My family’s best beef taco recipe calls for lean ground beef and a simple blend of pantry spices. One of my favorite 20-minute dinners, and the entire family loves it!
These easy beef tacos are a weeknight favorite at our house. We use our go-to taco meat recipe with lean ground beef and a handful of pantry spices. It’s quick, simple, and so much better than anything you’d get from a store-bought seasoning packet.
Adam and I both love tacos for dinner, but it wasn’t until our son really fell for this taco recipe that we started making it on repeat. I love the spiced beef mixture tucked into corn tortillas and top it with whatever I happen to have on hand. Sour cream, lettuce, cabbage, pico de gallo, guacamole, avocado, you name it. They all work!
Key Ingredients
- Taco Seasoning: I know you can buy packets at the store, but I much prefer our taco spice blend below. You’ll combine chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and salt together. Another option is to use this homemade taco seasoning, which makes a larger batch and adds an extra ingredient for flavor.
- Ground Beef: I like to use lean ground beef (90/10 or 10% fat) for these tacos. If you go with a fattier beef, it can get a little greasy. You can substitute other ground meat in this taco recipe (we swap in chicken or turkey all the time).
- Veggies: Totally optional, but if I have chopped onion or Anaheim pepper hanging out in the fridge, I toss them in the skillet. They add a little extra texture, and I love how sweet they get once they’re cooked.
- Tomato Paste and Stock: These make the beef mixture richer and more flavorful. I like vegetable broth, tomato broth, beef stock, or chicken stock. You only need 1/2 cup, so use whatever you have (water will work in a pinch, too).
- Tortillas: Use whatever tortillas you love best. Homemade tortillas are always a treat, and if you want to try making them, we have recipes for both corn tortillas and flour tortillas.
- Taco Toppings: These are your tacos, so go wild with your favorites! In our house, we switch it up between lettuce, cabbage, tomato, avocado (sliced or mashed), sour cream with a squeeze of lime, and pickled onions. Cheese is always a hit, and you can’t go wrong with classic chopped onion.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Beef Tacos
Tip 1: Make our homemade spice mix. Skip the packets at the store. Our simple taco seasoning calls for spices you likely already have on hand. You’ll stir together chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
Tip 2: Brown the beef. For the best flavor and texture, let your ground beef get a little color and crispy edges. I like to press it down in the skillet and let it sit for a minute before breaking it up. Add your spice mix, then use a wooden spoon to crumble the meat. A heavy skillet, like a cast-iron skillet, works great here. I do the same when making our ground pork tacos.
Tip 3: Add extra veggies if you have them. I don’t always do this, but when there’s onion or Anaheim pepper in the fridge, I toss them in with the meat. They get soft and sweet, and it’s so good with all the spices.
Tip 4: Finish with tomato paste and stock. This is what brings everything together and keeps the taco meat juicy. Stir in a spoonful of tomato paste, then add a splash of stock. Let it simmer, and you’re ready to build your tacos!
Tip 5: Warm your tortillas. I love using my gas burner to toast tortillas one at a time over the flame. They get soft with a few charred spots, which taste amazing. If you don’t have a gas burner, heat them in a hot pan until they’re warm but still soft. Stack them up and wrap in a clean dishcloth until you’re ready to eat.
Serving Suggestions
I’m sure you already have your own favorite way to build beef tacos, but here are a few more ideas from our kitchen. We love stuffing tortillas with all the toppings. The options are endless! Here are some of our go-tos:
More Taco Recipes
Easy Ground Beef Tacos
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PREP
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COOK
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TOTAL
This is my family’s go-to beef taco recipe. We’ve called for lean ground beef below and prefer this when made with ground meat that has a little fat (7% to 10% is perfect). Any more, and it’s a bit greasy (any less, and it turns out dry). The onions and pepper are optional, but they add a bit of extra texture.
4 Servings
You Will Need
1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 pound lean ground beef, 90/10 (450 g)
¾ cup finely chopped onion, a quarter of a medium onion, optional
1 Anaheim pepper, deseeded and finely chopped, optional
2 tablespoons tomato paste (35 g)
½ cup chicken stock or water (60 ml)
6 to 8 tortillas, corn or flour
Favorite taco toppings like cheese, cabbage, avocado, sour cream, pickled onions, pico de gallo, roasted tomato salsa, lime wedges, or hot sauce
Directions
1Make spice mix: In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
2Make taco meat: Heat the avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, pat it down into the skillet, and sprinkle the spice mixture over it. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks, stirring until it begins to brown.
3Stir in the onions and pepper, then cook, moving them around the pan until they begin to soften and the onions smell sweet, about 3 minutes.
4Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken stock (or water) and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Taste, then add more salt if you think it needs it.
5Warm tortillas: For a gas burner, turn the burner to medium, place the tortilla over the flame, and heat through. When it starts to blister a bit, flip and warm the second side. Continue with the remaining tortillas. Alternatively, to warm in a skillet, place a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, add the tortillas (one at a time), and cook until warm, soft, and toasty. Keep warmed tortillas wrapped in a clean dish towel to keep them warm.
6Build tacos: Divide the beef between warmed tortillas and top with your favorite taco toppings.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- Make-ahead: Make the ground beef mixture up to 4 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving. Adding a tablespoon or two of additional stock or water helps to moisten the beef.
- Making thinned sour cream: To make it drizzleable, stir 2 tablespoons of sour cream with a teaspoon or two of fresh lime juice, then add a pinch of salt.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We included the taco meat and tortillas.
Nutrition Per Serving
Serving Size
2 tortillas (8 total)
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Calories
374
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Total Fat
16.8g
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Saturated Fat
5.2g
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Cholesterol
73.5mg
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Sodium
579mg
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Carbohydrate
29.4g
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Dietary Fiber
5.1g
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Total Sugars
3.8g
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Protein
27.3g
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