Last Updated February 15th, 2023 at 09:33 am by Lisa
Crunchy Mini Tacos are an easy recipe loaded with your favorite toppings! Tucked inside are layers of juicy taco meat, refried beans, cheeses, black olives, pickled jalapeños and more drizzled with a quick Mexican crema sauce.
Serve these mini beef tacos as a delicious appetizer for a Cinco de Mayo party, family taco night dinner, birthday parties, or perfect party food for the big game...
Mini Tacos Appetizer Recipe
Try different toppings on your mini taco cups, and add flavors that you and your family prefer. My favorite taco fillings are grated cheddar cheese, black olives, and heirloom tomatoes. These can also be as zippy as you want, depending on the ingredients like pickled jalapeños and hot sauce.
Step 1: Cook Taco Meat
The taco seasoning and salsa make the best spicy ground beef for these tacos!
- 1.5 lb ground beef 80/20
- 1 cup salsa (a good fire-roasted brand) or chopped onion
- ¼ cup taco seasoning
- In a large heavy (cast iron) large skillet over medium heat add the ground beef, salsa, and taco seasoning.
- Brown the ground beef, and stir to mix well. You can drain the juicy beef if you wish. Cook until brown about 8 minutes.
Ground Beef – I like to use 80% Angus beef, you can drain the fat if you wish. 70% lean ground beef will work fine as well. You can also use lean ground turkey, or ground chicken in this recipe and make mini chicken tacos. Or to save time, use Cooked Diced Chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken.
Fire Roasted Salsa – One of my favorite ways to make ground beef taste amazing. Any salsa works, try my fire-roasted Tomatillo Salsa it packs a lot of authentic flavor.
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Taco Seasoning: An easy fast way to spice up your taco meat, I prefer Lawry's Taco Seasoning packets, a Southern California hot spot since 1938! I grew up eating at the LA location, and it has classic Mexican spices like cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and oregano plus many others.
Step 2: Bake Mini Tacos
Mini Taco Shells – To make small taco shells, you can cut soft flour tortillas, won ton wrappers, or corn tortillas into circles. Lage or small tortillas both work, just cut circles that fit down inside the muffin pan trays. Won ton cups work as well, but I recommend spraying with a little bit of vegetable or olive oil on the pan so they crisp up while baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Spray the mini muffin tin with non-stick coconut oil cooking spray.
- Cut rounds out of the flour or corn tortillas with a large can, round cookie cutter or coffee cup.
- Place each tortilla round down in a muffin tin.
- Spread refried beans on the bottom of each tortilla round.
- Layer 1-2 spoons full of cooked taco meat next.
- Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven.
- Add more cheese on top, then tomato, black olives, and pickled jalapeño.
- Last drizzle taco sour cream mixture from a squeeze bottle on each taco bowl.
Sheet Pan Variation: If you don't have a muffin tin, you can make these mini tacos on a baking sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Cut your round mini taco shells out of tortillas, lay them in a single layer and spray with coconut oil, bake until golden brown first, then load on cooked taco meat, add refried beans and toppings, then fold into a taco shape and enjoy.
Step 3: Make "Mexican Crema" Taco Sauce
Take just a couple of minutes, and mix up this easy sauce for taco recipes, it is always a big hit with festive party food like tacos.
PRO TIP: The sauce for these mini taco bites is my take on "Mexican Crema", and adds nice taco flavor and a pretty look, it keeps well in an inexpensive squeeze-top bottle in the fridge.
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon of Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
- 2 tablespoons water
Mix 1 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix, and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Load into a squeeze bottle, or add drops iwth a spoon. Use this sauce on top of tacos, taquitos, or burritos. Place in fridge until ready to use.
Step 4: Add Favorite Taco Toppings
Avocado or Guacamole
Add pretty color and creaminess that makes the tacos more interesting, make your own Guacamole, it is so easy!
Salsas
The fresh amazing taste of this Tomatillo Salsa comes from the fire-roasted grilled flavor, and it has just the right kick of heat.
Drizzle Avocado Salsa is often served on Mexican foods like tacos, burritos, and taquitos, on Taco Salad, or served with tortilla chips as a dip.
