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I Make This Taco Salad Recipe Almost Every Week
At my house, busy days often mean easy, one-pan dinners that I can assemble in a flash. Like this taco salad! It’s packed with protein and fresh veggies, and checks all the boxes for a quick, healthy meal all by itself. Here’s why:
- All the right flavors and textures – Perfectly seasoned taco meat, sweet tomatoes, crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, cheddar cheese… there’s so much to love about this ground beef salad. There’s a reason it’s my most popular salad recipe!
- Fresh, simple ingredients – You can find them at any grocery store and feel good about eating them. Unlike many taco salad recipes, mine is gluten-free without any chips. Not to mention, what I use for the dressing is the easiest ever.
- Totally customizable – Use whatever you have on hand, or swap ingredients based on what you like. I have ideas for you below!
- Quick and easy one-bowl dinner – Possibly the best part of this salad is that the whole thing is on the table in 20 minutes. The only cooking involved is browning the beef on the stove, and there’s no fussy assembly of each taco.
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this taco salad, because it’s my go-to every time I don’t know what we’re having. Make it with me next time you’re in the same boat!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best taco salad ingredients, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Ground Beef – I prefer 85/15 for a ground beef taco salad, but feel free to substitute ground turkey, ground chicken, or shredded chicken. I’ve also made this recipe before using barbacoa or chorizo for the meat — just omit the taco seasoning.
- Avocado Oil – Just a bit for browning the beef. Olive oil works, too.
- Taco Seasoning – I make homemade taco seasoning and use 2 tablespoons per pound of meat. (It takes just 5 minutes to make with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.) A store bought packet of taco seasoning works just fine, though. I like this store bought seasoning that doesn’t have processed fillers, but it’s also missing salt — you’ll need to add a teaspoon of salt if your seasoning is unsalted.
- Romaine Lettuce – Feel free to swap in any greens you like, whether it’s simply iceberg lettuce or something a little different, like kale, arugula, or spinach.
- Veggies – I make this healthy taco salad with grape tomatoes (or sometimes cherry tomatoes), green onions, and avocado. Feel free to use larger chopped tomatoes, red or white onions, or even guacamole if you want to get fancy. Sometimes I toss in some fresh cilantro leaves or chopped bell peppers, too.
- Shredded Cheese – I usually use either cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend. Pepper jack is great if you like a kick. Just omit for a dairy-free option.
- Salsa – I like this pre-made one, which has medium heat and clean ingredients! Choosing different kinds is an easy way to get creative. You can totally make your own, too — try my simple fresh tomato salsa, salsa verde, or creamy blended avocado salsa.
- Sour Cream – I use salsa and sour cream in lieu of a dressing here, which works out surprisingly well. Why spend time creating a complicated taco salad dressing? When you mix it all up, it tastes like there’s dressing in there. If you need a dairy free option, swap the sour cream with thick coconut cream, a splash of lime juice, and a pinch of salt… or you can use the jalapeno lime dressing from my other Mexican salad.
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How To Make Taco Salad
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Brown the beef. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned.
- Add the taco seasoning. Stir the seasoning into the ground beef, until combined. For juicier meat, you can also add 1/4 cup of water to the meat mixture and let it simmer.
- Assemble your taco salad. Place the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, avocado, onions, salsa, and sour cream into a large bowl. When the taco meat is done, add it to the bowl. Toss together and enjoy!
My Recipe Tips
- Drain the beef if needed. I don’t usually need to if using 85/15 or 90/10 ground beef, but you’ll probably want to if you use 80/20.
- Let the beef brown enough. Obviously you want it cooked through, but I think it tastes even better when it darkens more and gets a few crispy edges. They’re so good! You’ll need the heat at medium high to achieve this, and a heavy bottom skillet.
- Customize it to your liking. Ultimately, what goes in a taco salad is very much up to you. Feel free to throw in any other veggies you have on hand, or omit anything you don’t like. That’s one of the great things about simple salads — you don’t have to be that precise!
- Want some crunch? Crumble some baked tortilla chips (or my low carb tortilla chips) over the salad.
- Want to make it more hearty? To make this taco salad recipe more filling, add canned black beans, sweet corn, or black olives. You can also swap the greens for rice or cauliflower rice, which is a lot like my taco bowl.
- Want extra heat? Drizzle your salad with hot sauce, or add extra jalapeños to your salsa.
- Try a taco salad bar! Serve all the components in separate bowls and let everyone assemble theirs in their own salad bowls. It’s a great way to scale this recipe up for a crowd, or to please everyone if your family is picky.
- Meal prep these in mason jars. See my mason jar salad for instructions. I’ve scaled it down per jar for convenience!
Taco Salad (Healthy, Easy Recipe)
By
Toss together my taco salad recipe in just 20 minutes, using common ingredients you probably have! It's easy, healthy, and family friendly.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Stir taco seasoning into the ground beef until well combined. If you like, you can also add 1/4 cup of water when adding the seasoning and let it simmer a bit.
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Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the ground beef. Toss everything together.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/6 of entire recipe
- Tips: See my recipe tips above to help you get nice flavor and texture in your taco meat, ways to customize this taco salad, and how to serve it for a crowd.
- Store: Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. If you can, store without the sour cream, salsa, and avocado, as these are best added fresh. I also prefer to store the beef separately, so that I can reheat it later.
- Reheat: Warm up the taco meat in a hot skillet or in the microwave before adding to the salad.
