Best Taco Meat Recipe

User Reviews

5.0

309 reviews
Excellent
  • Cook Time

    mins

  • Total Time

    15 mins

  • Servings

    4

  • Calories

    307 kcal

  • Course

    Dinner

  • Cuisine

    Mexican

Best Taco Meat Recipe

This homemade taco meat recipe starts with ground beef, a delicious homemade taco seasoning, and a little broth. You’ll never go back to using a taco seasoning packet again after seeing how easy it is to make your own taco meat at home with this easy taco meat recipe!

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Ingredients

Servings
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • salt
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup chicken broth or bone broth
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Instructions

  1. Add salt to both sides of your ground beef. If you’re using a block of meat, cut the block in half and salt both sides of both halves of the block.
  2. Heat a large skillet or saute pan to medium-high heat. Add your ground beef and cook for two minutes on one side, flip and cook for another two minutes on the other side.
  3. Break up the ground meat and cook until the meat is completely cooked. If you're using a fattier cut, drain the excess fat from the meat before moving onto the next step.
  4. Combine all other spices while browning the meat.
  5. Once the meat is browned, sprinkle the seasoning over the browned ground beef, stir it in, and cook for one more minute to let the flavors sink in.
  6. Add the broth, reduce the heat down to low, and allow the meat to simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes.
  7. Once the liquid has simmered away and you're left with just taco meat, turn the heat off and serve immediately while the taco meat is warm!

Notes

  • Double this taco meat recipe and use it for another meal later on in the week! It’s great in taco meat, taco casserole, and pretty much anything that has taco in the week! We also use it for quick quesadillas and nachos for lunches. Just make sure to use a bigger pan when cooking two pounds of beef!
  • Adjust the spices as necessary. If you’re making this for kids or someone who has a sensitive palate, use half the chili powder or half the oregano. You can adjust those two pretty easily without sacrificing taste!
  • Make sure to season the ground beef well before cooking. The salt really enhances the flavor of the other spices.
  • Split blocks of ground beef in half before cooking. This helps the meat brown evenly and allows you to season all parts of the beef, not just the outsides of a large chunk of beef.
  • Ingredient Notes: 
  • Chicken broth or chicken bone broth work or even beef broth!
  • Ground beef – we typically use something with a little fat left like 80/20 because the fat tends to keep the beef more tender and flavorful but if you want less fat, you can use whatever type you’d like. This also would work great with ground turkey if you’d prefer turkey!
  • Chili powder – if you’re making this for kids or you don’t want it to be spicy, you can half the chili powder and it still tastes good!
  • Oregano – if anyone in your family is sensitive to or doesn’t like oregano, you can also half this and the flavor will still be fine!

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 4oz Calories 307kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 2g (1%) Protein 21g (42%) Fat 23g (35%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 10g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 81mg (27%) Sodium 104mg (4%) Potassium 405mg (12%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 0.2g (0%) Vitamin A 293IU (6%) Vitamin C 0.1mg (0%) Calcium 43mg (4%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 307 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 4oz
Calories 307kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 2g 1%
Protein 21g 42%
Fat 23g 35%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 10g 50%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 81mg 27%
Sodium 104mg 4%
Potassium 405mg 9%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 0.2g 0%
Vitamin A 293IU 6%
Vitamin C 0.1mg 0%
Calcium 43mg 4%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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5.0

309 reviews
Excellent

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