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Get It NowThey say the way to a woman’s heart is tacos — or at least they should. 😉 After years of using it for my tacos and taco salad, I’m excited to share my tried-and-true taco meat recipe with you! Not only is this a staple I make on the regular, meal prepping it ahead of time is a great way to make life a little easier. And you can use it for any of my Mexican -inspired recipes that need taco meat. So, let’s taco ’bout how to whip up this crowd-pleaser in no time!
Why You’ll Love My Taco Meat Recipe
- Packed with flavor – A little smoky, a little spiced, a little hot, a little sweet… my taco meat packs a punch of flavors. You’ll be making the best tacos around with this stuff!
- Simple, natural ingredients – Sure, you could grab a store-bought packet. But I firmly believe that adding the spices yourself makes the best taco meat recipe with so much more flavor. Plus, you don’t have to worry about mystery additives in those packets.
- Quick and easy – Sure, you might count 9 ingredients, plus water, salt, and pepper… but they’re just simple spices, so just grab a pound of ground beef and you’re good to go. My taco meat recipe takes just 10 minutes — a lifesaver for busy days!
- Family friendly – This is an easy staple to have around that kids and adults alike will enjoy. Make it for your family meals, your game days, your fresh dinners outside when the weather is nice. It’s for all your days.
- Perfect for meal prep – Prep a batch ahead of time and enjoy stress-free meals throughout the week. Whether it’s for lunches or dinners, my taco meat keeps well and tastes just as good reheated!
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for my taco meat recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Ground Beef – I get 85/15 grass-fed beef, which is flavorful without excess grease. Any variety you have is fine. You can even use ground turkey or chicken to lighten it up.
- Oil – I usually grab avocado oil for this taco meat recipe, because its mild flavor doesn’t compete with the Mexican spices. Feel free to swap it out for olive oil or any other heat-safe oil you prefer.
- Taco Meat Seasoning – I just use my taco seasoning recipe and scale it down if I don’t have a batch premade. It’s got a combination of chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika (but you can use sweet paprika too), dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. If you do have my seasoning blend already, use 2 tablespoons of that instead, or just the same amount of store-bought (not my favorite). If your store-bought version doesn’t contain salt, my rule of thumb is to add 1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat.
- Water – If you’ve got beef broth on hand, using that instead of water adds even more flavor.
How To Make Taco Meat
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Mix the seasonings. In a small bowl, whisk together the chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Set the taco seasoning aside.
- Cook the ground beef. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the ground beef. Break up into pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and any excess moisture cooks away.
- Add the spices. Add the homemade taco seasoning, as well as the water if you’re using it (see my notes below). Stir to mix well. Let the taco meat simmer to absorb the seasonings and any moisture.
My Recipe Tips
- If you’re using 80/20 beef, you may want to drain it. I don’t find it necessary for 85/15 and 90/10 lean ground beef, as long as the heat is high enough. Speaking of heat…
- Turn up that heat. I recommend browning the beef at medium-high heat if you use a cast iron skillet like I do, or even high heat if you use nonstick cookware (not my favorite). It tastes so much better than letting the meat simmer and steam in its own grease. Take a look at my pictures above and notice that the beef crumbles have a little browning on them. This adds an extra layer of flavor, plus those browned bits get a little crispy. So good!
- Water is optional, but makes it better. I like my taco meat recipe a little more moist, so I also add 1/4 cup of water along with the seasoning and let it simmer. You can skip this, but sorry-not-sorry, it’s just better if you don’t.
Toppings For Your Tacos
While I have other ideas below, naturally the #1 reason you’d want to know how to cook taco meat is for ground beef tacos! Here are some of my favorite add-ins to stuff inside:
- Salsa – Salsa is one of the best ways to add moisture to your tacos, so they don’t taste dry. I make my classic fresh tomato salsa most often, but you can also make simple pico de gallo, salsa verde, my sweet mango salsa or pineapple salsa, or even creamy avocado salsa. If you’re short on time fresh diced tomatoes will do the trick.
- Cheese – I usually just use shredded cheddar cheese, but feel free to change it up with a shredded Mexican cheese blend, crumbled queso fresco, creamy Cotija (my weakness at restaurants), tangy feta, or a drizzle of my queso dip.
- Fresh Veggies – My cilantro lime taco slaw is one of my fave add-ins, and it lasts all week if I have extras. But for simpler options, you can’t go wrong with plain shredded cabbage, shredded lettuce, and diced white or red onions.
- Avocado – Creamy avocado slices are the perfect contrast to the heat in my taco meat recipe. But if you have time, guacamole tastes even better!
- Garnishes – Finish off your taco meat with fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, a dollop of sour cream, and/or a squeeze of lime for a burst of freshness.
It was a busy weeknight when I took the pictures for this taco meat recipe. So, I kept it simple with corn tortillas, fresh tomatoes, onions, scallions (love my onions, ha), shredded cheese, a squeeze of lime, and my daughter’s must-have sour cream on the side:
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep the meat to an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It stores incredibly well!
- Reheat: Simply warm the beef in a skillet or the microwave until hot, stirring occasionally for even heating. I add a little extra water or oil to perk it up.
