31 Best Taco Recipes for Any Night of the Week

These recipes have something for everyone: authentic birria tacos, Tex-Mex tacos with ground beef, and more.

The best taco ideas

Taco is one of the popular dishes Mexican cuisine Not only because it's delicious, but also because it can be prepared in endless variations. Corn or flour tortillas? Chicken or ground beef? With guacamole, pickled red onions, homemade salsa and Mexican cheese? The list goes on and on—it's so easy to make a version that will satisfy even the most discerning palates. Whether you're throwing a Mexican-themed party or just want have dinner with the whole familyYou can't go wrong with any of the recipes featured in this roundup, whether authentic or fusion-inspired. Need some variety? Try making a taco bar. This recipe offers two different fillings, giving you tons of serving ideas. Best of all, it's all ready in 35 minutes, including the homemade pico de gallo sauce!

Recipe: Taco bar

Carne asada tacos with fresh salsa

Yes, it's possible to recreate the taste of street tacos. Carne Asada is strips of steak wrapped in a tortilla. Just follow Tyler's simple recipe, marinating the succulent beef in a garlicky mojo sauce with jalapeño and lime. As for the filling, simply make a homemade pico de gallo sauce with fresh tomatoes and fragrant cilantro.

Recipe: Carne asada tacos with fresh salsa

Bahia-Style Fish Tacos

Fried halibut fillet in a crispy breading is served in Mexican tacos along with other traditional taco fillings. To fry, the fish is cut into strips and coated in a spicy mixture of flour and chili powder. Place the cooked fish on paper towels to absorb excess oil and serve on corn tortillas with red cabbage salad, avocado slices, and salsa. It's delicious, filling, and very juicy.

Recipe: Bahia-Style Fish Tacos

Whole chicken on pineapple for tacos

The chicken for these tacos is grilled whole vertically on the grill, held in place by a pineapple core. Pineapple sauce is also brushed onto the chicken during grilling, resulting in a flavorful, sweet-spicy skin with a zesty chili flavor. The most important part of this recipe is making sure the pineapple skewer is level, otherwise the chicken will flip.

Recipe: Whole chicken on pineapple for tacos

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Cook juicy and tender pieces of pork in a flavorful sauce made from pureed chipotle peppers, honey, and vinegar, and let your family make their own tacos filled with pulled pork and other classic fillings.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Battered fish tacos

Marcela serves her Baja California tacos with beer-battered fish and a zesty fresh tomatillo salsa and lemon-cream sauce.

Recipe: Battered fish tacos

Tacos in a slow cooker

If you suddenly decide to treat your family to delicious tacos, a slow cooker is your friend! It can easily handle even frozen ground meat, and the taco filling will be ready in minutes. Serve with any toppings of your choice: fresh tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, grated cheese, lettuce, or olives.

Recipe: Tacos in a slow cooker

Shrimp and Red Cabbage Tacos

When you want to impress a large crowd with an unusual appetizer without spending half a day in the kitchen, make Mexican tacos. They're unique, vibrant, and delicious, and most importantly, guests will enjoy making their own—it's part of the fun. All you need to do is cook shrimp in tomato sauce. It takes just minutes. Also, shred some coleslaw and dress it with a zesty mayonnaise dressing. Set up a taco bar by setting out a stack of warmed tortillas, a bowl of salad, shredded cheese, avocado slices, lime wedges, sour cream, and salsa—all in individual bowls. Everyone can top their tortilla with whatever they like.

Recipe: Shrimp and Red Cabbage Tacos

Chicken Tacos with Salsa

Sunny Anderson simmers ground chicken with vegetables and a homemade spice blend, guaranteeing an indescribably flavorful filling for her crispy tacos. She doesn't just add the usual sour cream and salsa to her tacos; she blends these classic ingredients to create a refreshing, creamy filling with fresh tomatoes, sliced jalapeños, and sour cream, plus a squeeze of lime juice for an extra burst of flavor.

Recipe: Chicken Tacos with Salsa

15-Minute Grilled Steak Tacos

To quickly prepare taco meat and still ensure it's juicy, fry the beef in thin strips over high heat, tossing the steak with spices and a pinch of sugar beforehand. Add the beef after a few minutes in the pan, then sauté the onions in the remaining flavorful juices. Together with the meat, they make a juicy addition to the tacos. You can assemble the tacos yourself, or if you're in a rush to set the table, give your guests the chance to do so by setting up a taco bar. Set out the meat, tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and shredded cheese, and enjoy the meal while chatting with friends.

