This Walking Tacos recipe combines all of the ingredients of a hardshell taco into a fun, portable snack. Served straight from a small bag of Doritos, they are the perfect party food for football games, birthdays, BBQs, and more.
You can use this recipe as a base and making all sorts of Walking Taco variations like Breakfast, BBQ Beef, or Chicken Fajita Walking Tacos. We've given you even more ideas below along with a few tips and recipe substitutions.
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Best Walking Tacos Recipe
Walking Tacos are basically portable tacos in a bag, making them convenient, easy to eat, and super fun. For this recipe, all you need to do is open the bag of chips and add your seasoned taco meat and favorite taco toppings. It’s the absolute perfect food to serve for game day, BBQs, or even your next family taco night.
If you are making Walking Tacos for a crowd, you can turn this into a Walking Taco Bar. Just lay out your bags of chips with the tops cut off, then arrange various taco toppings on a table with spoons for servings. This way guests can top their Walking Tacos however they want, and you can avoid building every single one yourself. Huzzah!
Walking Taco Ingredients
- Ground Beef - I like to use a lean ground beef with an 80/20 or 85/15 fat content. You could also try using ground turkey.
- Taco Seasoning - there are plenty of good taco seasonings that you can buy, or you can easily make your own Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Water - you’ll need just a splash of water to cook the ground beef.
- Doritos - Walking Tacos are served from snack sized chip bags. You can use any flavor you want, or substitute Fritos or Tostitos corn chips.
- Shredded Cheese - besides shredded cheddar cheese, you could use Monterey jack, pepper jack, or a taco blend.
- Pico de Gallo - you can buy your favorite brand from the grocery store, or make your own Homemade Pico de Gallo.
- Shredded Lettuce - you’ll need a small handful of shredded lettuce for each serving. It adds a nice fresh crunch.
- Avocado - I like to use diced avocados as a topping for my Walking Tacos. To make them really pop, try seasoning lightly with salt and fresh lime juice. Some homemade Guac would be great too.
More Walking Tacos Toppings Ideas
Here are some more of the best Walking Taco topping ideas to get you started:
- Sliced black olives
- Diced tomatoes
- Pinto Beans (plain or Chipotle Black Beans)
- Diced onion
- Sliced jalapenos
- Sour cream
- Southwest Ranch
- Corn Salsa
- Guacamole
- Homemade Fresh Salsa
- Homemade Bacon Bits
How to Make Walking Tacos
- Cook the ground beef. In a large skillet, add the ground beef, taco seasoning, and water. Cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon or spatula, until there is only a little pink left.
- Fill each bag of chips with toppings. Open each small bag of Doritos and add a small handful of shredded lettuce and about ¼ cup of taco meat to each bag. Finish with 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese, pico de gallo, diced avocado, and any of your other favorite taco toppings.
- Serve. Serve each Walking Taco out of the bag with a spoon. Enjoy!
Walking Taco Recipe Variations
Looking for ideas for a Walking Taco Bar, or just want to switch things up? Here are a few simple Walking Taco variations:
- Chicken Fajita Walking Tacos: Fill with grilled chicken strips, sautéed bell peppers and onions, and top with salsa and sour cream.
- Pulled Pork Walking Tacos: Fill with slow-cooked pulled pork seasoned with barbecue sauce, topped with coleslaw and pickled jalapeños.
- Vegetarian Walking Tacos: Replace the meat with black beans or refried beans, and add toppings like diced avocado, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and salsa verde.
- Taco Salad Walking Tacos: Use a mixture of ground beef and black beans, and add toppings like shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, and guacamole.
- BBQ Beef Walking Tacos: Add seasoned ground beef mixed with barbecue sauce, topped with shredded cheddar cheese, diced red onions, and chopped cilantro.
- Breakfast Walking Tacos: Fill with scrambled eggs mixed with chorizo sausage, topped with shredded cheese, salsa, and diced avocado.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course! Besides both Cool Ranch Doritos and Nacho Cheese Doritos, you can use a bag of Fritos, Tostitos, or any other corn chips in a snack sized bag.
You can store each ingredient separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The only true difference between a Walking Taco and a Frito Pie is how they are served. While Walking Tacos are served straight from individual bags of corn chips, a Frito Pie is served on a plate. Otherwise, the ingredients are almost identical.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: store leftover taco meat and other toppings in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: you can freeze cooked, seasoned taco meat! Make sure it is completely cooled, then transfer to freezer bags and freeze flat. Store frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: you can reheat taco meat in the microwave, or else transfer to a saucepan and add a touch of water. Heat over medium, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Walking Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef 80/20 or 85/15 fat content
- 1½ Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
- ¼ cup Water
- 8 small bags Doritos
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Pico de Gallo
- 8 cups Lettuce shredded
- 1 whole Avocado diced
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add the ground beef, taco seasoning, and water. Cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon or spatula, until there is only a little pink left.
- Open each small bag of Doritos and add a small handful of shredded lettuce and about ¼ cup of taco meat to each bag. Finish with 1-2 tablespoons of shredded cheese, pico de gallo, diced avocado, and any of your other favorite taco toppings.
- Serve each Walking Taco out of the bag with a spoon. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Crispy Ground Beef Tacos
- Cheesy Bean Dip
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito
- Crispy Bean Burritos
- Carne Asada
- Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Red Chicken Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Homemade Taco Pizza
- Green Chile Taquitoes
- 7 Layer Bean Dip
- Steak Fajitas
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
- More Game Day Party Food
- More Beef Recipes
This Walking Taco recipe is the perfect game day snack. Choose your favorite taco toppings and add them along with taco meat to individual bags of Doritos for a portable hardshell taco.
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