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Baked Tacos
Quick Baked Tacos are stuffed with seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese then baked and topped with an optional homemade cilantro lime cream sauce!
A 35-MINUTE OVEN TACO RECIPE
You can’t go wrong with Baked Tacos. Seriously, these are a huge family favorite and they are so good! They make for a fun, new taco night tradition while still keeping it easy. Baking them in the oven gives you this nice little crispiness to the shell that really takes the taste over the top. I included an easy recipe for homemade cilantro lime cream but it is totally optional. You can grab the store bought version if you prefer or you can serve these as-is or top with a little sour cream – you make the call!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can these baked tacos be made in the air fryer? Yes, I suppose they could. I haven’t tested it but pretty much anything you make in the oven can be made in an air fryer. It will just take longer to make them all since you can only fit so many in an air fryer at one time.I would suggest preheating the air fryer to about 375F degrees. Put in however many tacos you can comfortable fit in your air fryer basket (maybe 2-3.) Spray one side of the tacos with nonstick cooking spray then flip them over and spray the other side. This should help them to crisp up. Cook for about 6 minutes until golden brown. Can I use store bought cilantro lime crema instead? Yes, if you don’t want to make your own, you can buy some. Many grocery stores offer it now. I’ve even found it at Costco and I’ve seen so many people loving it. Cholula makes a good cilantro lime crema- they also make the popular hot sauce with the cor- like topper. Many grocery stores even have their own name brand versions for cheap too. So, that could be another option if you don’t want to make it from scratch. I don’t like corn tortillas, can I use flour tortillas instead? Yep! If you don’t like corn tortillas you can use flour. I’d suggest grabbing the street taco size flour tortillas. Why are my corn tortillas ripping? My number one tip for this recipe is to make sure you don’t skip warming up the corn tortillas before assembling! If you’ve never worked with corn tortillas before, you may not know how easily they tear. Warming this up keeps that from happening. You want them nice and pliable before filling them. Note: if you are using flour tortillas, you can skip that step. What other toppings can I try? You can use any toppings you’d like including salsa, avocado, sour cream, etc. Generally whatever you use for tacos – use for this. You can open these up after baking to add some toppings or you can drizzle the outside of these with sour cream or the cilantro lime crema and then pop on the toppings – the cream will help the toppings stick to the taco (see my images below). How long do leftover Baked Tacos last? Store leftover tacos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store leftover avocado crema separately in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 8 days. These can be frozen if store properly for up to 3 months. What to serve with Baked Tacos? These tacos are great by themselves, but you could finish of your meal by serving with Mexican Rice, Homemade Refried Beans or a simple salad! What part of the cilantro bunch do I use? For the cilantro, it’s typically sold in standard sized bunches. You’ll use the whole bunch in this recipe. It’s up to you if you want to use the stems or not – they are an edible part of cilantro. If you want a more mild cilantro taste, start with less cilantro in the sauce and then adjust to your liking. What’s the best way to reheat Baked Tacos? You can reheat these tacos in the microwave, but to keep the crisp I’d recommend the oven or air fryer at 250F degrees for 5-7 minutes.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
oil – great options to use are olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil (whatever is your preference)
ground beef– but you can easily swap this beef out for ground turkey or chicken. You could even use Birria (beef), Carnitas (pork), or Chicken.
taco seasoning– grab a packet of your favorite seasoning, or use some Homemade Taco Seasoning– an especially good option to make if you need to adjust the salt content in your seasoning
water
white onion – I used a white onion here but you could use a sweet or yellow onion.
shredded Mexican blend cheese – if you want some other Mexican cheese options to try, give any of these a whirl: Queso Oaxaca (Mexican mozzarella basically), Queso Chihuahua (similar to cheddar) and Queso Asadero (this one is a fabulous melting cheese!)
corn tortillas – as I said above, you can use flour, just get the street corn size. You want them to be similar in size as the corn tortillas would be.
sour cream – you can use plain Greek Yogurt as well.
mayonnaise – we don’t use a lot of mayonnaise in this cream sauce but just enough helps to balance out the flavors.
fresh squeezed lime juice – I prefer fresh squeezed citrus juices over the bottled stuff for best flavor. I think the bottled lime juice can taste overly acidic.
lime zest
garlic – use fresh garlic here if at all possible. The jarred garlic just doesn’t give that stronger pop of garlic flavor we want here.
cilantro – cilantro is sold in bunches, you will use the whole bunch (the stems are edible but I will leave that up to you whether you want to include those or not.)
salt
HOW TO MAKE BAKED TACOS:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add in the onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook and crumble the ground beef until browned. Drain any excess grease. Then add in the taco seasoning and water with the ground beef mixture and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle in the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Then take off the heat. Warm up the corn tortillas to prevent them from tearing while assembling the tacos. This can be done by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30 seconds.
Arrange the warmed tortillas on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Assemble the tacos by spooning some of the taco beef mixture onto half of each tortilla and then fold them in half.
Bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes or until golden brown. While the tacos are baking, make the cilantro lime crema sauce by combining the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, cilantro, and salt in a blender and blend until fully combined and smooth.
Drizzle the cilantro lime crema over the top of the tacos once done baking, and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Crock Pot Birria Tacos
Shrimp Tacos
Walking Tacos
Crock Pot Shredded Chicken For Tacos
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Big Mac Smashburger Tacos
Hillbilly Tacos
Taco Stuffed Shells
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Taco Biscuit Cups
Print
Baked Tacos
These quick and easy beef tacos are baked in the oven in a crispy tortilla shell.
Course Dinner, Main CourseCuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes minutesCook Time 30 minutes minutesTotal Time 35 minutes minutes
Servings 10
Calories 259kcal
Author Brandie Skibinski
IngredientsTaco Ingredients:1 Tablespoon oil (olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil)½ white onion, finely diced1 pound ground beef1 packet taco seasoning1 Tablespoon water (see notes below)½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese10 corn tortillasCilantro Lime Crema Ingredients:1 cup sour cream1 Tablespoon mayonnaise2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juicezest of ½ lime1 clove garlic, minced1 bunch of cilantro (see notes below)1 teaspoon salt
InstructionsPreheat oven to 350F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add in ½ white onion, finely diced and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add 1 pound ground beef to the skillet and cook and crumble the ground beef until browned. Drain any excess grease and put back into the skillet.Then add in 1 packet taco seasoning and 1 Tablespoon water with the ground beef mixture and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle in ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese and stir until melted. Then take off the heat. Warm up 10 corn tortillas to prevent them from tearing while assembling the tacos. This can be done by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and microwaving for 30 seconds. Arrange the warmed tortillas on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.Assemble the tacos by spooning some of the taco beef mixture onto half of each tortilla and then fold them in half Bake on the middle oven rack for 15 minutes or until golden brown. While the tacos are baking, make the cilantro lime crema sauce by combining 1 cup sour cream, 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice, zest of ½ lime, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 bunch of cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender and blend until fully combined and smooth. Drizzle the cilantro lime crema over the top of the tacos once done baking, and enjoy! Top with your favorite taco toppings!
Notes
Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
If you’re not used to purchasing cilantro, they come sold in bunches. You are going to use one bunch for this recipe. The stems are edible but you can remove them if you prefer. If you aren’t sure that you want to use that much cilantro, start with a little then taste. Add a little more at a time until you get it to your taste preference.
You are not using the amount of water called for on the back of the taco seasoning packet. We don’t want the meat mixture too wet. However, if you like that texture better, then use the 3/4 cup called for on the back of the packet.
NutritionCalories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 343mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g
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