Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos are the ultimate dream for cheesy meaty crispy taco lovers! Perfectly spiced ground beef gets swaddled with grated cheese in corn tortillas then baked to crispy perfection in the oven. No oil or pan-frying necessary!
Calling all crispy taco lovers!
Behold, a crispy beef taco recipe that requires zero pan frying or additional oil!
These crispy baked ground beef tacos are ready within 30 to 40 minutes total. Ideal for busy weeknights or any occasion necessitating tacos!
Rich and flavorful perfectly seasoned meat with melted cheese nestled comfortably in crispy shells is the basic gist of these crunchy tacos.
If you tried my Crock Pot Birria Tacos, you’ll also love this incredibly simple ground beef taco recipe. It requires minimal effort and results in a gooey, flavorful healthier taco.
Do they become as crispy as pan-fried tacos? No. They do, however scratch that itch when you’re wanting a super quick and easy method without added fat from the oil.
This recipe makes 12 tacos, which you can make all at the same time, thereby making the cook time and prep super fast and easy.
Not to mention, there’s no hovering over the stove top, frying each individual taco and dodging oil splatter, which for me is a major bonus.
You may already have all the ingredients for ground beef tacos on hand. Everything is easy to find at any grocery store and many of the ingredients are typical household items most of us keep on hand regularly.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients needed to make these crispy beef tacos!
Ingredients for Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos:
Ground Beef: Lean ground beef gets browned up in a skillet with onion, garlic, and seasonings for the most amazing taco meat!
Use 90% lean meat or use 85% if you enjoy the added flavor form the fat. I use 80% because I’m a savage.
Use ground chicken or ground turkey as an alternative to beef.
Avocado Oil: We need a little oil to sauté the veggies and brown the ground beef taco meat. I use avocado oil because it has a high smoke point which is ideal for cooking at higher temperatures. Olive oil works too.
Onion & Garlic: Fresh onion and garlic cloves are chopped up and sauteed to infuse the ground beef with a tremendous amount of flavor.
Seasonings: Chili powder, garlic powder, and salt is all we need for that incredible iconic taco flavor! If you have a Homemade Taco Seasoning or store-bought taco seasoning mix you like to use, feel free to use it here!
Tomato Sauce: To add a burst of tangy flavor, we add some tomato sauce. You can replace the tomato sauce with three tablespoons of tomato past plus ½ cup of chicken broth or beef broth if you’d prefer.
Corn Tortillas: Pick up some soft corn tortillas to make the most amazing crispy tacos. You can use white corn tortillas or yellow corn tortillas – both work! You can also use grain-free tortillas or low-carb tortillas if you prefer.
Flour tortillas will work but I suggest lightly coating the outside of the tacos with oil to help the tacos crisp up in the oven.
Cheese: Grate up your favorite cheese for tacos to make these yummy gems! I use mozzarella cheese, but grated cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, a Mexicans blend, or any melting cheese you like will work. Set up a taco bar with an array of options!
Toppings: Feel free to go wild with your favorite taco toppings here! There are all sorts of different ways you can change these up to your heart’s delight.
Sliced avocado, red onion, fresh cilantro, guacamole and sour cream are all great options. You can also heat up some store-bought enchilada sauce and use it as a dipping sauce.
Optional Additions:
- To make spicy tacos, add hot sauce, taco sauce, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes to the ground beef mixture.
- Mash up some black beans and add them into the tacos. Or use refried beans!
- Toss in any homemade salsa you enjoy inside the tacos. I love homemade Easy Salsa Verde or pico de gallo.
- If you prefer hard taco shells, simply stuff them with grated cheese and taco meat and bake them at 425 for 5 to 8 minutes. This route results in the crispiest tacos.
- Add one 7-oz can of diced green chilies to the taco meat if you’d like.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s make tacos!
How to Make Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper or lightly spray it with cooking oil. Note: if you have two large baking sheets, feel free to use two, as you’ll need to make two batches.
