These Oven-Baked Ground Beef Tacos are crispy, cheesy, and loaded with seasoned taco meat. Perfect for Taco Tuesday, game day, or an easy weeknight meal. They come together in just 30 minutes and are guaranteed to be a hit with the whole family.
Serve them hot with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, or your favorite salsa. Looking for more flavor-packed recipes? Try my Jerk Chicken Tacos or Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Pasta.
Before You Bake, Read This!
💬 The Vibe: Crispy, cheesy tacos with minimal mess and maximum flavor. The easiest way to upgrade taco night.
🔑 What You Gotta Know: Warm and oil your corn tortillas before baking to prevent tearing and help them crisp up evenly.
🌮️ Best Bite Alert: Serve hot from the oven and let everyone pile on their own toppings for a DIY taco bar moment.
Why You'll Love These Tacos
- Quick to prep and bake.
- Extra crispy, cheesy, and satisfying.
- Easy to customize with your favorite toppings.
- Great for weeknights, parties, or casual dinners.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Ground Beef - Use lean beef like 85/15 or 90/10 to minimize grease. Ground turkey or chicken also works.
- Taco Seasoning - Store-bought or homemade (use chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika).
- Water - Helps blend and simmer the seasoning with the beef.
- Oil - For brushing the tortillas. Olive, canola, avocado, or vegetable oil are all great options.
- Corn Tortillas - Use soft and flexible white or yellow corn tortillas without cracks.
- Shredded Cheese - Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or a Mexican blend. Freshly shredded melts best.
👉🏾 See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.
How to Make Baked Beef Tacos
Step 1: Cook the Beef. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it into crumbles. Drain excess grease. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer on low for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Prep the Tortillas. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to soften.
Step 3: Assemble the Tacos. Add oil directly to a large baking sheet. Place each tortilla on the sheet and coat both sides with oil. Add taco meat to one half, top with cheese, and fold in half.
Step 4: Bake. Bake for 5–7 minutes. Flip each taco, then bake another 5–7 minutes until both sides are golden and crispy.
Step 5: Serve. Remove from oven and serve immediately with toppings like sour cream, lettuce, salsa, or guacamole. Enjoy!
Tips & Tricks for Crispy Oven Tacos
- Use lean beef to avoid greasy tacos.
- Fully drain the meat before assembling.
- Coat tortillas in oil for even browning.
- Don’t overfill! Keep it simple so the tacos hold together.
- Make the filling ahead of time and store it in the fridge to save time.
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Variations
- Spicy Tacos: Add green chiles, jalapeños, or hot sauce to the beef.
- Extra Cheesy: Add a layer of cheese under and over the meat filling.
- Vegetarian: Use black beans, refried beans, or pinto beans instead of meat.
- Baked Chicken Tacos: Use cooked, shredded chicken instead of beef.
Baked Taco FAQs
Yes, but they’ll bake up softer rather than crispy.
You can prep the beef in advance, but bake the tacos fresh for the best texture.
Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, pickled onions, or jalapeños.
Storage Tips
- Best Served Fresh. For crisp tacos, bake and eat them right away.
- Storage: Cool leftovers completely, then store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in a 300°F oven or air fryer until warmed through. They may not be as crispy, but still delicious.
- Meal Prep Tip: Store meat and cheese separately from tortillas. Assemble and bake fresh when ready to eat.
More Simple and Delicious Recipes
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Chorizo and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Pineapple Mango Salsa
- Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing
- Quick Pickled Red Onions
- Easy Lasagna Recipe
- Southern Meatloaf Recipe
Got a question or fun ways to serve these Baked Tacos? Leave a comment below and share your taco night twist!
