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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
Debra Yanke
0Love the recipes.
Jacinta Murray
0This is so good. My husband checked taco seasoning in a packet & we were surprised how much sugar is in it. I will never use packet taco seasoning again, thank you for this recipe.
Rose Cancino
0Love love this recipe!! No dressing needed.
Natalie
0I don’t normally comment on recipes, however, this one went over so well that I just can’t refrain. I love Taco Salad, but having a house full of kids, the last thing they want is anything with the word “Salad” in the title. I took a risk and made this anyway. I added Kidney Beans and Tortilla Strips. I was absolutely flabbergasted that not only did ALL of my children ask for seconds, they all begged me to make this a regular dinner selection. When I set out to make it, I thought to myself, “Here we go…time to fight the kids and force them to eat.” I just kept shaking my head everytime one of them asked for more. Not only is this meal super quick and easy to put together, but for my family, it was a total win. I will be making this regularly.
Michelle
0Turned out great! We added black beans and corn and crumbled tortilla chips. Definitely a hit!
Linda
0Having visitors and will try this healthy and awesome recipe this weekend. Thank you.
Sarah
0I really liked this recipe – yum!
Phyllus Lattimer
0No dressing needed? We used thousand island
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Phyllus, I don’t use dressing on this because the sour cream and salsa act as a dressing. But you can add dressing if you like!
Yolanda
0Love the Taco Seasoning recipe and Taco Salad!!! Thank you!
Suzy
0We absolutely LOVE quick and easy meals! This is one of our favorites! The kids always ask for more!
Lisa
0This was great! My whole family loved it! I put lettuce in bowls and let everyone put their own toppings on. I added corn (fresh, uncooked and cut from the cob) and black beans as toppings.
Helene
0It was a big hit tonight and I made the low carb tortilla chips too! Thank you for this recipe
Jen
0Another delicious recipe! I accidentally got parsley instead of cilantro but I didnt notice anything off. Thank you!!!
Lee
0Can this be made with ground turkey instead of ground beef thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Lee, Sure, you can!
Kellsi Nichols
0Hi, I am looking to meal prep this recipe. With the salsa, and oil, would it be okay to meal prep it or will it be soggy after sitting like that?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kellsi, I wouldn’t recommend mixing all the salad components together if you meal prep it. If you do make it ahead of time, you’ll want to pack the “wet” ingredients like the tomatoes and sour cream separately.
Elizabeth Black
0I loved this taco salad and I added some color hope you like it: diced -jalapenos, red onions, waxy yellow bell peppers and sliced skinned cucumbers with lemon wedges.
Tom
0This taco salad is the better then any restaurant by far.
Regina Knight
0I made this Taco Salad and it was delicious!
I plan on making it again.
🙂
Beth
0Salads are my favorite food group & this one is a fast favorite!! Delicious!
Patricia
0How many servings is this recipe?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Patricia, It’s 6 servings for the nutrition info as listed. Or you could divide it into 4 servings instead to make larger meals.