The Best Ground Beef Taco Meat {20-Minute Meal}

This is the best ground beef taco meat! Made from scratch with every day pantry spices, it is so flavorful and perfect for tacos or salads.

This recipe has been our go-to when we make ground beef tacos for over a decade! With hundreds of 5-star reviews, it’s become a household favorite for many others, too.

Pantry-Friendly Spices for Homemade Taco Meat

This easy taco meat recipe can be made with ground beef or ground turkey. The real flavor is in the spices!

Taco Seasoning Ingredients:

• Onion: the onion cooks with the ground beef; white or yellow onions work great.
• Chili powder: different brands of chili powder will vary in flavor and heat, so use a brand you love. I almost always use Penzey’s “regular” chili powder or McCormick red chili powder.
• Ground cumin: this is a classic ingredient in homemade taco seasoning and adds a nutty, earthy flavor to the meat.
• Ground coriander: this adds a citrus-y flavor that helps balance the other rich taco seasoning flavors. Coriander is worth keeping on hand; here are all the recipes I use it in.
• Garlic: you can use fresh garlic or garlic powder.
• Salt + Pepper
• Tomato sauce: canned tomato sauce (do not sub in ketchup).
• Jalapeno: this is optional, but it adds delicious flavor, and you can moderate the heat by omitting the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno for less or heat or keeping them in for a spicier taco meat.

20-Minute Recipe

This homemade ground beef taco meat comes together quickly! It can be made start-to-finish in 20-minutes or less.

1. Brown the groudn beef with the onion.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for a minute or so.
3. Add the tomato sauce, water, and jalapenos. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add additional water or tomato sauce as the taco meat simmers, if needed.

Pro Tip: the taco meat can be prepared and cook/keep warm in a slow cooker for several hours!

Best Ideas for Serving Taco Meat

This taco meat is so versatile! It is delicious for so many meals:

• Soft shell tacos (are you team soft shell or team hard shell??)
• Hard shell tacos
• Taco salad
• Quesadillas (we love to use this taco meat stuffed in tortillas with cheese and refried beans and cooked on a griddle quesadilla-style)
• It is delicious subbed in for the meat in either of these crispy wrap recipes: crispy enchilada wraps or crispy beef and bean wraps

I haven’t made another recipe for homemade ground beef taco meat in almost two decades. This recipe really is the best!

I’ve been making this recipe for our family since late 2019, and it is amazing. We make it at least once a month (the kids start harassing me if I’ve gone too long without making it). I omit the jalapenos for the kids, but a good hot sauce helps to add heat for the adults. I’ve also found that we often use more than 8 ounces of tomato sauce, since we like to let it simmer longer to help the flavors deepen even more. We top with diced tomatoes, avocado, cheese, and cream cheese (and hot suace), and it’s a winner every time.

—Greg

The Best Ground Beef Taco Meat

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

4.68 stars (252 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
• ½ to ¾ cup chopped white or yellow onion
• 1 to 3 garlic cloves, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 jalapeño, finely minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• Taco shells
• Taco toppings of choice

Instructions 

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef, onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often and breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
• Off the heat, drain any excess grease, if needed.
• Return the skillet to the heat and stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds until the mixture smells fragrant.
• Add the tomato sauce and minced jalapeños, if using. Simmer the mixture for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
• Serve in taco shells with your choice of toppings (makes great taco salad, too!).

Author: Mel

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Method: Stovetop

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 216kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 54mg, Sodium: 466mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g

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Recipe Source: adapted from the Joy of Cooking
Recipe originally published April 2008; updated in 2017 and again in 2025 with new photos, commentary and recipe notes.

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