This Easy Ground Beef for Tacos is flavorful and juicy! Ready in just 20 minutes, this versatile meat is perfect to fill tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, empanadas, or whatever your heart desires.
QUICK AND EASY GROUND BEEF MEAT FOR TACOS RECIPE
This kid-friendly Easy Ground Beef for Tacos isn’t just for tacos. This super versatile ground beef recipe, made with simple ingredients, is perfect for filling tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, empanadas, etc.
No store-bought taco seasoning needed and it’s ready and just 20 minutes!
PRO TIP: Double (or even triple!) this recipe and use it to meal prep for meals for the whole week or freeze to use those days that you don’t have time to cook but still want something delicious and satisfying.
Easy Eggless Meatloaf, Bolognese Sauce, and Easy Shepherd’s Pie are some of my favorite recipes that use ground beef. If you’ve got extra beef, then try these recipes.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
Amounts are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down). You’ll need:
- Ground beef — 90-10% lean ground beef is ideal
- Onion — finely diced
- Garlic cloves — minced
- Chili powder — be sure to use American chili powder and not chile powder
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Dried oregano
- Cayenne pepper — or black pepper if you don’t like the heat
- Tomato paste
- Beef broth
- Kosher salt to taste
- Cilantro leaves
HOW TO MAKE TACO MEAT
Detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down).
1 – BROWN THE BEEF
Heat a skillet (preferably nonstick) over high heat. When hot, place meat in the skillet and cook, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to break up the ground beef into equal-size pieces as it cooks, until no longer pink.
2 — ADD THE AROMATICS
Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 2 -3 minutes.
3 — ADD THE SEASONING
Add paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, tomato paste and beef broth. Mix until everything is well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and cook for 5 -8 minutes, or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Taste and add more salt if necessary
4 — GARNISH AND ENJOY
Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired, and use to fill tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, empanadas, etc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS THE BEST MEAT TO USE FOR TACO MEAT?
I like to use 90-10% lean ground beef, this way, I skip the step of draining the fat released from the meat after browning it.
WHAT SPICES ARE IN TACO MEAT
Skip the packet seasoning! Seasoning meat for tacos is truly simple: onion, garlic, chili powder, paprika cumin, oregano, plus optional cayenne pepper for a kick of heat.
If you are looking for a spicy taco blend check out my Homemade Spicy Taco Seasoning recipe.
HOW MUCH TACO MEAT DO YOU NEED PER PERSON?
Two pounds of ground beef makes for around 8 servings/people with each serving being around 2-3 tacos.
HOW CAN I USE THIS GROUND MEAT RECIPE?
This Easy Ground Beef is perfect to fill tacos, tostadas, burritos, quesadillas, empanadas and much more…
QUICK RECIPE TIPS
- If you don’t have ground beef, you can also use ground pork, chicken, or turkey.
- If you’re using beef that needs to be drained, keep in mind that it cannot be poured directly down the drain!
- If you want your onions chopped finely but don’t want to chop them yourself, you can run them through a food processor.
STORING
You can make extra to enjoy throughout the week or freeze it for later. Here’s how to store leftover taco meats!
LEFTOVERS
To store leftover taco meat, let the meat cool then place leftover ground beef into an airtight container and refrigerate for up 3 days.
FREEZER
To freeze taco meat, let the meat cool then place leftover ground beef into an airtight container or a freezer Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure is well sealed to avoid freezer burn on frozen taco meat.
REHEAT
When it comes time to use your ground beef, you can defrost in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight. To warm it up, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of beef broth over the meat, place it in a skillet over medium-low heat, cover and heat to your liking.
Easy Ground Beef for Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb ground beef (900 g) (see notes)
- 1 cup onion, finely diced (about 1 medium onion- 150 g approx.)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt to taste (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or black pepper if you don't like the heat)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth (240 ml) (see notes)
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Heat a skillet (preferably nonstick) over high heat. When hot, add the meat to the skillet and cook, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula to break up the ground beef into equal-size pieces as it cooks, until no longer pink.
- Add onion and garlic and cook, occasionally stirring, until the onion is soft, about 2 -3 minutes. Lightly season with salt to taste; mix to combine. NOTE: I recommend not adding too much salt since the broth will add quite an amount of salt too.
- Add paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, tomato paste, and beef broth. Mix until everything is well combined.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and cook for 8 – 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is evaporated. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, if desired, and use to fill tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tostadas, empanadas, etc.
- If you don’t have ground beef, you can also use ground pork, chicken, or turkey.
- If you’re using beef that needs to be drained, keep in mind that it cannot be poured directly down the drain!
- If you want your onions chopped finely but don’t want to chop them yourself, you can run them through a food processor.
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Nutrition
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Recipe originally posted in May 2019, post content edited to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe in July 2021.
