Low carb taco soup made in the Instant Pot! This quick keto soup recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes and it’s bursting with spicy Mexican flavors! I’ve included slow cooker instructions too!
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When I say that this low carb soup is actually exploding with flavor, oh man. I mean it.
This soup recipe has everything we love going on – tender chicken, spicy chipotle peppers, cream cheese for richness and body, and lemon and lime juice that work to make the flavors pop!
Mexican is my favorite cuisine in the world, so we make this one an awful lot. Maybe not super authentic, but it’s got all those flavors that I love.
If you also love Mexican flavors, try out our Keto Taco Soup! And be sure to keep a batch of our keto taco seasoning on hand. It’s so much better than the packets.
We like to make this low carb soup in the Instant Pot – it’s so quick that way! – but it can easily be made in the slow cooker as well. We’ve included instructions for both in the recipe card.
Ingredient Notes:
Chicken Breasts – You’ll want some skinless, boneless chicken breasts for this keto taco soup. They’ll get perfectly so tender and juicy in the Instant Pot or the slow cooker! Boneless chicken thighs would work as well.
Onion & Garlic – These make good additions to just about any soup recipe!
Chipotle Peppers – These come canned in adobo sauce. They pack LOADS of flavor, however they are fairly spicy. We kept the spice at a level 3 out of 10 on this (in my opinion), so feel free to add more or less of the peppers and sauce to suit your tastes.
Spices – Cumin, Chili Powder, Paprika, and Salt
Citrus – We use both lemon and lime to brighten this soup up and make the flavors sing. Fresh squeezed juice is best but the bottled kind works too.
Chicken Broth – Bone broth or stock also work.
Cream Cheese – This makes the soup creamy and thickens it up slightly.
Cilantro – A must for all Mexican dishes. If you’re allergic and think it tastes like soap, sub in parsley.
Chicken Taco Soup
We love this Chicken Taco Soup made with shredded chicken, but you’ve got options depending on what protein you have in the house!
Make this with ground chicken – just brown it first!
Make this with ground beef! Just brown and drain off any fat. You can brown it right in the Instant Pot using saute mode.
Chicken thighs will work in place of chicken breasts as well.
You can prepare this low carb taco soup in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, depending on how much time you’ve got! Both ways taste pretty amazing.
The chicken gets perfectly juicy and fork tender and is so savory in the creamy, cheesy chicken broth with the spicy peppers and seasoning.
Everyone loves Mexican flavors and this soup delivers!
How To Make Keto Taco Soup:
I’m going to include instructions for both a slow cooker version and an Instant Pot soup version below. I prefer this in the Instant Pot because it’s SO fast and easy, but I know we don’t all have pressure cookers laying around. 😉
Instant Pot Low Carb Soup:
Pressure Cook – Add everything but the cream cheese and cilantro to your Instant Pot, put the lid on, set it to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally and remove the lid.
Shred – Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with a couple of forks. The chicken should be perfectly tender and juicy and easy to shred with a fork.
Cream Cheese – Drop a block of cream cheese into the broth, set the pot to sauté, and whisk well to combine the cream cheese into the broth. Once everything is smooth and creamy, add the chicken back into the low carb soup and stir in some cilantro. Boom. Done.
Slow Cooker Low Carb Soup:
Slow Cook – To make this taco soup in a slow cooker, add everything but the cream cheese and cilantro to the slow cooker and cover. Cook on low for 4 hours.
Shred – Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. It takes a little longer in the slow cooker, but the chicken will be just as juicy and fork tender as the pressure cooked version of this recipe.
Cream Cheese – Add the cream cheese to the taco soup mixture and whisk well to combine – you want the cream cheese completely melted and incorporated into the broth. It helps to warm the cream cheese in the microwave first. Stir the chicken and some cilantro back into the soup and serve!
Special Tools Needed:
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Instant Pot: I use the Instant Pot 6 Quart Duo and I love it! It makes the most amazing hard boiled eggs and I toss chicken breasts in there for shredding allllll. the. time. Shredded chicken is perfect to have on hand for recipes like cauliflower chicken fried rice and healthy stuffed peppers. I use the boiled eggs to make my avocado egg salad often.
Slow Cooker: This slow cooker works great! I also use it for making my keto chicken wings.
Citrus Squeezer: If you’re going to be using freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice you’ll need a citrus squeezer! This handy tools makes squeezing citrus super easy and mess free.
FAQs:
You can keep this low carb taco soup covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. It should reheat well on the stove or even in the microwave in smaller servings. You can also freeze this soup for up to a few months in a freezer safe bag. Make sure you let it cool completely before freezing.
I’ve never tried it myself but some readers have mentioned having success with making this recipe on the stove top. You’d need to adjust the cooking time of course. It’ll take longer than pressure cooking but should be done faster than slow cooking.
Sure! If you want a beef taco soup you could use ground beef instead, along with beef broth instead of chicken broth. You’ll want to brown the beef first before pressure cooking or slow cooking.
More Instant Pot & Slow Cooker Recipes:
- Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
- Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Soup
- Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Low Carb Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotles in adobo sauce minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Add the chicken, onion, garlic, chipotles, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, lemon juice, lime juice, and chicken broth to an Instant Pot.
- Cover, turn vent to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 18 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally, about 10 minutes, before removing the lid.
- Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks.
- Turn the Instant Pot to saute and add the cream cheese. Whisk constantly until the cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated.
