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How to make taco bowls with seasoned taco meat, beans, rice, and delicious Mexican toppings. Make-ahead for quick family dinners or lunch on the go.
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Why you'll love this taco bowl recipe
- Satisfying - Mouthwatering taco rice bowls are packed with nutrition and flavor.
- Easy to make - Combines lettuce, taco meat, rice, and beans, topped with your favorite Mexican ingredients.
- Family friendly - Taco bowls are fun, easy, and loved by everyone.
- Convenient - Taco bowls are perfect for busy home cooks—everything can be made ahead for quick assembly.
- Versatile - Easily customize ingredients to fit any diet.
Ingredients you'll need
The beauty of a taco bowl is that it can be anything you want it to be. So, feel free to use my suggestions as a guide and dial in your favorite bowl ingredients and toppings.
The base we love has taco meat, rice, beans, and lettuce.
- taco meat - Use taco meat made with lean ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken.
- brown rice - This 10-minute cilantro lime brown rice adds color and flavor, or you can make plain Instant Pot brown rice.
- black beans - Use canned beans or pressure cooked black beans.
- lettuce - Iceberg, romaine, or any green leaf lettuce will work. The lettuce fills out the bottom of the taco bowl and adds nutrients and volume without adding extra calories, carbs, or fat.
The toppings - If you've seen my chicken burrito bowl, you know I love to really pile on the fresh toppings. Taco rice bowls are no different. Here's my list of recommendations to keep these bowls healthy.
- tomatoes - Use any tomato variety or make homemade pico de gallo.
- avocado - Use fresh diced avocado or make my easy guacamole recipe.
- cilantro - Freshly chopped cilantro adds color and flavor.
- lime - Serve plenty of lime wedges with taco rice bowls.
- jalapeno - Use fresh or pickled jalapenos
- cheddar cheese - Or Mexican cheese blend
- sour cream - or lime crema
- hot sauce - we love a few drops of a good hot sauce in our taco bowls.
How to make a taco bowl
Cook the seasoned beef per the recipe instructions below. Make cilantro lime rice by adding cilantro and lime to brown or white cooked rice. You can make Instant Pot brown rice and enjoy it in the taco bowl exactly as it is. Meanwhile, prep the toppings.
To serve, distribute lettuce into serving bowls, topped with taco meat, brown rice, and beans. Add other toppings as desired. What you see here is sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime crema (sour cream with lime juice), jalapeno, cheese, lime wedges, and homemade hot sauce.
Build your own taco bowl
When we make taco bowls, I love setting all the prepped ingredients out for everyone to build their own. The main components—seasoned beef, rice, beans, veggies, and toppings. The self-serve option allows everyone to customize their bowl however they like. It’s a fun, interactive way to serve dinner, and it works great for different tastes and preferences in the family!
Recipe Tips
- Ground Beef: If you're using 85/15 ground beef, consider draining the excess fat after cooking to avoid an oily texture in your taco bowl.
- Cook the Rice Ahead: You can cook rice ahead of time and reheat it when assembling the bowls. You can also use microwavable rice for an even quicker option.
- Prep in Advance: You can cook the meat, prep toppings, and store them in separate containers so everything is ready to assemble when you’re short on time.
- Warm the Tortillas (Optional): If you’re serving with tortillas on the side, warm them in a dry skillet for extra flavor and texture before filling them.
Recipe variations
- Substitute brown rice with cauliflower rice and omit the beans for a low carb variation.
- Use store bought seasoning or my homemade taco seasoning. Or mix a quick blend of chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt.
- Make this easy salsa recipe or avocado ranch dressing for alternate toppings
- Swap the rice with quinoa for added protein and a different texture.
- Use refried black beans in place of whole black beans for a different texture.
- Add sweet corn for a pop of color and flavor.
- Add crispy tortilla chips for texture and flavor.
Easy Mexican recipes
- Taco Pasta
- Taco Rice Skillet
- Chicken Tacos
- Loaded Steak Nachos
- Skillet Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
📖 Recipe
The BEST Taco Bowl
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Video
Note about scaling
When scaling (2x or 3x), the light gray ingredient amount doesn’t scale. Please adjust those accordingly.
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 small Onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 pound Ground Turkey, or beef
- 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning, or 1 packet
- ¼ cup Water
- ⅔ cup Tomato Sauce
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Taco Bowl
- 1 head Iceberg or Romaine Lettuce, chopped (about 8 cups)
- 2 cups Cilantro Lime Rice, or plain rice
- 1 (15 ounce can) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 large Avocado, sliced
- 2 ounces Cheddar Cheese, shredded (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup Cilantro, chopped
- 2 Limes, cut into wedges
- 1 small Jalapeno, thinly sliced
- Sour Cream or Lime Crema, optional
- Hot Sauce, optional
Instructions
Cook the taco meat
- Heat OIL in a skillet. Add ONIONS and saute until translucent.
- Add GROUND TURKEY or BEEF and saute until browned. Drain excess fat, if necessary.
- Stir in TACO SEASONING, WATER, and TOMATO SAUCE.
- Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened, stirring as needed. Add SALT and PEPPER to taste.
- Set aside until ready to use.
Build the taco bowls
- Distribute LETTUCE evenly into serving bowls.
- Warm the TACO MEAT, BROWN RICE, and BEANS via the stove or microwave; distribute into bowls.
- Add any of these toppings: TOMATOES, AVOCADO, CILANTRO, LIME, JALAPENO, CHEESE, SOUR CREAM, HOT SAUCE.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Yes! You can cook the beef and prepare the toppings in advance. Store everything separately and assemble when ready to eat.
Ground beef is delicious, but you can also use ground chicken, turkey, or a plant-based meat substitute.
Absolutely! Swap out rice for cauliflower rice and use lettuce as the base instead of grains to keep it low-carb.
Popular toppings include cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and jalapeños. Customize it to your taste!
Plain white rice or brown rice can work, but it's even more exciting when we use cilantro lime rice. You can also use cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
Kathy says
SO GOOD!! I topped with cherry tomatoes, avocado, sliced black olives, cilantro, jalapeño and homemade salsa. so yummy!
Traci says
Yayyy! All my favorite things! I'm so glad you're enjoying my recipe. Thanks for the review! Enjoy!!
Jeff says
Your taco bowls are hands down one of my favorite all time meals. Eating these every day last week for lunch and dinner proves it 🙂 Can't wait to have them again but I don't want to burn out because they're so good! And now I know how to make a taco bowl that slays! Boom!