- Meal prep: Brown the meat with taco seasoning and chop all your taco salad ingredients (except avocado). I recommend storing them in separate meal prep containers. Right before serving, heat the meat and add to the salad. Top with sour cream, salsa, and freshly cut avocado, and toss together. Alternatively, you can meal prep this taco salad recipe as a mason jar salad.
- Note on nutrition info: It’s based on 85/15 ground beef and typical tomato salsa. It will vary if your beef is leaner or higher fat, or with different brands of salsa.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Taco Salad Recipe
More Healthy Mexican Recipes
I love this taco salad for Mexican night at my house! (I’m sure some of you do Taco Tuesday, but my planning is so random that it doesn’t always land on a Tuesday, lol.) We rotate this salad with these other dishes, or sometimes even serve them together:
- Dips – Try my layered taco dip, creamy Crock Pot queso, or fish ceviche. I usually set out a bowl of tortilla chips for people, but my fave is actually hollowed-out fresh mini bell peppers — they are perfect for scooping dips!
- Fajitas – Choose from my shrimp fajitas (the fastest), chicken fajitas (my personal favorite), or steak sheet pan fajitas (for a hands-off option).
- Stuffed Veggies – Like my taco stuffed peppers or stuffed poblano peppers.
- Soups – For a soup and salad combo when I have a little more time to prep, I like serving this salad with chili verde (inspired by one I had in Mexico) or Mexican chicken soup.
While it’s fun to experiment, this easy taco salad recipe is definitely the simplest — and it’s still packed with all my fave Mexican flavors — so I make this one most of all. Don’t forget the skinny margaritas!
348 Comments
John
0Great dinner, I used the homemade taco seasoning for the meat. My wife is on a diet also, not keto. We enjoyed the meal together that met all our restrictions, was delicious and convenient.
Rebecca W
0I really love taco salad for a healthy lunch option! I like that this recipe is quick to make and that it hits that Mexican food craving!
Gigi
0Wow wow wow! This recipe was so simple to make and so surprisingly flavorful. I love that it is so versatile. I used pork sausage instead of ground beef. I cooked diced onion and jalapeno with the meat. I made the recipe for the taco seasoning and I will never have to buy it again. The seasoning blend was perfect. And the “dressing” mix of salsa and sour cream, was delicious. My husband loved it and he isn’t crazy about salads. This will be a new family favorite.
Kristin Shepherd
0We loved this! I bought the recommended salt-free taco seasoning in the link. Great flavor and perfect since we’re watching our sodium. I added the recommended items: black beans and corn – which added fiber and flavor and made it very filling so we didn’t get hungry between meals. So quick and easy to make.
DeeDee Jellema
0Love this recipe, by adding different topping such as the tomatoes, avocado or sour cream, it’s a different meal each time.
Melody Bjur
0I loved this taco salad! I used Maya’s seasoning with chicken instead of beef and cooked the onions. I loved mixing the salsa and sour cream (although I use natural yoghurt). So yummy! Thanks Maya!
Susan Economon
0I enjoyed this recipe and really appreciated the many options offered. It’s always surprising to me when I’m satisfied without heavy carbs included in such recipes. More please!
Selena
0Delicious. I had been thinking Mexican when this recipe showed up in my inbox. Perfect. I was already making my own taco seasoning. Loved the variation of smoked paprika (which I also added to my guacamole), and the cayenne pepper kick. It was delicious and helped me stay on track with my eating plan.
Patricia Carlton
0This Taco salad was amazing… Will definitely be making this again.
Sherri Vanderberg
0This recipe was extremely easy to prepare, and very delicious. We had it for dinner, and I made enough so that I could have it for lunch for the week. And it was even better throughout the week as the flavours absorbed together. My husband even liked it and he’s not on keto. Absolutely will make this a staple in my keto journey.
Barbara Short
0I substituted shredded beef and used a taco shell and the recipe was a huge hit with the family. Delicious was and word used by all.
Farrah Kalatzakis
0Perfect weeknight meal for my keto diet, and kids gobble it up too! We used ground turkey instead, and substituted Mexican cheese. It was really tasty! Next time I want to add some corn (even though it’s not a, low carb veg) just to mix it up!
C
0A tasty way to get more salad ingredients into your diet. I make this almost weekly, my family loves it, we never get tired of it! I have even made it for extended family and it was such a hit. Highly recommend this one.
Lea
0This was delicious. I left out the avocado, nobody likes them in my house.
Jennifer Tompkins
0Mexican Food is my favorite! Love this Taco Salad!
ginger lafreniere
0Missed having traditional tacos till I saw this recipe. Now I enjoy tacos whenever I get a craving.
Kim
0Love this salad! I added the black olives, which of course adds to the deliciousness!
Mary Sauers
0We loved this Taco Salad Recipe–super fast and easy!
Nancy
0So simple and tasty. Good way to get finicky eaters fed.
Susan
0Thank you Maya for this simple, fast, tasty recipe!
I switched out the cheeses for non-dairy ones, used salsa verde, and added black olives (love them). I was getting bored with the same salads I bring to work, so I kept a bit of the lettuce and mixture separate and I’m looking forward to having it again at work tomorrow for lunch!
Stacy
0So simple! Why did I forget about taco salad, it hits all the boxes for us and I have ability to use turkey instead of swap out different greens– definitely going in my “weeknight” recipe box! Thank you!