An easy taco soup recipe with lean ground beef, onions, garlic, homemade taco seasoning, black beans, tomatoes, and corn. This recipe designed to make a small batch of soup (about 1 1/2 quarts).

This is a hearty, protein-packed, beef taco soup recipe with black beans. I’ve seen a lot of taco soup recipes that have a ton of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, or tomato paste in them … this isn’t that. I designed this recipe to really taste like a ground beef taco, not be a tomato-flavor bomb, and then I topped with all of the best hard shell taco toppings.

As far as protein content goes, there is an entire can of black beans, as well as half a pound of lean ground beef. I recommend using lean ground beef (like 93/7 meat to fat ratio), as it renders less fat, and you most likely won’t have to drain any fat off of it. It’s a pretty hearty soup, and leftovers are really great the next day.

A bowl of taco soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, and tortilla chips resting on a window ledge.

Feel free to customize this soup and really make it yours, too. I have some tips for that further down in this post, but some quick suggestions are: add tomato paste for a touch of sweetness and depth, add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes for more tomato flavor, add bell peppers, more beans, use ground chicken or turkey, and use whatever toppings you love! Soup is typically pretty forgiving, so get wild with it.

Here’s what I used to make this original version:

Ingredients

2 tsp. Avocado or Olive Oil
1/2 cup chopped Yellow Onion (or white onion)
Homemade Taco Seasoning: (or 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. store-bought taco seasoning)
- 1 tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 tsp. Cumin
- 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp. Mexican Oregano
- 1/2 tsp. Diamond Kosher Salt
8 oz. Lean Ground Beef (I used 93/7), or Ground Turkey
1 cup diced Roma Tomatoes or Cherry Tomatoes
1 small Jalapeño, finely chopped (about 2 tbsp. / totally optional)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 can Black Beans, drained
1/2 cup frozen Corn
3 cups Low Sodium Beef Broth
1 tbsp. fresh Lime Juice
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh Cilantro
Salt, to taste

Optional Toppings

Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or Mexican Blend)
chopped Green Onions or Red Onion
finely chopped Cilantro
Tortilla Chips, Tortilla Strips, or Corn Chips
Hot Sauce

Toppings needed for a taco soup recipe laid out on a marbled surface and labeled.

Ingredient Notes and FAQs

Lean Ground Beef

I used 93/7 ground beef for this soup recipe. I’m not a fan of draining the fat from cooked ground beef, because when you do that, you also drain out a lot of the flavor. Sticking with a ground beef that has less fat content lets you skip the step of draining the beef, which retains the flavor, and honestly is just easier in the long run! I know it’s more expensive, but I think it’s worth it. You’re welcomed to use another beef blend (like 80/20), but I recommend cooking the onions, then the beef, then draining the fat, THEN adding the seasonings to the pot. Side note: You can use the other 8 oz. of the lean ground beef in this Kale Taco Salad recipe. 😉

Tomatoes

A 15 oz.(ish) can of diced tomatoes works perfectly as a substitute for the fresh tomatoes in this recipe. It provides double the amount of tomatoes, but totally works. You’ll get a little more than 1 1/2 quarts of soup this way, and have a more tomato-forward soup!

Black Beans

Black beans can be substituted with canned pinto beans or canned kidney beans in this recipe. Really, almost any canned beans will work. For extra flavor, you can use a seasoned can of black beans (some have jalapeño, garlic, etc.). I drain the black beans but don’t necessary rinse them, as I like the liquid from the can to add a little thickness to the soup.

Frozen Corn

Frozen corn can be substituted with fresh corn, or a 15 oz.(ish) can of creamed corn. The can of corn will provide a LOT more corn in this soup, so if you’re a corn fan, go for it!

Low Sodium Beef Broth

Low sodium broth or low sodium stocks are my go-to choice for making most soups. The lower sodium content allows you to adjust the salt and flavor yourself, without making the soup too salty. You can use a Beef Bouillon paste or cube, but you probably can skip the salt in the onions in step one.

Hopefully some of the following tips and tricks can help you make this Beef and Black Bean Taco Soup successfully, but if you have any other questions, feel free to email me anytime! 🙂

A bowl of taco soup topped with sour cream, green onions, and tortilla chips sitting on a window ledge.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Use Lean Ground Beef: I recommend splurging a little, and getting lean ground beef (such as 93/7) for this recipe. As it cooks, it renders less fat, which makes the soup less “oily”. If you would rather use ground beef with a higher fat content (like 80/20), you may have to drain some of the excess rendered fat from the pan before adding more ingredients. Unfortunately, a lot of flavor also gets discarded when you drain beef fat. That’s why I like to stick with the lean ground beef option!
If You Really Love Tomato Flavor, Use a Can of Diced Tomatoes instead of Fresh Tomatoes: Like I mentioned at the start of this post, there are a LOT of taco soup recipes out there that are really heavy on the tomato flavor. If that’s your jam, feel free to omit the fresh tomatoes in this recipe, and replace them with an entire can (15 ounces-ish) of fire roasted or standard diced tomatoes.
Make this Recipe Vegetarian by omitting the lean ground beef, and adding an additional can (15 ounces-ish) of beans. You can use black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans.

