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A hand holding a close up of a ground beef tacos showing the inside juicy beef melting cheese and all the topping like sour cream, salsa, cheesy sauce, guacamole and jalapeno

Ground Beef Tacos

Ground Beef Tacos are one of those juicy, flavorful tacos that you can whip up in minutes! It makes an easy weeknight dinner, tailgating and party favorites.  We make those for taco Tuesdays and we're sharing all the endless variations to enjoy them step by step and video below. Make them today :)
Course main, Main Dish, tacos
Cuisine Mexican, TexMex
Keyword beef tacos, ground beef tacos, how to make tacos, meat tacos, tacos, tacos recipes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 12 tacos
Calories 178 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Ground Beef

  • 1 lb ground beef extra lean
  • 1 onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper each
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 2 Tablespoon cilantro minced
  • 1 Jalapeños minced optional

Taco Shells

  • 12 taco shells or tortillas
  • 1 cup cheese grated

Toppings

  • 1/2 cup nacho cheese sauce
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 1/2 cup scallions
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions

  1. You're going to start by cooking the ground beef. We make it the exact same way as we do in our Ground Beef Nachos.
    ground beef cooking in a cast iron skillet with onions, garlic, and homemade taco seasoning
  2. We begin by sauteeing the onions, add in the beef and garlic along with hour homemade taco seasoning.
  3. Cook until ready and you can no longer see pink.
  4. At that point you can add some spice by adding in some minced jalapeños, or leave that out. Finish off with some minced cilantro for a fresh finish.
  5. Now that the beef is ready, you can start assembling the tacos.
  6. Start with your taco shell. You can use hard or soft shells, flour or corn tortillas. Just pick your favorite and it will taste amazing!
    A hand holding a hard taco shell in a baking sheet and adding cheese to the taco shell to start assembling the ground beef tacos
  7. Choose an oven safe dish or baking sheet and place the shells on top. Then begin by layering the shredded cheese.
    the ground beef is now added over the cheese in the taco shell
  8. Now add in the cooked ground beef that was prepared earlier.
  9. If you're using soft tortillas, you'll be layering the same way as shown above.
    In a baking sheet, some soft tortillas are also layered with cheese and ground beef to show how you can make tacos with soft shells
  10. Then you're going to bake off the tacos for just 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.
  11. Once melted, you'll start piling your toppings.
  12. You can go as simple or complex as you want here. We love adding cilantro, corn, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, pickled jalapeños, scallions and black olives.
    The ground beef tacos our of the oven and the topping are added on top according to your choice
  13. You can definitely add more exotic Mango Pico De Gallo or Pineapple Salsa. All the toppings above are linked in the ingredients list so you can make them at home or use store bought. If you want a hearty taco topping that's SO GOOD, use our Black Bean and Corn Salad.
    A hand holding a close up of a ground beef tacos showing the inside juicy beef melting cheese and all the topping like sour cream, salsa, cheesy sauce, guacamole and jalapeno
  14. And there you have made the easiest most delicious ground beef tacos ever!
    A hand pulling apart a ground beef taco showing the stretch of the cheese and toppings

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Tips For Making Ground Beef Tacos

  1. It's a great idea to have the ground beef cooked ahead of time, so always double the amount. You can use it for Ground Beef Nachos and much more!
  2. If you want to have homemade toppings, they’re also great to be made in advance. Homemade Salsa,  Guacamole Recipe, Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe, Queso, Mango Pico De Gallo.
  3. When cooking the ground beef, make sure you don't dry it out. Just cook the beef until it turns brown and turn it off right away.
  4. Whether you use hard or soft taco shells, make sure you layer them the same way. Start with the cheese, then the meat. You can add more cheese if you'd like over the meat, however we love our Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe.
  5. If you prefer to reheat the shells, you can do so in a microwave or air fryer. We absolutely LOVE reheating taco shells in the air fryer more!
  6. Keep an eye on the tacos in the oven as the beef is already cooked, we just need the cheese to melt.
  7. As soon as it's out of the oven, begin with the toppings right away and enjoy!

What is the Best Ground Beef for Tacos

You can completely use lean or extra lean, however extra lean is better as you don't really need the fat for this recipe. We also love making it using ground lamb, check out this Lamb Tacos.

Should you drain the meat?

If you're using lean beef and you notice theres excess fat, then feel free to drain it.

You make our Taco Salad if you're looking for a lower carb option. Likewise you can use low carb tortillas.

What to serve with Tacos?

Strawberry Mojito would be a great drink to make with this recipe. You can also start off the meal with a luscious Queso and chips. Our viral Pita Chips can be spiced up with taco seasoning and they come out amazing!

Nutrition Facts
Ground Beef Tacos
Amount Per Serving
Calories 178 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Trans Fat 0.1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 39mg13%
Sodium 321mg14%
Potassium 351mg10%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 492IU10%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 108mg11%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.