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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
Traci
0I was looking to find ideas to make a healthier taco salad. This worked for me and the flavors were great. I pretty much followed the recipe with a few exceptions. I used ground turkey in place of beef and added corn and olives for some additional flavor. I crumbled tortilla chips and added on top. Flavorful and simple.
Connie
0I added two containers of sliced flat steak to the meat, used hot pepper cheese, sauteed jalapenos, baked a ruffled shell (one ruffled pan on the bottom/with one on top to hold it in place and give it shape)…to hold everything, melted some of the cheese in the tortilla before I put the meat in (to keep the juices from flowing through the shell, and topped the salad with those colorful strips of corn tortillas.
Diane Johnson
0That taco salad is just what I’m gonna have to make because it’s easy and it’s just like a taco out of the shell and if I want to put it in the shell all that do it just get me low-carb shell and I’ve seen some low carb shell that all these there was green actually I knew how to do a taco salad I just wanted to see how you was doing it to kato Way and sometime I like to stretch it with adding fat free refried beans are stretch it.
Katy
0Delicious!
Connie
0So quick to put together and so tasty!!
Donna
0Love this salad! Can the taco meat be frozen for later use?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Donna, Yes, it can be frozen.
Cheryl
0How many does this serve as a side?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Cheryl, This salad makes 6 servings.
Linda
0Utterly delicious!!!!!
Viki
0I wanted something ‘different’ for dinner – something to get excited about. Well, this filled the desire – there are just the two of us but I cooked a full pound of ground beef and I am so happy I did – I’m looking forward to another salad today! Be sure to make Maya’s Taco Seasoning mix – make lots of it, you will be using it for her Mexican recipes, I promise!
Carla whitmore
0Good recipe
C
0Delicious and quick; very tasty!!
Jo
0I cook with ground turkey. I haven’t used ground beef in decades.
How would that change the recipe, if at all?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jo, You could make that swap without any issues.
Kathy
0This sounds so good! I was thinking of making Tacos with the salad.
Pam
0My whole family loved this salad. I will make this again!
Deb McJunkin
0Everyone, including my husband and my grandson liked it! That never happens. They even agreed this would go into the weekly rotation of meals! So glad I found this site! Looking forward to trying more!
Linda
0This is a really good salad! Its easy to make and it is so flavorful. My family loves it! I make it often.
Geri Reti
0I made this salad and it is delicious!
Helene Bahnman
0I made this for lunch on the Day 1 challenge. It is very tasty. I subbed the green onions for diced bell pepper as we didn’t have any green onions. Even my husband liked it. A winner. I will make this recipe again.
Joyce
0I always seem hungry with these portions.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Joyce, Feel free to adjust the serving size to your preferences.
Michelle
0I am doing the ketogenic diet. This meets all the requirements I just think this recipe lacked taste. I prefer onion over green onions in this case. Also it needs more of the amounts of seasoning, sour cream, cheese etc cos the lettuce just takes all the flavor away with the 8 oz. I personally think it would be better tasting if you put the lettuce in the bottom and kind of layer the rest of the ingredients rather than tossing them altogether. I tried this recipe and I’m not very impressed, sorry …
MichelleHasNoTaste
0Hiding the lettuce at the bottom doesn’t magically make it go away lol. With all of the changes you’re suggesting, you might as well take out the lettuce completely and try making a taco casserole instead.
Angel
0I found this recipe to be delicious. Loved the green onions in place of onions. Additionally, the serving size seems adequate for a keto diet and was filling (I made two servings, me and my husband loved it) Would definitely recommend it!
Jen
0Simple and delicious! The whole family loved!
Linda G Ridenhour
0This Taco Salad recipe was really yummy! Everyone loved it. It was light and fresh tasting but very filling. It was really easy to make and will be added to our family favorites.