Dump everything in, walk away, and come home to this thick, creamy keto taco soup with 7.5g net carbs and 27.7g protein. It goes in my slow cooker almost every week for a spicy, filling bowl.
This is the recipe I come back to more than any other on the site. A creamy keto taco soup that cooks itself in the crock pot, freezes flat in a bag, and comes in at 7.5g net carbs a bowl. On the nights I'm torn between this, my cheeseburger soup, and my beef stew, this one wins.
What makes this keto taco soup different
I've been making keto taco soup since 2019, and I always have a bag of it stashed in the freezer. Ground beef, diced tomatoes with green chilies, cauliflower rice, and a handful of spices go in the pot. No fancy technique. No long ingredient list. Thirty minutes before serving, cream cheese cubes go in and melt into this silky, creamy broth that makes the whole thing feel indulgent.
The cream cheese is the part I get the most questions about. I use a full 8 ounces, cubed, and it goes in right at the end. I've had readers ask if they can skip it or use less. I tried scaling it back once and regretted it. The broth without it is fine, but with it, it's a completely different soup. One tip: let the cream cheese sit on the counter for 20-30 minutes before adding it. Room temp cubes melt smooth. Cold ones go lumpy.
Most traditional versions load up on beans and corn, which pushes past 30g of carbs per serving. I swapped in cauliflower rice and dropped the beans entirely. This version comes in at 7.5g net carbs. You won't miss them once you taste that broth.
I also tested swapping half the ground beef for chorizo after a reader mentioned it in the comments. The chorizo fat dissolves into the broth and leaves this smoky, spicy undercurrent that regular beef doesn't have. I'm adding it to my permanent rotation.
What I love about this recipe is the flexibility. You can make it in the crock pot, the Instant Pot, or right on the stovetop. I've done all three. The crock pot is my default because I dump everything in the morning and forget about it. The Instant Pot gets dinner on the table in under 30 minutes when I'm behind schedule. And the stovetop works when I want it simmering while I'm already in the kitchen.
If you like the dump-and-go approach, this is a freezer meal you'll want in rotation. I usually prep two bags at a time (one for tonight, one for the freezer) and it takes maybe 15 extra minutes. For more keto comfort food, try my taco pie or beef and tomato soup.
How I make this in the slow cooker
I use my crock pot for this more than any other method. Mornings are the only time I have to think about dinner, so I dump everything in before I leave and come home to a house that smells like taco night.
You don’t need to brown the ground beef first. I’ve made it both ways and honestly can’t tell the difference in the finished soup. The beef breaks apart on its own after 8-9 hours on low. Just crumble it in raw, add everything else, and walk away.
If you’re cooking on high, 5-6 hours gets the job done. I usually stir it once around the halfway mark, but that’s more for my peace of mind than anything the soup actually needs.
Instant Pot and stovetop options
The Instant Pot version is what I reach for when I forgot to start the crock pot. Brown the ground beef using the saute function, toss in the veggies until slightly softened, then add everything else (including the cream cheese for this method). Five minutes on high pressure, 10-minute natural release, and dinner is done.
I added a stovetop method because readers kept asking for one. Brown the beef in a large pot over medium heat, add the bell pepper and onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, then pour in the broth, tomatoes, spices, and cauliflower rice. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, stir in the cream cheese cubes, and give it another 5 minutes. Same result, different timeline.
If you prepped this as a freezer meal, thaw it in the fridge overnight before using the Instant Pot or stovetop. The crock pot handles partially thawed, but the other two methods work better when everything is defrosted. If you love the Instant Pot, my white chicken chili and lasagna soup are two more that work the same way.
The dump and go freezer method
I keep coming back to the freezer bag approach because it’s the reason this recipe stays in rotation. Everything except the cream cheese goes into a gallon Ziploc. Squeeze out the air, lay it flat in the freezer, and it stacks neatly.
