Walking Tacos

For parties where you need to feed a ton of people, walking tacos are the perfect dish. This recipe is simple because you won’t be slaving over the stove for hours. All you need is a big bag of Doritos, taco-seasoned ground beef, and a variety of toppings and everyone can make their own while they walk and eat. There’s no need for plates and you can spend more time hanging out with your guests because there’s barely any clean up. Plus, everyone gets a taco the way they want!

How This Recipe Earned Its Spot

Walking tacos have always been my son’s favorite birthday meal. When asked what he wanted, we knew he’d say shrimp. However, shrimp for 30 just wasn’t going to happen. Walking tacos it was. There were no complaints. The kids ran around the yard while eating straight out of their bags. The adults loitered around the toppings bar for 20 minutes. It was the cheese and salsa standoff. Everyone claimed to be having just one.

As I’ve built more and more of these, I’ve made adjustments each time. Most importantly: shredded lettuce works way better than romaine for a walking taco. Romaine is so stiff and bulky. It’s a hassle to eat out of a bag. Plus, shredded lettuce is so much easier to tuck in, and it won’t poke anyone in the face. It might seem like a small discovery, but when you’re feeding a large group, every detail matters.

I’ve done these for birthday parties, football watch parties, and end-of-season celebrations for the team. The first time I had them for 30 people — 18 adults and 12 kids for my son’s 8th birthday — I made 7 pounds of ground beef and had 2 pounds left over. That’s been the gold standard I’ve used ever since: about 6 walking tacos per pound of taco meat, and plan a little generous rather than a little short.

Pretty much everything can be made ahead of time. Just cook the meat, throw it in the slow cooker to keep it warm, set out the toppings, and let guests help themselves. This is the kind of party menu where the host actually gets to socialize.

How Much to Make for a Crowd

Taco meat: One pound of cooked ground beef makes roughly 6 walking tacos. For 30 people, including some adults, 5 pounds is perfect. For all adults with larger appetites, bump it up to 6 pounds. For kids’ parties, 4 pounds will feed 30 easily.

Chips: There will be one 1-ounce bag of chips per participant and some extras. For 30 guests we will have 40 bags. Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch variety packs will be ideal. Each will be sufficient to cover all without any extra work!

Cheese: Around 3 tbsp per person. For 30 people, that would be 6 cups (approx 1.5 lbs) shredded cheddar.

Sour Cream: For 30 people, we have two 16-oz containers. Some people don’t use it, but those who do, use a lot. If we run out of this, people will definitely notice.

Lettuce: Two smaller bags of shredded lettuce are for 30 people \- not the giant warehouse bag, you’ll throw half of it away. Shredded, not Romaine.

Salsa: One 24-oz jar for every 15 people. Keep it in a bowl with a spoon so people do not take too long to serve themselves from the jar.

Ingredient Notes

Ground beef with an 80/20 fat-to-lean ratio is what you want. The added fat in 80/20 provides juicy flavor when seasoned. The slow cooker won’t dry it out. Just remember to drain it well after browning so the bags stay grease free. You can go with a leaner beef, but it tends to be drier in taste.

Taco Seasoning Each pound of ground beef is supposed to use one packet of taco seasoning. Taco seasoning is a product made to season one pound of beef, so however many beef packets you need is how many taco seasoning packets you should get. Old El Paso and McCormick are good choices. For larger servings, taco seasoning packets are more convenient than measuring out a certain amount of a homemade taco seasoning recipe. If you would rather use homemade seasoning, you can use chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and a bit of cayenne pepper.

1 oz. bags of Doritos (Nacho Cheese) are required for the walking taco format. For one thing, they fit the taco format well and they keep their structure as they are eaten. Other big bags do not work as you lose the whole concept of the walking taco. Popular alternatives that stay crunchier under wwet toppings are Fritos (original or chili cheese).

Bagged pre-shredded lettuce fits perfectly in the chip bag. It\’s also the right size for tucking in, so go on and skip the romaine hearts. They\’re also too long and awkward, not to mention stiff. Eating them pre- packed snacks will be a challenge.

Full-fat sour cream maintains its texture better at a warm temperature. So if the party will run longer than an hour, keep the container in a bowl of ice. Light sour cream will get runnier quicker.

