Name: Ground Beef Tacos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought); ½ cup tomato juice; 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or lime juice); 8 to 12 flour tortillas (corn tortillas, or crisp taco shells); 1 (15 ounce) can refried beans (warmed (optional)); shredded cheddar cheese; iceberg lettuce (shredded); 2 tomatoes (diced); 1 onion (diced); Sour cream (salsa, guacamole, or pico de gallo)

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Ground beef tacos are hard to beat when you need a dinner everyone can build exactly the way they like it. The taco meat takes about 10 minutes on the stove, so most of the work is just chopping the toppings and getting everything on the table.

Ground beef tacos on a white plate with shredded lettuce, cheese, and salsa.

Use homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store-bought blend, then set out cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, sour cream, guacamole, and homemade pico de gallo.

Here’s Why This Ground Beef Tacos Recipe Works

Tomato juice adds more flavor: Instead of adding water to the seasoned beef, I use tomato juice.

A little vinegar or lime makes a difference: Just a couple of teaspoons gives the seasoned beef a subtle boost without making it taste acidic.

The taco meat is ready fast: Once you brown and season the beef, it only needs about 5 minutes of simmering before it’s ready for the shells.

Everyone can build their own: Set out the beef taco mixture and all the fixings and let everyone take it from there.

Ingredients for ground beef taco meat with tomato juice, taco seasoning, and vinegar.

Taco night setup with seasoned ground beef, crisp shells, refried beans, and toppings.

Ingredient Notes

Ground beef: I like lean ground beef for tacos. If there’s much grease left in the skillet after browning, drain it before adding the seasoning.

Taco seasoning: Homemade taco seasoning gives you more control over the salt and heat, but your favorite store-bought blend works just fine.

Tomato juice: This is my preference over water because it adds a little more flavor to the taco meat. You can substitute chicken broth or water.

Apple cider vinegar or lime juice: You only need a couple of teaspoons. Either works well, so use whichever you have on hand.

Refried beans: These are optional, but they’re a good way to stretch the taco meat. Spread some in each shell before adding the beef, or stir the beans right into the meat.

Taco shells: You can use crisp taco shells or soft tortillas.

Serve the tacos with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo or salsa.

Hand holding a crisp taco filled with seasoned ground beef and toppings.

Recipe Tips

Drain only if needed: Lean beef may not release much grease. If there is excess, drain it before adding the seasoning.

Simmer after seasoning: Let the liquid reduce until the meat is coated and saucy, not soupy.

Use tomato juice for more flavor: Water works, but tomato juice gives the taco meat a little more depth.

Warm the shells: Crisp taco shells taste better and are less brittle after a quick warm-up. And soft tortillas are more flexible if they get warmed.

Keep toppings separate: Let everyone build their own tacos so the shells stay crisp.

Make the meat ahead: The seasoned beef reheats well, so you can make it ahead and just warm it up when you’re ready to eat.

Leftover taco meat works well over sheet pan beef nachos, tucked into baked potatoes, or spooned over rice bowls with black beans.