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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
Julie Schulz
0How many people serve 1 recipe of your Taco Salad? I have to serve 100 people at a luncheon… I would love to serve this Taco Salad … Please let me know ASAP… I would greatly appreciate it… Thank you! Julie Schulz
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Julie, My taco salad recipe makes 6 servings. It would be amazing to serve for a large group! For that big a size, you’d probably want the components laid out separately for people to build their own, but you can change the number of servings on the recipe card above to 100 to get the amounts. Good luck, that’s a lot of people! Please let me know how it goes.
Linda Dreher
0I made this recipe again and added corn and black beans to make it a little heartier.
It was a last minute meal and went together quickly since all I had to do was defrost some taco meet I already had. Delicious recipe as usual!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you for sharing, Linda! That’s a wonderful variation.
Linda D.
0Making this taco salad on our trip in our RV. It should be super simple to put together. I usually cook the meat ahead of time, freeze it and then put it all together on the night we don’t have a lot of time after setting up. Will write a review after I make it.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0What a great trip meal, Linda! Please let me know what you think once you make it.
Linda Dreher
0Made the taco salad on our trip and it was delicious. Everyone loved it, so I am
making it again tonight with the leftover taco meat.
KRH
0This has become our family’s favorite taco salad recipe. Thanks!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Yay, that’s awesome! Thank you.
Dawn
0This made a great filling dinner. Loved it! My only change was I added three tablespoons of Taco seasoning instead of two that the recipe called for. This is a great base for a Taco salad that you can build on making it your own.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Dawn! I’m so happy you loved it. Yes, 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning works just fine if you like a bolder flavor. Enjoy!
Mark Robert Luker
0fantastic…i added some crumbles of tortilla chips for some extra crunch..thank you so much.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you liked it, Mark! Tortilla chips are a great addition for crunch. Enjoy!
Darlene
0This is one of our favorite salad recipes! It tastes amazing and it’s on our dinner meal rotation. We love how fresh it tastes!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad to hear that, Darlene! It’s one of our family favorites, too.
Lacy v V
0This is delicious! My family loved this as a taco salad buffet. I served the cumin on the side, as well, since some of us love it, and some of us definitely do not!
Dottie Bacon
0This salad is one of my favorites!! It’s fast enough for a short night after a 10 hour day. I just make sure I prep things the night before, and it comes together so fast. Certainly gives me a taco fix!! As always, thank you for all your delicious recipes, and wonderful products! 🙂
linda
0I was craving a taco salad and needed to be within my macros so I come across this recipe, it didnt disappoint ,YUMMY
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Linda! Yes, this taco salad is very macro-friendly. 🙂
Kathrin Zimmermann
0My daughter is a really picky eater, especially if there’s any chili in a meal. But this salad was gone in a second. Now it’s on the white list. Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0So happy to hear that, Kathrin! Love the “white list” concept, I’m going to start calling my daughter’s list that, lol.
Linda Dreher
0I love taco salad and this recipe was yummy! I make taco salad at least 2 times a month, it is very economical. I also like to use ground turkey in place of ground beef.
Thank you!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Linda! Yes, I make it often too since it’s so versatile. Ground turkey is great, too!
Lisa M
0Taco Salad was a huge hit at our house last night!
Krissie Thomson
0Thank you so much for your app! I just downloaded it last week and I love it!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Awww, so glad you love it, Krissie! That means a lot. Thank you!
Krissie Thomson
0I usually make taco salad with tortilla chips but made your version instead. Was filling and very good! The avacado was a nice addition!
Laura
0Really liked this! Tasty with and without tortilla chips. I kept the salsa and sour cream separate for people to add as much or little as they liked. However, the 3 of us devoured this, lol.
Sorrel
0Made this for my husband who is vegetarian so swapped the beef for tofu crumbles & he LOVED it! This will definitely be a regular on the menu from now on. Thanks Maya.
LaCrecia J DeVore
0Great Taco Salad! Makes me hungry! I am anxious to make it for my family! Good Job!
Di Burk
0I am a taco salad fan. Your taco seasoning is spot on, and this is a delicious refreshing meal that I can do on repeat. Thank you for all your hard work.
Vicky
0This was such a good quick and easy dinner. We used lean ground turkey breast because we don’t eat red meat.
Michele Sullivan
0So sad Maya you would have to even need to put that discloser.
My question is how would you make this vegetarian?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Michele, You could add beans if they fit your lifestyle, or just omit the meat and maybe add some extra cheese.