Crunchy Ground Beef Tacos Recipe

These crunchy Ground Beef Tacos feature flavorful, beefy ground meat loaded into crunchy taco shells. Customize and serve with all your family’s favorite toppings for an easy weeknight meal that takes just 30 minutes!

When you’ve got a craving for the Taco Bell crunchy ground beef taco, why not make it at home? It’s so easy to do.

These tacos are not authentic. These particular tacos are more of a Tex-Mex taco recipe that was derived to suit American tastes.

What are crunchy ground beef tacos made of?

Arguably popularized by Taco Bell, crunchy ground beef tacos are made of crispy-fried corn tortilla shells filled with seasoned ground beef, cheese, chopped onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Other optional toppings include salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, guacamole, or other sauces.

Are tacos supposed to be soft or crunchy?

Generally speaking, authentic Mexican tacos are encased in soft corn tortillas (neither flour nor hard taco shells). They’re usually filled with perfectly seasoned meat that is stewed, fried, or grilled. Then it is topped with onions and fresh cilantro. Common seasonings and spices for Mexican tacos include cumin, oregano, paprika, lime, onions and dried chilies.

A popular Mexican taco would actually be carnitas or barbacoa. These traditional Mexican “street tacos” can also be made at home easily.

The Americanized version of tacos which are usually filled with seasoned ground beef can utilize either a soft flour tortilla or a crunchy hard corn tortilla as the “shell”.

Ingredients needed

Ground beef

When buying your meat, make sure to pick out a leaner option so that you get to save those extra calories for dessert! Ground beef with an 80%to 20% meat to fat ratio is ideal. The fat is going to help give flavor to the meat and we can drain the grease before serving.

Taco seasoning

To save time, we’re using store-bought taco seasoning. Taco seasonings vary by brand but they usually contain spices and seasonings such as chili pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and paprika.

Crunchy taco shells

​​Most hard-shelled tacos are made with only three ingredients including whole grain corn, oil, and a little salt.

You can find crispy hard taco shells from the store for this recipe. They’re much more convenient and easy for you to create delicious meals for your family.

Shredded cheese

Cheese is a popular ingredient for tacos, especially in Tex-Mex cuisine (though not found in authentic Mexican tacos). We prefer to use shredded cheddar jack for our tacos.

Lettuce & onions

Lettuce and onions will provide a bright freshness to this taco recipe. It will also cut the flavor of taco seasoning, balancing out the dish as a whole.

Taco sauce

Use the sauce of your choice. There’s mild, medium and hot versions.

How to make it

In a pot over medium heat, crumble and brown the ground beef. This could take up to 10 minutes. After the meat is browned transfer it to a large paper towel lined plate to drain off the excess fat. Then return the ground beef to the pot and add the taco seasoning and water. Stir well and cook on medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove the pot from heat.

Preheat the oven to 325.

Place the crunchy taco shells on a baking sheet. I like to line the baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup. Fill the taco shells with the ground beef mixture and top with the shredded cheese. Bake for 8 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Serve the tacos and garnish them with taco sauce, lettuce and diced onion.

Quick tip

These tacos are best eaten soon after baking. If left too long the ground beef mixture will make the taco shells soggy. You don’t have to make all of the tacos at once. You can store any leftover ground beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator that way you can make more tacos the next day. If you run out of taco shells you can always make your own hard tacos shells from corn tortillas.

Crunchy ground beef tacos recipe

This easy crunchy ground beef tacos recipe makes for a very delicious meal the whole family will love! These crunchy tacos are perfect for busy week nights as they come together quickly. I hope you enjoy this recipe and don’t forget to rate it down below. Thanks for visiting!