this a low-carb and low-glycemic soup recipe, and it can also easily be suitable for the original South Beach Diet with lean ground beef (and low-fat dairy products if you’re adding those.)
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. Or Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Instant Pot Taco Soup was posted in 2017, and I’ve made it many times since then. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2021.
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