Onions
Thinly green onions sliced to add a nice bite, you could also use red or sweet onions diced finely. Or make your own Mexican Pickled Red Onions which are great with tacos.
Tomatoes
The little cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are great, I like the mini little yellow and red ones, but you can dice large juicy tomatoes too.
Sour Cream
A dollop of sour cream adds that cool and creamy, balance to the spicy fire-roasted salsa and jalapenos.
Cheeses
I used Colby and sharp cheddar cheese. But a mixed Mexican cheese, mozzarella, or even pepper jack shredded cheese would all be great.
Black Beans
Hearty black beans or pinto beans add protein and texture to the little tacos!
Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
One of my personal favorite things to add, I like to chop them finely, but the whole is fine. They add a "spicy jalapeno twang". You could slice or dice fresh jalapenos too, just taste them before adding them as some are too hot out of the jar.
Black Olives
A classic in my family here in Southern California, hey my Mom always added these so they are nostalgic. I like the sliced black olives on almost all Mexican food!
Misc Fresh Veggies
Red and yellow bell peppers add crunch, flavor, and color. Fresh cilantro, green chilies, and lime juice can all add depth of flavor based on your tastes.
More Mexican Recipes
Try this Easy Guacamole, and serve it with tortilla chips for the perfect snack or party dip.
Whip up some Avocado Salsa (Green Taco Sauce)to drizzle on Mexican food or serve as a dip. Grilled Corn is an easy side to make for Cookouts.
Jalapeno Popper Dip is always a huge hit at parties scooped with corn chips.
Serve drinks like these Easy Limeade Margaritas great to serve for large parties or serve super fun CoronaRita Margaritas! Taco Salad is great with Guacamole with crunchy chips.
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Mini Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
Mini Taco Shells
- 6 flour tortillas or corn tortillas
- coconut oil spray
Cook Ground Beef Taco Mixture
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 1 cup salsa
- ¼ cup packet Lawry's Taco Seasoning Mix
Taco Toppings
- 1 can refried beans spicy or regular
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 small chopped heirloom tomato
- 1 small can black olives
- 20 pickled jalapeños
Mexican "Crema" Sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix Lawry's is great
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Cook Ground Beef Taco Meat Mixture
- In a large heavy (cast iron) skillet over medium high heat add the ground beef, salsa, and taco seasoning.
- Brown the ground beef, and stir to mix well. You can drain the beef mixture if you wish. Cook until crumbled and brown about 8-10 minutes.
Bake The Mini Taco Bowls
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a nonstick cooking spray like coconut oil into a mini muffin tin or a regular 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick coconut oil cooking spray.
- Cut mini tortillas into round shapes. Cut each one with a round cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, large can (clean and opened), coffee cup, or mason jar lid. As an option you can make wonton taco cups or use corn tortillas.
- Place each cut tortilla round down in the muffin tin.
- Spread refried beans on bottom of each tortilla round.
- Layer a 1-2 spoon full of cooked taco meat next. Store any leftover taco meat in an airtight container for another great recipe.
- Bake for 15 minutes and remove from out of the oven.
Add Toppings
- Add cheese on top, tomato, green olives, black olives, and pickled jalapeño.
- Last drizzle taco sour cream mixture from a squeeze bottle on each taco bowl.
Mix Mexican "Crema" Sauce
- Mix 1 cup of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of Taco Seasoning Mix, and 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.
- Load into a squeeze bottle, and use this sauce on top of tacos, taquitos, or burritos. Place in fridge in bottle until ready to use.
Notes
Taco Toppings
-
- grated cheddar cheese
-
- chopped yellow heirloom tomato
-
- black olives
-
- pickled jalapeños
-
- crema taco sauce
-
- black beans
-
- bell pepper
-
- refried beans
-
- cilantro
-
- avocado
-
- hot sauce
Totally low key and delicious! Made a bunch of these when I had family friends over to watch a game. I made some spicy for the adults and some mild for the kiddos. Everyone loved the mini-ness of them and how you could customize the "fixins" to your taste. 🙂