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Quick and easy ground beef taco meat using homemade taco seasoning. Only one skillet and less than 30 minutes is needed for this mouth-watering taco meat.
Could you live – nay, thrive – on tacos??
Me too. I could most definitely eat tacos or burrito bowls every day of my life and feel completely joyful. In fact, I’d welcome it with open arms 😉
It dawned on me recently that it would be a fabulous idea to share the way I make my ground beef taco meat.
I make this taco meat recipe the same way almost every time! It’s so quick, easy, and versatile, why not share my go-to method?
First things first. I confessed in my Homemade Taco Seasoning post yesterday that I used to use the store-bought taco seasoning packets exclusively, but now make my own seasoning using a blend of spices.
While you can use store-bought seasoning, this taco meat recipe uses my homemade version.
Let’s learn how to cook ground beef for tacos!
How to Make Ground Beef Taco Meat:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until onion begins to brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes.
Make space for the ground beef and place the ground beef directly onto the skillet. Allow one side to brown for 3 to 5 minutes without touching it (you can stir around the onions during this process so they don’t burn).
Flip the meat and allow the other side to brown 3 to 5 minutes.
Use a spatula to break up the meat into smaller chunks. Allow the meat to brown for a few minutes before draining the fat (if desired).
Sprinkle all of the taco seasoning over the meat.
Continue breaking up the meat and stirring until well combined, but don’t cook the beef all the way through just yet.
Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Bring mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover with a lid and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until beef is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
Taste for flavor and add lime juice, sea salt, and/or hot sauce or salsa to taste.
Store leftover taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Now that we know how to cook taco meat, let’s put it to use!
What to Do With Taco Meat:
Here are some serving suggestions for this epic ground beef taco meat.
- Make Tacos! Use tortillas of choice and top with chopped white onion and cilantro or pico de gallo. Add any of your favorite taco toppings such as grated cheese, sour cream, diced avocado, cabbage slaw, etc. You can prepare my Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos if you’d like.
- Burritos: Make Spanish Rice or Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans, Guacamole, grate up some cheese and form an amazing burrito with your favorite salsa, hot sauce, and sour cream.
- Burrito Bowls: Same concept as burritos but go tortilla-free by adding everything to a bowl.
- Enchiladas or Enchilada Casserole: Follow my Ground Beef Enchilada Casserole with Corn Tortillas for example.
- Taco Salad: Spread refried beans at the bottom of a taco shell. Chop up your favorite salad greens like romaine lettuce or Spring mix and add in your favorite salad veggies like cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, etc. topped with the homemade taco meat. Drizzle on some Cilantro Lime Dressing or Creamy Avocado Dressing for a delicious meal!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I Have to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning?:
In a word, no. But I highly recommend it, because this is the majority of the deliciousness of this taco meat!
If you don’t want to make homemade seasoning, use 2 tablespoons of chili powder if you’re making 1 pound of meat or 4 tablespoons chili powder if you’re making 2 pounds of meat.
As an alternative, use 5 tablespoons of store-bought taco seasoning, or one to two packets as directed on the instructions.
Can I Use Ground Turkey?
Yes, absolutely! I love making taco meat with turkey or ground chicken. I would recommend adding a couple tablespoons of avocado oil (or oil of choice) to avoid the meat turning out dry.
Other Customizations
- Make it Whole30 or Keto by omitting the coconut sugar from the taco seasoning.
- Add 1/2 cup of tomato sauce for a little acidity.
- Use 90/10 lean ground beef for less fat. This also prevents the need to drain any fat during the cooking process.
And that’s it! An easy tutorial on how to make taco meat.
What crazy concoctions will you make with your meat?
Taco Meat Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 batch Homemade Taco Seasoning, *
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, or beef broth or water
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 to 2 Tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Heat the oil to medium or medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally until onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute another 2 minutes.
- Make space for the ground beef and place the ground beef directly onto the skillet. Allow one side to brown for 3 to 5 minutes without touching it (you can stir around the onions during this process so they don’t burn).
- Flip the meat and allow the other side to brown 3 to 5 minutes.
- Use a spatula to break the meat into smaller chunks. If you'd like, drain the fat from the meat. I use 90/10 meat and choose to leave the fat in. Sprinkle all of the taco seasoning over the meat.
- Continue breaking up the meat and stirring until well combined, but don’t cook the beef all the way through just yet.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir. Bring mixture to a full boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Cover with a lid and cook 10 to 15 minutes, until beef is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
- Taste for flavor and add lime juice, sea salt, and/or hot sauce or salsa to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!
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Drain the grease from the burger
I usually leave all the grease because I enjoy fatty meat, but draining the grease before adding the spices is brilliant for less fat! 🙂 Thanks for sharing your input, Tom!
Hi there, I see your taco seasoning recipe.
Thank you for that and this! How much of the taco seasoning is one batch? All of it for the 2 lbs? Thank you!
Do you drain the fat from the meat?
Hi Brad! I don’t drain the fat as a matter of preference (I leave it for texture and flavor). If you prefer your taco meat leaner, you can definitely drain the fat before adding the seasonings 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!
This is the very best taco meat I have ever had… anywhere!! Thank you for sharing it!!!
I’m so thrilled to hear it, Tonya! Thank you for the sweet note!! xoxo
great technique, just like you, could make use of ground beef taco flavor every day with or without tacos, even just a bowl with avocados, etc, and yes, confession, store bought for me forever, so will try my own but more interestingly, broth instead of water, which I always use, that much more flavor, great and like too, thank you for all of these tips and for the recipe!
My pleasure, Sabrina! Happy you like the post! xoxo
How much chicken broth?
Sorry about that! 1/2 cup!! xoxo