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These Ground Beef Tacos are easy and delicious. Filled flavorful ground beef that’s been sautรฉed with a homemade taco seasoning and stuffed in homemade crunchy taco shells. Feel free to swap them in for store-bought or soft shell tacos for an easy weeknight meal! Serve them with a Queso Fundido, Watermelon Margaritas and Sopapillas.
I adore authentic food from Mexico like a warm bowl of Beef Birra, fresh Baja Fish Tacos, a cold Chelada and Conchas. Admittedly, these ground beef tacos learn closer to Mexican-American food. I like to think that they’re the amazing version of what you would get at Taco Bell. These are inspired by my love for crunchy taco supremes. SO GOOD! Let’s dive in:
Why These Ground Beef Tacos are Amazing
- Easy, easy! A quick weeknight meal that everyone will love.
- Flavorful and savory. The meat is juicy, rich and bursting with spices and flavor.
- Crunch vs. soft. Choose your own adventure. I love a crispy taco shell but use soft tortillas for ease.
What ACK readers are saying:
“I loved these! The ground beef came out perfectly juicy and spicy and was very easy to make. I will be adding these to my weekly rotation for sure.” – Steph
“I tried these tacos and they are SO good. The seasoning for the beef is perfection. And the crispy taco shells are next level!” – Rebecca
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make These Ground Beef Tacos
- Ground beef. I like using 85%/15% ground beef so it has some flavor. Feel free to user a leaner variety if you like.
- Spices. I like to make my homemade Taco Seasoning. We’re using a lot of them because we need flavor. Ground cumin, cayenne, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and some oregano.
- Tomato paste. This is going to add a nice thickness to our filling.
- Beef broth. I like using a good-quality beef broth. You could also use Homemade Chicken Stock or store-bought chicken stock in a pinch.
- Corn tortillas. Gotta make some homemade shells! Of course, you can use store-bought if you want to save some time.
- Pico de Gallo. I love making my pico de gallo homemade. It makes it even better.
For the rest of the ingredients, please refer to the recipe index card below!
How to Make Ground Beef Tacos
- Warm up the oil. Place a skillet (with a wide rim) on the stove. Pour in 1/2 inch of oil. Heat it over medium heat until it reaches 350F.
- Using tongs, drop in the tortilla. Tap it a few times to encourage it to puff up. And hold it there for about 12-15 seconds.
- Flip the tortilla and then fold it in half. You want to hold it in this position so it holds its shape for about 12-15 seconds. The tortilla should be puffed, crispy, and golden all over and able to hold its shape.
- Transfer it to a bed of paper towels to drain. Sprinkle them with a pinch of kosher salt. Sprinkle the shells with a pinch of kosher salt. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
- When the olive oil is warm, add in the ground beef, along with your store-bought or homemade taco seasoning and salt. Break up the ground beef into crumbles and until the spices are mixed evenly throughout.
- 4. Fill the shells (whether using homemade or store-bought) with the ground beef mixture.
- Add the shredded cheese.
- And then the lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. Serve lime wedges.
Tips and Tricks
- To Reheat the Shells: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the shells on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes then flip the shells and bake for another 3 minutes. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
- To Warm Store-bought Shells: Follow the directions per the package. I usually do this when the meat is already done so they stay warm.
- Re-Heat the Meat. You can make the ground beef mixture up to three days ahead. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in a pan or microwave and add a few tablespoons of broth to ensure it’s still saucy.
Recipe FAQs for Ground Beef Tacos
If you’re using ground beef that’s 85%/15%, it will have some residual fat in the pan. Feel free to drain this or sop it up using a paper towel. I like to keep it because it’s pretty flavorful but this is entirely personal.
I like using Siete Foods Cassava Crunchy Taco Shells or La Tiara.
Yep, if you want soft tacos, simply warm up the tortillas (corn or flour tortillas) in a pan and proceed with using this filling.
Yes! You can stuff them with the meat from my Birria Tacos. Or if you want strips or chunks, feel free to use the meat from my Carne Asada Tacos.
My idea dinner looks something like this: these Ground Beef Tacos as the main course, Shrimp Ceviche or Caesar Salad to start; Cheladas or Strawberry Margaritas to drink; and definitely a Tres Leches Cake or Flan for dessert.
