A hamburger-free, taco soup that has a gluten-free, homemade taco seasoning that gives a sweet and spicy punch. I know there are many taco soup recipes out there, but this one is by far my favorite. This Allergy-friendly Taco Soup is free of: wheat, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nuts. It’s top-8-free too.
Taco soup has been a staple my entire life. My mom made it growing up. Unfortunately, she’d use a taco seasoning packet that had wheat in it, so for a long time, we went without.
I was so glad when I discovered an easy, but DELICIOUS homemade taco seasoning mix that really gives this taco soup a pop. It’s more spice than I’ve ever had in the typical taco soup (take that pre-made packets!), so now I don’t know that I could eat anyone else’s–they might seem too bland. But, don’t worry it’s not too powerful, as I’m quite a baby.
Another trick that sets this allergy-friendly taco soup apart is that it uses brown sugar–which matches the spices and gives it a perfect sweet heat combo.
And lastly, since my son is allergic to beef, we do not use red meat. With all of the recalls on hamburger, I am often glad we don’t eat it anymore. So, we use ground chicken instead for a leaner cut of meat. It still has that same ground texture, and with all of the seasoning you’d never know it wasn’t hamburger. It’s a pretty magical substitute.
OK, I lied–there is one more trick up my sleeve to make this the best taco soup yet. I use an entire Tablespoon of minced garlic. I know this might seem like overkill, but it really isn’t and matches the potency of the spices to give it a well-rounded flavor.
Before I take all the credit, I have to say I got these tweaks from my best friend, Alicia. She is such a wonderful cook. And, that’s saying something since growing up her mom made maybe three recipes over and over. She is self taught and makes so many wonderful recipes for her family. I love it since it goes to show you don’t have to have this great background and that you can teach yourself how to cook.
Another reason I love her so much and am basically writing a love letter to her with this recipe is because we eat together a lot…and she has ALWAYS made things safe for my son. She doesn’t wait for me to think of ideas, but she is proactive and reads labels, checks things with me and always adapts things so that he is included. Her house is one of the few I go to without any reservations and I’m not nervous at all because I trust her completely. She is so thoughtful and loves my son like he’s her own. I am so fortunate to have her. Every allergy mom needs an Alicia in their life.
Taco soup is such a great and easy dinner that takes less than 30 minutes to make and is so filling and leaves lots for leftovers. If you’re looking for a great side dish to have with it try my The Best Top 8 Free Cornbread.
If you’ve had taco soup before, give this new one a try and it’ll bring back a childhood classic for you like it did me, with some extra enhancements and twists! Enjoy my Allergy-friendly Taco Soup and be sure to share it with your other allergy moms!
If you’re looking for more allergy friendly soups, check these out:
All of these soups are are great for people who are avoiding more than one allergen:
- Instant Pot Dairy Free Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Gluten & Dairy Free Chicken, Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
- Gluten & Dairy Free Thai Coconut Soup
- Potato & Sausage Soup
- Slow Cooker Green Enchilada Soup
- Slow Cooker Pizza Soup
- Gluten Free Vegan Minestrone
- Dairy Free Tomato Basil Soup
- Gluten Free Dairy Free Chicken and Rice Soup
- Dairy Free Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
- *Don’t forget I have an entire winter meal plan too!
Allergy-friendly Taco Soup
A hamburger-free, taco soup that has a gluten-free, homemade taco seasoning that gives a sweet and spicy punch. I know there are many taco soup recipes out there, but this one is by fare my favorite. This Allergy-friendly Taco Soup is free of: wheat, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nuts. It's top-8-free too.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 Tablespoon garlic
- 1 batch homemade taco seasoning (see below)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 can black beans, liquid and all
- 1 can kidney beans, liquid and all
- 1 can corn, liquid and all
- 1 can diced tomatoes, liquid and all
- 1 small ( 8 oz) can tomato sauce
- HOMEMADE GLUTEN-FREE TACO SEASONING:
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Next, add your garlic and stir for up to 1 minute until it's fragrant. Add in your ground chicken and brown. When it's almost done browning add in the taco seasoning and brown sugar. Once it's fully cooked, dump in all of the cans.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, or until heated through and the flavors have melded.
- Serve warm, with allergy-friendly cornbread or Fritos. This makes enough to feed 6 adults, so if there are leftovers, store in the fridge in an air-tight container. This also freezes well.
DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT! ALSO, CHECK OUT MY OTHER ALLERGY-FRIENDLY PINTEREST BOARDS.
If you’re looking for other allergy-friendly, taco-inspired dishes, check these out:
Chicken Enchilada Pasta (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top-8-free)
Slow Cooker Green Chile Enchilada Pasta (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free)
Hi! I’m Megan, a mom to four kids, two with multiple food allergies & one with EOE. I’m a published cookbook author that constantly tweaks recipes to make them allergy friendly–it’s an addiction. I share every recipe & tip with the hope that they help you as you manage your food allergies & dietary restrictions. You can still be awesome, even with food allergies!
Related Recipes:
Gluten Free 30 Minute Korean Chicken and Broccoli (Top 8 Free Too!)
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30 Minute Chicken & Mushroom Marsala (GF, DF, Egg, Soy, Fish, Shellfish, Peanut, Tree nut Free, Top 8 Free)
Ham & Bean Soup (Gluten, dairy, egg, soy, peanut & tree nut free; top 8 free) + GIVEAWAY!
Gluten & Dairy Free Chicken Salad Sandwich (Egg free option too!)
Gluten and Dairy Free BLT (with egg-free options too!)
Kelly
This soup was sooo good. I used ground turkey instead of chicken. Next time I’ll reduce the amount of brown sugar as it was a bit sweet.
Megan Lavin
So glad you liked it. Appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thanks, Kelly!
Mandy
Amazing! And pairs perfectly with your allergy friendly corn bread. Love the slight sweet taste from the brown sugar. Super easy to make, too!
Megan Lavin
Thanks so much Mandy! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Dale Holden
This is going to be my favorite go to chili recipe from now on. It is amazing.instead of chicken, I used half ground turkey and half grass fed ground beef.
Megan Lavin
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that Dale. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
KJ
This was a great recipe. I used ground beef just because its what i had on hand, but no other changes! Great! Thanks!
Ali
Love turning tacos into a soup. Fiesta in a bowl.
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Exactly! And, no hassle of the taco shells breaking!
Jereann Zann
Looks delicious! My kids LOVE tacos, and I’ve never thought to make them taco soup. What a great idea!!
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Yes, it’s a great way to switch up taco night–especially during the winter!
Nicole Dawson
Sounds like a ton of flavor and easy to leave out the meat and make vegan. Btw, my mom always adds a little brown sugar too, even in her spaghetti.
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Oh for sure you could make it vegan! And yes, brown sugar is the spice of life.
Dreena Burton
This would be great straight up with the beans (as a vegan version)!
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Definitely! So simple to omit and it’d still be so filling!
Jenna Urben | The Urben Life
Yum, I love taco soup! I’ll have to try it with chicken.
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Yes, it’s nice to have a leaner cut of meat in there instead of the traditional hamburger.
Monica
Looks delicious! I love your idea for homemade GF taco seasoning!
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Thanks. It’s nice to have your own spice mixes in case you run out (I hate going to the store for one thing) and in case you can’t find a safe one.
Alisa Fleming
Yum! All this needs is some tortilla chips crumbles and diced avocado on top! I love using homemade taco seasoning – so easy and cheap!
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Yes, you can never go wrong with adding diced avocado!
Kelly
This looks like a great one bowl meal. Hearty and delicious!
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I’m all about one bowl meals…except I do love some cornbread on the side!
Kristina
I have been craving something like this… saving this one to make next week, thank you!
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You’re welcome! Enjoy 🙂
Kaila (The Wanderlust Celiac)
This soup sounds perfect for a winter’s day. Also, the cornbread looks delicious as well!
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It is one of my fav winter soups! Thanks 🙂
Amanda
That is a wonderfully hearty taco soup. The photo is so enticing!
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Thanks–soups can sometimes be hard to photograph, so I appreciate that comment!
Leslie
Brown sugar is an interesting addition. I never would have thought of that!
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You’ll never want to make it without once you try it!
K.C.
Looks delish! I love lots of color in my food.
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It’s true–the more colorful the more enjoyable to eat I say!
Kortney
Yay for having a friend who gets it! I’m always so grateful for those people who come into our lives and make food allergies not a big thing. Ground chicken is perfect for this soup! My dad is also allergic to beef so I grew up not ever eating it so I naturally want to use a ground poultry (which seems impossible in Germany so we have started eating beef).
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How interesting! I have only ever met one other person who couldn’t do ground beef. Nice to see we’re not alone!