The best ground beef taco recipe for low carb Taco Bell style tacos, uses an easy homemade taco seasoning and cheese taco shells. At net 5 carbs each, they’re perfectly keto and gluten free, too.
If you’re like me, a crunchy taco hits the spot when Mexican food cravings hit! I was thrilled that my family enjoyed this easy ground beef taco recipe as much as I did.
Since the taco shells were already made, the meal came together in 20 minutes – faster than take out! Low carb Taco Bell? You betcha!
Best Ground Beef Taco Recipe
Many Americans grew up eating tasty ground beef tacos at home for Taco Tuesdays; you know the kind that resemble those from Taco Bell with the crunchy yellow corn taco shells, seasoned ground beef, lettuce and tomatoes. An easy taco recipe made with ground beef and a seasoning packet, it was a staple of my childhood.
Every year more Americans decide to reduce the amount of processed food they buy and consume. A great way to start is by replacing store bought salad dressings with homemade and making your own seasoning blends like the low carb taco seasoning recipe I shared last week.
Making your own seasonings allows for customization and control of ingredients like sugar and salt. It’s also a great way to ensure your food is gluten-free and grain-free if your are into that kinda thing.
I used my own taco seasoning blend for this recipe and am convinced it makes the best ground beef tacos! While I won’t try to claim that this is an authentic Mexican beef taco recipe, they feature seasoned shredded beef, it’s pretty tasty and very popular with my family.
How I Make Low Carb Ground Beef Tacos
Since this is a low carb recipe blog, I use cheddar cheese taco shells instead of processed corn taco shells from the grocery store. The cheese shells are crispy and hold up well to all kinds of fillings. At just 1 carb each (vs 18 carbs in Old El Paso taco shells), I’m sure I’m not the only one doing a happy dance right now.
For those new to the lifestyle, we who follow low carb and keto diets are not afraid of fat. In fact, fat fuels our bodies. But for this recipe, I use lean ground beef. Why? I didn’t want any grease dripping out of my tacos and staining my shirt. Also, there is plenty of fat in the cheese, avocado, and sour cream. These are the perfect keto tacos!
Like most taco recipes with ground beef, one pound of meat is enough for 6 servings. I was fine with eating one taco and was sorry after eating two as they are pretty filling. I suggest serving with a small side salad with a tangy vinaigrette dressing.
Tell me what you like on your tacos in the comments below.
Each ground beef taco is 5 net carbs.
Best Ground Beef Taco Recipe (Low Carb, Keto)
Ingredients
Taco Shells
- 6 Cheese Taco Shells (or your favorite)
Ground Beef Taco Meat
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 recipe Low Carb Taco Seasoning (use 2 tbsp or all depending on your taste)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup beef broth (or 1/2 cup water with 1/2 tsp beef base)
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings (Use what you like)
- 2 cups chopped lettuce
- 1 medium avocado, sliced (toss with lemon or lime juice)
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- 1/4 cup purple onion, minced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Preparation:
- Wash and chop lettuce and cilantro. Slice avocado and toss with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning. Mince onion. Have salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese ready.
Method:
- Crumble the ground beef into a cold pan and turn the heat to medium. Working continuously, break-up the ground beef with a spatula or a wedge shaped wooden scraper/spoon, until it is very fine in texture.
- Stir the taco seasoning into the ground beef and cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the beef broth (or water and beef base) and simmer until almost absorbed. Aim for a moist but not wet mixture. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Assembly:
- Divide the seasoned taco meat evenly between the 6 cheese taco shells. Fill the shells with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
- Makes 6 tacos. Each taco is 5 g net carbs when made with the ingredients shown.
- (The ground beef will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator if made in advance and freezes well. I often make a double batch and freeze half.)
