This is the best taco salad recipe! Lettuce, taco meat, veggies, herbs, cheese and toasted corn are tossed in a delicious homemade dressing for a bold, flavorful and delicious salad perfect for taco nights!
This taco salad recipe is next-level delicious.
Ground beef taco meat is cooked then served over a bed of lettuce and vegetables.
Salty, butter-toasted corn and a delicious homemade cilantro avocado dressing make this taco salad extraordinarily delicious.
It's easy to make and enjoy on busy weeknights. My kids love it so much my 7 year old asked for it for her birthday dinner - which is a huge praise!
Taco Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are some substitutions that can be made in this taco salad recipe!
Ground beef
We love making taco salad with ground beef tacos. You can also use these recipes as a topper to this salad:
- Ground Beef. We typically use 85% lean ground beef, however any variety works well. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey to make this recipe.
- Homemade Taco Seasoning. I always have a batch of this in a jar in my spice cabinet. My entire family agrees it's the best (and far better than any store-bought varieties).
- Onion. I suggest sweet white, yellow or red onion.
- Lime Juice. Choose an organic bottled lime juice or use freshly squeezed.
- Minced Garlic. jarred or freshly minced garlic both work well.
Toasted Corn
You can just use fresh corn or frozen corn warmed up, however toasting it in butter and sea salt really takes this taco salad recipe from good to wow.
- Corn. Fresh corn cut off the cob, or frozen thawed corn both work well.
- Butter. Olive oil or avocado oil can be used in place of butter - but butter is by far the best.
Salad Fixings
- Lettuce. Choose your favorite variety. My top suggestions are romaine, iceberg and spring mix.
- Baby tomatoes. Any tomato variety works well. If using large tomatoes, dice them into small pieces.
- Red onion. sliced green onions are a great choice too.
- Cheese. sharp cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, and cojita are our top 3 favorites.
- Sour cream. Greek yogurt is a great substitute.
- Guacamole. homemade is always best.
- Salsa. make your own - it's so easy!
- Chips. we always top our taco salad with crushed tortilla chips - so good!
- Cilantro lime rice
- Refried black beans
Cilantro Lime Avocado Dressing
Follow the recipe in this post: Avocado Dressing to make an amazing dressing for this taco salad. Seriously it takes it to a whole new level.
Or you can use store-bought dressings. Some suggestions include:
- Ranch dressing (Ritch's favorite)
- Tomatillo dressing
- Any herb-based vinaigrette, preferably with cilantro.
How to Make Taco Salad
Make the dressing
Prepare the cilantro lime avocado dressing ahead of time and store it in a glass jar until you are ready to serve.
Cook the taco meat
Begin by cooking the taco meat (using this Ground Beef Tacos recipe with homemade taco seasoning). Combine ground beef, onion and minced garlic in a non-stick fry pan or cast iron skillet.
Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the meat begins to brown and is no longer pink in the center, stirring often.*
Once the ground beef begins to brown, add taco seasoning and stir until it’s evenly distributed.
Then, add the lime juice and stir to combine and cook, uncovered, until the mixture is browned, stirring occasionally.
Toast the Corn
While the meat is cooking (if you can multi-task well) cook the corn with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until lightly browned, stirring often.
Once browned, sprinkle with sea salt and set aside to use on the salad.
Assemble the taco salad
Now that the dressing, meat and corn are ready - it's time to assemble the taco salad!
Begin by combining the lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and half the dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Then, top the lettuce mixture with cheese, avocado and corn.
Next, spoon the meat on top of the salad and drizzle it with the remaining dressing and serve.
Or make individual servings
I like to serve this salad in individual portions so guests can make it their own.
To do this, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.
Lay out your desired toppings (cheese, sour cream, chips, guacamole, salsa, etc.), the dressing, toasted corn and the ground beef mixture.