- Freeze: I love to meal prep big batches of this taco meat recipe! I divide it into 1-pound portions in zip lock bags and keep them in the freezer for 3-4 months. Of course, you can do this with a single batch, too.
Leftover Ideas
Wondering what to do with leftover taco meat? You can certainly just make tacos again, but you can also repurpose it in these other ways:
- Salad – The first (and still my fave) way I used this taco meat recipe was for my taco salad recipe. But it’s also amazing tossed with mixed greens, avocado, and my zesty lemon vinaigrette for a quick, refreshing lunch option.
- Nachos – Layer tortilla chips on a baking sheet, then top with the meat, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Bake until all kinds of melty.
- Enchiladas – Stir the beef with 3/4 cup of my enchilada sauce and roll inside tortillas. (I like to throw in sauteed onions and bell peppers, too.) Top with more sauce and shredded cheese, then bake until bubbly.
- Burritos -You can totally roll up the taco meat with fillings (such as cooked rice or cauliflower rice, black beans, cheese, and salsa), and bake. But since I don’t eat flour tortillas, I just throw together (an easier) burrito bowl when I want that vibe.
- Casserole Or Skillet – If you’ve already got the seasoned beef, my taco casserole is almost half done… or just finish off a taco skillet. Don’t skip the sour cream!
- Appetizer – Forgot to plan ahead for friends or family coming over? No worries, just grab your leftover taco meat and whip up my taco dip recipe for an easy, but impressive app.
More Taco Meat Recipes
While ground beef is the most classic, you can use many other meats for tacos! Here are some of my other taco meat recipes to satisfy all your Tex-Mex cravings:
Instant Pot Chicken Breast
Want chicken tacos? Use the seasoning blend in this recipe with my favorite way to make shredded chicken.
Barbacoa Beef
Tender beef is slow-cooked in a savory blend of spices and chipotle peppers, resulting in irresistibly juicy and flavorful meat. This makes my favorite tacos of all!
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Just use my taco meat seasoning from this recipe with my slow cooker pork recipe. Serve it in tacos, burritos, or nachos for a delicious Tex-Mex-inspired meal everyone will love!
Chorizo Meat
A few of the seasonings are different from my beef taco meat, to get that classic chorizo flavor. And of course, it’s got ground pork instead of ground beef.
My Favorite Skillet For This Recipe
I always reach for this cast iron skillet when making taco meat, because it heats up evenly and cooks the beef really quickly. Plus, cleanup is a cinch, thanks to its enameled coating!
Taco Meat Recipe
Learn how to make taco meat with the perfect blend of Mexican spices. This taco meat recipe is perfect for meal prep and ready in 10 minutes!
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the chili powder, cumin, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. Set the taco seasoning aside.
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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. (I recommend cast iron.) Add the ground beef. Stir fry, breaking up the pieces with a spatula, for about 7-10 minutes, until the beef is browned and excess moisture has cooked away. (If using 80/20 beef, you may want to drain it.)
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Stir the 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 to make it more saucy.
Did You Like It?
Leave a rating to help other readers, or get the recipe sent to your inbox.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 of entire recipe
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
13 Comments
Lela Rice
1Love recipes that allow me to cook a bunch of things at 1 time to split up for faster & easier meals in the future. As I get older (77 now) I find it very tiring standing & cooking for extended periods of time. So helpful to do it with these shortcuts.
Irene
0Thank you, Maya, for your wonderful recipes. I’ve had many oral surgeries over the years and now I am very sensitive to heat spice and sharp spices like vinegar. We don’t eat beef anymore so I use ground turkey instead for my chili, meatloaf, spaghetti sauce, and everything that requires ground beef, and I’ve always used the same spices for many years. My family loves Mexican and Italian food, as do I, so my question is how can I make your chili, taco meat, enchilada sauce, etc, without the heat spice and still make it tasty for me and my family? I have not tried this recipe yet.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Irene, If you don’t want the heat of the seasoning, you will need to reduce the amount of chili powder.
Kate
0The texture was spot on, perfectly crumbled and not greasy at all. I made a taco bar with all the fixings – salsa, shredded cheese, lettuce, and of course, sour cream. So so yum!
Vernice
0I really love how this recipe truly became a lifesaver. It’s so simple and easy to prepare, and so versatile! Aside from tacos, I tried using this with lettuce wraps and stuffed peppers too. So good!
Carmen
0Added Mexican blend of 4 cheeses, & salsa, then added on top of Butter Lettuce, cut up a Avocado on top, made the Best Taco Salad 🥗 😋
Carmen
0Excellent 😋
Pamela
0Awesome!!!
d_bonaldi@yahoo.com
0Yum, did add a little more chili powder and paprika.
Pam
0This was honestly so good. Quick, easy, and the perfect base for a lot of dishes, too. Thanks for sharing this!
Anne
0Having taco meat on hand is always nice. And, having tacos for dinner is an easy dinner. I used the meat and put it in egg white tortillas for a high protein meal.
Cindy
0Such a great and easy recipe — I like to double/triple the batch so I always have taco meat on hand — works for any meal of the day!
Hilda
0This recipe is awesome! It’s got all the Mexican spices you need and it’s super quick, ready in just 10 minutes. Perfect for tacos anytime the kids want it!