How to Make Homemade Taco Meat

How to Make Homemade Taco Meat is very simple and easy. I prefer to make large batches when ground beef is on sale at the grocery store, so I can then freeze the taco meat into smaller quantities and have on hand.  My boys love having tacos, even for after school snacks. I will simply pull out some Taco Meat from the freezer, scoop into taco shells with shredded cheese and place in the oven, then the boys have a hearty snack to munch on.

They eat them all up, which is a great way to fill them up til dinner time!  Plus on a busy night when we have different activities going on, we can eat this quick dinner in no time, especially if the taco meat is already prepared. But even if it is not prepared it takes only about ten minutes to make it. Which is a lifesaver for us on those hectic nights. I will usually have a Taco Salad while the boys have taco’s.

How to Make Homemade Taco Meat

You will need the following ingredients to make Homemade Taco Meat: 1 pound of ground beef or chuck, 2/3 cup water, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp sea salt and 1 tsp black pepper.

Start by heating a large skillet over medium – high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet and break the meat up using a wooden spoon.

While the ground beef is cooking, mix together in a small bowl all of the spices and set aside.

Cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the skillet. Keep the cooked ground beef in the skillet.

Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the beef in the skillet. Add in the water and mix together well. Let the beef cook til the water is soaked up into the meat.

Serve right away or let the beef cool down and place in a freezer safe bag, then place in the freezer until ready to use.

If making a large batch you will need to adjust the seasonings. For example if you are making 3 lbs. then times the amounts by three. But you may not to add three times the amount of water, I would start with 1 cup and then adjust from there, if you need more add just a little at a time.

Taco Recipes You May Enjoy:

Taco Cheesy Pasta

Stuffed Taco Potatoes

Taco Casserole Recipe

Shelley King

Shelley is a boy mom, marine wife, and is blessed with an amazing family. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.