Baked Crispy Ground Beef Tacos

Delicious and easy Oven Baked Crispy Ground Beef Tacos are the perfect family meal. There is nothing more classic than ground beef tacos and these couldn’t be simpler. All you need is five ingredients and you will have a quick lunch or dinner.

this Recipe

Baked Crispy Ground Beef Tacos – The EASY Way!

Is there anything better than beef tacos? How about these crispy oven baked tacos? Seriously, not only is this the easiest beef taco recipe, but crispy baked tacos are perfect for little hands to grab.

These are packed with flavor but only require tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and beef to make the most flavorful ground beef filling. Simply stuff the shells with the filling and bake with cheese. So, read on for exactly how to make beef tacos that are crunchy and delicious!

You can also make more or less for however many kiddos you are feeding. Just double or triple the recipe (without difficult math) and you will be feeding an army in no time! And if you want a different baked taco – try my Baked Chicken Tacos and Baked Ground Turkey Tacos.

Why I LOVE this recipe!

• Super Crispy and Delicious – By making tacos baked in the oven and filling them with an easy three ingredient ground beef mixture makes this meal super quick, and also creates a really amazing flavor. They come out tasting so fresh and deliciously crunchy.
• Totally Customizable – While we kept these tacos pretty simple, you could add salsa, guacamole, peppers, or anything else delicious to this ground beef taco recipe.
• Easy to Make More – This recipe makes enough oven baked tacos for 5 people but you could easily double or triple it without hardly any extra work!
• Super Quick – 15 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook these easy oven baked tacos makes them faster than the speed of light. Ok, maybe not quite that fast, but definitely fast enough to feed a hungry family!

What to Serve with Oven Baked Crispy Ground Beef Tacos

These baked crunchy tacos go great with so many dishes. They have traditional Mexican flavors making them the perfect pair for Mexican inspired side dishes. Some of my favorites are cornbread, rice, and beans!

Side Dish Ideas

• Mexican Crock Pot Refried Beans
• Crock Pot Black Beans
• Easy Mexican Rice– you can’t go wrong with rice!
• Mexican Roasted Vegetables – Great for a healthy side dish!
• Mexican Corn Salad
• Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
• Mexican Street Corn Casserole – one of my most popular sides of all time
• Easy Mexican Cornbread – Reader favorite!

You can choose one or add a few sides to make a wholesome, well rounded dinner. 

Recipe Notes

This Oven Baked Crispy Ground Beef Taco recipe is as simple as promised! Just 25 minutes and 5 ingredients for a family friendly meal.

In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.

Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.

Ingredients + Substitutions

• Ground Beef – Ground beef is crazy fast to brown and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like ground beef! It also takes on other flavors really well, meaning it pairs great with taco seasoning. You could try ground chicken, turkey, or pork too!
• Tomato Sauce – Unsweetened tomato sauce without much added flavors should be used. If you cannot find a plan tomato sauce, you could use something like enchilada sauce or tomato sauce with green chilies for an extra flavor kick.
• Taco Seasoning – Use any blend you love. We love my homemade taco seasoning, but I also use the pre-measured packets too.
• Crispy Taco Shells – You can make these baked hard shell tacos with any brand and any size shell you like or use premade crispy taco shells. We like to use the bigger ones, and 10 shells will feed 5 people. But, you can definitely just use more of the smaller size. As is, this recipe will adapt to fill 14-16 smaller shells.
• Shredded Cheese – Shredded cheddar, a Mexican blend, or even a spicier shredded pepper jack can all be used with tasty results.

Crispy Beef Taco Topping Ideas

You can keep the toppings super simple and traditional and these will be great. Or, make an easy salsa or guacamole to add in extra veggies and make your oven baked tacos extra delicious.

• Shredded Lettuce
• Pico De Gallo
• Corn Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole

Recipe Tips

1. Use flat bottomed shells – If I can find them I LOVE making my baked stuffed tacos with the flat-bottomed shells. They are super easy to fill and stand up in the pan better which keeps things neater. BUT if you are only able to find rounded bottom shells, they will also work. You will just want to line them up in the pan together so they stay upright as you fill them.
2. Drain off extra fat or opt for lower fat ratio – The one downfall to ground beef is that cheaper ground beef usually has more fat. After it is cooked though, simply drain excess fat into a tin or bowl and set aside until hardened and you can dispose of. You can also try to find a lower fat ratio ground beef, like 95% lean ground beef. Be sure to read the full recipe for exactly how to make ground beef for tacos.
3. Drain excess liquid – Nobody wants a soggy taco. That fresh, crispy crunch of the shell is what makes these oven baked ground beef tacos so delicious! To achieve that make sure you drain the salsa of the extra liquid before you add it to the chicken. We want all the tomato and pepper goodness, without the watery liquid.
4. Make them how YOU like them – Customize, customize, customize, can I say that enough? I wrote this recipe how my family likes them, but if yours are fans of double meat or cheese, then load them up! You can absolutely add more filling and use whatever toppings will keep your family happily munching away.
5. Make more or less – This is one of my go-to party foods because it is simple to scale up. In my 9×13 baking dish I can make 10 large tacos, or about 15 smaller ones, and feed my family. But it is so easy to use a baking sheet, two casserole dishes, or whatever larger pan you have to double (or triple) the recipe. If you need to scale down, just use an 8×8 pan instead.

Recipe Short Cuts

If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas for how to make tacos with ground beef even faster!

• Brown beef ahead of time – Sometimes I will make a large batch (like 5 pounds worth) of plain ground beef as meal prep for the week. Then, this beef can be mixed with what ever fillings throughout the week, like taco seasoning and tomato sauce for these crunchy baked tacos.
• Make the beef filling ahead of time – You could also make all of the filling ahead of time and store in the fridge. It will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
• Use pre-shredded and chopped toppings – Premade salsa, shredded lettuce and cheese, and pre chopped peppers are life savers for busy families! Go ahead and use those shortcuts to get dinner on the table faster.

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!

• Baked Soft Beef Tacos – To make baked soft tacos, make the recipe as directed, simply swap out the crispy shells for soft shells and bake as directed.
• Spicy Ground Beef Tacos – For more spice, try adding an additional 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper or one deseeded jalapeno to the ground beef mixture. You can also use a spicy taco seasoning.
• Baked Chorizo and Beef Tacos – Chorizo is a great addition to tacos! When browning the beef, add chorizo to the pan as well to cook. Then continue with the recipe as directed.

More Ground Beef Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!

You can check out all of my easy dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.

• Taco Skillet Dinner
• Classic Taco Salad
• Taco Zucchini Boats
• Baked Chicken Tacos