Mini Taco Bowls are the perfect party food for entertaining, game day or a delicious snack. With just a little prep, these little taco bites can be assembled in under 10 minutes! You must try this super easy ground beef appetizer. They are great Mexican appetizers for Cinco de Mayo too.
Almost everyone loves tacos! Wouldn't you agree? Well, today I am not just making your ordinary beef taco. I am creating a mini taco bowl that can be eaten in one delicious bite.
While regular tacos can be a bit messy, this mini taco recipe requires no utensils and you might even get away with eating them on a napkin. How nice is that? Better yet, these taco bites can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
What ingredients are used to make Mini Taco Bowls?
- Olive oil - I use just a bit of oil to sauté the taco meat in.
- Ground Beef - Make sure it is fresh! I like to use lean ground beef in my Mexican appetizers to cut down on a bit of the fat. Check out Everything to Know about Ground Beef from the Beef Checkoff website for great meat tips.
- Taco Sauce - Use your favorite! I get bottles at my local grocery store.
- Dipper Tortilla Chips - Buy dipper chips as these are used as mini tortilla bowls.
- Toppings - There are so many options! My favorite are avocado, sour cream, chopped cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese. But some other great choices are Mexican cheeses, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce and chopped onions. I have a FAVORITE SALSA and EASY GUACAMOLE recipe that I always serve with these Mini Taco Bowls
Steps for Making Taco Bites
- Sauté the ground beef in a frying pan and mix in the taco sauce. Cook the meat until it is no longer pink. Let it cool for a few minutes.
- Assemble dipper chips on a plate. You can heat these up in a microwave for 10 to 20 seconds if you like them warm. They are great at room temperature too.
- Fill tortilla chips with ground meat mixture. Add toppings and serve. This is a super easy ground beef appetizer recipe!
Cooking Tips and Substitutions
- The ground beef can be made in advance then reheated in a microwave. This makes the Mexican appetizers easy to assemble in 10 minutes right before entertaining or a party.
- While ground beef is my family's favorite, other ground meats can be substituted. Both ground chicken or turkey can be used for the ground beef or even a plant based meat substitute.
- Since these taco bowls are mini, use just a small amount of toppings. Or you could fill up the tortilla chips and serve little bowls of toppings on the side where everyone can choose their own.
More Beef Appetizer & Party Food Recipes
- SLOW COOKER SHREDDED BEEF AND BEER SLIDERS
- PHILLY CHEESESTEAK CUPS via Spiced
- SLOW COOKER CHEESEBURGER DIP via It's a Keeper
- STEAK & TRUFFLE RICOTTA CROSTINIS via The Food Joy
- CROCK POT CRANBERRY MEATBALLS via Everyday Eileen
- PHILLY STYLE GRILLED MEATBALL SLIDERS
If you like this recipe for Mini Taco Bowls, please give it a 5-star rating below.
RECIPE
Mini Taco Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces lean ground beef, or another ground meat
- 1 cup taco sauce
- 1 bag dipper tortilla chips you will only use about ½ the bag
- toppings such as shredded cheddar cheese sour cream, chopped avocados, salsa , cilantro, etc
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium sized frying pan on medium high heat. Add ground meat and cook while stirring for about 10 minutes or until meat is browned and no longer pink.
- Add sauce to skillet and turn heat to low. Simmer for 5 more minutes until pan is bubbling.
- Fill the dippers with a small amount of ground meat then top with assorted toppings.
Nutrition
First Published April 2017; Updated December 2020
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Laura Dembowski
These are beyond cute and so perfect for a party!
cheri
These taco bites sound so good, love that you can get all your flavors in one bite. Great recipe.
Hezzi-D
These are so cute! What a fun dinner or appetizer idea!
The Ninja Baker
I like your thinking, Lisa! Turkey is my preference every time, too =) Instead of margarita though I save my calories for fried ice cream. Anyway, love the idea of using tortilla dip chips for mini taco bowls.
Liz
These delicious little taco bites are perfect for a party! So flavorful---especially with all the toppings!
Eileen
These would be the perfect appetizer for a summer party. Wonderful!
GiGi Eats
I love these little minis! I would eat 10 and not feel guilty, that's for sure! LOL!
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba)
Adorable! Saving this as an idea for Home Ec
Teri @ The Freshman Cookt
These little cuties look so tasty, and I love that you used turkey in the recipe! We love turkey in our house. Looking forward to trying this!
Tara
How cute! My kids would love helping me assemble these. So festive.
Catherine
What a delicious appetizer idea! These look like so much fun and so delicious too.
sherry brubaker
These are totally hitting my table this weekend, what a spectacular recipe! Super kid friendly, too!
Toni
These are completely delicious and so easy to make! We eat a few of them as a main dish with a salad and they make a perfect entree. Great recipe.
Sue
I love taco flavored appetizers and this is a new way to serve them! Thanks!
Jackie
What a fun appetizer! My family would love these.
Emily
These mini taco bowl bites are so delicious and have such a fun presentation!
Liz
these are so adorbale! I love tacos salads and taco salad bowls so these are the perfect party-sized version of that!
Biana
These mini taco bowls look so fun! Perfect for dinner, everyone will enjoy them.
Vicky
Making these for the next Taco Tuesday at our house!
Anjali
Love these perfect little hand held bites! They were a great appetizer for a picnic I hosted this past weekend!
Kati
Hi, what brand or type of tortilla dippers do you use? I’ve never seen those chips.
Thank you
lisa
Hi Kati,
They have them at Walmart, Aldi and almost all my grocery stores. The Herrs Brand has them (called Dippers) and Tostitos has them (Scoops). I also can get them in many store brands too. Good luck!