This is seriously the best ground beef taco meat recipe and uses a homemade taco seasoning! It's made in less than 30 minutes, and is perfect for your favorite Mexican taco, burrito, and nachos recipe.
No need to use a packet of seasoning for the same old tacos. This super simple ground beef taco meat recipe uses onion, spices from your cupboard, and a bit of tomato sauce to bring vibrant Southwest flavors to your meal!
Use this homemade taco meat on my Classic Totchos for an easy family meal, or in everyone's favorite Ground Beef Tacos. Click to the articles to save.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe For Taco Meat
Get out of your dinner rut with a homemade taco seasoning, some ground beef, and onions! Here's why you'll be making this taco meat recipe on repeat:
- Pantry staple spices like robust chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano make a simple seasoning with big flavor.
- A little cornstarch thickens the mixture making a silky, savory sauce on the meat.
- It's naturally gluten-free, and dairy free, so everyone can eat it.
- Tomato sauce adds savory flavor without any powdered mixes or additives. Just a little helps the meat never taste dried out.
- This taco meat is versatile and can be used for soft or crispy tacos, over salad for taco salad, in burritos, or on nachos.
- Swap out ground beef for ground chicken, turkey, pork, or meatless ground beef.
The Best Beef For Taco Meat
When choosing ground beef for tacos, consider things like freshness, fat content, and the source of the beef if you are conscious of that in your home.
The most recommended type of ground beef for tacos is ground chuck, which is usually found as 80% lean meat to 20% fat. You can also find it as 90% lean meat to 10% fat.
The 80/20 ratio ground beef offers a good balance of flavor and moisture, so the taco meat isn't too dry after cooking. Because I add tomato sauce to this recipe you can easily use 90/10 if you prefer.
Find fresh ground beef at your grocery store, and if you don't use it immediately, freeze it for later. Freezing it will retain it's freshness for several months. Just thaw in the fridge before using it for tacos.
If you are conscious of where your beef comes from you'll know grass-fed beef is often preferred for its higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and often flavor.
Ingredients
The ingredients in this taco meat are so simple, and you probably have them in your pantry and cupboard.
Expert tip: Pull your ingredients out before starting to cook so everything goes smoothly! Here's what you'll need for this simple taco meat:
- Avocado Oil: A neutral oil here is best as they have a higher smoke point. You can also use canola oil.
- Lean Ground Beef: Choose an 80/20 or 90/10 ratio ground beef as the main component of your taco filling. Lean beef helps keep the dish lighter but still offers enough fat for flavor.
- Yellow Onion: Adds sweetness and depth to the flavor profile when sautéed with the ground beef. Dice the onion finely for even cooking and a nice consistency meat filling.
- Jalapeno: OPTIONAL! You can finely dice one jalapeno and add it with the onion, or leave it out completely. You decide.
- Kosher Salt: Enhances the natural flavors of the beef and onions.
- Ground Cumin: Has a nice warm, earthy flavor essential to taco seasoning. Toasting the cumin briefly in a pan can unlock more flavor.
- Chili Powder: Adds mild heat to create a classic taco meat flavor.
- Dried Oregano: Crush the oregano between your fingers before adding to release more flavor.
- Garlic Powder: Infuses the meat with an aromatic garlic flavor that's more mild than fresh garlic.
- Cornstarch: Used to thicken the sauce created by the tomato sauce and spices, giving the taco meat a nice coating.
- Tomato Sauce: Adds moisture and a tangy sweetness that balances the spice flavor.
How To Make Taco Meat From Ground Beef
This taco meat is so easy to make, it's a staple in my dinner rotation. I find myself doubling, or tripling the recipe for a gathering, or even to freeze for later. Here are the easy steps to making ground beef taco meat:
- Brown the beef and onions: You've diced your onion and jalapeno if using, and now just add it to a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with the oil, salt and ground beef.
- Break the beef into very small pieces using a meat chopper tool or wooden spatula. It will take 5 to 6 minutes to fully cook the meat, and the the onions will be soft.
- Season the meat: Add the tomato sauce, then sprinkle in the ground cumin, chili powder, dried oregano, garlic powder, and cornstarch over the cooked meat and onions. Stir well to ensure the spices and cornstarch are thoroughly mixed into the beef.
