Delicious, creamy taco soup is made with just ten simple ingredients. You'll only need one pot and 30 minutes to whip it up! The perfect, quick and easy dinner for a busy weeknight and something the whole family will love.
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You're going to love this amazing, healthy, Mexican inspired meal for so many reasons. It's zesty, spicy and loaded with super flavorful taco seasonings. Best of all?! It's made with cream cheese. Yum!
This soup is also keto friendly, low calorie, low carb and gluten free. It's comes together super fast using minimal ingredients and only one pot, so cleanup is a breeze.
Cooking for a crowd? You can easily double (or even triple) this recipe, just make sure your pot is big enough!
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More Creamy Soup Recipes
I love this chicken gnocchi soup made with heavy cream! It's packed with flavor and so delicious. You also can't go wrong with some creamy white chicken chili, creamy ham and bean soup or cauliflower cheese soup with bacon!
Want a vegetarian option? I highly recommend this slow cooker potato soup, or wild rice soup for meatless Monday.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Olive oil: Or sub avocado oil.
Yellow onion: Dice it up and sauté in olive oil to create a delicious, flavorful base. White onion also works.
Rotel: Canned diced tomato and green chilies! Use mild, original or hot depending on your spice level preference.
Beans: I generally use black beans in this soup. Pinto would also be good.
Taco seasonings: I use my homemade taco seasonings in this soup. Store-bought is totally fine, too! I really love Siete Taco Seasonings.
Cilantro: For great flavor and extra color.
Cream cheese: I've made this recipe with regular full-fat cream cheese and I've also tried reduced fat cream cheese. Both worked great.
Broth: Chicken or veggie broth will both work nicely.
Lime juice: Zest it up a bit!
Chicken: You can substitute ground beef, turkey or ground chicken. If you substitute ground meat, simply sauté it with the onion and olive oil before adding remaining ingredients (rather than cooking meat in the broth). Shredded beef is another tasty alternative!
How To Make Creamy Taco Soup
Keep scrolling for the full recipe. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
Saute onion:
- Measure olive oil into a large soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove top. Dice onion and sauté in oil, over medium heat, for 5-10 minutes.
Add mix-ins:
- Add rotel, beans, taco seasonings, cilantro and cream cheese to the pot. Stir until well combined and cream cheese is fully melted.
Add broth and chicken:
- Add broth and chicken breasts. Stir well and make sure that chicken is fully submerged. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Shred chicken:
- Remove cooked chicken, shred and return to the pot. Stir well and then ladle soup into serving bowls. Add all of your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
Handy Tips
- Shredded chicken: to save time, buy pre-cooked and shredded chicken at the grocery store or use a rotisserie chicken. When you've got some extra time, try making shredded chicken in bulk and storing it in the freezer. It's nice to have extra on hand because it's so versatile.
- Like it hot? There are many ways to spice up this creamy chicken taco soup! Use hot Rotel (rather than original/mild) or mix in a small can of diced jalapeños. Try adding red pepper flakes, a pinch of cayenne pepper, hot chili powder or a dab of your favorite hot sauce.
Crock Pot Instructions
Taco soup can also be made in a slow cooker! Use a small frying pan to sauté onions on the stovetop and then transfer them to your crockpot. Add all other ingredients, except for cream cheese, and mix well.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. Remove chicken, shred and return to the crock pot. Add cream cheese and stir until fully melted, then serve!
Toppings For Creamy Taco Soup
Spruce up your cream cheese taco soup with some delicious toppings! I usually add diced avocado, tangy sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese (or a Mexican cheese blend) and some extra fresh chopped cilantro. Here are some other tasty ideas:
- Jalapeno slices, lime wedges, pico de gallo salsa, diced white or red onion, chopped green bell pepper, green onions or shredded lettuce.
- Crunchy tortilla strips, a crushed hard taco shell or salty tortilla chips!
Sides For Chicken Taco Soup
While this creamy white taco soup makes a great meal all by itself, sides can come in handy when you're having company over or your family is extra hungry.
- Warm tortillas are a great side for taco soup, I love rolling them up and dipping them in creamy broth! Use regular flour tortillas or these low-carb soft taco shells.
- Simple cheese quesadillas or chorizo quesadillas are tasty with taco soup. And just like plain tortillas, they're great for dipping.
- Serve with corn tortilla chips and homemade guacamole or queso dip.
