This Taco Chili is incredibly flavorful and so easy to make! Just brown the beef, stir in a few cans, let it simmer, and pile on the toppings.
Make it on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or in the slow cooker.
Author’s Notes
Mom’s Taco Chili “Secret”
My mom made taco chili all the time growing up, basically ground beef with taco seasonings, lots of beans, and corn. We all LOVED when she made it, which is saying a lot when you’re trying to get nine people to agree on dinner, haha!
Her version always used two seasoning packets: taco seasoning and ranch seasoning. She claimed the ranch seasoning was her “secret” to the best taco chili ever, and honestly, I think she was right.
Over the years, I’ve made her recipe with just a few tweaks. I prefer using my own blend of taco seasonings since I don’t always love the flavor of taco seasoning packets. I also use fire-roasted tomatoes for a little smoky flavor and add diced green chiles for some extra heat.
And yes, I know the ranch seasoning sounds a little strange, but trust me on this one. It really does make the best taco chili ever!
How To Make Taco Chili
- Cook: Heat olive oil in a pot. Cook chopped onions, then add minced garlic.
- Cook Beef: Add ground beef, cooking until brown, and drain any extra fat.
- Mix in Seasonings: Add seasonings. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Combine: Add ranch seasoning, chili beans, corn, diced tomatoes, green chiles, and black beans. Mix well.
- Simmer: Heat until bubbling gently and cook without a lid for 30 minutes.
- Serve: Serve with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Taco Chili Toppings
This Taco Chili is even better loaded up with creamy toppings like diced avocado and sour cream. Oh, and chips for dipping are a must! These days I usually reach for tortilla chips, but growing up, we always had Fritos with it!
Pick your favorites:
- Sharp Cheddar cheese freshly grated
- Chopped cherry tomatoes, salsa, or pico de gallo
- Freshly chopped cilantro or thinly sliced green onions if you aren’t a cilantro fan
- Fresh lime wedges
- Avocado or guacamole
- Taco sauce or hot sauce
- Creamy cilantro sauce
- Sour cream (fat-free or low-fat work great!)
- Pickled red onions: Try this quick pickled red onion recipe
- Jalapeño peppers (fresh or canned)
- Crispy tortilla strips or tortilla chips
- Cornbread muffins
Featured Comment
“Super delicious chili. Whole family loved it. Super easy to make. Thanks for the recipe. Yum!!!!”
– Michelle
Chelsea’s Notes
Shortcuts That Make This Even Easier
- Chopped onions: Buy pre-chopped fresh or frozen, or chop with a food processor.
- Garlic: Dorot® cubes or jarred minced garlic make it easy.
- Ranch seasoning mix: This is an easy shortcut that saves you from measuring out a bunch of extra spices. I highly recommend Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning. I find it has the best, most consistent flavor and saltiness.
Storage
Leftovers?
Warming Up: Store taco chili (without toppings) in a sealed container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Warm up in a pot over low heat or in the microwave (cover to prevent mess).
Freezing: Chili (without toppings) freezes nicely for up to 3 months. Here are ways to thaw frozen soup.
More Chili Recipes:
Soups And Stews
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Dinner
Crockpot Chili
Soups And Stews
Butternut Squash Chili
Taco Chili
Video
Equipment
- Large pot or Instant Pot or Crockpot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion 1 medium onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1 pound ground beef lean (93/7)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder see note 1
- 1/2 teaspoon each: garlic powder onion powder, paprika and oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional, for some heat
- 3 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix not the entire package
- 2 (16-ounce) cans chili beans undrained, see note 2
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can southwestern corn undrained, see note 3
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 (4-ounce) can mild diced green chiles undrained
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- Toppings as desired see note 4
Instructions
- Stovetop: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and turning golden, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and add ground beef. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until browned. If there is any grease, drain off here (see note 5 for a shortcut!).Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and all seasonings: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, and cumin. Add red pepper flakes if using. Add 3 tablespoons (not the entire package) of dry ranch seasoning mix. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, 1–2 minutes.Add all the other ingredients except for toppings. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, stirring every now and again, for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened and flavors have melded. Taste and season if needed with salt and pepper. While simmering, prepare the toppings! Serve chili with your preferred toppings and enjoy immediately.
