Instant Pot Beefy Taco Soup

Instant Pot Beef Taco Soup is a quick, easy soup to make. It can be on the table in only 20 minutes yet tastes like it was an all-day cooking production. Savory, hearty, and filling, it has all those flavors we love in traditional tacos, but in a bowl of hearty soup with all our favorite toppings.

Instant Pot Taco Soup = A perfect freezer meal!

INSTANT POT TACO SOUP

This Instant Pot taco soup has all the right flavors we crave in tacos, but it’s made in a soup that sticks to your ribs and keeps you full for hours. It’s super hearty and similar in flavor to my Slow Cooker Taco Stew that has small pasta added. It’s a hit on the blog as well!

Why Make This Taco Soup Recipe in a Pressure Cooker?

1. There’s no babysitting the stew on the stovetop all day long.

2. Savory, beefy taco meat, hearty beans, and veggies, just like traditional taco Tuesdays, but the bonus is that you can make it super quick in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi.

3. It’s fast food with loads of better nutrition and without the crazy cost.

4. Also, this recipe is perfect for making freezer meals. A little bit of prep beforehand allows you to freeze this meal and on a busy night, literally take it out, dump it in the pressure cooker, and you’re off to the races.

5. Lastly, my version isn’t spicy, but of course, you have the option of adding more heat if you wish. A friend of mine uses my recipe but adds LOADS of Tobasco sauce because they love that spicy kick! (Learn how to make your very own homemade hot sauce from The Curious Chickpea!)

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS PRESSURE COOKER TACO STEW

• Copycat Taco Bell Meat: (recipe linked in the name, and in the recipe card directions below).
• Beef Broth: I used store bought broth, but feel free to use your own if have it from scratch.
• Canned Beans: I used black beans and kidney beans. Add more varieties if you prefer.
• Corn: Canned corn is perfect but if you have frozen, that’s ideal as well.
• Green Chilies: The small 4 ounce can of green chilies is what I used.
• Canned Diced Tomatoes: It’s possible to buy diced tomatoes with mexican flavors. If you come aross that type, it would be ideal to use for added flavor!
• Seasonings (see recipe card below)
• Toppings: These are my favorite garnishes, but feel free to add your favorite! Sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips, lime juice, etc.

DIRECTIONS

Using Fresh Ingredients:

Detailed instructions will be listed in the recipe card below, but essentially, you’ll want to:

Add all the ingredients to the instant pot cooking insert. Mix well. 
Place the lid on the pot and turn the toggle switch to the ‘seal’ position.
Press manual, high pressure and cook for 5 minutes. When cooking time is complete, do a natural release for 15 minutes. 
Release any remaining steam and when the pin drops, and it’s safe to open the lid, do so. Give the soup a stir. 
Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Serve with diced avocado, tortilla strips, and some shredded cheddar cheese if you prefer. Enjoy! 

Directions For How To Assemble The Instant Pot Taco Soup Recipe For The Freezer: 

1. This recipe uses 1 pound of the Copycat Taco Bell Beef recipe that I have on the blog. When I make this recipe, I freeze it in one-pound portions because it’s so versatile. So if you made this Taco Bell Beef, simply add one pound of the taco meat to the big gallon bag.  If not, simply follow the directions I have in that post to make the beef and simply add one pound to a freezer bag after it cools to be frozen with the freezer meal. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, kidney beans, green chilies, diced tomatoes, corn, garlic, chili seasoning, cumin, and oregano. Also, now would be the time to add the optionally dried chilies, salt, and pepper.  Mix together, and empty into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible as you seal as you want this bag to fit into another gallon bag.
3. Group together all the smaller freezer bags and place them into a larger gallon-sized freezer bag. Add the printed recipe into the bag as well for reference. 
4. Freeze for up to 3 months. 

Just so you don’t forget, (because I’m famous for forgetting food that I freeze without labeling it… ) you can print out the recipe and slip it into the big container bag when assembling the meals, so that the printed recipe can be re-used again the next time you make the freezer meal, and the cooking instructions are right there, handy as well! 

Directions for Cooking Instant Pot Taco Soup from Frozen

Remove the frozen ingredients from the bags. Place the frozen beef and frozen vegetable bags to the instant pot insert and add the beef broth
Place the lid on, and move the toggle switch to ‘sealing’ position. 
Press ‘manual’ high pressure for 5 minutes.
After the cooking time is complete, do a natural release for 20 minutes.
Release the rest of the pressure by moving the toggle switch.
Remove the lid and stir. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your palate preference.  
Enjoy!
**Note: Expect the pot to take a longer time to come to pressure before cook time begins. 

Directions for Cooking This Taco Soup Recipe In The Slow Cooker / Crock Pot

Thaw the frozen bags of ingredients in the fridge the night before.
Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker bowl. Add enough beef broth to make the taco soup to the consistency that you prefer. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8. Stir occasionally.  Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings as you prefer.
Serve with the above listed garnishes.

How Long Will This Instant Pot Taco Soup Be Good For In The Freezer?

As long as the ingredients are placed in freezer (quality) bags or containers, the meals should last up to 3 months!

What Else Can I Use As The Pressure Cooking Liquid For This Instant Pot Soup Dish?

You could use chicken stock instead of beef. You could even use water, but I don’t recommend it as it would water down the flavor of the soup. You could also use beef consumme.

Tips and Tricks For Making This Taco Soup Recipe Even Better!

A good tip is to double the recipe ingredients and make TWO separate freezer meals at one time, or freeze one meal and make the other for dinner that night!
It’s nice to be able to make the soup as spicy (or not as spicy) as you wish. So the dried chili flakes are optional for this recipe. You could also use a tabasco sauce if you like, however, I would use the sauces at the end so you have better control of the heat level. 
Use fresh avocado to garnish as it adds such great flavor and a creaminess to the soup. 

Can I Make This Taco Soup Vegetarian?

Yes, that wouldn’t be a problem. For the beef substitute, you could use soy crumbles that most grocery stores carry now. Vegetable stock can be substituted for the broth rather than beef, and for a sour cream garnish, a greek yogurt would work beautifully.  

Can I Refreeze The Cooked Leftovers?

Yes, you can! Again, use freezer-safe containers and remove as much oxygen out of the containers as possible. Freeze up to a month. 

This Instant Pot Taco Soup Recipe is one of a series of Instant Pot dishes that I made with time-saving, freezer meal applications in mind. Here are a few others that I’ve made in that collection for you to take a peek at! 

Instant Pot Hearty Beef Stew
BBQ Instant Pot Sausages and Peppers On Buns
Instant Pot Smothered Pork Chops
Instant Pot Garlic and Honey Chicken 

I sincerely hope you like this recipe for Instant Pot Taco Soup! The savory Mexican flavors are so great, and it really is so filling!! If you made any changes to the recipe or directions, I’d LOVE to hear your switch-ups! Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today and I hope you have a wonderful day!

**DON’T FORGET TO PIN THIS INSTANT POT TACO SOUP RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD TO USE FOR LATER!!**