About this recipe

The ultimate crowd-pleasing, no-plate-needed meal! Walking tacos are individual bags of Fritos (or your favorite corn chips) loaded up with seasoned taco meat, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, and all your favorite toppings — served right in the bag. They're perfect for game days, cookouts, camping trips, or feeding a hungry crowd with minimal cleanup. This classic recipe uses a simple, deeply flavorful homemade taco seasoning and a quick beef filling that comes together in under 20 minutes.

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep your toppings first: dice the yellow onion and tomatoes, shred the lettuce, slice the jalapeno, and set everything out in small bowls so your toppings bar is ready to go.

2. 2

   Heat a large skillet over ^[medium-high heat]. Add the beef and diced yellow onion. Cook, breaking the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned and the yellow onion is softened, about 7–8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat, leaving just a thin film in the pan.

3. 3

   Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.

4. 4

   Add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne pepper (if using), kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir well to coat the meat in the spices and cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.

5. 5

   Pour in the tomato sauce and water. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to ^[medium-low] and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens and clings to the meat. Taste and adjust kosher salt as needed. Remove from heat.

6. 6

   To assemble each walking taco: hold a snack-size fritos corn chips bag upright and gently crush the chips inside slightly with your hand — this creates more surface area and makes eating easier. Cut or tear open the top of the bag.

7. 7

   Spoon a generous portion of the hot taco meat (about 3–4 tablespoons) directly into the open chip bag on top of the chips.

8. 8

   Top with shredded Mexican cheese blend (the heat from the meat will melt it slightly), a dollop of sour cream, a spoonful of salsa, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and any other toppings you like. Add a squeeze of lime and dig in with a dipping fork right from the bag!