Ground beef tacos are made with juicy seasoned ground beef that's packed with spicy flavor! Serve in flour tortillas with your favorite toppings for a quick weeknight meal.
Tacos are one of my favorite quick weeknight meals - shrimp tacos and ground pork tacos are a few of my go-to recipes. Taco night is perfect for busy families because you can have dinner ready in about 15 minutes!
Maybe ground beef tacos are already in your rotation but you'd like to mix things up and add more flavor. Give this recipe a try! Tomato paste, beef broth, and homemade taco seasoning add incredible savory flavor to an otherwise boring taco.
Serve ground beef tacos in your favorite corn or flour tortillas, or even as a salad on a bed of lettuce. Add your favorite toppings like cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream for a complete meal.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Oil - Olive oil or your favorite cooking oil works.
- Onion - Adds flavor to the taco meat base.
- Beef - I recommend using an 85/15 ground beef for homemade tacos because it's not too greasy, still has good flavor, and won't dry out as quickly as lower fat varieties. If using a higher fat beef, you may want to drain the pan before adding the rest of your ingredients.
- Tomato paste - Adds savory, umami flavor to the taco meat. If you don't have tomato paste on hand, you could add triple the amount in plain tomato sauce and cook your sauce down a bit longer. Tomato paste could also be omitted entirely if needed (your taco meat will have slightly less flavor). I don't recommend substituting with ketchup, which adds a sugary sweet flavor.
- Beef broth - Adds savory flavor and creates a sauce along with the tomato paste and seasoning. Beef broth could be substituted with water if needed - this will result in a loss of flavor.
- Taco seasoning - I've included measurements to make your own taco seasoning, but the spices listed can be substituted with your favorite taco seasoning blend.
- Tortillas - Flour tortillas work great in this recipe. Feel free to use your favorite.
- Toppings - Add your favorite taco toppings, like shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream, fresh red onion, and cilantro.
Tips and tricks
Sauté onions - Sauteing your onions first allows them to brown and cook off some moisture, adding flavor to the dish. Adding onions along with the beef causes your ingredients to steam while they cook, which prevents each ingredient from browning properly.
Allow beef to brown - Crumble your ground beef into the pan and allow it to brown on the bottom before turning. Resist the urge to nudge the beef around in the pan while it cooks - browning adds additional flavor to the finished dish.
Add more liquid as needed - After adding your seasoning, tomato paste, and broth, you may need to add more liquid. If the pan starts to look dry, add a splash of water and stir to incorporate. I don't recommend adding more beef broth because it can make the meat too salty.
Storage
Leftover taco meat will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days and reheats well in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Taco meat can also be frozen for up to six months. Allow meat to cool to room temperature, then store in a tightly sealed freezer-safe container.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. If your beef is extra greasy, you may want to drain it before adding your seasoning. This depends entirely on the fat content of the ground beef used.
I like making my tacos with 85/15 ground beef. 85/15 means that the meat contains 15% fat. But doesn't fat add flavor? Yes, but we're adding a significant amount of flavor to the recipe with other ingredients, so we can use a slightly lower fat meat without affecting the flavor of the recipe. However, this recipe can work with any type of ground beef you'd like to use.
Popular toppings include sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, salsa, taco sauce, guacamole, fresh avocado, cilantro, and fresh diced red onion. Feel free to use your favorite taco toppings.
I like to add a avocado black bean salad on the side or chips and queso as an appetizer. See my post 25 sides for taco night for more ideas on how to expand your next taco dinner!
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Ground Beef Tacos
Ingredients
Taco meat
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 pound 85/15 ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅓ cup beef broth
Taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For serving
- 8 flour tortillas
- Your favorite toppings like sour cream, shredded lettuce, and pico de gallo
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add onions and cook until lightly browned around the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Crumble ground beef into pan. Allow beef to brown on one side. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, break meat apart into small crumbles and continue to cook until browned on all sides. If needed, drain excess grease from the pan at this time.
- Add tomato paste, beef broth, and taco seasoning, stirring to incorporate. Bring to a simmer and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until mixture has thickened slightly. If pan looks dry, add a splash of water. Remove from heat.
- Warm your tortillas in one of two ways:Microwave: stack tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 30 second bursts until warmed through.Stove top: in a dry skillet over medium heat, add tortillas one at a time and cook for 15-30 seconds per side.
- Assemble your tacos by filling tortillas with beef mixture and adding your favorite taco toppings.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Taco meat will keep for 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator and reheats easily on the stove top or in the microwave.
- Taco seasoning listed in the recipe card can be substituted with your favorite store bought or homemade brand. This recipe calls for about 5 teaspoons of taco seasoning and has a medium amount of heat. Cut listed seasoning in half for a mild flavor.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!