More Delicious Taco Recipes
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Ground Beef Tacos
Video
Equipment
- 1 medium skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, (I used 85%/15%)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup beef broth, (or store-bought or homemade chicken stock)
Puffy Taco Shells
- 12 corn tortillas
- Neutral, high-heat oil (for frying)
For Serving:
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese or Colby Jack or Pepper Jack
- 3 leaves lettuce of choice thinly sliced, (we want the shaved effect so we went with iceberg)
- 1 cup pico de gallo, (I use my homemade pico de gallo)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup guacamole
- Lime wedges
Instructions
To Make the Filling:
- In a medium saucepan or skillet, set over medium heat, and add a teaspoon of olive oil. When warm, add the meat, along with all of the spices: cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
- Break the meat up with a spatula and mix until the spices are evenly distributed throughout; cook for 5 minutes or so. When the meat begins to brown, add the tomato paste and beef broth, mix, and cook for about 5 additional minutes or until the broth has cooked off. Turn off the heat and set aside. Set aside.
To Make the Crunchy Taco Shells:
- To a skillet with a wide rim, add oil until itโs about ยฝ-inch up the sides. Heat the pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until itโs 350 degrees F. If you donโt have a thermometer, you can test to see if the oil is ready by dropping a piece of a tortilla into the oil. If it doesnโt sizzle immediately, heat for another minute or two before trying again. If your oil is smoking, that means itโs too hotโturn down the temperature and wait a few minutes before testing again.
- Line a plate or tray with paper towels and set next to your skillet. Using tongs, gently drop a tortilla into the oil, tap it a few times with the tongs to encourage the tortilla to puff, and fry for 12-15 seconds. Turn the tortilla over using the tongs and immediately fold the tortilla in half, holding it with the tongs, to shape it into a shell. Fry for about 12-15 seconds before flipping to the other side and frying for another 12-15 seconds.
- The tortilla should be puffed, crispy, and golden all over and able to hold its shape. Transfer to your paper towel-lined plate or pan and immediately sprinkle the outside and inside of the shell with a pinch of kosher salt. Repeat the process with the remaining tortillas. See below to reheat if youโd like to fry your shells beforehand.
To Assemble the Tacos:
- Fill your shells with a few tablespoons of meat, shredded cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole. Serve lime wedges.
Notes
- To Reheat the Shells: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place the shells on a baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes then flip the shells and bake for another 3 minutes. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
- To Warm Store-bought Shells: Follow the directions per the package. I usually do this when the meat is already done so they stay warm.
- Re-Heat the Meat. You can make the ground beef mixture up to three days ahead. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. Reheat in a pan or microwave and add a few tablespoons of broth to ensure it’s still saucy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You know, I did make this recipe just the other day in class… Butttt… my teacher fucking died on the spot, Uh Oh. although he died, i highly HIGHLY recommend this recipe for anyone with suicidle thoughts. I would suggest adding 5 more grams of lead, 7 millimeters of fent, and Infuse a can of galaxy gas. Hope this helps! i leave only a 4 stars because i got an f because my teacher fortunantly dided
alrighty then.
These Ground Beef Tacos sound absolutely perfect for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner! The homemade taco seasoning must make the beef so flavorful, and I love the option of using either crunchy or soft shells. Paired with Queso Fundido, Watermelon Margaritas, and Sopapillas, itโs a meal thatโs sure to impress. Definitely adding this to my taco night rotation!
This recipe looks fantastic! Question, though. You don’t drain the fat off the beef before adding the broth and tomato sauce?
Hi David, I usually don’t because I like the flavor but that’s entirely up to you! You can if you want to. If there is a super excess of it, a lot of times I’ll blot some of it away with a paper towel.
So easy and better than the package stuff, for sure!
I loved these! The ground beef came out perfectly juicy and spicy and was very easy to make. I will be adding these to my weekly rotation for sure.
Hi Steph, Amazing to hear! Thanks for the feedback. So glad you loved them. ๐
I tried these tacos and they are SO good. The seasoning for the beef is perfection. And the crispy taco shells are next level!