Walking Tacos Recipe

Name: Walking Tacos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef; 1 packet taco seasoning ((1-ounce)); 6 bags corn chips (such as Fritos or Doritos, (1-ounce each)); 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1 cup shredded lettuce; ½ cup diced tomatoes; ¼ cup diced onions; ¼ cup sliced jalapeños (optional); sour cream (for serving); salsa (for serving); guacamole (for serving)

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Walking Tacos are everything you love about taco night, packed right into a bag of crunchy corn chips! Seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and your favorite taco toppings make this easy dinner fun to assemble and even more fun to eat.

Walking Taco held in a corn chip bag and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and fresh jalapeños

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They’re perfect when you need something quick, customizable, and guaranteed to get everyone involved. Set out the taco meat and toppings, hand everyone a bag of chips, and let them build their own dinner. With just 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking, these Walking Tacos are ready in about 30 minutes.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
What are Walking Tacos?
Key Ingredients
Ingredients & Substitutions
Variations
Tips for Best Results
FAQs
Storage
How to Make Walking Tacos
Make Ahead
What to serve with Walking Tacos
If You Enjoyed Walking Tacos
📌 Save This Recipe
Walking Tacos Recipe
🍽️ Other Recipes You May Enjoy

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and easy: Dinner is ready in just 30 minutes.
Minimal cleanup: The chip bag doubles as the serving bowl, which means fewer dishes.
Easy to customize: Everyone can choose their own toppings.
Great for feeding a group: Set everything out buffet-style and let everyone assemble their own.
Kid-friendly: Eating tacos straight from a chip bag makes dinner a little more fun.
Perfect for casual occasions: Walking Tacos are especially handy for game day, parties, cookouts, and other laid-back gatherings.

What are Walking Tacos?

Walking Tacos are essentially tacos served right inside individual bags of corn chips. Instead of filling a taco shell or tortilla, you gently crush the chips, open the bag, and pile seasoned taco meat and your favorite toppings right on top.

They’re sometimes called tacos in a bag because that’s exactly what they are. Grab a fork and eat everything straight from the chip bag.

The individual servings make Walking Tacos especially convenient for parties and gatherings. Everyone can customize their own bag, and you don’t need plates or bowls for serving.

Key Ingredients

NOTE: This section highlights ingredients used in the recipe. Find the full printable recipe in the recipe card below.

Ground beef: The hearty base for these Walking Tacos. Cook it until browned and crumbly before adding the taco seasoning.

Taco seasoning: An easy way to give the ground beef plenty of classic taco flavor without measuring several individual spices.

Corn chips: Individual 1-ounce bags make these easy to serve. Fritos or Doritos both work, depending on the flavor and texture you prefer.

Cheddar cheese: Add the cheese while the taco meat is still hot so it can soften and melt slightly.

Fresh toppings: Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions, and optional jalapeños add freshness and crunch.

Taco toppings: Sour cream, salsa, and guacamole let everyone finish their Walking Taco exactly how they like it.

Ingredients for Walking Tacos including ground beef, taco seasoning, corn chips, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños

Ingredients & Substitutions

NOTE: This section suggests substitutions. Find the full printable recipe in the recipe card below.

Ground beef: You can substitute another ground meat if desired. For a vegetarian option, use drained and rinsed black beans or cooked lentils, as noted in the original recipe.
Taco seasoning: Use your preferred packet of taco seasoning. Because seasoning blends vary, follow the package directions for the amount of water needed.
Corn chips: Fritos or Doritos work well. Different flavors of Doritos can also change up the recipe without changing the basic preparation.
Cheddar cheese: Another shredded cheese that you normally enjoy with tacos can be substituted. A cheese that melts easily will work best with the warm taco meat.
Lettuce: Use your preferred crisp lettuce. If you don’t care for lettuce on tacos, it can simply be omitted.
Tomatoes: Use any fresh tomato that is easy to dice. They can also be left off if you don’t like fresh tomatoes.
Onions: Use your preferred onion variety, or omit them for a milder Walking Taco.
Jalapeños: These are optional. Leave them out for less heat.
Sour cream: This is optional and can be omitted if desired.
Salsa: Choose your favorite salsa and heat level, or leave it off.
Guacamole: This is also optional. Use your favorite guacamole or simply skip it.

Variations

Change the chips: Try different flavors of Doritos or use your favorite individual bags of corn chips.
Make them vegetarian: Replace the ground beef with drained and rinsed black beans or cooked lentils.
Make them extra cheesy: Add more shredded cheddar or use your favorite taco-friendly cheese.
Turn up the heat: Add extra jalapeños or use a spicy salsa.
Load up the vegetables: Add extra lettuce, tomatoes, onions, or any other taco toppings your family enjoys.
Create a Walking Taco bar: Put all of the toppings in separate bowls and let everyone create their own combination.