- Instant Pot: Heat Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Once hot, add oil and onion and sauté until tender and turning golden, about 5–7 minutes. Increase heat to high and add ground beef. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until browned. If there is any grease, drain off here (see note 5 for a shortcut!).Add garlic and all seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the Instant Pot to deglaze and ensure nothing has stuck to the bottom (or you’ll get a burn notice).Once you’re sure nothing is stuck, add all the other ingredients except toppings. Give everything a good stir, then place the lid on and seal the pot. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. Then release any remaining pressure. Give it another good stir and taste for needed salt/pepper. While it’s cooking, prepare toppings! Serve chili with your preferred toppings and enjoy immediately.
- Slow Cooker: If your slow cooker has a sauté function, do this first part in the base of the slow cooker. If not, use a separate pot to brown the onion and meat, then transfer to the slow cooker.Add oil to a large pot (or the slow cooker sauté base) over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and turning golden, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and add ground beef. Cook, crumbling with a wooden spoon until browned. If there is any grease, drain off here (see note 5 for a shortcut!).Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and all seasonings. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Transfer all this mixture to the base of the slow cooker, then add all the other ingredients except toppings. Stir, then cover with the lid. Cook on high for 2–3 hours or on low for 3–6 hours. After cooking, give it a good stir and taste for needed salt/pepper. While it’s cooking, prepare toppings! Serve chili with your preferred toppings and enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Chelsea ☺
I’ve been making your recipes for the past couple years and they’ve all been great! I want to try this chili recipe next, but I have a couple questions.
Which brand did you use for the fire roasted diced tomatoes with seasonings? I found a few brands online, however, the seasonings used seemed to vary greatly between brands.
Also, did you use the fire roasted Ro☆tel for this recipe as well? Or just the original with green chiles?
Thanks!
Thanks so much Kristy! I’d recommend Muir Glen for the fire roasted and yes fire roasted Rotel works great 🙂
When I select soup, do I choose low or high pressure?
High 🙂
The instant pot recipe does not work. I have followed it twice now and each time the pot says burn and never gets to pressure. I’m sure this would be great in the crockpot but it is not an instant pot recipe
Hi Katie! I’ve actually made this several times (3-4 times) in my instant pot and never had an issue; so I’d love to troubleshoot with you. Did you select soup and then change it to 10 minutes?
This is DELICIOUS! My new fav chili.
I’m rating it 5 stars despite having the same problem as the other commenter. My instapot also said BURN and I made this following directions to a T. Apparently after sautéing anything in the instapot you are suppose to take the meat out and “deglaze the pot” otherwise you are more likely to set off the BURN indicator. When mine went off I opened it and luckily nothing was burned to the pot that I could feel so I just stirred it and put it back to “soup”. Unfortunately, it only cooked for another 2 minutes before the indicator came back on. Luckily it was cooked through so we were able to enjoy this delicious recipe regardless.
I’m having the same problem as well. It has burned twice on me in my new 6-quart instant pot. I think you might need to add water because the newer model instant pots are more susceptible to burning from what I’ve read.
Same! I hope the stir method works b/c I rarely follow recipes to a T and did myself this one but it also claimed BURN. Opened, restored and trying on high, 4 min. Instead.
Same! I hope the stir method works b/c I rarely follow recipes to a T and did follow this one and it resulted in BURN. Luckily, I was still in the kitchen, so opened it and added my forgotten roasted corn and then decided to turn the IP to stew/beans. Maybe for 4 minutes. I bet this will work. The meat is cooked so it’s just melding the flavors together.
So bummed, I forgot the ranch seasoning mix. I hope it still tastes good!!!
This chili is cooking in my crockpot as I type this. The flavor profile is amazing. Taking this dish to a work Christmas party tomorrow. I just know my co-workers will love it. Thanks!
Thanks so much Tracy! I hope everyone loves it 🙂 Happy Holidays!
Super delicious chili. Whole family loved it. Super easy to make. Thanks for the recipe. Yum!!!!
Love hearing that! Thanks for the comment Michelle!
Plan on making this for Wednesday and your Sausage and veggies dish tomorrow.
Very simple recipes that look great and I’m sure taste just as great.
Enjoy! 🙂
This chili was delicious. Whole family loved it. I was a bit worried about the amount of ranch powder but it was perfect. So flavorful. Thank you for the recipe. Will be making it often.
So happy to hear that! I’m glad it was a hit and will be made often 🙂 Thanks for the comment Michelle!
Taco soup is one of my favorite soups! I can’t decide if it’s because of all the different flavors or because it’s so hearty and filling, unlike some other soups. This recipe looks great, I’ll definitely have to break the crockpot out for this one since it just started getting cold here.
Keep the soup recipes coming — I love ’em! I eat it every day almost when the weather is cold. 🙂