Low Carb Keto Cheese Taco Shells

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Skip the flour tortilla and corn taco shells for your next taco night — I’ll show you how to make the easiest, crispiest low carb keto cheese taco shells that stand up to all your favorite toppings! With only 3 ingredients and 15 minutes from start to finish, you’ll want to make these every time you serve tacos. They’re as easy as soft tortilla options like my almond flour tortillas, but with a delectable crunch.

What Are Cheese Taco Shells?

Cheese taco shells are simply taco shells made of cheese! Baking the cheese makes it perfectly stiff and crisp, like an authentic taco shell — just without the crazy carb count.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for cheese tortillas, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Cheddar Cheese – You could also use any other hard cheese that gets crispy when baked, and has a flavor that goes well with Mexican foods. I don’t recommend making them with softer cheeses, such as mozzarella, because they won’t crisp up.
• Spices – This recipe includes cumin and chili powder, because they’re totally delicious for tacos. I used just a bit for flavor without added heat, but feel free to experiment with any spices you like — or none at all.

How To Make Low Carb Taco Shells

This section shows how to make keto taco shells, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Prep. Place cheese in circles on a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure the cheese is of even thickness throughout. Sprinkle with spices.
2. Bake. Place the pan in the oven, until the edges of the keto taco shells are fairly dark brown and bubbles form.
3. Set up drying stations. Meanwhile, set down two drinking glasses with a wooden spoon resting horizontally on top.
4. Remove and cool. Allow cheese shells to rest for one minute on the pan. They should firm up a bit but don’t wait for them to cool completely.
5. Dry. Using a large flat turner or spatula, carefully lift the taco shells and hang them over spoon handle. Allowed to harden for 5 minutes.

5. Enjoy. Serve the low carb hard taco shells right away for maximum crispness.

Tips For The Best Keto Taco Shells

The instructions for how to make cheese taco shells are straightforward, but as always, I want to share some of my favorite tips! This way, you’ll end up with the most perfect keto taco shells ever.

• Use two jelly roll pans to save time. I love these particular pans! They are just big enough to fit 3 shells, but small enough to fit in the oven side by side.
• Use parchment. For easier cleanup and no sticking. Cheese will stick too easily to foil or a bare pan.
• Make the circles uniform. It’s important to have the cheese circles be uniform in both size and thickness. Otherwise, some will be done before others and it will be a big hassle.
• Set up multiple drying stations. You’ll need to hang the tacos all at once, in order to get the timing right. So, prep the glasses and spoons while the cheese is in the oven.
• Make sure the edges are browned. Cooking your cheddar cheese taco shells for just the right amount of time is key. They are done when the edges are bubbling and starting to brown. If you remove them before the edges are browned, they won’t get crisp.
• Work quickly. If you wait too long, the cheese won’t be pliable enough to form the hard keto taco shells. But, you do want to wait 45-60 seconds for the cheese to cool enough. That way, it will still be pliable, but will not fall apart.
• Use a solid turner or spatula. I love a large, solid restaurant-style turner like this one. Just don’t use anything with holes, because the cheese can sink through while it’s still soft.
• Allow for cooling time. The cheese will crisp up more as it cools. They don’t need to be totally cold, but they do get more crispy with time.

Storage Instructions

Ideally, you’d serve your low carb taco shells right away. They are quick to make, so no reason not to make them right before your meal. But, if you want to make cheddar cheese taco shells ahead, you can:

• Store: Keep low carb crunchy taco shells in the fridge with paper towels between them. Just know that they will not be as crispy as fresh ones.
• Reheat: Avoid reheating, as cheese will start to melt and lose its shape.
• Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing keto taco shells, because the texture of cheese changes when frozen. It tends to get crumbly.

Ways To Use Cheese Taco Shells

Now that you know how to make taco shells low carb, the toughest part is deciding how to use them! Try these ideas:

• Taco meats – Stuff cheese shell tacos with barbacoa beef, shredded chicken, or ground beef cooked with homemade taco seasoning.
• Sauces – Top keto taco shells with tomato salsa, avocado salsa verde, pineapple salsa, or homemade guacamole.
• Taco Bowls – Make extra large circles of cheese, big enough to form a bowl. When they are done in the oven, drape the cheese over upside down bowls instead of over a spoon. Then, whip up some easy healthy taco salad and fill the taco bowls with it!

More Keto Mexican Recipes

Craving Mexican food? You’re in luck — I have dozens of keto Mexican recipes! Try these flavorful dishes:

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Keto Taco Casserole

7 Layer Taco Dip

Keto Burrito Bowl

This reader favorite recipe is included in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook! Order your copy to get 100 easy keto recipes in a beautiful print hardcover book, including 80 exclusive recipes not found anywhere else (not even this blog!), my complete fathead dough guide, the primer for starting keto, and much more.

ORDER THE EASY KETO COOKBOOK HERE

4.75 from 20 votes

Keto Cheese Taco Shells (Fast, Easy, Crispy!)

Learn how to make cheese taco shells perfectly every time, along with lots of tips for quick, easy, CRISPY low carb keto taco shells.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 6 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 2 cup Cheddar cheese (shredded) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Cumin ▢
• 1/8 tsp Chili powder ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (191 degrees C). Line either two jelly roll pans or one XL baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place cheese in circles on the baking sheet(s), with even thickness throughout. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.

3. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the edges start to brown and bubbles start to form.

4. Meanwhile, setup wooden spoons sitting horizontally across two overturned glasses (see picture above with the cheese on it). This way, they'll be ready once the cheese taco shells are out of the oven.

5. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and cool without disturbing for about 1 minute.

6. Use a flat turner or spatula to lift the cheese circles and hang them over the wooden spoons. Let them hang until hardened, about 5 minutes.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 keto taco shell

Recipe from The Easy Keto Cookbook.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 152

Fat 12g

Protein 9g

Total Carbs 0.4g

Net Carbs 0.4g

Fiber 0g

Sugar 0g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keywords: cheese taco shells, keto taco shells, low carb taco shells

Calories: 152 kcal

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