📖 Recipe
Easy Baked Beef Tacos
Video
Equipment
- 1 large skillet or braiser
- 1 Large Sheet Pan
- paper towels
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 ½ cups cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Using a large skillet over medium heat, add the 1 pound ground beef, break it into crumbles, and allow it time to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Carefully drain any excess oil/grease off the beef if needed. Add the 1 ounce taco seasoning, and ⅔ cup water, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Grab a large sheet pan and add the 2 tablespoons oil directly to the sheet pan.
- Loosely wrap the 8 corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Remove the warm tortillas from the microwave. Unwrap them one at a time and place the tortilla on the sheet pan.
- Rub both sides of the tortilla in the oil on the sheet pan. Fill half of each tortilla with the beef mixture. Top with 1 ½ cups shredded cheese and fold the tortilla in half to close.
- Grab another tortilla and continue the process of adding beef and cheese until you run out of tortillas. Space the tacos out on the baking sheet, leaving room between each of them.
- Place the prepared baking sheet with the tacos into the preheated oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. Flip each taco to the opposite side and continue baking for another 5-7 minutes. Flipping the tacos mid-baking ensures that both sides of the baked tacos get evenly crispy and golden brown.
- Carefully remove the oven baked tacos from the oven and serve warm with your favorite taco toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Opt for lean ground beef such as 90/10 or 85/15 to minimize excess grease in your taco filling.
- After cooking the ground beef, fully drain off any excess grease to prevent the tacos from being soggy.
- If you're short on time, make the ground beef filling in advance, a day or two, and store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble your tacos.
- Be sure to coat both sides of the tortilla in oil before adding the filling. If you need to add a little additional oil, then be sure to add more if needed.
Original post date 04/10/2024. Updated 04/16/2025.
Hayley says
We love tacos! These flavourful tacos were simply amazing, crispy and crunchy. YUM!
LaKita says
Thank you Hayley!!
Jamie says
Great tip about oiling both sides of the tortilla! Mine came out so crispy and crunchy. These were so good!
LaKita says
Thank you Jamie, it helps to make them so crispy!!
Loreto and Nicoletta says
Wow 👌! I am having a huge craving for tacos now. So great that you baked them. There is nothing like a beautiful filled tortia taco that has that amazing crunch. Not to mention that gooey cheese
Very yummy 😋!
Great easy recipe!
LaKita says
Thank you and I could not agree with you more, perfect crunch and cheesiness!!!
Mikayla says
What a great way to make tacos and have them all ready to go on the table at the same time. We loved having it all ready to go.
LaKita says
Thank you Mikayla! So perfect to have them warm and all ready to go at once 🙂
Amy Liu Dong says
Cinco de Mayo is near, for me, this is one of the perfect dishes to prepare for that celebration. So easy and delicious!
LaKita says
Thank you Amy, this would be a good Cinco de Mayo taco option 🙂
Jacqueline says
As you suggested I made the beef the day before and then put the tacos together and baked them the next evening. This is a great easy prep fast recipe that's super tasty too!
LaKita says
That makes me happy to hear! Thank you Jacqueline!
Lauren says
This was the first time I baked tacos and it made dinner time so much easier! The kids could just grab and go and there was much less mess - plus they tasted great!
LaKita says
Thank you Lauren, I agree baking them makes the process and cleanup so easy 🙂
Mich says
Perfect, awesome, thank you! I add refried beans.
LaKita says
Thank you, adding refried beans sounds like a good idea!
veenaazmanov says
Tacos are my family favorite. Baked sounds healthy and your recipe look delicious. Best for a Happy Meal option.
LaKita says
Thank you, tacos are certainly a happy meal in my home 🙂
Dennis says
My family loves tacos, and your recipe sounds absolutely delicious! I'm going to make them this weekend, and I know everyone will love them.
LaKita says
Thank you Dennis! I hope that you get a chance to give the tacos a try and they're a hit!
Vicky says
All I had was white corn tortillas and it turned out great! All my kids went crazy over this recipe!
LaKita says
White corn tortillas can be used with not problem. Glad to hear your family enjoyed the tacos!!