Our go-to Beef Taco Recipe with the juiciest ground beef taco meat. Beef tacos are perfect for easy entertaining or busy weeknights and they always get rave reviews!
We love taco parties and usually go between these ground beef tacos or our famous fish tacos. You can prep the taco meat and toppings in advance then everyone builds their own tacos. Talk about stress free entertaining.
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If you are looking to feed a smaller crowd, you can easily cut all of the ingredients in half and the taco meat will cook even faster. You can also make the full batch and freeze leftovers for a future dinner. If you want to really take these to the next level, make sure you try our easy Homemade Hard Taco Shells.
What Makes These the BEST Beef Tacos?
It is all in the ground beef taco meat and this recipe does not disappoint. These beef tacos are:
- EASY
- Only 4 ingredients
- a 1-Pan recipe
- 15 minutes cooking time
What Kind of Ground Beef for Tacos?
You want to use ground beef with a fat content between 80-90% – nothing overly lean or fatty. If you do have a fattier beef on hand, no worries, you can spoon out the excess fat from the pan before adding the tomatoes.
How to Make Ground Beef Tacos:
The beef taco meat comes together in 1 pan in about 15 minutes. You end up with tender juicy and perfectly seasoned beef.
1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat, add the beef and cook 5 minutes, or until no longer pink, skim off excess fat if desired.
2. Add Rotel tomatoes, 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp salt. Cook until beef is fully cooked and and most of the tomato liquid has evaporated (7 to 10 minutes).
Taco Toppings for Beef Tacos:
Ground beef tacos are so versatile for any kind of toppings. We love serving these with Mango Salsa (as seen in the photos), but you can make your Taco Tuesdays exciting with these taco toppings:
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Sour cream
- Limes cut into wedges
- Cilantro sprigs
- Sliced jalapeños (fresh or canned)
- Sliced avocado
- Diced tomatoes
- Sliced green onion or diced red onion
- Corn Tortillas – or Homemade Hard Taco Shells
How to Toast Tortillas for Tacos:
Soft Corn tortillas should be toasted just before serving to keep them fresh and warm. Toast only as many as you need. Always use dry skillet (no oil required) and do not overheat or tortillas will become dry.
- Heat a large non-stick pan or griddle over medium/high heat.
- Place tortillas in a single layer and toast 15-30 seconds on each side just until hot and barely starting to turn golden.
- Remove to a plate and wrap loosely with foil to keep warm.
These beef tacos are so fresh, hearty and satisfying. Try these for your next taco party!
More Taco Recipes for Taco Tuesday:
- Fish Tacos with the best fish taco sauce!
- Korean Beef Bulgogi Tacos – incredible flavor here
- Shrimp Tacos with Coleslaw – a restaurant copycat
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos – easy weeknight dinner
Ground Beef Taco Recipe
Ingredients
For the Beef Mixture:
- 2 lbs ground beef chuck, 10% to 20% fat
- 20 oz Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilis, (Two 10 oz cans with their juice)
- 1 tsp chili powder, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
To Serve Beef Tacos:
- 20 yellow corn tortillas, (small) or Hard Taco Shells
- 1/2 iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 2/3 cup sour cream, for topping
- 2 limes , cut into wedges
- 1/4 bunch Cilantro sprigs, to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add 2 lbs ground beef and cook, stirring occasionally until cooked through (5 minutes). Use a spoon to skim off and discard most of the excess fat, leaving about 2-3 Tbsp in the pan.
- Add 2 cans of tomatoes, 1 tsp chili powder and 1 tsp salt. Continue to cook until beef is fully cooked and sauce slightly reduced and most of the tomato liquid has evaporated (7 to 10 minutes).
- Before serving, on a dry large non-stick pan over medium/high heat, toast both sides of tortillas just until hot and barely starting to turn golden (15-30 seconds per side). Remove to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
- To serve, place a heaping spoonful of beef over each tortilla, top with lettuce, mango salsa, sprigs of cilantro, sour cream and a sprinkle of chili powder if desired. Squeeze fresh lime juice just before eating.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Easiest Taco Night Ever!
Here’s a secret sneaky tip for instant tacos with no cooking required: Use left-over meat from last night’s dinner. Use leftover meatloaf to make beef tacos or repurpose your Crockpot Pulled Chicken leftovers! Break up the meat and warm until just heated through then add them to your taco bar.
