When you need a cozy, satisfying meal that comes together quickly, look no further than this Keto Taco Soup. It takes everything you love about tacos – hearty beef, a kick of heat, and plenty of cheese – and transforms it into a creamy, spoonable bowl of comfort food.
I make no secret about my love for Tex-Mex flavors. Keto Taco Pie is arguably one of my most popular recipes. And Mexican Cauliflower Rice comes a close second! This easy Taco Soup is yet another iteration of a favorite, and my family loves it.
Instead of relaying on tortillas or beans, this keto meal gets its rich, velvety texture from blended cauliflower and melted cheddar. Cauliflower both thickens the base and provides extra nutrition, while keeping it lighter and lower in carbs. Shhh, don’t tell the kids it has hidden veggies!
With nearly 40 grams of protein per serving, it’s the kind of meal that actually keeps you full and happy long after dinner.
Why You Will Love This Soup
- Big taco flavor: All the bold, savory goodness of tacos in a comforting soup.
- Ultra creamy without cream cheese: Lighter than most keto taco soup recipes, but just as rich and thick.
- High protein, low carb: Nearly 40 grams of protein per serving and 6.7 grams of carbs per generous serving.
- Weeknight friendly: This hearty one-pot meal comes together in 30 minutes.
- Customizable: Make it mild or spicy and load it up with your favorite taco toppings.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: This soup can also be made with other ground meats like turkey, pork or chicken.
- Taco seasoning: I recommend getting a good brand without any fillers or additives. I love this large jar from Spiceology!
- Cauliflower florets: This recipe uses frozen cauliflower florets. If you use fresh, the cauliflower will take a little longer to cook.
- Tomatoes: I prefer fresh tomatoes, but canned, diced tomatoes will also work.
- Jalapeño: Remove the seeds for less heat, leave them in for more heat.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives the best flavor, but you can also use garlic powder.
- Cheddar cheese: You can use mild or sharp cheddar cheese, or a Mexican blend.
- Pantry staples: Avocado oil and chicken broth.
How to Make Keto Taco Soup
- Brown the meat: Brown the beef over medium until cooked through. Stir in the taco seasoning, and then remove the beef to a bowl.
- Sauté the vegetables: Cook the cauliflower until softened then add the tomatoes, jalapeño and garlic.
- Add the broth: Stir in the broth and simmer until the cauliflower is tender.
- Blend: Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
- Combine: Return purée to the pot and stir in the cheese until melted. Stir in the beef
- Serve: Add your favorite taco toppings like avocado, cilantro, and additional shredded cheese.
Tips for Success
Quality ingredients like good taco seasoning, cheddar cheese, and fresh garlic and jalapeños will give the soup the best flavor. I recommend grating your own cheese to avoid fillers and added starches.
You can use fresh cauliflower but it will take a little longer to soften so plan on simmering the soup for a few extra minutes.
Please remember to cover the lid of your blender with a kitchen towel and hold it on tightly as you blend. This helps avoid any hot liquid splashing out and burning you. I find that immersion blenders never get soups quite as smooth as I would like. But they are definitely easier to clean!
You can freeze the soup for easy meals, and even divvy it up into individual portions. I recommend the 1 cup Souper Cubes for perfect portions. Once they are frozen, you can move them to another airtight container or a freezer bag.
What to Serve With It
This Keto Taco Soup is a full meal unto itself. But if you need a few ideas to round it out, it pair beautifully with:
- Keto Cornbread
- Cheesy Keto Biscuits
- A simple green salad
- Zucchini Fritters
Keto Taco Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil
- 1 ½ lb (680.39 g) ground beef
- 3 tbsp (7.61 g) taco seasoning
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) frozen cauliflower florets
- 2/3 lb (302.39 g) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno, chopped, (remove seeds for less heat, leave them in for more heat)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 cups (709.76 ml) chicken broth
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the beef and cook until almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning (if your seasoning is salt free, add a tsp of salt too).
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef to a bowl. Add the cauliflower to the pan and sauté a few minutes to soften. Then add the tomatoes, jalapeno and garlic, and sauté another few minutes. Stir in the chicken broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the cauliflower is soft, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth, or use an immersion blender.
- Return to the pot and stir in the cheese until melted. Stir in the beef and serve with your favorite taco toppings like avocado, cilantro, and additional shredded cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
It has a mild-to-medium kick, depending on your taco seasoning and jalapeño. For very mild soup, remove all seeds and membranes—or skip the jalapeño entirely.
Absolutely. Both work well and make the soup a little lighter.
This keto taco soup recipe has 6.7g of carbs and 2.1g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.6g net carbs per serving.
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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So good- It would be awesome as a queso dip with no carb toasted tortillas! I wasn’t interested until I read the recipe. I love the cauliflower that adds veg to it. My bag of frozen cauliflower was 16 oz so I added all of it. It is so creamy once it is blended! Wish I could add a pic. I am trying to add more protein to my day, so this is perfect to have on hand.
Oh my, this is so good! I’ve been looking for a great taco soup and have tried ton of recipes and finally found a good one.
It’s sooo good we’ve made it twice in a month! My husband loves it!
I am delighted!
Fantastic! My favorite of your recipes so far! I did add a corn starch slurry to thicken it a bit. And I didn’t have fresh jalapeños so I used sliced pickled ones. Loved hiding the cauliflower in it; our teenaged daughter had no idea! Everyone loved it.
It was easy to make and tasted wonderful!
So glad you liked it!