This Instant Pot Taco Soup is a great option for busy weeknights with all your favourite taco toppings and gluten-free chickpea noodles.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral oil like grapeseed oil, sunflower oil or canola oil can be used instead.
- Yellow onion – white onion, sweet onions or shallots can be used in place of yellow onions.
- Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic. Garlic powder is great in a pinch.
- Chili powder – cayenne pepper, paprika or taco seasoning would work here.
- Cumin – curry powder, taco seasoning or ground coriander have a similar flavour.
- Oregano – dried parsley, dried basil or Italian seasoning would also be good.
- Salt (to taste)
- Diced tomatoes – you could also use fresh tomatoes, tomato puree or tomato paste.
- Black beans – substitute with any beans of your choice like navy beans, kidney beans, etc.
- Corn – use either canned or frozen corn.
- Vegetable broth – use water with a vegetable bouillon cube instead of vegetable broth.
- Bell peppers – use any colour bell pepper.
- Chickpea pasta – any gluten free pasta can be used instead of chickpea pasta. If you have no gluten intolerance, then use regular pasta instead.
- Jalapeno pepper – to garnish.
- Cilantro – to garnish.
- Avocado – to garnish.
How to make taco soup
- Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, spices, tomatoes, beans, corn and vegetable broth to the Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Do a quick-release of the pressure
- Stir in the bell peppers and chickpea pasta.
- Serve with jalapeno, avocado and cilantro and dig in!
Is chickpea pasta really better for you?
Chickpea pasta uses chickpeas insead of wheat and is a great gluten-free alternative for those with any intolerances. Itās also a lot lighter than traditional pasta!
Nutritionally, chickpea pasta is a great option because it is packed with protein and fibre. It has two times the amount of protein, four times the amount fibre and a much lower carb count.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like eating this taco soup on its own with jalapeno, avocado and cilantro for garnish but cornbread and tortilla chips would also be good. You could also cut down on the serving size and eat this soup as a side with other Mexican-inspired dishes like chicken tacos or chile rellenos.
This soup is ready in just 30 minutes in the Instant Pot. Instead of having to let it simmer for an hour or more by making it on the stovetop, itās ready in a flash ā perfect for busy weeknights.
This soup is full of fibre and protein which makes it a healthy lunch or dinner option. Plus, itās vegetarian and gluten-free!
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers in airtight containers or mason jars in the fridge once cooled to room temperature. The soup will last in the fridge for up to five days, making it a great meal prep recipe!
When ready to enjoy, reheat the soup in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes. Make sure to take the soup out at the mid-way point to stir.
Freezing this soup
Wait for the soup to cool to room temperature before freezing. Freeze a batch in meal prep containers, airtight glass bowls or mason jars.
If reheating the soup from frozen, make sure that the soup is microwave safe then microwave for 5-6 minutes on high. Make sure to pause half-way through the cook time to stir the soup.
If you prefer to let the soup thaw first, defrost in the fridge overnight and then microwave for 2-3 minutes.
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Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Taco Soup (Vegetarian + Gluten Free!)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 (796mL) can Diced tomatoes
- 1 can Black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 each red, yellow and green pepper, diced
- 1 box Chickapea Pasta, shells must be gluten free pasta
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- Cilantro for garnish
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Add olive oil, onion, garlic, spices, diced tomatoes, beans, corn and vegetable broth to Instant Pot in that order. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, then do a quick release of the pressure.
- Stir in bell peppers and Chickapea Pasta, then let sit for 5-10 minutes. Ladle into bowls then top with jalapeno, cilantro and avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
Cindy says
I made this last night and added quinoa to the mix prior to pressure cooking. I did not use the pasta. I let it naturally release pressure, too. It. Was. AMAZING! What a great recipe! It was easy to make and used pantry staples.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed! And great to know it works with quinoa too š
Trina Oickle-Pottie says
I made this tonight and substituted the black beans for about 1/2 cup of kidney beans and 1/2 cup of green lentils. I soaked them the day before and all night. I made a vegetarian soup stock beforehand as well, to use. I used regular pasta shells and only used 1 cup. I had about 1600ML of soup stock plus 1 cup of leftover whey liquid form my homemade yoghurt that I added. I pressured cooked for 3 minutes and NR for 3 minutes. The beans were perfect and the pasta was not too overcooked. The flavour was a bit watered down, so I added black pepper and some red pepper flakes. Served it with grated cheese and jalapeno peppers and a few taco chips. OMG< it was so good! Thank you!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed, Trina!
Jennifer says
This soup turned out amazing! Lots of flavor and jammed pack with veggies and protein. I really love chickpea noodles. They taste like regular noodles.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed Jennifer! š
Kayla S. says
Hi Taylor!
I just made this today and it was super scrumptious! Both the husband and I really liked it and it made a ton so we’ll have leftovers this week! My husband won’t eat raw or semi-raw peppers or onions so I sauteed the onion for a couple of minutes before adding everything, including the peppers and jalepenos, in the IP. I already can’t wait to eat the leftovers! Thank you so much!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Kayla!! š
Bianca says
Hi!
I’m going to make this tonight for dinner! Can I use a can of 6 bean medley instead of black beans? And I was going to use regular elbow macaroni pasta instead of gluten free. What would the cook time be adjusted to? š Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Bianca – you could definitely swap the can of beans and use regular pasta. Because it’s a small-shaped pasta there’s no need to change the cooking time š
Pam Trail says
I don’t have an Instant Pot. Cook I made on stove or in a Crockpot?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Pam – you can make it on the stovetop. Add everything to a large pot and bring to a boil then simmer for approx. 30 minutes. Add the bell peppers and gluten-free pasta in the last 5 minutes of cook time. If using non-gluten free pasta then cook for the whole 30 minutes. That should do the trick!
Colleen says
Thank you! This was amazing! I did no chicken and just fried an egg in the instant pot before, rinsed it out, then followed the rest of the recipe and added the egg at the end and it turned out delicious!
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed Colleen!!! š
Amy dotson says
The only problem with this recipe is that I couldnāt stop eating it. Thanks for sharing!
Taylor Stinson says
So happy you enjoyed it Amy š
Emma says
Hey Taylor,
Really looking forward to trying this. If you didn’t use gluten free noodles would you cook your own noodles separate and then add them in? Also if you wanted to add chicken would you add that in cooked at the beginning or end?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Emma! You can add raw chicken (diced into 1 inch pieces) in at the beginning with the onions, spices, etc. then add 1/2 lb regular pasta shells (not gluten free) in with the rest of the ingredients to cook under pressure. Make sure to add the pasta last after the broth. Then stir the bell peppers in after cooking as usual. Hope that helps š
Madison says
Hi! Do you put the noodles in raw or cooked? Thanks!
Taylor Stinson says
Since they are gluten-free you put them in raw – they don’t take long to cook!
Kayla says
Can this be cooked and then frozen to eat at a later time?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Kayla – I’ve never frozen gluten-free pasta before but if you use regular pasta you should definitely be able to freeze and eat later. You can always try freezing the gluten-free pasta and see what happens!