Why You’ll Love This Taco Meat Recipe
- Quick & Easy Weeknight Meal—In less than 30 minutes you can have delicious, moist, flavorful taco meat ready to serve.
- Flexible—I like adding beans and chipotles in adobo, but feel free to mix in your own favorite taco meat add-ins!
- Versatile—Use this meat in tacos (of course), spoon it over taco salad, add it to nachos, or use it in appetizers—like these taco wonton cups or taco eggrolls.
I’m not sure if there is a single dish I have eaten more in my life than this taco meat. It’s rich, tasty, and so easy to make—exactly what you want piled into a warm tortilla or scattered over a plate of nachos. In a town with no Mexican restaurant and certainly no UberEats, nearly all my Taco Tuesdays growing up were homemade. They were always cooked up by my California-raised, taco-loving mom, who passed down two important truths…
- There’s no such thing as too many tacos.
- If you’re going to live where we live, you’d better learn to make the good stuff yourself.
This taco meat is the good stuff—and once you try it, you’ll see why it’s one of my favorites. It’s a true classic—simple, packed with flavor, and perfect for everything from taco nights to nachos or taco salads.
Taco Meat Ingredients
Ground Beef: I use 93/7 lean ground beef in this recipe.
Taco Seasoning: I use this homemade taco seasoning in this recipe, and it’s the key to the delicious flavor of the meat. The blend of seasonings is flavorful, smoky, mildly spicy, and free from preservatives and other additives found in store-bought packets.
Sweet Onion: A generous amount of small-diced sweet onion is cooked with the ground beef.
Tomato Paste: A few tablespoons of tomato paste adds rich flavor to the meat.
Chipotles in Adobo: While technically optional, a couple teaspoons of roughly chopped chipotles in adobo add a lovely smoky, spicy flavor to the meat.
Black Beans: Again, also optional! However, it’s rare that we eat taco meat without beans.
Water: After draining the grease from the ground beef, water will add the extra moisture needed to prevent the meat from drying out or scorching on the bottom.
How To Make Homemade Taco Meat
1. Brown your ground beef.
In a medium sauté pan or skillet (like this GreenPan one on Amazon), brown one pound of lean ground beef on medium heat. Use a meat masher to break the beef into small pieces as it browns. Also, stir frequently to ensure even browning.
Even if you use lean ground beef, you will see grease begin to pool in the bottom of your pan—drain this! I use a few paper towels held by a pair of tongs to do this, pushing the ground beef to one side of the pan and then tipping it so the grease pools on one side. I do NOT like greasy taco meat, but you do want the meat to stay moist—so we’ll be adding water throughout the cooking process to prevent it from drying out.
2. Add the onion.
Add the small diced sweet onion to your pan with the browned and drained ground beef. Add about a third cup of water and stir. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until you see the onions begin to turn translucent—as seen below.
3. Add the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and add-ins.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning (or your seasoning of choice), along with a few splashes of water to help the seasoning evenly coat the meat. Stir well, then add the tomato paste, chipotles in adobo (optional), and another quarter cup or so of water.
Allow the meat to cook for 3-4 minutes to allow the flavors to meld, adding a bit more water if you notice the meat drying out or sticking to the pan. Now, at this point, you could be done with this taco meat—and it’ll be delicious!
But, if you’re in our house, then it’s time for beans! Add drained and rinsed black beans to the pan, plus a good quarter to third cup of water. Allow the beans to cook in the meat for another 4-5 minutes. While canned beans are already cooked, you might find a few underdone/hard ones benefit from this extra cooking time.
4. Before Serving
If the taco meat will be sitting on the stove while you prep the rest of your meal, turn the heat off and cover the pan. Then, 4-5 minutes before serving, reheat the meat and add a couple tablespoons of water if necessary.
Other Taco Meat Add-Ins
While I love chipotles in adobo and black beans, you could also add…
- Pinto beans
- Sliced or diced pickled/canned jalapeños
- Green chiles
- Mexican blend cheese (melted on top or in the meat)
- A bit of salsa
FAQs—Storage, Reheating, and More!
Can you make this taco meat ahead?
Yes, feel free to make this taco meat ahead and store it in the fridge. It reheats very well in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. We eat leftovers within 2-3 days after cooking the meat.
Can you freeze taco meat?
YES! This taco meat freezes very well. We use glass and plastic Lock & Lock containers (like this glass one or this set of plastic ones) to freeze portions of the meat. Just reheat the meat in the microwave and you can have tacos anytime!
Can I use another type of meat?
I have not tried any other ground meat in this recipe (turkey, chicken, etc.). If you do, leave a comment down below telling me how it worked!
Ideas For Your Next Taco Night
- Use this taco meat in these perfectly mini taco wonton cups.
- Add this taco meat to taco salad or spoon it over nachos.
- Fill taco egg rolls with this meat—yum!
- Serve this Mexican street corn as a side on taco night.
Shop My Taco Night Favorites
- I use this Greenpan sauté pan for one batch of this meat. A 12″ skillet also works well.
- This meat masher is the best for breaking down ground meat while browning.
- A tortilla warmer is a must-have.
- Taco holders, for maximum taco night efficiency.
Read on for the best taco meat recipe ever!
Once you’ve made it for your own taco night, leave a rating and review below to let me know how you like it!
The Best Taco Meat You'll Ever Eat
Equipment (Shop on Amazon)
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef (I use 93/7)
- 1 cup small diced sweet onion
- 2-3 tbsp homemade taco seasoning (recipe here; or taco seasoning of choice)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp chipotles in adobo optional
- 15 oz black beans (1 can), drained and rinsed optional
- About ¾-1¼ cups water (depending on add-ins and how long you heat the meat before serving—see Note 1)
Instructions
- Brown the meat in a medium pan over medium/medium-high heat. Use a meat masher to break up the meat as it browns. Stir frequently to ensure even browning on all sides.1 lb lean ground beef
- During the browning process, you'll see grease begin to pool—drain this. I soak it up using paper towels (using tongs can help you hold the paper towels without burning yourself).
- Once your ground beef has browned, add the small diced sweet onion and about ¼-⅓ cup water. Cook on medium heat for a few minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent.1 cup small diced sweet onion
- Add the homemade taco seasoning and a bit more water to help it coat the meat. Stir well. Then, add the tomato paste, chipotles in adobo (optional), and about ¼ cup more water. Stir well, until the tomato paste and chipotles are well incorporated. Add the beans (optional) and another ¼-⅓ cup of water. Stir and allow to cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the meat begins to stick to the pan, turn the heat down and add a few splashes of water.2-3 tbsp homemade taco seasoning, 3 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp chipotles in adobo, 15 oz black beans (1 can), drained and rinsed
- If the meat will be sitting for a while before serving, turn the heat off and cover the pan. About 4-5 minutes before serving, bring the heat back up and stir well, adding a couple tablespoons of water if necessary.
Notes from the Happy To Be Here Kitchen
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