Mexican Ground Beef Tacos Recipe (2024)

By Laura

Posted Apr 27, 2022, Updated Feb 17, 2024

5 from 7 votes

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It only takes 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make this ground beef taco recipe. Mexican Ground beef tacos are an easy weeknight meal that the entire family loves. Use our homemade taco seasoning for the best flavor, and of course serve them with homemade guacamole and salsa!

There isn’t a meal we make more often in our house than this ground beef taco recipe. It takes 15 minutes to prepare, we always have the ingredients on hand (including this homemade taco seasoning) and my entire family loves it.

These Mexican ground beef tacos are made with 5 ingredients – including the best homemade taco seasoning. They are an easy, healthy dinner to make when you are short on time and don’t want to fight with your kids to eat a meal.

Serve them with your favorite Mexican recipes like homemade guacamole, easy salsa, cilantro lime rice and refried black beans for true Mexican feast. Or, keep it simple and use store-bought toppings.

Ground Beef Taco Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions

Ground Beef. We typically use 85% lean ground beef, however any variety works well. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey to make this recipe.
Homemade Taco Seasoning. I always have a batch of this in a jar in my spice cabinet. My entire family agrees it’s the best (and far better than any store-bought varieties). If you prefer to use store-bought, I suggest making sure you chose an organic variety without fillers/artificial ingredients. Two of our favorites are Siete Foods and Simply Organic.
Onion. We usually use sweet white or yellow onions, however red onion tastes great too.
Lime Juice. Choose an organic bottled lime juice or use freshly squeezed.
Minced Garlic. I buy organic minced garlic in a jar and use that since I don’t ever seem to have time to mince fresh garlic. But you can choose whichever you prefer.

How to Make Ground Beef Tacos

These Mexican ground beef tacos are easy to make in 15 minutes! We’ll walk through how to make ground beef tacos step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin by cooking the ground beef, onion and garlic covered over medium-high heat until the ground beef begins to brown and is no longer pink in the center, stirring often.

Depending on the fat content of your ground beef, you may want to strain some of the fat off as it cooks. Don’t drain it all, though. It adds flavor and absorbs/distributes the taco seasoning. Also, the meat mixture thickens as it cools slightly.

Once the ground beef begins to brown, add the homemade taco seasoning and stir until it’s evenly distributed.

Next, add the lime juice and stir to combine. Cook, uncovered, until the mixture is browned, stirring occasionally.

Once the ground beef is browned, transfer it to a serving dish and serve.

Serve

Serve these ground beef tacos in your favorite tortillas or taco shells (or use it to make the best homemade nachos, a delicious taco salad or ground beef enchiladas). I recommend a dollop of sour cream and cheese of course, along with some of our favorite Mexican recipes:

Taco night isn’t complete without the thiseasy homemade guacamole.
Thisblender salsatakes 5 minutes to prepare!
Cilantro lime rice is a delicious addition, especially if you want to make burritos!
Skip the can and make your ownhomemade refried black beans, they only take 10 minutes to prepare!
I always make thissweet potato and black bean taco fillingto go with our ground beef tacos for extra veggies!

Store/Freeze

Store leftover ground beef taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Ground Beef Tacos Recipe FAQs

Which ground beef is best for tacos?

We usually use grass-fed, organic 85% lean ground beef. Any beef from 80% to 93% lean works well.

How do you keep ground beef moist for tacos?

First, do not drain off all the excess fat at it liquefies. Be sure to leave some in the meat mixture to keep it moist and soak in the taco seasoning. Second, do not over-cook the ground beef or it will become dry. Third, store the ground beef covered while serving.

Do you drain grease when making tacos?

Depending on how lean your meat it, you might want to drain off some of the fat when you’re cooking these ground beef tacos. Just be sure you do not drain off all of it.

How many pounds of beef do you need for tacos?

This recipe is for 1 pound of ground beef, and can be easily scaled to the amount you need. I always make two pounds of ground beef for my family of 8 and we have leftovers.