Heat the avocado oil over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
Scoot the onion and garlic off to the side and add the ground beef along with the chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Use a spatula to chop the meat into small bits and continue cooking until the meat has browned.
Stir in the tomato sauce (or tomato paste and broth) and continue cooking at a boil until the meat has cooked through.
Lay 6 corn tortillas on the prepared baking sheet (or spread 12 tortillas over 2 baking sheets if you have two) so that they aren’t overlapping (they can overlap by a little but it’s best to give them space if possible).
Spread grated cheese over the full surface of each tortilla and bake for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon about ¼ cup of the taco meat mixture over half of each tortilla.
Fold the side that doesn’t have the meaty taco filling over the side that has the meat and gently press.
Place the baking tray back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the tacos reach your desired level of crisp. Note: for the crispiest tacos, coat the outside of the tortillas with avocado oil or canola oil.
Note: if you’re using store-bought crunchy taco shells, simply stuff them with your desired amount of grated cheese and meat and bake for 5 to 8 minutes at 425 or until the cheese is melted.
Repeat this process for the remaining 6 tortillas and the rest of the meat. Serve with chopped red onions, cilantro, fresh salsa, and any of your favorite toppings on top! I like drizzling mine with a little lime juice and eating them with avocado.
The tacos are best when served fresh right out of the oven. If you do end up with leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can easily reheat them in an air fryer to get the same crisp.
Serve the tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salad, pinto beans, and Homemade Spanish Rice for a delicious meal!
You can use any leftover taco meat for more tacos or taco salad.
Can you believe how easy these are?
This crispy ground beef taco recipe is bound to become the favorite taco recipe for the whole family.
Make them for every Taco Tuesday or any time you’re craving delicious cheesy crispy tacos!
If you love tacos, here are more easy taco recipes for you to enjoy.
More Healthy Taco Recipes:
- Ground Turkey Tacos
- Salmon Tacos with Slaw and Chipotle Lime Sauce
- Flank Steak Tacos
- Crock Pot Al Pastor Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos with Chipotle Lime Sauce
Enjoy these gooey crispy delicious tacos on your next taco night!
Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder optional
- ⅔ cup tomato sauce*
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- 12 soft corn tortillas**
- 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese***
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper or lightly spray it with cooking oil. Note: if you have two large baking sheets, feel free to use two, as you’ll need to make two batches.
- Heat the avocado oil over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Scoot the onion and garlic off to the side and add the ground beef along with the chili powder, garlic powder, and sea salt. Use a spatula to chop the meat into small bits and continue cooking until the meat has browned.
- Stir in the tomato sauce (or tomato paste and broth) and continue cooking at a boil until the meat has cooked through.
- Lay 6 corn tortillas on the prepared baking sheet (or spread 12 tortillas over 2 baking sheets if you have two). Spread grated cheese over the full surface of each tortilla and bake for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spoon about ¼ cup of the taco meat mixture over half of each tortilla.
- Fold the side that doesn’t have the meaty taco filling over the side that has the meat and gently press.
- Place the baking tray back into the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the tacos reach your desired level of crisp.
- Note: if you're using store-bought crunchy taco shells, simply stuff them with your desired amount of grated cheese and meat and bake for 5 to 8 minutes at 425 or until the cheese is melted.
- Repeat this process for the remaining 6 tortillas and the rest of the meat. Serve with chopped red onions, cilantro, fresh salsa, and any of your favorite toppings on top!
Notes
Nutrition
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I added cumin. The recipe tasted bland without it. Pretty good
Thanks for the feedback, Ashlyn!
I added cumin and cayenne pepper 🌶️ to the meat. It was really good
Ooh, love that! So happy you enjoyed the tacos! 😀
A little bit of Cumin yields an authentic taco seasoning flavor.
For sure! Since there is already ground cumin in chili powder, I find that to be enough (not a huge fan of cumin over here), but adding more works too! xo