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Say hello to your new favorite taco recipe — Crunchy Baked Beef Tacos!
So many of you love my Crunchy Baked Turkey Tacos, a Defined Dish staple featuring a delicious turkey filling stuffed into grain-free tortillas with dairy-free queso. They’re baked until crispy on the edges and soft in the center — aka the best way to have a taco, in my opinion.
Here, I’ve taken those same elements but swapped in ground beef and sharp cheddar cheese to make a classic beef taco recipe. The beef filling is seasoned with warm spices like chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano. Canned diced green chiles bring some heat and then the whole mixture is divided up between tortillas and folded together with sharp cheddar.
After the tacos bake to crispy perfection, they’re stuffed with lettuce, tomato, and cilantro and served alongside your favorite hot sauce and lime wedges. They are truly foolproof and I cannot wait for y’all to try this new version!
ingredients:
- Avocado Oil
- Ground Beef
- White Onion
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Ground Cumin
- Dried Oregano
- Canned Diced Green Chiles
- Tomato Paste
- Tortillas
- Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Roma Tomato
- Fresh Cilantro
- Hot Sauce
- Lime Wedges
step-by-step:
step one: preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
step two: cook the beef and onions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Add the ground beef, onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat into super small pieces with the edge of a spoon, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain off all but about 2 tablespoons excess grease in the pan.
step three: add the spices
Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring until spices are fragrant and incorporated into the meat, 1 to 2 minutes.
step four: add the chiles and tomato paste
Add the diced green chiles (undrained) and tomato paste and toss until well combined with the meat.
step five: keep warm
Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you prepare the tortillas.
step six: assemble the tacos
In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon avocado oil over medium-high heat and quickly fry 1 tortilla (about 30 seconds on each side) until flexible and easy to fold. Place the tortilla on the prepared baking sheet and scoop about 2 tablespoons of beef onto one side of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoon of cheese onto the beef, then gently fold the tortilla in half to form a taco. Continue frying, filling, and folding the tacos (adding more oil to the skillet as needed) until you’ve used all the filling.
step seven: bake the tacos
If the tops of your tortillas look dry, brush each one with avocado oil to ensure they will crisp up in the oven. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the tacos are crispy and browned on the edges.
step eight: fill the tacos
Remove from the oven and let cool just until you can handle the tacos. Using your hands, gently open the tacos and fill with sliced lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro.
step nine: serve and enjoy
Serve with your favorite hot sauce and lime wedges. Enjoy!
recipe faqs:
I use Siete Foods grain-free tortillas! I prefer either the cassava blend or almond flour.
You can prep steps 1 through 4 in advance (cooking the meat, onions, and spices) and store the mixture in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Gently reheat it in a skillet on the stovetop before assembling and baking the tacos.
From weeknight dinners to at-home game days, these Crunchy Baked Beef Tacos are guaranteed to be a hit! Leave a comment below once you’ve tried them and let me know what you think!
want More Taco Recipes? try these!
Instant Pot Beer-Braised Chicken Tacos
Crunchy Blackened Salmon Tacos with Serrano Slaw
Crunchy Baked Beef Tacos
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons avocado oil, divided, plus more as needed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup finely diced white onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 tortillas
- 1 cup freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For Serving:
- 1/2 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce (from about 1/4 head of lettuce)
- 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced small
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- hot sauce, to taste
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon avocado oil. Add the ground beef, onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat into super small pieces with the edge of a spoon, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain off all but about 2 tablespoons excess grease in the pan.
- Add the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring until spices are fragrant and incorporated into the meat, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the diced green chiles (undrained) and tomato paste and toss until well combined with the meat.
- Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm while you prepare the tortillas.
- In a small nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon avocado oil over medium-high heat and quickly fry 1 tortilla (about 30 seconds on each side) until flexible and easy to fold. Place the tortilla on the prepared baking sheet and scoop about 2 tablespoons of beef onto one side of the tortilla. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoon of cheese onto the beef, then gently fold the tortilla in half to form a taco. Continue frying, filling, and folding the tacos (adding more oil to the skillet as needed) until you’ve used all the filling.
- If the tops of your tortillas look dry, brush each one with avocado oil to ensure they will crisp up in the oven. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the tacos are crispy and browned on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let cool just until you can handle the tacos. Using your hands, gently open the tacos and fill with sliced lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro.
- Serve with your favorite hot sauce and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
The third item I made for the Superbowl, but I have made these before and they are always a crowd pleaser! My son said these are his favorite! Put some plain greek yogurt on the side.
so happy you loved it!
Especially good if you heat tortillas on pan with cheese.
So good!