I always prep two bags at once. One goes straight into the crock pot, the other goes in the freezer. The extra 15 minutes of effort now saves me on a night when I have zero energy to think about food.
To cook from frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight and follow the regular instructions. I’ve tried going straight from frozen to the crock pot and it works, but you’ll need to add 1-2 hours on low. My steak marinara freezes the same way if you want another option in the rotation.
Keto meal prep tips
Meal prep is the only reason I eat well during the week. This recipe is one of the easiest to batch because it freezes so well and reheats without losing anything.
A few things I do to make prep faster: I chop all the onions and bell peppers on Sunday and store them in containers. That alone saves me 5-10 minutes on a weeknight. I also pre-measure the spices into small bags so I can just dump them straight in.
For leftovers, this stores in the fridge for 4-5 days and reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop. The cream cheese thickens the broth as it cools, so add a splash of chicken broth when reheating. It loosens right back up.
If you want to use a taco seasoning packet instead of the individual spices, I’ve done that too. One packet replaces everything from the cumin through the black pepper. Just check the label for added sugars or starches, which some brands sneak in. For another fast weeknight dinner, my hamburger helper uses the same ground beef prep.
Add all ingredients, except cream cheese, to the liner of a slow cooker. Cover and cook at low for 8 to 9 hours or high for 5 to 6 hours.
For this step
Ground beef
Bell pepper
Onion
Chicken broth or stock
Diced tomato
Salt
Cumin
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Oregano
Minced garlic
Black pepper
Cauliflower rice
2
Add cream cheese
Thirty minutes before serving, add cubed cream cheese. Stir to combine and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
For this step
Cream cheese
3
Freezer instructions
Add all ingredients (except cream cheese) to a large ziploc bag, remove all the air and seal it close. Mix or shake to combine. Freeze flat. To cook, thaw in the refrigerator the night before. Then cook according to instructions above.
4
Instant Pot instructions
Add ground beef to the liner of an Instant Pot. Press sauté and cook until almost browned. Add bell pepper and onion and continue cooking until slightly softened. Add remaining ingredients, including cream cheese. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure manually. Move valve to vent to release pressure manually.
Nutrition
Per serving: 1 bowl
Calories
488
Fat
36.4g
Protein
27.7g
Total carbs
11.5g
Net carbs
7.5g
Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients listed. Brands vary, so check labels if you track closely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my cream cheese go lumpy, and how do I fix it?
Cold cream cheese going in is almost always the cause. Beyond letting it warm up first, I cut the cubes small (about 1 inch) and stir steadily as they melt. If it still clumps, a few minutes with an immersion blender smooths it right out. I do this every time now and haven't had lumps since.
Can I use chicken, turkey, or chorizo instead of ground beef?
I've tried all three. Turkey is a straight swap with no changes needed. For chicken, I cook it separately first (browned in a skillet or baked to 165 degrees), then shred or cube it before adding. Chorizo works best as a half-and-half mix with ground beef, with one warning: it brings its own salt, so cut back on the recipe salt and taste at the end.
How many carbs would beans add if I put them back in?
Even half a cup of black beans adds 12-15g net carbs, more than an entire bowl of this soup as written. I tested kidney beans, black beans, and no beans side by side, and the cauliflower rice version won every time on both taste and macros. Made as written, each bowl comes to 7.5g net carbs and 11.5g total carbs.
How much cauliflower rice should I use?
I use about 8 cups. This is one ingredient where exact measurements don't matter much. I've added a full bag and a half when I wanted a thicker, heartier result, and it worked great. Use less if you want it brothier, more if you want it closer to a stew.
Hi Annie, I’ve made a bunch of your slow cooker stuff and it always works out. Quick question before I try this one, can I leave the cream cheese out or does the soup need it to thicken up.