Notes
Nutrition
Crispy Cheese Taco Shells (low carb, keto)
Homemade Low Carb Taco Seasoning (gluten-free, keto)
Do the nutrition facts include the cheese shell? What is the amount per serving? Just trying to correctly log this in my carb manager app. I want to know what the nutrition for just the beef would be and how big the serving size would be. I logged my cheese taco shell separately since different brands vary. Thank you and it was delish!!!
Yes, it does include the cheese shells, Cassandra. Here is the link for the cheese taco shell post. You can subtract the nutritional info of the shells from the total serving of the taco recipe to get the nutritional info for the ground beef. Enjoy!
I am a bit puzzled – since it is Keto, in which “fat rules”, why use LEAN ground beef???? Seriously?
Hi Bill. Yes, keto diets use fat as fuel, but many of us still need to count calories and not over indulge on fats – women especially. I chose lean beef for this recipe because with cheese shells and toppings like shredded cheese, avocado and sour cream, the fat per taco is approximately 33 grams. I try to minimize spikes of any macros when I develop and test recipes because I find for myself, keeping my macros as even as possible helps me stay on track. Additionally, I tested the recipe with a fattier ground beef and ended up with lots of grease dripping out of the tacos. I take many things into account before I share a recipe. Thank you for your questions. -Kim
I used pork grinds to scoop it up. Was very good
I’m sorry to be a pain, but I don’t want any taco shells. I just want taco seasoned ground Chuck, sour cream. shredded cheddar cheese & hot sauce. I have no idea how to figure out the calories, carbs, fats, etc. I’d like to do it in cups. 1/2 cup? 1 cup? I’m new to this, & really don’t wanna screw it up. Can u help me?
Thank u ~
Hi Denise, subtract 1 net carb from the serving total for not having the cheese shell. I suggest signing up with Fatsecret.com. It’s free and you can log your foods easily in the daily log and enter your own recipes (or those from blogs you like) into the recipe book. It even gives you a nice pie chart to follow your macros (daily fat, carbs, protein). I find that entering raw ingredient weights instead of using measurements gives me more accurate numbers. Digital scales can be found cheaply on Amazon. I hope this helps. -Kim
Can you use soft taco shells instead of the hard ones? Can avocado be exchanged for something else? Thank you….. Robin Sumner
Hi Robin, you may use what you want to make these – just be sure to count the carbs if you are low carb. -Kim
Couldn’t find my go to low carb taco seasoning recipe and came across yours. So glad I did. Made your taco recipe and it’s is delish! The seasoning with tomato paste and beef base is so easy and tasty. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked it, Debbie! -Kim
Thanks for your help dinner will be good tonight go keto
I have a family of 10. So before I go to the trouble of making these beautiful taco shells, I must know. . . do they break in two, or worse, crumble into pieces, on the first bite?
Hi TSpar. No, they don’t break apart. I was pleasantly surprised. I think that the sharp and medium pre-grated cheese from the store worked the best (I used Kraft or Albertson’s brand). I’m anal so I like drawing that 6 inch circle and spreading the cheese so the shells are the same size (look at the taco shell post for pictures). I just did a search on Amazon for “taco shell forms” and I think I may try a few to make them easier than draping them over my bamboo utensils hung between water glasses! The shells lasted for a long time in plastic bags on the counter and my kids did not have a hard time eating the tacos. With corn shells, they make an absolute mess! I hope this helps. -Kim
This is a great ground beef recipe- perfect for tacos! We added a little cayenne to spice it up. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome! I have small kids so I never make anything spicy. I’m so glad you were able to adjust for your personal tastes. Happy New Year. -Kim
Love these! All my husband wants on his taco is seasoned ground beef. Likes all the other toppings as a side salad! Have made smaller cheese circles and pressed them into “scoops” shape for eating with salsa or other dips.
Hey Kim! Spray and wash will get that grease spot out of your shirt! Definitely going to try these as well as the chorizo chili.
Hi Jihn, good point! I hope you like the recipe. -Kim
Fatfingered my name, should be John K
Nice to meet you, John!