Close-up of a Walking Taco served in a chip bag with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and sliced jalapeños

Tips for Best Results

Don’t pulverize the chips. Gently crush them just enough to create smaller pieces that are easier to eat with a fork.
Drain the beef well. Excess grease can quickly make the chips soggy.
Follow your seasoning packet. Different taco seasoning brands may call for different amounts of water, so use the amount directed on your package.
Add the cheese first. Spoon the hot meat over the chips and immediately add the cheese so the heat can soften it.
Wait to assemble. Walking Tacos are best when the chips are still crunchy, so don’t assemble them until you’re ready to eat.
Make toppings easy to grab. If you’re serving a crowd, prepare everything ahead and arrange the toppings buffet-style.

FAQs

Why are they called Walking Tacos?

They’re called Walking Tacos because the taco ingredients are served inside a portable bag of chips. You can grab a fork and carry the bag with you instead of eating from a plate.

What kind of chips are best for Walking Tacos?

Fritos and Doritos are both good options. You can also experiment with different flavors to create your favorite combination.

Can I make Walking Tacos ahead of time?

You can prepare the meat and toppings ahead of time, but don’t assemble the bags until serving. Adding the meat and toppings too early will make the chips soggy.

How do you open the bags for Walking Tacos?

Gently crush the chips into smaller pieces first. Instead of opening just the top of the bag, cut it along the long side to create a wider opening that makes everything easier to add and eat with a fork.

Can I make vegetarian Walking Tacos?

Yes. Replace the ground beef with drained and rinsed black beans or cooked lentils.

How do you serve Walking Tacos for a party?

Keep the seasoned taco meat warm and arrange the toppings in separate bowls. Give each guest an individual bag of chips and a fork, then let them build their own easy Walking Taco recipe.

How do I keep Walking Tacos from getting soggy?

Drain the cooked ground beef well and wait until serving time to assemble them. Once the meat and toppings are added, eat the Frito Walking Tacos right away for the best crunch.

Storage

Walking Tacos are best eaten immediately after assembly. Once the warm meat and toppings are added to the chips, they will gradually soften.

If you have leftovers, store the taco meat and toppings separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. Keep unopened chips at room temperature.

For the best texture, assemble a fresh bag when you’re ready for leftovers rather than storing an already assembled Walking Taco.

How to Make Walking Tacos

NOTE: This section includes a step-by-step guide. Find the full printable recipe in the recipe card below.

Brown the beef. Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
Season the meat. Add the taco seasoning and the amount of water directed on the packet. Simmer until thickened.
Prepare the chip bags. Gently crush the chips into bite-sized pieces and cut each bag open along the long side.
Add the meat and cheese. Spoon seasoned ground beef into each bag and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
Pile on the toppings. Add lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole as desired.
Dig in. Serve immediately with forks and eat right from the bag.

Ground beef browning in a large cast iron skillet for Walking Tacos

Taco seasoning sprinkled over cooked ground beef in a skillet

Make Ahead

Most of the components can be prepared ahead of time, but wait to assemble the Walking Tacos until you’re ready to serve them.

Cook and season the ground beef ahead of time, then refrigerate it in an airtight container. You can also shred the cheese, dice the tomatoes and onions, slice the jalapeños, and prepare the lettuce ahead of time.

When it’s time to eat, reheat the taco meat and set everything out with the unopened bags of chips. Let everyone assemble their Walking Taco right before eating so the chips stay crunchy.

What to serve with Walking Tacos

Walking Tacos already combine the main dish and plenty of toppings in one convenient package, so you don’t need much alongside them.

For a larger meal, serve them with Mexican-style rice, refried beans, black beans, corn, or a simple side salad. Chips with salsa, queso, or guacamole would also fit right in.

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For parties, you can turn the entire meal into a taco bar. Keep the seasoned meat warm in a slow cooker and set out bowls of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole so everyone can build their own.

If You Enjoyed Walking Tacos

If you love easy dinners with plenty of taco flavor, try my Taco Lasagna. It takes those familiar flavors and turns them into a hearty, family-friendly meal that’s great when you’re craving something a little more substantial.

My Fry Bread Tacos are another fun way to shake up taco night. They’re especially good when you want all those favorite taco toppings served in a completely different way.

For another easy meal with a taco-inspired twist, try my Taco Spaghetti. It’s a fun mashup that combines two family dinner favorites in one dish.

You might also enjoy my Mexican Pizza. It’s another casual, customizable dinner that’s perfect for anyone who thinks taco night can never happen too often.

For something especially easy to share, my Beef and Bean Nachos are a great choice. They’re perfect for game day, parties, movie night, or a laid-back dinner.

My 7 Layer Burritos are another great option when you’re craving a loaded Mexican-inspired meal. With plenty of layers and flavor, they’re a natural next recipe for Walking Taco fans.

And if you want another fun presentation for taco night, try my Taco Ring. It’s an easy crowd-pleaser that works especially well for parties and casual get-togethers.

Forkful of seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions from a Walking Taco

📌 Save This Recipe

Save these Walking Tacos for the next time you need an easy dinner that everyone can customize. They’re also a great recipe to keep handy for game days, parties, camping trips, or any occasion where you want something casual and fun.

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