Excellent taco recipe, but may I suggest a way to take these to next level? I like to substitute either flank or skirt steak for the meat filling. Understanding that your delicious recipes are based on time and ease, I recommend making beef piccadillo (shredded beef). about 4 hours in a slow cooker on “high”, seasoned with oregano, cumin, garlic and onion. Tasty!
Delicious and so easy! All of your recipes we make are 5 star and we’ve made alot! Can’t wait for your book to come out.
Hi Vern! Thank you so much for the wonderful comment. I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes.
I am so happy to have find you. You make your recipes so easy to follow through and I enjoy making them. Your ingredients are so simple and very delicious. Thank you for making me want to go back in the kitchen.
Thanks so much! I’m so glad you find my recipes helpful!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Definitely not going to use taco seasoning packets anymore, this turned out to be so much tastier and more juicy! Thank you!
You’re welcome! It’s always best to know exactly what goes into your food!
Thank you Natasha for all your great recipe!!!
Today is Cinqo de mayo and I made your chicken fajitas, ground beef tacos, and mango salsa. They all turn out amazing as usual with all your great recipes!🌷
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Mariam!
Natasha,
These are the best tacos I’ve ever had! That mango salsa was perfection as well! I made extra taco meat with a packet of seasoning because my daughter wasn’t so sure about this recipe. She ended up trying one of each and said she liked yours better!! 🙌 Thank you for all the amazing recipes! I posted the tacos on Facebook and tagged you!
Sincerely,
Susan
That’s great news! Thanks a lot for sharing that with us, I hope you’ll both enjoy all the recipes that you will try from my website.
Can I use store bought taco shells for this recipe?
Hi Lina, I don’t see why not! I hope you love this recipe!
Thank you so much!
I think “You want to use ground beef with a fat content between 80-90%” would make your meatloaf awfully greasy!
I use 1 pound 80/20 and 1/2 pound ground turkey…I drain off meatloaf 1/2 way thru cooking…flavorful and eagerly eaten…also add minced vegies,onion,celery and a bit of celery with onion soup mix and lotsa other goodies…
Where do you get the corn tortillas? All I can find are so small you can hardly get anything on them.
Hi Sandra, at the grocery stores. Feel free to ask at the store if you cannot find the right size that you want.
Meat is pretty bland. I even tripled the chili powder. Might try the mango salsa recipe though!
Hi Katherine, these are normally very flavorful without needing extra spice. Make sure you use the right amount of Rotel tomatoes and not just plain diced tomatoes which will make all the difference. I hope that helps!
Your nutritional information doesn’t show serving size? Am I missing something ??
Hi Kathy, the nutrition label is based on how many servings. The number of servings are listed towards the top of the recipe card.
These were the best beef tacos I have ever made! My son went nuts over them. Just so good!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Beth!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it definitely looks like a 5-star recipe. I promise I will try out this recipe! I only had one question. Can I make beef enchiladas with this meat mixture? Thank you in advance for your response. P.S.: You have the greatest recipes! I love your videos! You make it look so easy!
Hi Theresa! I hope you LOVE this recipe when you try it. I haven’t tested that with that meat but I bet it will work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
This recipe looks delicious. I haven’t tried them yet, but I will soon. Never thought of using Rotele, I love rotele cheese dip. I am Mexican and made my tacos with ground beef only, which I love. I use crispy corn tortillas. Oh, by the way, I also love mango salsa on salmon. I will try this recipe soon. I know it will be good. All of your recipes I have made are delicious. My husband really like then too.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Linda! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our recipes!
Hi Natasha,
I have never heard of Rotel tomatoes with Chili in Australia.
Can I just use tin tomato with a Chili?
Hi Cobie, if they are similar to this I imagine so. If you experiment with that I would love to know how you like that.
Made these tonight, used a can each of diced tomatoes and green chiles, sooooo good!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Beth!
I haven’t tried these yet but they look great, and I’m sure they will taste as good as they look. One thing I didn’t see was cumin. I have been told that cumin was a major player in the flavor of beef tacos.
Hi Chris, I have heard that also and it it more by personal preference.
I am a taco lover and these are simple and really good. Kids ate them up. Simple clean up.
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!