Crispy and golden, these baked beef tacos are full of delicious taco seasoning flavor. They give you the satisfying crunch of fried shells, but without the mess. Each bite has tasty beef and melted cheddar wrapped in a crispy tortilla. It's all balanced with a bright, creamy avocado-lime sauce.
They come together quickly for a simple weeknight meal but are impressive and adaptable enough to impress guests too. Get ready for a deliciously easy upgrade to taco night!
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🗝️ Recipe's key points
- They offer the satisfying crunch and flavor of a fried taco with the mess of traditional frying.
- This oven taco recipe is super customizable. You can pick a different ground meat, change the toppings, and choose a sauce to match your taste.
- Bake a large batch of tacos at once without standing over a hot skillet - Perfect for feeding a crowd!
Crispy, customizable, and easy to make, this taco recipe is sure to please your hungry family!
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients for your ground beef taco recipe. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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Crispy ground beef tacos
- Ground beef – Feel free to use regular ground beef for maximum flavor or lean ground beef for a lighter beef taco recipe. Make sure to drain any excess grease after browning the ground beef to prevent an oily taco meat filling.
- Onion (I used a purple one) – Adds a sharp, slightly sweet crunch and aromatic depth.
- Taco seasoning – Infuses the beef with the classic, warm blend of spices that defines the dish's flavor profile. Check out the full recipe for Beef Taco Seasoning Mix here!
- Tomato paste – Contributes a rich, concentrated umami and helps bind the filling while adding moisture.
- Tortillas (8-10) – These tacos work with flour or corn tortillas.
- Olive oil – Brushed on the tortillas to promote browning and achieve a golden, crisp texture in the oven. Avocado oil can be used instead.
- Cheddar cheese – Melts into the filling, adding a creamy, tangy richness and helping seal the tortilla shut.
Creamy avocado lime cilantro sauce
- Avocados – Blended to create a thick and creamy base for the sauce - a great replacement for mayonnaise.
- Sour cream – Provides another creamy element for this sauce.
- Limes – Gives the sauce the tang and zest plus it enhances the cilantro flavor.
- Cilantro – Adds a bright citrusy flavor.
- Pickled jalapeños – Provides a milder kick of spicy flavor to the sauce compared to fresh jalapenos.
- Salt – Enhances all of the other flavors.
- Taco sauce (optional) – For a delicious injection of taco flavor, if you like.
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions for the oven tacos made with beef. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- While the oven preheats to 400 degrees F, brown the ground beef in a skillet. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in the onion, taco seasoning, and tomato paste.
- Cook for a few more minutes longer until the onion turns translucent. Add ¼ cup to 1 cup of water if the mixture is too thick. Set aside.
- Arrange the tortillas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet so that they don't touch.
- Brush olive oil on both sides of each tortilla.
- Spoon the taco meat on one half of each tortilla.
- Top with grated cheese.
- Fold the filled tortillas in half.
- Bake the filled and folded tortillas for about 15 minutes. They should be golden and crisp. Turn them once halfway through, when the bottom side is golden brown.
- In the meantime, make the crèma by adding the ingredients into a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth, adjusting the consistency as needed with a splash of water.
- Top the baked crispy tacos with sliced avocado and chopped cilantro. Add taco sauce or avocado cilantro lime crème. Serve with fresh lime wedges if you like.
🥫 Storage
Store leftover crispy beef tacos in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Make sure to remove any fresh toppings from the baked tacos when storing.
Reheat these beef tacos in an air fryer or oven at 375 degrees F for 5-8 minutes until hot with a regained crispy texture. Avoid the microwave as this will make the beef tacos soggy.
📚 Variations
- For a lighter, leaner version, use lean ground beef and plain Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream for the sauce.
- Serve the avocado cilantro lime crèma on the side as a dip instead of using it as a topping, if you prefer.
- You can change the ground beef for other options. Try using ground turkey, chicken, or chorizo. If you prefer a vegetarian choice, shredded carnitas or black beans work great too! This will give you a new flavor and texture!
- Make these beef tacos your own with your favorite toppings. Shredded lettuce, crumbled bacon, and dollops of cotija cheese (which is crumbly and salty) are all great options. You can also add mango or pineapple salsa for a sweet heat. A simple Pico de Gallo works well, too!
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- To prevent soggy tortillas, drain the excess grease from the browned ground beef. You can use a slotted spoon to transfer the seasoned meat to the tortillas. This way, you avoid any leftover oil or moisture.
- Warm your tortillas briefly before filling to make them more pliable and less likely to crack when folded.
- The melted shredded cheese not only adds flavor and delicious gooey texture, it also acts as a "glue" to help seal the taco shut.
- Ensure crispiness on both sides by flipping the tacos halfway through baking.