- Turn Instant Pot off and return chicken to the pot. Add the cilantro and stir well to combine.
- Serve immediately
Slow Cooker Method
- Add the chicken, onion, garlic, chipotles, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, lemon juice, lime juice, and chicken broth to a low cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks.
- Add the cream cheese to the slow cooker and whisk constantly until the cream cheese is fully melted and incorporated.
- Return chicken to the slow cooker and add the cilantro. Stir well to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Doug says
I believe this is the 3rd time I’ve made this. We love it. One of the prior times, I had it in the instantpot and got paged out for the fire department. Gave my wife quick directions on how to finish. She used her emmersion blender to mix in the cream cheese. Great idea, except I forgot to tell her to take the chicken out before mixing in the cream cheese…
It also makes a great bisque, lol.
Karly Campbell says
Haha! Sounds delicious either way! 🙂
Elizabeth Goodrich says
This soup was… AMAZING! We added extra chicken and a small bowl filled me up. Instead of Chipotle we substituted a packet of taco seasoning and it was outstanding. We also added Zucchini. 100% will be making again. THANK YOU!
Patty says
Made this for dinner tonight as we’re trying out 52 new recipes in 2020. My husband said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made! (Also first time using the instapot – not as scary as I thought it would be…) Thank you for sharing your recipe. @thelittleyellowkitchen
Karly Campbell says
So glad it was a hit! 🙂
Lisa says
I never have any luck with skin cream cheese all the Way, and my boyfriend doesn’t like chunks of onion, so I just remove the chicken after the pressure release and blended it all in the vitamix. The texture is great and it tasted delicious. I also added a cup or two of lightly steamed bite sized green beans because I like them in soups and wanted more vegetables. Thanks for the great recipe!
Natalie says
I made this tonight and although it was a little too spicy for my husband, I loved the flavor the chili in Adobo stuff gave it. I had never used that before, had trouble finding it actually. I chopped up the rest of it and put it in a silicone cup thing in tablespoon amounts. Now I wish I had done half as much in each area to freeze. I did saute some zucchini cut small to put in at the end too. It just needed some veggies of some kind in there.
Mary Hembree says
Looks delicious
Can’t wait to try this soup
Rhonda Autry says
Would I need to change anything if I use beef instead of chicken
Karly Campbell says
If you’re using ground beef, I’d brown it first and use beef broth instead of chicken broth, but otherwise no.
Mari Ann Munger says
We have been Keto for a year and my husband texted me the link for your recipe this morning. I just happened to have everything on hand to make it and it was early so I threw it in the crockpot. I used a fresh, chopped jalapeño for our heat, as we like those better! This was so delicious and definitely a keeper. I added a can of Rotel as well and we topped it with avocado slices and shredded cheese on top. So yummy!!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds like some delicious changes! 🙂
Tina says
Can I try this without the cream cheese?
Karly Campbell says
You could try it! The soup will be quite broth-y. You also may want to reduce the spice if you’re not a big fan, since the cream cheese helps cut the heat.
Julie L Cain says
Would you brown the hamburger first? Would you use beef broth instead of chicken broth?
Andrea says
I added leftover roasted cauliflower when I added the cream cheese and also toasted up a low carb wrap to a t as tortilla chips sprinkled over. Delish! Next time I’ll add a little sliced avocado and spur cream.
Ellen says
Umm. I take it you meant skinless, boneless chicken breasts?
Karly Campbell says
That’s correct.
Charlotte says
This was amazing! I cant stop eating it!!!!!!!! I made some pico de gallo and have been piling it on top with a dollop of sour cream. The best. I honestly dont think there is anything I would do differently!
Karly Campbell says
So glad to hear that! 🙂 Pico sounds like the perfect topping!
Katie says
Hell0! Do you think I could just cube up the cream cheese and throw it in with everything else from the beginning?
Karly Campbell says
No, it will get a bit funky in the pressure cooker. Dairy gets weird under pressure. 🙂
Kandice V. says
This soup has now become one of our favorites!! It has a little kick to it, but adding sour cream on top balanced it out for me. 5 stars!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you like it! 🙂
Danielle says
I just re-started keto, and I was a little skeptical (only cause I don’t usually make soups lol) of this recipe. It is AMAZING. It’s lasted me three nights of dinner, and I can’t wait to make more. Kept me so cozy too. Thank you so much.
Karly Campbell says
So glad you gave it a try! 🙂
Brandi says
This is amazing!! Thank you!!
Brandy says
Wow! It was so delicious! My family loved it! I doubled the recipe so we could have leftovers. Thanks for sharing!
Dana Mitchell says
Sounds amazing! I’m new to the Instant Pot faithful, and am just learning! Is the 18 min with high pressure sufficient if I put this in from frozen? I’m thinking of using this as a freezer meal that I can pull out of the freezer and pop into the IP, still adding the cream cheese to the broth at the end.
Karly Campbell says
Hi Dana! When using frozen items in the IP, it still takes the same amount of cook time, it’ll just take longer to come to pressure. 🙂
Rebecca says
My husband and I just started keto yesterday and I made this for our dinner. tonight. All I can say is OMG we absolutely I love it! I could lick the bowl! I will definitely double the recipe next time for leftovers! I kept it exactly as the recipe stated and didn’t add any toppings because I wanted to taste the true flavors of the soup. Next time I will add avocado for that freshness with the spice! Thank you for posting this!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed your first keto dinner! 🙂