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Looking for the best beef taco recipe? These crispy Tex-Mex beef tacos are loaded with tender, seasoned ground beef and all your favorite toppings—taco night perfection!
When it comes to family dinners, you can’t beat old-school Tex-Mex beef tacos—the kind with crispy shells, juicy, seasoned beef, and all kinds of toppings to pile on. They’re easy to make, always a crowd-pleaser, and especially fun when you set out all your favorite toppings and let everyone build their own.
I give the classic recipe a little upgrade by using one of my favorite kitchen tricks: mixing the ground beef with a bit of baking soda before cooking. It might sound unusual, but it makes the beef extra tender. The seasoning comes together with pantry spices, so there’s no seasoning packet needed. Smoked paprika adds a hint of smokiness, cayenne brings the heat, and a squeeze of lime brightens everything up. You can always dial back the cayenne for a milder batch and let everyone add hot sauce at the table.
“I will never use a pre packaged taco seasoning mix again! My 8 year old who is a picky eater ate five tacos and would have eaten more but we told him he had to save some for his other siblings!”
What You’ll Need To Make The Best Beef Taco Recipe
- Ground beef: I use 90% lean ground beef, which gives the filling plenty of flavor without making it greasy.
- Baking soda: My little trick for extra-tender taco meat. It raises the pH of the beef, helping it retain moisture as it cooks.
- Vegetable oil, onion, and garlic: The oil is used to sauté the onion and garlic, which build a flavorful base for the filling.
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne make a flavorful homemade taco seasoning, no packet needed. You can reduce the cayenne if you prefer milder tacos.
- Tomato sauce and water: Keep the beef moist and give the filling its slightly saucy consistency.
- Sugar and lime juice: A little sugar balances the acidity of the tomato sauce, while fresh lime juice brightens the finished filling.
- Taco shells: I love classic crunchy corn taco shells for this recipe, but soft flour or corn tortillas work, too.
- Toppings: Set out your favorites, such as shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, avocado, onions, and cilantro, and let everyone build their own tacos.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Beef Tacos
Tenderize the beef: In a medium bowl, mash the beef with the baking soda and salt. Let sit for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Cook the onions and garlic: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until it’s hot and shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute—just enough to mellow out the raw bite, but not long enough to brown.
Add the beef and bloom the spices: Add the beef and all the spices. Cooking the spices directly with the beef at this point lets them bloom, intensifying their flavors.
Cook the beef and add the remaining ingredients: Cook, stirring constantly and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, sugar, and lime juice.
Simmer mixture: Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it cook uncovered, stirring often and breaking up the meat as you go to avoid any big chunks. Cook until the liquid has reduced and thickened—it should still be slightly saucy, not completely dry—about 10 to 15 minutes. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
Assemble the tacos: Use a wide, shallow spoon to evenly divide the filling among the taco shells (warm them according to package directions before adding the filling). Arrange two or three tacos per plate and serve right away, with toppings on the side for everyone to add as they like.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Reheating
The beef filling is a great thing to have tucked away for a busy night. Make it ahead—or double the batch and freeze half—and dinner is mostly a matter of warming the shells and setting out toppings. Easy!
- Make ahead: Prepare the filling up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if needed to loosen the sauce.
- Freeze: Let the filling cool, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a skillet until hot.
Video Tutorial
Beef Tacos
Ingredients
For the Beef Filling
- 2 lbs 90% lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 lime
Shells and Toppings
- 16 Taco Shells, warmed according to package instructions
- Optional: shredded Mexican blend cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, diced avocados, diced onions, chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mash the beef with the baking soda and salt. Let sit for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Do not brown.
- Add the beef, chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring constantly and breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, water, sugar, and lime juice; bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat, until the liquid has reduced and thickened (the mixture should not be completely dry), 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
- Using a wide, shallow spoon, divide the filling evenly among the taco shells; place two or three tacos on individual plates. Serve immediately, passing the toppings separately.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What To Serve With Beef Tacos
Set out shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole and let everyone build their own tacos. I like to serve them with Mexican rice or black bean and corn salad on the side, plus tortilla chips for scooping up any guacamole that doesn’t make it into a shell.
More Tex-Mex Dinner Recipes To Try
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Fabulous. Used a combination of hatch green chile powder and ancho chile powder. A combination of cheddar and cantal cheese (we are living in France). Will definitely make again and share with friends! Thanks
Usually, I love your recipes but this one was not very good. I was expecting something I could make for the whole family. However, there are too many individuals in my group who can’t handle spicy food, and the meat was way too spicy as a base.
Delicious taco seasoning! Playing with the spice ratios in this recipe is quite forgiving as well. I use 2 TB instead of 1/4 cup of chili powder. I bloom the spices and only use half which still makes a PLENTY flavorful dish.
Excellent! Truly authentic flavours! Another fantastic recipe; thank you!!
This was a thumbs up from the family. I admit that I omitted the baking soda step as I agree with several of the other posters that it gave a weird taste and texture.
After making it a few times, sans the baking soda, I did add 1 tsp of cocoa to the spices and used Mexican Oregano (as I had because of Jenn’s salsa recipe). I sprinkled cilantro on before serving and the family said it was the best ever. Additionally, I used beef tallow in place of vegetable oil and beef broth instead of water. For me, it gave it a richer flavor.
I gave the recipe as written 4 stars, and again I made it as written before I made personal adjustments. Thank you Jenn, the seasoning mix is better than anything I could find premade.
Sorry, did not like the coriander. I would skip this and replace with cumin. I’m sure it just depends on what you’re used to.
What a perfect weeknight meal! A winner with my kids!