- Make sure you don't overload the tortillas or the filling will spill out during baking and create a mess.
🤔 FAQs
Yes! You can cook the seasoned beef filling up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate it. When ready to serve, assemble the tacos and bake just before eating so they stay fresh and crispy.
Corn tortillas give you the best classic crunch, but small flour tortillas work well too. If using corn tortillas, lightly warm them first so they bend easily without cracking.
The key is to pre-bake the tortillas for a few minutes before filling, and to avoid overloading them. Baking them upright lets hot air circulate so they crisp evenly instead of steaming. Although with the method we're using, you shouldn't get soggy tacos.
Absolutely! Swap the beef for ground chicken or turkey and use the same seasoning blend. The cooking time stays about the same — just make sure the meat is fully cooked before assembling your tacos.
You can keep it simple or go all out! I really like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and avocado or guacamole. I also love fresh cilantro, queso fresco, and shredded cheese. And, of course, we can't forget that dreamy, creamy lime sauce!
📗 Related Recipes
Transform your taco night lineup with three delicious variations:
- Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats – Enjoy a low-carb dinner with these easy taco-stuffed zucchini boats. They are packed with all your favorite flavors!
- Smoked Pull Pork Tacos - These scrumptious tacos feature slow-cooked, flavorful pork and easily customizable toppings.
- Mahi-Mahi Tacos - These seared mahi-mahi tacos boast smoky, tangy flavor, topped with crunchy cabbage slaw and a creamy cilantro-lime sauce to win over any diner.
- Our Favorite Beef Taco Seasoning Mix — It's super easy to make, and you can customize it to fit your taste!
🍽 What to serve with beef tacos
Serve these ground beef tacos with a side of Spanish rice, black beans, refried beans or even chips and salsa (Creamy Guacamole Salsa or Smokin Hot Italian Avocado Salsa)!
And if you have extra avocado cilantro lime crèma, serve it as a delicious dip on the side!
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make this ground beef taco recipe successfully.
- Skillet – Used to brown and cook the seasoned ground beef and onion for the flavorful taco filling.
- Parchment paper – Lines the baking sheet to prevent the tacos from sticking and make cleanup effortless.
- Baking Sheet – To bake the assembled tacos on.
- Basting brush – For brushing both sides of the tortillas before baking, helping to create a crispy texture and golden finish.
- Food Processor – Quickly blends the ingredients for the avocado cilantro lime crèma.
- Chef's knife – For effortless chopping and slicing of ingredients.
- Cutting board – The ideal surface for all chopping and slicing tasks.
- Dry measuring cups – Precisely measures the taco seasoning, cheese, and other dry ingredients.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
There's just something magical about taco night, amici — that sizzle, the crunch, the toppings lined up on the counter waiting for their moment. 😀 And these Crispy Oven-Baked Ground Beef Tacos bring all that divertimento (fun) without the frying mess. That's a win-win in my cucina!
The seasoned beef tucked into those perfectly baked tortillas, finished with that creamy lime sauce... mamma mia! We have simple ingredients, big flavor, and not a drop of frying oil in sight. It's the kind of recipe that feels a little fancy but is still totally doable on a busy weeknight.
So grab your piatto (plate), load up the toppings, and call everyone to the table — taco night just became your new signature dinner! 🌮💛
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Crispy Oven Beef Tacos with Creamy Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce
Equipment Needed
- 1 Medium Skillet
- Oil Basting Brush
- Blender or Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- ½ cup Purple Onion chopped (about ½ of a medium onion)
- 3 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- ¼ cup Tomato Paste
- 8 to 10 Four or Corn Tortillas your preference
- Olive Oil for brushing tortillas
- 1 ½ cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese grated
- 2 Avocados
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- 2 Limes
- ¼ cup Cilantro chopped plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon Pickled Jalapeños sliced
- Pinch of Salt
- Taco sauce if desired for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a skillet brown ground beef. Drain meat and stir in onion, taco seasoning, and tomato paste and cook several minutes longer until onion is starting to be translucent. Add ¼ cup to 1 cup of water if mixture is too thick, set aside.
- On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, arrange the tortillas so they aren’t touching and brush on both sides with olive oil.
- Spoon taco meat on one half of each tortilla, making sure not to transfer any of the excess oil.
- Top meat with grated cheese, fold the tortilla in half.
- Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until golden and crisp, turning once about halfway through cooking when bottom side is golden brown.
- While tacos are baking, make crèma in a blender or food processor. Slice one avocado and blend it with sour cream, juice of 1 lime, cilantro, jalapeños and a pinch of salt.
- Slice remaining avocado and cut remaining lime into wedges.
- Top crispy tacos with lime wedges, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, taco sauce or avocado cilantro lime crèma as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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