Directions

How to Make this Taco Soup

Onions cooking in the bottom of a ceramic dutch oven.

Make the Taco Seasoning and Cook the Onions. Combine chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano, and salt in a small bowl. Mix until well blended, then set aside. (This can be substituted with 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. of your favorite taco seasoning.)

Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or a 3.5 – 5 quart Dutch oven. (The Dutch oven used in these photos is a 3.5 qt. dutch oven). Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and some are lightly browned.

A woman's hand sprinkling a bowl of taco seasoning into a ceramic pot of cooked onions.

A ceramic pot with cooked onions and taco seasoning cooking in it.

Step Two: Add Seasoning and Lean Ground Beef Sprinkle the seasoning blend (chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, Mexican oregano and salt) over the onions. Stir the seasoning into the onions and cook for about one minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking the ground beef into small pieces as it cooks, until the beef is browned and coated in seasoning.(about 4-5 minutes).

A ceramic pot full of cooked ground beef and chopped tomatoes.

A woman's hand sliding minced garlic off of a knife and into a pot of cooked ground beef and tomatoes.

Step Three: Add Tomatoes, Garlic, and Jalapeño (if using). Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, and chopped jalapeno (if using). Stir to combine them thoroughly with the seasoned beef, then cook for 5-6 minutes (stirring occasionally) until the tomatoes are softened.

A wooden spatula stirring a pot of black beans, vegetables, and ground beef.

A glass measuring cup of beef broth being poured into a pot full of ground beef, black beans, and vegetables.

Step Four: Stir in Black Beans, Corn, and Broth. Let the Soup Simmer. Stir the black beans and frozen corn into the ground beef mixture, then pour in the low-sodium beef broth. Stir to combine all of the ingredients, then turn the heat beneath the pot to medium-high. Once the soup starts to simmer, stir it again and turn the heat down to medium. Allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

A woman's hand squeezing a lime wedge over a ceramic pot full of taco soup with cilantro sprinkled on top.

A wooden spoon stirring taco soup in a ceramic pot.

Step Four: Stir in Lime Juice and Cilantro. Squeeze the fresh lime juice into the soup, then sprinkle in the cilantro. Stir to combine, then taste and season with salt or more lime juice if needed.

Step Five: Serve with your Favorite Toppings. Serve the soup in warm bowls, and top with your favorite toppings! (I recommend sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, and crushed tortilla chips).

Make this Taco Soup Recipe Yours!

Ways to Customize this Recipe: You can add more veggies, protein, or make it creamy!

Customize this Recipe:

Add More Veggies: Add chopped bell pepper along with the onion in step one, or add a can of diced tomatoes or fire-roasted tomatoes in place of the fresh tomatoes! You could also add a can of creamed corn instead of frozen corn. (Note: this will add a LOT of corn, so if you’re a big corn fan, go for it!)
Add More Protein: Add another can of black beans (or a can of pinto or kidney beans) for added plant-based protein, or add more lean ground beef! Note: I recommend adding another cup (or more) of broth if you add more ingredients.
Make it Creamy: Stir in half a cup of heavy cream halfway through the soup simmering in step four.

A big bowl of taco soup with ground beef and black beans topped with sour cream, green onions, and tortilla chips. A spoon rests in the bowl and various toppings are surrounding the bowl.

Can I Make this Vegetarian?

Absolutely yes. Just skip the ground beef part in step two, and head straight to adding the tomatoes, garlic, and jalapeno after you cook the onions with the taco seasoning blend.

Can I Make this in the Slow Cooker?

I haven’t tested it, but imagine it can be! If you’re making a vegetarian version, you can likely throw all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on “low” for a few hours. If you’re making it with the ground beef, cook the ground beef with the taco seasoning blend on the stovetop until the beef is browned, then transfer it to the slow cooker with the other ingredients and cook on “low’ for a few hours.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Storing: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can freeze this soup for up to three months.

Reheating: Reheat this soup on the stovetop in a small nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.

More Small Batch Easy Soup Recipes

What to Serve with Taco Soup:

This incredible Jalapeño Cornbread from Isabel Eats
Tortilla chips and Homemade Guacamole or Pico de Gallo
Skinny Margaritas, Pineapple Jalapeño Margaritas, or Skinny Blackberry Margaritas

Want to make more than six cups of taco soup? Increase the amount you want to make in the recipe card; there is a little slider bar near the “servings” section on the recipe card if you’re on a desktop, or if you’re on your phone, touch the number of servings on the recipe card (it will be a number, and colored dark red). You can adjust the slider bar that way instead of doing the calculations on your own! 🙂

If you make this easy taco soup recipe with black beans and love it, please leave a comment and / or star rating below! You can also share it on Instagram and tag me, or use the hashtag #aflavorjournal so I can see it! If you have any questions about the ingredients or how to make it, send me an email so I can help out.

xx Sara

5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)