Recipe: 15-Minute Grilled Steak Tacos

Spicy Chicken Naan Wraps

Make Indian-style wraps with juicy, seared chicken seasoned with garam masala. Wrap it in naan bread, top it with mango chutney, jalapeño, and cilantro, and serve with a refreshing cucumber salad in a yogurt dressing.

Recipe: Spicy Chicken Naan Wraps

Crispy ground beef taco pie

This taco is like a giant layered pie in a toasted tortilla shell. Assemble it, and you'll save yourself the time of making individual tacos, plus the flavor of the ingredients combined like this is simply amazing. Arrange large tortillas like a flower and layer cooked ground beef, cheese, tostadas (crispy tortillas) in the center to give the taco a crispy interior, sour cream, and tomatoes. Wrap the entire filling in the tortilla flower petals and toast in the oven until the cheese melts. Slice the giant taco like a pie and serve. The special taco seasoning in which the ground beef is fried gives it a distinct Mexican flavor. The mouthwatering aroma will fill the entire house.

Recipe: Crispy ground beef taco pie

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Taco with beef ribs in Korean style

Jet Tila's special sauce gives these Korean-style tacos their incredible flavor. The sauce's main ingredient is gochujang paste. This fermented red chili pepper paste infuses the beef with a rich, savory flavor. The ribs are served on corn tortillas with fried shredded Brussels sprouts.

Recipe: Taco with beef ribs in Korean style

Cajun Grilled Catfish Tacos

With this recipe, you can enjoy the flavors and aromas of New Orleans cuisine without leaving home! Make tacos with grilled catfish in Cajun spices, cabbage, and yogurt sauce, drizzled with freshly squeezed lime juice and hot sauce for a zesty kick.

Recipe: Cajun Grilled Catfish Tacos

American beef tacos

What makes these tacos truly delicious and rich is Alton Brown's homemade spice mix, which he adds to the ground beef filling. In addition to the spices, this magical mixture contains a touch of cornstarch for the perfect consistency of the meat filling. The tacos are assembled in crispy corn tortilla pockets.

Recipe: American beef tacos

Chicken and Watermelon Tacos

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish made from a corn or wheat tortilla, filled with a variety of fillings—meat, vegetables, seafood, or Mexican cactus pulp—and topped with cheese, cilantro, onions, or guacamole. Tacos are eaten by hand, folding the tortilla in half. This taco recipe features grilled chicken stewed with tomatillos and jalapeños and a spicy watermelon salad. All the ingredients work beautifully together, imparting a rich, aromatic flavor.

Recipe: Chicken and Watermelon Tacos

Tacos with red fish

Oven-baked salmon makes a fun way to serve it as Mexican tacos. Before baking, sprinkle the fish with ground chipotle pepper. This smoked jalapeño, in addition to its piquant flavor, imparts a pleasant grilled aroma to the fish. Serve the finished fillet on small corn tortillas with cabbage marinated for an hour and a spicy mashed potato made with avocado, lime juice, and Sriracha sauce. This presentation looks impressive and tastes very juicy and rich.

Recipe: Tacos with red fish

Mexican tacos with braised beef

Tyler Florence braises beef shoulder in a tomato sauce with aromatic spices until it's tender and easily shredded with a fork. To make the perfect beef taco, he fills crispy corn taco pockets with the shredded meat, simple homemade salsa, and guacamole.

Recipe: Mexican tacos with braised beef

Grilled Chicken Tacos

Rub chicken breasts with chili powder and grill them with corn tortillas for simple and delicious tacos that are easy to make midweek. Divide the cooked chicken among warm tortillas and top with shredded cheese, lettuce, jalapeños, or salsa.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Tacos

Birria Short Rib Tacos Braised with Annatto Paste

Braised Beef Short Rib Tacos take time to prepare, but they're worth it. The slow and low cooking method results in tender beef, and the homemade chili sauce adds irresistible flavor.

