My love for tacos knows no bounds. Especially these gluten-free tacos, which I make at least once a week on Tuesdays, of course!
If you're ready for an easy taco recipe you can add to your weeknight dinner rotation, this is it. Keep reading!
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About This Gluten-Free Tacos Recipe
Tacos are such an easy and versatile recipe. And this recipe for gluten-free tacos with my homemade gluten-free taco seasoning makes them a super easy choice for a weeknight dinner. Plus, you can customize them with lots of different toppings and variations, or even turn them into a plate of loaded nachos or crunchwrap supremes! This is a super family-friendly meal, and kids will love being able to create their own tacos.
This taco recipe uses ground beef or ground turkey for an American-style taco, with my homemade taco seasoning that uses spices you probably already have in your cabinet and some water to thicken it. Because this is the only thing you have to cook, the rest is just getting your toppings together. Tacos are a quick dinner that come together in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients You Will Need
-1 pound ground beef or ground turkey (I buy 85 or 90%, less fat to drain)
-Homemade gluten-free taco seasoning (Click here for the recipe, also listed below in the recipe card)
-½ to ¾ cup of water
-Corn tortillas: hard or soft (Check they are 100% gluten-free and only made from corn. I buy Old El Paso hard shell tacos, or Mission corn tortillas)
Toppings: Shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, fresh squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, diced red or white onion, salsa or pico de gallo, or anything else you like on your tacos!
How To Make Gluten-Free Tacos
First, assemble your taco seasoning. All you do is mix the measured ingredients in a bowl until combined with a fork or spoon. Super simple!
Then, brown your ground beef or ground turkey on the stove top. Drain any excess fat and return the meat to the pan over medium heat. Add the taco seasoning and ½ cup of water and bring to a boil, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Sometimes the ground turkey will require more liquid, so you can up this to ¾ cup of water. It really just depends on how much liquid you prefer in your taco meat.
After it's simmered for 5-7 minutes, turn off the heat, and that's it! All you have to do now is assemble your gluten-free tacos and dig in.
How To Serve Gluten-Free Tacos
Personally, I love setting up a taco station on the counter with all of the toppings ready to go, so it's easy to assemble your gluten-free tacos.
Start with the tortilla - you can either do hard shell corn tortillas or soft shell.
Next, add your seasoned ground beef or turkey, followed by the shredded cheese, so it gets nice and melty. (Pro tip: grate your cheese by hand for optimum meltiness.)
Finally, add your cold/vegetable toppings. This is where I typically add lettuce, diced tomatoes or onion, a dollop of sour cream (I love Lactaid sour cream since I have some lactose intolerance), and some fresh squeezed lime juice. Maybe even a tiny bit of chopped cilantro. Then, dig in!
My sister-in-law gifted me these taco stands for serving gluten-free tacos, and now I use them all the time. It makes assembling your tacos super easy, so they don't fall over or fall apart. You can find them on Amazon here. It's a great option for kids to make Tuesdays taco night. It provides predictability in their schedules and gives them something to look forward to on Tuesday evenings.
Gluten-Free Taco Variations
While ground beef or ground turkey gluten-free tacos are my go-to for weeknight Taco Tuesday, if you need more ideas, try these tasty tacos too from my blog and a few others:
Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos: A great vegetarian option and we also make these a lot at home when we want a meatless meal! Roast a head or two of cauliflower with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika, at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. When the cauliflower is golden brown and soft, toss with buffalo sauce: ¼ cup of melted butter and ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot wing sauce. Serve on soft corn tortillas with avocado crema, lime juice, cilantro, chopped onion, and lettuce. Find the recipe here.
Steak Tacos: This isn't my recipe, but I make a gluten-free version and it never disappoints. Marinate diced steak in minced garlic, gluten-free low sodium soy sauce, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, and oregano for about 30 minutes. Then sauté on the stovetop and serve in soft corn tortillas with diced onion, lime juice, and cilantro. Find the recipe here (Just be sure to substitute a low-sodium gluten-free soy sauce).
Chicken Tacos: This recipe couldn't be easier- Chicken breasts, a jar of your favorite salsa (I love Newman's Own), and my taco seasoning recipe. I used to make this a LOT after hearing about it from my cousin and it's so easy! Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker and pour over the taco seasoning followed by the salsa. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours and then use two forks to shred. So simple and perfect! Get the recipe here.
Breakfast Tacos: My favorite gluten-free bakery of Twist (100% gluten-free) on Boston's North Shore offers a breakfast taco plate that anyone could easily recreate at home. It's soft shell corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, pico de gallo, diced avocado, and cilantro. All you'd need for these is some scrambled eggs, gluten-free bacon, and pico de gallo, which you can make at home or buy in the store. And who said breakfast can't make a great dinner? If you need to change up your taco routine, try these!
How to Store Gluten-Free Tacos
I don't advise storing gluten-free tacos once assembled. The corn tortillas, whether hard or soft, can get soggy, so it's best to store the meat in a sealed container and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop. Then, just take out all of your toppings and assemble the tacos. The meat should keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, and again, just reheat when you feel a taco craving!
Looking for more dinner ideas like gluten-free tacos?
Get the homemade gluten-free taco seasoning you'll want to make multiple batches of. It's so easy and so good!
Try these gluten-free crunchwrap supremes (a spin on a Taco Bell favorite).
Switch up your tortillas for chips in this gluten-free loaded nachos recipe!
Want tortilla chips or taco shells, but looking for another filling? Try this gluten-free veggie chili, made in the crockpot and great to dunk tortillas into.
Check out all 100+ gluten-free recipes on the blog here.
Here's the recipe for gluten-free tacos! I hope you love them!
If you enjoy this recipe, please leave a comment. Thank you so much!
Gluten-Free Tacos
An easy recipe for ground beef or turkey tacos, perfect for Tuesday nights!
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or turkey (I use at least 85%, for less fat to drain)
- ½ cup to ¾ cup water (see note)
- Homemade Taco Seasoning:
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch or tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ -½ teaspoon granulated salt (adjust based your preference)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary (optional - we love dried rosemary)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Hard or soft shell corn tortillas
- Toppings: shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, onion, or avocado, sour cream, salsa, fresh lime juice, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
Combine all of the taco seasoning ingredients into a bowl and mix with a spoon or fork until incorporated. Brown the ground beef or turkey on the stovetop over medium high heat in a frying pan. When browned, drain excess fat and return to the same pan over medium heat. Pour over taco seasoning and ½ cup of water, increasing to ¾ cup if more liquid is needed. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat, and assemble tacos in corn tortillas with toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage: Store taco meat in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave when assembling tacos.
Taco Seasoning: You can double or triple the seasoning and store in a jar or container with a lid at room temperature with your spices. Then just use 2-3 teaspoons of it when a recipe calls for a packet of taco seasoning, adjusting as needed.
Water: Often ground turkey needs more liquid than ground beef for tacos. Start with ½ cup and add an additional ¼ cup or more if there's not enough sauce on the meat. Adjust based on your preferences.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 300Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 74mgSodium 366mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 4gSugar 2gProtein 24g
The nutrition information on each recipe card is provided as a courtesy and for your convenience. The data is calculated by Nutritionix. You are encouraged to make your own calculations based on your ingredients and preferred nutritional facts calculator. While I try to make sure they are accurate, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of these calculations.
What are your favorite kind of taco?
Do you add all of the toppings, or just a few?
Let me know in the comments if you've tried this recipe!
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