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Get all the best tips and tricks to create Walking Tacos! If you’ve never had a Taco in a Bag, you’re missing out on all the fun. This easy Walking Taco Recipe is the easiest way to make your Bag Tacos look and taste oh-so-good for parties, game day and beyond!
What Is a Walking Taco?
Walking Tacos are a no fuss, no mess taco in a portable chip bag. No plates, no bowls, no dishes to clean up! Just incredible, customizable tacos your whole family will love!
It’s an easy way to feed a crowd, because they are easy to customize – and everyone loves tacos. Eating your taco in a bag means that you can literally walk around, socializing while snacking…what could be better than that when it comes to party food?
We often enjoy them on the dock at the lake cottage, while trick or treating or for game day.
They’re also great for camping, bonfires, outdoor picnics, and everywhere in between – not to mention Taco Tuesday and Cinco de Mayo. Is there ever an occasion that doesn’t call for tacos?
This walking taco recipe is a single-serving bag of Doritos or Corn Chips filled with your favorite meat, cheese and traditional taco toppings – how easy is that?
Walking Tacos are completely customizable – one of the many things that makes them so great!
You can mix them up or create a create your own Walking Taco bar (and let your guests do the “work”. They are incredibly quick and easy to make – and even easier to eat, on the go!
It’s the perfect party food.
Walking Taco Ingredients
- 93/7 Lean Ground Beef – It’s the perfect ratio – just greasy enough, without being too greasy.
- Frito Lay Corn Chips – in individual serving bags. We also like to use Doritos to mix it up – your call! Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch Doritos are both amazing. You can even use Cheetos! The options are endless. It’s fun to provide both options of chip bags for guests when you’re serving a crowd.
- Taco Seasoning – Use your favorite taco seasoning, make your own or simply substitute a little red pepper and onion flake if you prefer.
- Monterey Jack or Colby Jack Cheese – Freshly shredded from a block for the creamiest, melt-in-your-mouth flavor. I know it’s easy to purchase a bag of pre-shredded cheese, but this is one of the best ways to make your walking taco night so much more delicious. The best cheese is usually reserved for blocks, is has less preservatives and remains intact, making it much so much creamier and easier to melt than pre-shredded cheese. It takes just a couple minutes and you’ll never regret it! You can also substitute with crumbled queso cotija, or chihuahua cheese. Learn more about the best cheeses for tacos!
- Sour Cream – Sour cream is a Midwestern staple and walking tacos just wouldn’t be the same without it! Add fiesta ranch seasoning packet for an extra dose of delicious flavor or Cilantro Crema.
The Best Toppings for Bag Tacos
There are so many fun ideas to top a taco in a bag! You can be as complicated or as simple as you like for your walking taco bar, in fact. There’s probably no such thing as a gourmet walking taco recipe… but you can certainly elevate the whole concept with the taco toppings you choose!
Topping Ideas
Get all the BEST Taco Toppings here.
- Shredded Lettuce – Here’s an area where I think it’s totally fine to save some time. You can buy shredded iceberg lettuce and that works perfectly here.
- Chopped Tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
- Chipotle Corn Salsa – Oh my goodness, this is so good! It’s amazing as a dip or serve it on top of all your favorite Mexican dishes.
- Sliced Olives
- Diced Onions
- Salsa (mix it up with Pineapple Salsa)
- Guacamole or Sliced Avocados
- Beans – Try the Cream Cheese Bean Dip I mention below as a dip. It works as a side dish or a topping- so good!
- Lime Crema
- Creamy Salsa Guacamole
- Creamy Jalapeño Dip – Why not give your taco in a bag a little kick? Yum!
It’s so simple – in fact, you can barely call this a recipe at all!
How to Make Walking Tacos
- Brown Beef – Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a masher or base of a wooden spoon and stir in taco seasoning until just brown. Optional: Want to get a little fancy with your ground beef? Add a can of diced green chiles and a small diced onion as you’re browning. It’s a big flavor reward for very little effort! Combine ranch mix and sour cream.
- Top – Squeeze open bag of chips to crush and top with ground beef, shredded cheese and sour cream, plus so much more!
How to Make a Walking Taco Bar
- Arrange chips on a platter.
- Add toppings to individual bowls with serving spoons.
- Have spoons and forks in a cup at the end so guests can enjoy!
One of my favorite ideas for walking taco night? Serve all your toppings in these adorable taco bowls! They are so easy to make and they create the cutest presentation for serving to guests!
What Goes with Walking Tacos
You can absolutely serve these bag tacos all on their own, right? I mean… there’s lettuce and guacomole on top, so I am pretty sure that covers all the food groups for a solid rounded meal.
However, adding a plethora of sides, dips and cocktails will make your walking taco night one for the memory books! Depending on whether we serve these for a family night or a football game, I like to switch what I serve accordingly.