- Cook and serve: Allow the meat to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, just enough time for the flavors to meld together.
- Serve immediately, or let cool and store. The cooled taco meat can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips And Variations
As an expert recipe developer I came up with this versatile, flavorful taco meat for easy weeknight dinners. The great thing is the flavors work with the same amount of ground beef, turkey, chicken or a vegetarian substitute!
Choose your protein, then season with ingredients right from your cupboard! The homemade taco seasoning mixture is made up of Mexican spice essentials like chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. Want it more spicy? Just add more chili powder or a pinch of cayenne.
The optional jalapeno will add a little heat, but not much. It mostly adds an authentic green chili flavor with minimal effort.
I've created a recipe with a bit of tomato sauce and cornstarch, both of which help make the meat slightly saucy, without being too wet for the perfect taco!
You can also add veggies to your taco meat! Note that this will increase the total yield. Try adding about a cup of one of the following when you are cooking the onions and ground beef:
- Finely chopped carrots
- Cauliflower rice (finely chopped cauliflower)
- Frozen chopped spinach (squeeze dry before adding)
- Diced bell pepper
- Finely chopped zucchini
What To Do With Ground Beef Taco Meat
Put your flavorful taco meat to good use! It's not just great for tacos. I serve it alongside, inside, on, or in some of these recipes:
- Tacos with soft or hard shells
- Oven baked nachos
- Burritos
- Enchiladas or enchilada casserole
- Cilantro salsa
- Authentic Cuban black beans
Storage Instructions
After cooking allow the taco meat to cool to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container. You can use a zip-top bag, reusable silicone bags, glass or plastic containers. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freeze leftover taco meat for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or in the microwave. Then, heat to piping hot before serving.
FAQ
You can freeze this taco meat in freezer plastic bags, reusable silicone bags, or your desired container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the taco meat in the microwave or in the fridge, then reheat in a skillet or the microwave to piping hot before using.
You can add about one cup of one of the following when you are cooking the onions and ground beef: Finely chopped carrots, cauliflower rice (finely chopped cauliflower), frozen chopped spinach (squeeze dry before adding), diced bell pepper, or finely chopped zucchini.
I don't add water to this taco meat recipe. To make the meat a little saucy I add tomato sauce. I think it has more flavor, and a better texture than water.
Use a meat chopper, or a wooden spatula to break the ground beef up as it cooks. It's easiest to do this right when you add it to the pan as it cooks, rather than after big pieces brown.
For taco meat, ground chuck is highly recommended, typically available in an 80% lean to 20% fat ratio, which provides a great balance of flavor and moisture, ensuring the meat isn't too dry after cooking. If you prefer a leaner option, 90% lean to 10% fat ground chuck is also suitable, especially since the addition of tomato sauce in this recipe helps keep the meat moist.
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Easy Taco Recipes
📖 Full Recipe
Best Ground Beef Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ¾ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 jalapeno (seeded, and very finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (1 8-ounce can) tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add ground beef, the chopped onion and chopped jalapeno if using, with the kosher salt. Using a wooden spatula or ground meat chopping tool, break beef into small pieces as the mixture cooks. Cook until onions are soft and translucent and beef is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, and cornstarch and stir to combine evenly with the meat and onions.
- Let mixture simmer in the tomato sauce until sauce is glossy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve*.
- Cooled mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen up to 3 months. *Use in tacos, on nachos, in burritos, over totchos, or mixed with cheese sauce for a queso con carne.
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Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Michelle says
Simple recipe but pretty bland. You'll need to modify for flavor.
RJ says
Delicious. Just concerned I should’ve drained the beef before adding the spices.
Tara T. says
Hi RJ, in the article I talked about how this taco meat recipe has more moisture than some recipes you may have tried in the past. I don't drain my meat because I like to retain the extra flavor and moisture that comes from the fat in the ground beef BUT it's completely up to you how you want to handle that. I would agree with you though, that you'd want to add your spices after you drain so you aren't wasting the spices or the flavor. Thanks for trying the recipe! Tara
Tara T. says
Hi RJ, I don't drain the beef as the fat adds flavor and moisture but if you'd like to drain the meat in the future, please do so. You can add more spices to boost the flavor and/or use a 90/10 ratio of ground beef to reduce the fat. Tara