How to Make Walking Tacos for a Crowd

When you are browning the ground beef, do it in small batches. If you overcrowd the pan, all of the beef will steam instead of browning. You want the beef in a single layer so they can all get those nice brown crusts, not a big pile of gray beef. Once all of the beef is browned, drain the fat, add the taco seasoning mix and the water according to the directions, and let it simmer until all of the liquid is gone and the kitchen is filled with the irresistible aroma of taco night.

Move the prepared meat to a slow cooker on low or warm. This is how you make feeding a crowd easy- the slow cooker keeps the meat at the right temp for 2-3 hours without drying it out. Two 4 quart slow cookers work for 5 lbs. One 6 quart works too.

While the meat is cooking, set up the toppings line. Put everything in bowls with individual serving spoons, and don’t make people fish the sour cream out of the container. The line moves the fastest when people are not waiting for the person in front of them to figure out the lid.

At serving time, show guests the technique: take a bag, squeeze bag to crush chips, tear top, add meat and toppings. Fork is optional. Walking is required.

Toppings Guide

The basics are taco meat, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa, and lettuce. With those 5 ingredients, you have a walking taco bar.

Making upgrades is easy. You can provide customers with olives (serve in a separate bowl from the salsa), fresh red onions, sliced jalapeños, and guacamole (or diced avocados), and hot sauce so customers can add these ingredients to their own bowls. All it takes is a little chopping!

For children: Place jalapeños and hot sauce at the end of the line so that children do not accidentally end up with spicy toppings. Mild salsa will be at the main station with spicy varieties as opt-in at the end.

Make-Ahead Tips

You can make the taco meat up to 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge until you need it. To reheat, put it in the slow cooker on low for about 1 hour prior to serving, and add a little bit of water or beef broth if it looks too dry. It’s true, the taco meat often tastes a bit better after sitting in the fridge for 1 day because the seasonings infuse more.

Shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes can be prepared the night before. All ingredients besides for the avocado can be prepared one day in advance.\n\nIf using guacamole, cut it the same day and add lime juice on top to prevent browning.

For groups larger than 50 people, you should arrange two identical toppings lines on opposite sides of the table. One meat station and two toppings lines will move the crowd through in half the time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Fritos instead of Doritos?

Certainly! Many people choose Fritos. They remain crunchy during the meat juice shift and stay more crunchy during the wet toppings than Doritos. Fritos and Chili Cheese Fritos both do well. Doritos can distract from the taco seasoning as they provide additional seasoning on top. Some love this while others find it overwhelming.

How do you keep the meat warm for a party?

Keeping the meat at the right temperature for up to three hours at a time without drying out can be quite difficult for a party that lasts longer than thirty minutes. The only method I have found reliable is a slow cooker on the low or warm setting. Just make sure to stir it once an hour and add a splash of water or beef broth to keep it from drying out. If you have a chafing dish with some Sterno underneath it, that will work as well.

Can I use ground turkey instead of beef?

Absolutely. Ground turkey (93/7) will work with taco seasoning and is a lighter option. The taste is a tad milder, which is ok, because the Doritos and toppings are doing a ton of work. Brown it, season it, and keep warm in the slow cooker the same way. Most guests won’t notice unless you point it out to them.

Can I make these for a smaller group or weeknight dinner?

Sure. You can cut it down to 1 pound of beef and 6-8 single bags for a family of 4. You can get variety pack bags at any grocery store so there’s no need to get a whole box. Weeknight walking tacos are super fun for kids and clean up is easier than a regular taco night because everyone eats out of their own bag.

What if I can’t find individual chip bags?

Look by the full-size bags in the chip aisle. Most stores also have variety packs or lunch-size bags. Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco have large boxes with party-size quantities. If you can’t find any, small paper cups can work as an alternative bowl. Still, the individual bags definitely make walking tacos more fun.

More Party-Friendly Recipes

Copycat Chili’s Skillet Queso – velvety queso dip with meat that stays warm for hours in a slow cooker. Set it out by the walking taco line as an extra topping or to a dip station.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado is a chunky and colorful salsa. It can be used as a topping for walking tacos or eaten on its own as a dip for chips.

Seven Layer Dip is a cold party dip that complements a Mexican food spread without any extra cooking on the day of.

Made With Fresh Ingredients Salsa — This blender salsa takes just five minutes to make. Tastes better on walking tacos than any store bought salsa.