Here’s a few of my favorite super easy recipes that we like to serve for bag taco night!
Drinks
- Lime Popsicle Margaritas
- Classic Homemade Margarita Recipe
- Skinny Margarita Recipe
- Watermelon Margarita
- Mango Margarita Float
Dips
- Mexican Street Corn
- Mexican Pasta Salad
- Make an easy side salad with my Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
Tips
- Make Ahead – You can prep everything ahead and simply warm the beef to serve or keep the beef warm in a slow cooker with 1/4 cup of water so that it’s ready when you are. These are best constructed just before serving to prevent soggy chips.
- Serve with Utensils – This way you can get a little of everything in each bite, without making a mess. One of the most frequently-asked questions I receive: “Where are those cute little wooden forks from?” I love these disposable wooden utensils. So much cuter than plastic!
What’s your family’s favorite taco toppings? Have you ever had a walking taco? I’d love to hear from you! If you make this walking taco recipe, please come back and share a comment and review. I’m always excited to hear from readers- thanks for following along!
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes You’ll Love
If you’re excited to host your own bag taco night, you’re going to love these other Mexican-inspired dinner ideas. My family loves Mexican flavors and I enjoy sharing my favorite recipes with you! Check out these favorite Mexican entrees:
- The Best Chicken Nachos
- Incredibly Easy Beef Tacos
- Mini Tacos
- Waffle Tacos
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Mexican Breakfast Casserole
- Chicken Tacos
The Best Walking Taco Recipe
Learn how to create Walking Tacos for your next party! If you've never had a Taco in a Bag, you're missing all the fun. Bag Tacos never looked so good!
Yield
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1 pound ground beef lean 93/7
- ½ package taco seasoning
- ½ bags Fritos Corn Chips
Optional
- 8 ounces sour cream
- ¼ packet Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip optional
Instructions
- Cook ground beef in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a masher or base of a wooden spoon and stir in taco seasoning until just brown.
- Optional: combine ranch mix and sour cream.
- Fill chip bags for walking tacos with ground beef, shredded cheese, fiesta sour cream and so much more.
Tips
Substitutions
- Ground Beef – Skip to make it vegetarian, use baked chicken, chorizo or carne asada.
- Frito Lay Corn Chips – Nacho Cheese Doritos, Cool Ranch Doritos, or Cheetos.
- Taco Seasoning – Use your favorite taco seasoning, make your own or simply substitute a little red pepper and onion flake if you prefer.
- Monterey Jack – Substitute with Colby Jack Cheese, Crumbled Cotija, or Chihuahua Cheese.
- Sour Cream – Skip or add fiesta ranch seasoning for an extra dose of flavor or make Cilantro Crema.
Additional Topping Suggestions
- Shredded Lettuce – Here’s an area where I think it’s totally fine to save some time. You can buy shredded iceberg lettuce and that works perfectly here.
- Chopped Tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
- Chipotle Corn Salsa – Oh my goodness, this is so good! It’s amazing as a dip or serve it on top of all your favorite Mexican dishes.
- Sliced Olives
- Diced Onions
- Salsa
- Guacamole or Sliced Avocados
- Beans
- Lime Crema
- Creamy Salsa Guacamole
Tips
- Make Ahead – You can prep everything ahead and simply warm the beef to serve or keep the beef warm in a slow cooker with 1/4 cup of water so that it’s ready when you are. These are best constructed just before serving to prevent soggy chips.
- Serve with Utensils – This way you can get a little of everything in each bite, without making a mess. One of the most frequently-asked questions I receive: “Where are those cute little wooden forks from?” I love these disposable wooden utensils. So much cuter than plastic!
Video
Nutrition Information
Calories: 141kcal (7%), Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 8g (16%), Fat: 12g (18%), Saturated Fat: 6g (30%), Cholesterol: 36mg (12%), Sodium: 178mg (7%), Potassium: 96mg (3%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 267IU (5%), Vitamin C: 1mg (1%), Calcium: 113mg (11%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Penny says
I grew up with these! We called them Frito Pie!
Julie Blanner says
YES! Love that name for them. Brilliant.
Taylor says
We love walking tacos! So fun and absolutely delicious!
Julie Blanner says
Hi Taylor! I totally agree- the perfect party food, right? Have a beautiful week!
Jen says
This was a total mom win for me! My kids thought this was the funnest dinner we ever had. Thank you!
Betsy says
Walking tacos are awesome for having company over! So easy and simple to make. I’ve only ever had these with Fritos before, I love the idea of Doritos, too…and for my kid that doesn’t like regular ones I could use the extra hot Doritos or the Ranch ones!
Kristyn says
I love the name! It’s perfect for this recipe! We love these for entertaining! Everyone can add what they want & they are always a hit!