Walking tacos are fun little snack-size portable tacos in a bag with crushed chips, taco meat, and all your favorite fixings conveniently enjoyed straight from the bag with a spoon or fork.
Why this recipe works
Similar to a frito pie, walking tacos are a kid-friendly party food everyone always seems to love. They’re portable little “tacos” mixed together with crunchy chips instead of a taco shell. Not only are they tasty, they’re fun too.
Frito pies typically use chili meat with cheese and onion, whereas walking tacos are basically put – tacos in a bag, though the two terms are often interchangeable. It’s left up to you on what to add, just think of your favorite taco toppings!
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CHIPS – Fritos, Cool Ranch Doritos, or Nacho Cheese Doritos are all solid choices. All of which come in snack size (1 oz) bags. You can also use Cheetos, Lays, or Funyons as well. A lot of the time these chips come in a variety packs which is great for having different options.
MEAT – We use ground beef, however, you can also use ground turkey. Shredded chicken can also be substituted if desired, just mix it with a bit of taco seasoning for additional flavor. You can use store-bought taco seasoning or try our homemade taco seasoning mix. Feel free to spice up the ground beef mixture with some green chiles or salsa if you’d like, or do it frito pie-style and use chili meat instead.
TOPPINGS – Sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, diced onion, shredded lettuce, jalapeno slices, or diced tomatoes all make great toppings.
How to Make Walking Tacos
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet. Add taco seasoning and water according to envelope directions.
- Gently crush the bag of chips then cut off the top with scissors.
- Spoon in 1/4 cup taco meat to each bag then add toppings (about 1-2 Tbsp each topping).
- Carefully stir all the ingredients together in the bag. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
This recipe makes 6 walking tacos, so you can easily double or triple it for a crowd. Simply use more taco meat (with corresponding amount of taco seasoning) and grab some extra toppings. Each bag should get around 1-2 Tbsp of each individual topping and 1/4 cup of taco meat, so plan accordingly. You can cook/transfer your taco meat to a crockpot for easy transport.
Serving Suggestions
I remember the first time I saw walking tacos. It was at a high school football game, and they were selling them at the concession stand. These little portable tacos are great for enjoying around the campfire, as a party snack, or as game day appetizers.
You can serve them as a walking taco station by placing the taco meat in the center of all the toppings and pre-crushed chip bags so the guests can pick and choose what they’d like to add themselves.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 oz taco seasoning plus water according to seasoning packet
- 6 oz Fritos 6 – 1 oz snack bags of Fritos, Doritos, etc
Optional Toppings
- shredded lettuce
- shredded Mexican cheese
- onion diced
- green chiles 1 can for the taco meat
- jalapenos sliced
- sour cream
- salsa or diced tomatoes
Things You’ll Need
- Skillet
Before You Begin
- The nutrition facts listed below does not include any optional toppings.
- You can cook/transfer your taco meat to a crockpot for easy transport.
- Each walking taco should get 1/4 cup meat and 1-2 Tbsp of each topping.
- Serve this at gatherings as a walking taco station. Place the meat in the center and surround it with bowls of toppings and individually crushed chip bags so your guests have the option to add whatever they’d like.
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a skillet. Add taco seasoning and water according to envelope directions.
- Gently crush the bag of chips then cut off the top with scissors.
- Spoon in 1/4 cup taco meat to each bag then add toppings (about 1-2 Tbsp each topping).
- Carefully stir all the ingredients together in the bag. Enjoy!
