Name: Slow Cooker Taco Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2, 12.5-ounce cans of less sodium chunk chicken breast; 2, 15.25-ounce cans of no salt added black beans; 1, 15.25-ounce can of sweet corn, no salt added; 1, 28-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis; 1, 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes; 1, 14.5-ounce can of low-sodium chicken broth; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 1 tablespoon minced onion; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 teaspoon cumin; ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon Mexican-style hot sauce*

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 1 review

This slow-cooker taco soup is made from pantry ingredients and requires no chopping! Just dump the 8 cans and spices in the crockpot and walk away.

A bowl of homemade slow cooker taco soup topped with cheese, cilantro, and lime.

This chicken taco soup is easy to make and relies on pantry ingredients. There’s no chopping or fussing over this recipe! It’s robust, flavorful, and delicious straight from the slow cooker. If you want to jazz it up, add your favorite toppings.

You can start the soup in the morning and have it ready by lunch. Or leave the crockpot on warm until dinner. It cooks so quickly that you can start it after lunch and it will be ready by dinner. This soup doesn’t need to be babysat. It’s a true dump-and-go recipe. All you need is 8 cans, basic spices, and a bottle of Mexican-style hot sauce.

You need to stir that spoonful of hot sauce in before serving. Slow cookers dull flavors. The spoonful of hot sauce wakes everything up and makes a huge difference.

A bowl of this taco soup has about 25 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, and less than 300 calories. It’s hearty, filling, and healthy. Such an easy meal!

Ingredients

Rotel, corn, chicken breast, crushed tomatoes, black beans, chicken broth, and spices for making 8 can slow cooker taco soup.

This 8-can medley makes a robust and flavorful taco soup with only pantry ingredients. Do not drain any of the cans. The liquids from the cans form the broth, and the bean liquid helps make it a full-bodied soup. Use the no salt added or reduced sodium version where noted.

2, 12.5-ounce cans of less sodium chunk chicken breast
2, 15.25-ounce cans of no salt added black beans
1, 15.25-ounce can of sweet corn, no salt added
1, 28-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilis (original or mild)
1, 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1, 14.5-ounce can of low-sodium chicken broth or homemade bone broth

A flavorful homemade spice mixture to season the soup. Use dried versions of the following:

Chili powder
Dried minced onion
Garlic powder
Paprika
Cumin
Black pepper

A spoonful of Mexican-style hot sauce stirred in after cooking. This step is so important! Slow cooking is notorious for dulling the flavors of food. A little hot sauce at the end will add a teensy bit of heat, and the vinegar will add acidity to wake up the flavors.

Optional Toppings

This slow-cooker taco soup is delicious as is. You can go wild with the optional toppings to customize it. My favorite taco soup toppers are:

Shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Crumbled cotija cheese
Sour cream
Fresh cilantro
Diced white or red onion
Fresh diced jalapenos or pickled jalapeno slices
Diced avocado
Lime wedges
Mexican-style hot sauce
Crushed tortilla chips

Nutrition Highlights

This taco soup is a good source of protein, fiber, and iron. A 2-cup serving has only 266 calories. It contains approximately 25 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber, and 22% of the daily recommended amount of iron. Watch the sodium content with the canned foods and use the low or no-sodium products described in the recipe card.

How to Make it

Ingredients for chicken taco soup dumped into a crockpot.

Stirring a crockpot full of homemade chicken taco soup.

Dump everything but the hot sauce in the slow cooker. Give it a quick stir.
Cook it on low for 4 hours.

Adding a spoon of hot sauce into a crockpot of taco soup.

Add a tablespoon of Mexican-style hot sauce.

Stirring hot sauce into a crockpot of taco soup.

Scooping a ladle of 8 can taco soup with chicken, corn, black beans, and rotel.

Stir and serve.

A bowl of 8 can taco soup with chicken, corn, black beans, and rotel.

Go wild with your favorite toppings, or serve it as is.

Storage, Reheating, and Freezing

Store: Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days.

Reheat: Reheat leftovers in a microwave-safe bowl or gently reheat in a pot on the stovetop.

Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container or vacuum-sealed bag for up to 4 months.

Serving Tips

This slow-cooker taco soup is perfect for lunch or supper. I like to serve it as a main course. Everyone can add their favorite toppings.
It’s easy to keep the ingredients in your pantry. So you can whip this up anytime.
Make it for dinner on busy nights, between grocery trips, and before payday.
The leftovers reheat well. You can make a pot for meal prep and pack it for weekday lunches.
You can serve it over steamed rice to make it heartier or stretch it further. Especially if you have teenagers in the house!
Serve it as a side with quesadillas or sandwiches.
It’s also perfect to make while camping if you have an electrical hookup. It can cook while you play!

A bowl of homemade taco soup topped with crushed tortilla chips.

More Easy Soups

I make a pot of this every few weeks and eat the leftovers for lunch all week!