Then let guests/family members build and dress their taco salads individually. I prefer this because undressed salad keeps better and longer than dressed, so we can enjoy leftovers for a day or two after we make it!
Serve
We serve this taco salad as a full meal. You can serve it alongside your favorite Mexican recipes such as:
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Refried Black Beans
- Homemade Salsa
- Homemade Guacamole
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Black Bean Dip
- Chicken fajitas
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if the taco salad is undressed, 1-2 if it is dressed.
I suggest storing the salad and meat separately so you can warm up the meat before using it to make a leftover salad.
Recipe FAQS
Undressed taco salad keeps for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Dressed salad lasts 1 day in the refrigerator.
My answer is, both. The lettuce and veggies should be cold. The toasted corn and meat should be warm. This causes the cheese to melt slightly so everything holds together nicely.
We serve it with our favorite Mexican recipes such as:
Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Refried Black Beans
Homemade Salsa
Homemade Guacamole
Sweet Potato Tacos
Black Bean Dip
Chicken fajitas
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Taco Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
Toasted Corn
- 1 ½ cups corn frozen or fresh cut off the cobb.
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Salad
- Iceberg lettuce or romaine
- 1 pint baby tomatoes halved (or 2 roma tomatoes, diced)
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 1 avocado chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
Toppings:
- fresh cilantro
- sour cream
- Crushed tortilla chips
- homemade salsa
- homemade guacamole
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Make the dressing according to the instructions in this recipe: cilantro lime avocado dressing recipe.
Cook the taco meat
- Combine ground beef, onion and minced garlic in a non-stick fry pan or cast iron skillet.
- Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the meat begins to brown and is no longer pink in the center, stirring often.*
- Once the ground beef begins to brown, add taco seasoning and stir until it’s evenly distributed.
- Add the lime juice and stir to combine.
- Cook, uncovered, until the mixture is browned, stirring occasionally.
Toast the corn
- Cook corn with 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat until lightly browned.
- Once browned, sprinkle with sea salt.
- Set aside to use on the salad.
Assemble the taco salad
- Combine lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and half the dressing in a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Top with cheese, avocado and corn.
- Then, if desired, put meat on top of the salad and drizzle it with the remaining dressing and serve.
Or make individual servings
- I like to serve this salad in individual portions so guests can make it their own. To do this, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, onion and cheese in a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Lay out your desired toppings (cheese, sour cream, chips, guacamole, salsa, etc.), the dressing, toasted corn and the ground beef mixture.
- Then let guests/family members build and dress their salads individually. I prefer this because undressed salad keeps better and longer than dressed, so we can enjoy leftovers for a day or two after we make it!
Video
Notes
- Ground Beef. We use 85% lean ground beef, however any variety works well. You can also use ground chicken or ground turkey to make this recipe.
- Homemade Taco Seasoning. Store bought works well too.
- Onion. I suggest sweet white, yellow or red onion.
- Lime Juice. Choose an organic bottled lime juice or use freshly squeezed.
- Minced Garlic. jarred or freshly minced garlic both work well.
- Corn. Fresh corn cut off the cob, or frozen thawed corn both work well.
- Butter. Olive oil or avocado oil can be used in place of butter - but butter is by far the best.
- Lettuce. Choose your favorite variety. My top suggestions are romaine, iceberg and spring mix.
- Baby tomatoes. Any tomato variety works well. If using large tomatoes, dice them into small pieces.
- Red onion. sliced green onions are a great choice too.
- Cheese. sharp cheddar, a Mexican cheese blend, and cojita are our top 3 favorites.
- Sour cream. Greek yogurt is a great substitute.
- Guacamole. homemade is always best.
- Salsa. make your own - it's so easy!
- Chips. we always top our taco salad with crushed tortilla chips - so good!
- Ranch dressing
- Tomatillo dressing
- Any herb-based vinaigrette, preferably with cilantro.
Nutrition
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The photos in this post were taken by Nyssa from Nyssa's Kitchen.
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