Recipe: Birria Short Rib Tacos Braised with Annatto Paste

15-Minute Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Coleslaw

Assemble a taco bar in just 15 minutes or less. Just buy pre-shredded coleslaw mix, chipotle mayonnaise, and canned beans. This time-saving approach allows you to delight your loved ones with a fun dinner any day of the week without the hassle. Simply set out all the ingredients on the table, creating a bar so everyone can build their own tacos.

Recipe: 15-Minute Shrimp Tacos with Spicy Coleslaw

Pulled Pork Tacos

Juicy pulled pork in a rich sauce is a great alternative to ground beef when it comes to tacos. Giada De Laurentiis marins the meat with beer, adds orange zest, spices, and chipotle peppers, and simmers it in a slow cooker until tender and flavorful, with a hint of smoke. A properly cooked shoulder will shred easily. Serve the pulled pork in tortillas with a variety of taco toppings to suit your tastes.

Recipe: Pulled Pork Tacos

Preppy Joe's Tacos

Enjoy the flavors of the popular Sloppy John sandwich without getting all sloppy! Use bowl-shaped tortillas instead of regular buns. Fill them with a juicy meat filling, top with coleslaw, and enjoy as an appetizer or main course.

Recipe: Preppy Joe's Tacos

Tofu tacos

Make delicious and juicy vegetarian tacos by filling a tortilla with fried tofu and coleslaw with radishes and cilantro in a lime dressing instead of meat. Press the tofu slices before frying to remove as much water as possible, ensuring a crispy crust. Taco seasoning infuses them with the traditional Tex-Mex flavor, so you won't even miss the meat. Top each taco with shredded cheese, refreshing yogurt sauce, and tomatillo salsa. Enjoy!

Recipe: Tofu tacos

Kid-Friendly: Crispy Breakfast Tacos

Want to make breakfast special and get your kids excited? Serve scrambled eggs and vegetables in a crispy taco shape. It's delicious, healthy, and fun. Older kids can even make their own. In addition to scrambled eggs, the corn pockets are filled with grated cheese, grape tomatoes, green onions, shredded lettuce, and salsa—all popular ingredients in traditional tacos. Top with sour cream and black olives, if desired.

Recipe: Kid-Friendly: Crispy Breakfast Tacos

Pork carnitas tacos

Cook boneless pork neck in orange juice with fresh thyme in a slow cooker for the perfect filling for warm corn tortillas. If you have time, make some pickled red onions – they're the perfect complement.

Recipe: Pork carnitas tacos

Beef tacos

Mexican tacos are a surefire option when you're looking for fun appetizers for a house party or planning a casual, fun family dinner. All you need to do is prepare the beef filling by frying it with traditional taco spices: chili powder, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Then, serve the filling with tortillas and a variety of toppings, including grated cheeses, sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and other appetizers of your choice. Everyone assembles their own taco and enjoys.

Recipe: Beef tacos

Tacos with juicy beef barbacoa

These tacos are packed with flavor thanks to braised beef and chili peppers, and a simple sauce made with roasted tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

Recipe: Tacos with juicy beef barbacoa

Thai-Style Chicken, Cabbage, and Peanut Sauce Tortillas

This recipe infuses Mexican tacos with Thai flavors. Toasted tortillas are served with shredded chicken in a peanut sauce, tart coleslaw, fresh herbs, and lime. Using store-bought rotisserie chicken, your tacos are ready in minutes.

Recipe: Thai-Style Chicken, Cabbage, and Peanut Sauce Tortillas

Mahi-mahi fish tacos

Bobby's fish tacos cook quickly thanks to his "special marinade." He marins the fish in jalapeño sauce for just 15 minutes before grilling. Although Bobby grills his tacos with mahi-mahi, any flaky white fish will do.

Recipe: Mahi-mahi fish tacos

Tacos with ranch chicken, beans, and salsa for a taco bar

Instead of preparing tacos for a crowd, Ree Drummond recommends setting up a taco bar, where all the ingredients are laid out individually on the table and guests can pile their favorites onto a tortilla. This approach is usually a hit with everyone. Ree pan-fries a well-seasoned chicken breast, dices it, and offers several salsas, beans, and grilled mini peppers.

Recipe: Tacos with ranch chicken, beans, and salsa for a taco bar