7.5g net carbs for a bowl this thick had me checking the calculator twice before I even pulled the slow cooker out. Usually a number that low means the portion is a cup and a half of sadness. Made it anyway. The ground beef and chicken broth do something interesting over those hours, the fat emulsifies into the broth and you get real body to it before the cream cheese even goes in. Added the cream cheese right at the thirty-minute mark, stirred it through, and the whole thing settled into this thick, spicy bowl that finally made the macro math make sense. Six servings, exactly as written. Been tracking keto long enough to be skeptical of anything under 8g for an actual dinner. Not skeptical of this one.
Holly, that fat moment is exactly what I watch for. The broth goes almost silky around hour 6 before the cream cheese is anywhere near it. I’ve been making this for years and still look for it every time.
Threw chorizo in with the beef and the broth turned this deep orange-red, way richer than before. The fat just folds into everything. Fair warning though, chorizo brings a lot of salt already. Cost me one batch to figure that out.
Chorizo does something to this soup that beef alone can’t match. That orange-red is the paprika and annatto from the fat, and it gets into the cream cheese and cauliflower in a way that regular beef just doesn’t. I hit the same salt wall the first time. Now I skip the recipe salt entirely when I use chorizo and taste at the end instead. Half beef, half chorizo is my sweet spot, the beef keeps it from going too heavy while the chorizo still runs the broth color and depth.
So I have a pound of ground turkey I need to use up and want to make this today. Slow cooker soups in summer are great (no heating up the whole kitchen), but will switching from beef change the texture much? The description says thick and creamy and that’s exactly what I’m after. Worried the lower fat might make it thinner. Do I need to add something or will it come out basically the same?
Turkey is a straight swap here. The cream cheese is what makes it thick and creamy, not the beef fat, so no adjustments needed. Made it both ways and the texture is basically the same.
This Keto Taco Soup looks absolutely delicious! I love that it’s creamy and low carb—perfect for my diet. I can’t wait to try it out this week, especially with all those tasty toppings. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
This has been in my regular rotation since winter and I keep expecting to feel like soup season is over. Still hasn’t happened. The cream cheese going in that last thirty minutes makes it so thick and creamy, it barely even registers as soup anymore, more like a stew. Made a batch Sunday and it’s somehow better by day three.
The 5pm scramble is so real, which is exactly why I flagged this the second I saw the freezer-friendly note. Planning to do a double batch this weekend. But I’ve never actually cooked a freezer meal in a slow cooker before, so now I’m lost in logistics. Do you thaw it overnight in the fridge first, or can it go straight from frozen? And what about the cream cheese? Still thirty minutes before serving, or does that timing shift when everything’s starting cold? Genuinely don’t know if there’s a right answer here or if I’m just overthinking it.
Yep, straight from frozen works in the crock pot, just add an extra hour or two on low. Cream cheese same as always, 30 min before the end. Give it a couple stirs while it melts.
I almost skipped the cream cheese because it seemed like too much, but it makes the broth this silky thing that I didn’t know I needed. Going back in the rotation.
I did half ground beef, half chorizo because that’s what was in the freezer and I figured it was worth a shot. The chorizo just disappears into the broth but leaves this smoky, spicy undercurrent that beef alone doesn’t have. I was a little nervous it would throw off the whole taco flavor but it made the soup so much richer. Made it during the snowstorm last week and we ate it over two days straight. The cream cheese step at the end is the part I couldn’t get over, watching those cubes go from solid to smooth right before serving. Not changing a thing next time except maybe making more of it.
This keto taco soup is so creamy and delicious! I love the addition of the avocado and cilantro, it gives it a great flavor. This soup is perfect for a cold winter day.
We made this recipe tonight for dinner. Flipping Awesome!!! As per the usual, I always make a few tweaks but nothing major, just a little more spice (chipotle powder and a small can of green chiles). Oh I did add a bit more broth just cause we wanted to have enough for a second meal. Great job Ms Annie, you’ve knocked another out of the park!
Chicken thighs are my favorite swap in this. I usually cook them separately first then shred before they go in so they don’t get mushy. Red pepper is a nice touch too, little sweeter than green.