- You can't go wrong with a nice soup and salad combination. I really enjoy serving this simple garden salad alongside any soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freezing creamy soup can be tricky as fats are likely to separate and take on a grainy texture when frozen. What you can do is make this soup without cream cheese, then add it later when reheating.
Refrigerate your soup in an airtight food-storage container for 3-4 days!
How To Store Leftovers
Refrigerate: Let leftovers cool and pour them into an airtight container. Refrigerate for 3-5 days and reheat in a pot on the stovetop, or use the microwave. Beans are absorbent, so this soup will thicken in the refrigerator. You can add water or broth when reheating, if necessary!
Freezer instructions: Creamy soup can turn grainy when frozen, so here's what I recommend: prepare your soup without cream cheese and let it cool completely. Transfer to an airtight, freezer-safe container and press to remove air (this will help prevent freezer burn). Store frozen for 2-3 months.
Reheat straight from frozen or thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Warm your soup up in a pot on the stovetop, then stir in the cream cheese!
More Taco Inspired Recipes
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Taco Salad Bowls With Shredded Chicken
- Chicken Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Beef Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Blackened Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
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Creamy Taco Soup (30 Minutes)
Equipment
- 1 Large soup pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion *diced
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro *plus extra for topping (optional)
- 1 can black beans *drained & rinsed
- 1, 10 oz. can rotel
- ¼ cup taco seasoning *see note below
- 8 oz (1 cup) cream cheese
- 2 cans (or 3 & ¾ cups) chicken broth
- 1 small lime *juiced
- 2 medium chicken breasts *about 6 ounces each *see note below
Toppings
- Extra chopped cilantro, diced onion, pico salsa, jalapeno slices, avocado, lime wedge, sour cream, cheese, crushed tortilla chips, tortilla strips
Recipe notes:
Taco seasoning: I use my homemade taco seasonings in this soup. Store-bought is totally fine, too! I really love Siete Taco Seasonings. Chicken: Save time and buy pre-cooked/shredded chicken at the grocery store or use a rotisserie chicken. When you've got some extra time, try making shredded chicken in bulk and storing it in the freezer. It's super convenient to have on hand!Instructions
- Measure olive oil into a large pot on the stovetop and turn heat to medium. Dice onion and sauté in oil for 5-10 minutes, until translucent.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, ½ medium yellow onion
- Add chopped cilantro, drained/rinsed black beans, rotel, taco seasonings and cream cheese to the pot. Stir until cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated.¼ cup chopped cilantro, 1 can black beans, 1, 10 oz. can rotel, ¼ cup taco seasoning, 8 oz (1 cup) cream cheese
- Add broth, lime juice and chicken breasts. Stir well and make sure that chicken is fully submerged. Bring ingredients to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer soup for about 20 minutes.2 cans (or 3 & ¾ cups) chicken broth, 2 medium chicken breasts, 1 small lime
- Remove chicken, shred and return it to the pot. Stir well and then ladle soup into bowls.
- Add desired toppings and enjoy!
How to store leftovers:
- Allow extra soup to cool and place in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Crockpot instructions:
- Sauté onion in a small pan and transfer to the crock pot. Add all other ingredients, except for cream cheese, and mix well. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. Remove chicken, shred and return to the pot. Add cream cheese and stir until fully melted. Enjoy!
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Did you make this recipe?!
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Bebecca says
I'm one of the few that actually made this soup and it was so good. I doubled it for leftovers for after work this week. I made it pretty much by the recipe (doubled), my grocery didn't have black soy beans so I bought regular black beans. I didn't double the cream cheese and it was the perfect consistency. Of course I'm happy for any opportunity to have avocado. So glad to have a new soup.
Garlic Salt & Lime says
Thank you so much for your rating and review! I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. I like your idea of doubling everything but the cream cheese!
Nichole says
Love it. My only complaint is there are big cans and little cans of Rotel and I didn't know which one. And I have a giant box of chicken broth so hadto guess on how much 2 cans was.
Garlic Salt & Lime says
Ooooo, thanks for this feedback! I really appreciate it and will update the recipe card to clarify.
Victoria Kraemer says
This recipe looked absolutely delicious until you added the RAW chicken.
Garlic Salt & Lime says
The chicken will cook thoroughly in the broth and at that point you can take it out and shred it. You can add already cooked chicken if that's your preference!
Melissa says
This is delicious! I doubled the everything except for the broth and cream cheese. I also used cooked chicken. I will definitely make it again!
Garlic Salt & Lime says
Hi, Melissa! I'm so glad you liked this recipe. Thanks so much for the rating and review!