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Learn to make the Taco Salad of your dreams with this easy and adaptable Taco recipe! It features flavorful, fresh ingredients and a rich creamy dressing to deliver a favorite family dinner recipe!
Let me guess? Your family, like mine, loves tacos? Tacos, whether classic beef tacos or shrimp tacos or black bean tacos, seem to be universally loved!
But Taco Salad? That can be another story. There are good taco salads, but there are also boring, lack-luster taco salads. Or taco salads, that are overly dressed and soggy.
But let me introduce you to the BEST Taco Salad ever! Just like my Southwest Chicken Salad, this Taco salad is layered with the freshest ingredients, plenty of flavor, and features a delicious dressing to pull it all together. Paired with a pina colada smoothie, this Taco Salad is hands-down a favorite family meal.
why you'll love this taco salad recipe
- Crowd-Pleaser. Everyone loves tacos, so it just makes sense that everyone loves Taco Salad. Especially when you allow your dinner guests to assemble their salad themselves.
- Allergy-Friendly. This recipe for Taco Salad can be adapted to be gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, and/or vegetarian.
- Easier than Tacos. I find that Taco Salad is MUCH easier to prepare than tacos. No shells to toast, no tortillas to make, and no messy assembly. Just dump, mix, and DIG-IN!
Options on Ingredients
- Lettuce: Shredded iceberg lettuce or hearts of romaine are classic choices for a Taco Salad. While I love the nutritional benefits of dark leafy greens, they are not ideal for the flavors in taco salad. Plus iceberg or romaine give this salad a crisp crunch, adding texture to the salad.
- Taco Meat: You can prepare the taco meat using ground beef, chicken, or turkey, and season it with homemade taco seasoning.
- Beans: Use either pinto or black beans.
- Taco Salad Dressing: This dressing is made with salsa, fresh lime juice, and sour cream to create a creamy, spicy, fresh dressing perfect for your taco salad. Use any store-bought or homemade salsa you like to make the dressing.
- Toppings: This is where you can let your imagination go wild. Add chopped onions, avocado, cheese, olives, peppers, corn, cilantro, or anything you like to your tacos! Some additional favorite taco salad toppings are Guacamole or Corn Salsa.
- Tortilla Chips: Tortilla chips are a must for taco salad. Use your favorite brand of tortilla or corn chips.
How to Make Taco Salad
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the ingredient quantities and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prepare Taco Meat. This recipe starts off using my perfected recipe for perfect taco meat and works for beef, chicken, or turkey. It is made by browning up the meat, then seasoning with taco seasoning and tomato sauce. If desired, stir in the canned beans of choice, to help add flavor to them.
- Prepare Taco Salad Dressing. I absolutely love this simple taco salad dressing, made by combining salsa, sour cream, and lime juice together. I feel that it finishes the salad with just the right level of creaminess and flavor. However, you opt to skip the dressing and simply serve your taco salad with sour cream and salsa on the side.
- Assemble Taco Salad. When ready to serve, you can opt to toss your taco salad ingredients together or serve the components separately for a make-your-own taco salad bar. I do recommend serving the taco salad with the chips on the side to prevent the chips from getting soggy.
Preparing in Advance
Taco Salad is best assembled immediately before serving. However, you can assemble all the ingredients up to 24 hours before serving. When ready to serve, warm up the taco meat slightly. Toss the lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and onions, with the meat and bean mixture and salsa dressing. Serve with the chips on the side.
Recipe Modifications
- Make-It-Yourself: Instead of tossing the taco salad ingredients together, place all ingredients out and allow everyone to serve themselves. This is my preferred method when serving this taco salad to a crowd or to picky eaters or a group with dietary restrictions.
- Low-Carb: To make a low-carb taco salad, omit the beans and use 1.5 pounds of ground meat instead of just 1 pound of meat. Omit the chips as well.
- Dairy-Free: Omit the cheese and use salsa to dress the salad.
- Meatless: In place of the ground meat, use an additional 2-3 cups of beans OR start this salad by using up leftover Sofritas.
- Lighten the Dressing: Use plain Greek Yogurt in place of the sour cream to keep this dressing lighter.
- Using Leftovers: Taco salad is a great time to put leftovers to use. Instead of starting this recipe with raw ground meat, use leftover taco meat, leftover chicken taco meat, Crockpot Salsa Chicken, Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa, or instant pot pork carnitas.
- Frozen Meat: Forget to thaw your meat out? Use my method for Instant Pot Frozen Meat and then proceed with simmering the meat with the beans and seasonings.
More Taco-Inspired Recipes
Taco Salad
Video
Ingredients
Taco Salad Meat
- 1 pound ground meat, beef, chicken or turkey
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans or pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning, 6-quart instant pot
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ¼ cup water
Taco Salad Base and Toppings
- 1 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 medium Hass avocados, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces tortilla chips, for serving
Taco Salad Dressing
- 1 cup salsa
- ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
- 1 medium lime, juice
Instructions
Prepare Taco Meat
- In a large skillet, brown 1 pound ground meat, breaking up into small chunks as you cook the meat.
- Once meat is browned, drain off excess fat. Add in 1 (15-ounce) can black beans or pinto beans, 2 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning, ½ cup tomato sauce, and ¼ cup water. Simmer on low until water is evaporated, about 5-7 minutes.
Prepare Taco Salad Dressing
- Mix together 1 cup salsa, ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt, and the juice 1 medium lime.
Prepare Taco Salad
- Place chopped lettuce into a large serving bowl. Top with taco meat, diced tomatoes, onions, avocados, cheese, and any other desired toppings. Toss well to combine.
- Add taco salad dressing and toss to combine again. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ⅛ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was originally published in 2018 but was updated in 2020 with a new video.
I cheated and used a little spice from a Taco seasoning packet, still very tasty.
I had leftover T-bone steak, so I cut thin slices against the grain.
You can't go wrong with a recipe like this, everything in it is good.
Is this a keto friendly recipe???
Hi Kim! I am not keto, so I can not tell you with 100% certainty. However, if you leave out the beans and corn, I would imagine it would be keto friendly
This has got to be the most perfect taco salad I have ever made! So easy and delicious, this is a new family favorite!
I am so glad your family enjoyed so much! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
This really is the BEST taco salad! Thanks for a great recipe.
YAY! So glad you enjoyed this simple dinner.
Use 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork or pork sausage cooked together for an extra flavor!! Can also use turkey or wild ground game!!
Really the options are endless 🙂
This was a delicious change of pace from my usual tacos! The whole family loved it!!
I love hearing that Liz!
I could eat this every single night and sometimes make it ahead for a week of lunches! Absolutely delicious!
I am so glad you love this dip so much Marjory!