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!
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.
Angie Dickten says
Could I substitute heavy cream for the cream cheese?
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried, but I think that would work just fine.
David says
Kraut juice helps flavor soups also.
David c says
I made this tonight for dinner using an instapot. I doubled the recipe for leftovers.
I like spice, so I doubled the chili powder and added an additional tbsp of the chipotle. Otherwise followed the recipe to the letter.
Treated it like a pazole soup (spelling?) and added side garnishes of thinly sliced radish, shredded raw cabbage, cubed avocado, shredded cheddar, sour cream and some crushed corn chips.
This was so good. Going to be a regular dish from now on! Thanks!
Karly Campbell says
Oh, it sounds amazing with all of those toppings! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Kelly Gilchrist says
I made this soup tonight on the stove. I topped mine with low carb tortilla strips in the air fryer. My husband absolutely loves this soup
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! Thanks, Kelly!
Jenny C. says
This was delicious!! Fantastic recipe! Thank you!
Tanya Bruzzese says
Made this today, absolutely incredible!!!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Tanya!
Lisa says
My family and I love this recipe!
I don’t care for chipotle so I added in taco seasoning after I read someone else doing the same.
I added a small amount of corn and black beans.
So delicious!!
Thank you for sharing!
Karen Ouellette says
I added some chopped colored bell peppers during the saute and added chopped green olives at the end. This is perfect for a chilly day. I ate it with some fresh orange slices for a cooling effect and the combination was delicious.
Mary says
I’m not a soup person (this is the second soup I will eat), but this I LOVE. I left the salt out & still love it.
Thank you so much for this recipe!
Karly Campbell says
Yay! Love to hear that!
Heather says
I had never had the chipotle in Adobe sauce before & for me it absolutely ruined what awls have been a very good soup. If people are not familiar with rhat ingredient, I think they should be warned it has a very distinct flavor. If I ever make this recipe again I would substitute regular jalapeño instead.
Mallory Amore says
I have made this as a soup. As a dip. Also as a filling for chicken enchilada stuffed shells. It’s a great recipe that’s loved any way I make it! Thank you.
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Mallory! So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Dani says
My cream cheese curdled. I take it none of the other cooks had this happen? What could I have done differently?
Karly Campbell says
Hi Dani! Did you add the cream cheese during the cooking process or after you’d released all the pressure? You wouldn’t want to pressure cook it. Otherwise, it’s normal for it to have little chunks after you add it to the soup as it melts. It doesn’t always melt completely smooth – it’s not curdled, just not fully melted. You can keep stirring or, to help prevent that, microwave the cream cheese until nearly melted before adding it to the soup.
Anonymous says
Same thing happened to me you really have to use a whisk
Hillary says
I made this last night and it was a hit! Thanks for the great recipe!
For comment readers like me, I doubled it and there were no leftovers for 5 adults and 3 kids, one bowl each (kids bowls were smaller).
Also I didn’t have the chipotle so I googled a sub. I used a Tbsp of tomato paste, some smoked paprika (in addition to the regular paprika called for), and a little chipotle seasoning.
LaVoyce says
Will try ASAP
Sounds DELISH
Monica says
Can I make this on the stovetop?
Karly Campbell says
I’m sure you can, but I’ve only made it as directed so I’m not sure how long it will take.
Lana says
SOUP-er good. Easy to make. Family loved it. Just make sure not too add too much lime, I did! Didn’t measure it out. Still was good though.
N J says
Wow- this was a slam Dunk. My wife and kid, ( who hate everything ) loved it! Glad I made double portions. Thanks for the recipe. For the record – I made a few adjustments- after it was done in the Insta Pot- I removed the chicken and added the soup to my blender with the Cream cheese and blended it together. Also I pan fried Mushrooms and Zucchini and added that to the soup.
Michele Graham says
This soup is fantastic!! It is now one of my favorites! I’m vegetarian and my husband is not. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and kept the chicken separate in his bowl. Also added cubed avocado chunks at the end. So good!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you guys enjoy the soup!
Adriana Dixon says
What if you dont have the chipotle peper what can you substitute with?
Karly Campbell says
Jalapeno would work well.
Glenda says
I made this today, with a few alterations, I used a fajita seasoning packet, chopped cabbage, chopped zuchini and some celery and red pepper, I also reduced cream cheese to 4 oz…… it was awesome!!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds great!