Easy Taco Soup + VIDEO (2024)

FAQs

How do I thicken up my taco soup? ›

The best item to thicken a soup is some sort of starch, whether from flour, cornstarch, arrowroot, or even a lot of potatoes. If it is a powder, mix it with cold water and stir to make a smooth, lump-free paste, and stir constantly as you add it to the soup. A little goes a long way!

Use Mashed Beans

Mash a portion of the beans with a fork or potato masher and then add them back to the soup. The mashed beans will act as a natural thickening agent, making your taco soup heartier and more substantial.

A squeeze of lemon or lime juice or a little vinegar can help cut through spiciness. Acidic foods tone down the spiciness in foods and can add some flavor, making this a good trick for seafood dishes or creamy soups and chowders.

Yes, you can definitely add cream to your soup. Whether you use a few tablespoons or a few cups, cream gives soup a silky mouthfeel and rich flavor. You can definitely add milk or other dairy as well, though it will taste gradually less creamy as you go down in percent.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute.

Wheat Flour

Most households already have plain flour in their kitchens, which makes it an easy swap for cornflour in many recipes. The natural starches in wheat can be used to thicken soups and sauces. There's a reason every luxurious macaroni cheese sauce starts with flour.

Egg yolks, arrowroot, tomato paste or butter can thicken sauce in place of flour or cornstarch.

Bulk up the Recipe to Dilute the Spice

Protein can help thin out the spicy ingredients as long as they haven't been preseasoned with the same heat-building ingredients. Starches like potatoes, rice, pasta, and bread work to soak up and diffuse spiciness without adding distinct flavors that may alter the recipe.

Sweet Defeats Heat

Adding something sweet to a too-spicy dish is another great way to reduce spiciness. A sprinkle of sugar or honey should do the trick.

Does sour cream make soup creamy? ›

Yogurt, Sour Cream, and Crème Fraîche – Dairy like yogurt, sour cream, and crème fraîche can add a creamy acidity to soups, but can curdle and be unpleasant if cooked over heat for too long, so swirl these in last.

Yes, heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the exact same thing. The confusion lies in the fact that they're sold by different brands under two different names. According to the US Food and Drug Administration's labelling standards, heavy cream must contain at least 36 percent milk fat.

Nut-based Milk

When making a bechamel, an alfredo, or adding a “dairy” base to soup, almond and cashew milk work best for this because their neutral flavor remains neutral when heated and cooked.

Corn starch is a good way to thicken up the water into something more saucy. This is my preferred method if the extra water actually has flavor, because it adds a nice sauciness to the dish. Make a corn starch 'slurry' by mixing cold water and some corn starch, then add that to the hot dish that still cooking.

Incorporate Cornstarch

Cornstarch is another popular thickening agent that can be easily added to your chicken tortilla soup. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water to create a slurry.

Soup Thickening Method: Cornstarch Slurry

I made a classic slurry by whisking cornstarch and hot broth until smooth in a small bowl. I drizzled it into the soup gradually, and brought it to a boil to fully activate, thicken, and cook out the starch flavor before adding more.