Mini Taco Bites Recipe
DIY Mini Taco Bites Lunch – Adult Lunchable!
How to Make Taco Bites with Scoops Tortilla Chips
These adorable mini taco bites are the perfect, EASY lunch option that you assemble as you eat! Just load all of your components—meat and rice, plus your favorite taco fixin’s—into crunchy scoops tortilla chips and enjoy. Simple, tasty, and satisfying, all with minimal effort and NO baking required!
Personally, I’ve been making scoops taco bites like this ever since I was a kid, pretty much every time my family had a taco night. Sure, a tortilla is great, but if I can load all of my favorite taco fillings into a crunchy CHIP?! Yes, please! That’s what inspired this mini taco bites recipe, and it turns out to be an ultra-convenient option for on-the-go and packed lunches, too.
It’s got all of the ease of DIY tacos that you pack and assemble at the time of eating, except in bite-sized form! Here, I’ll show you how to make mini taco bites filled with a simple beef and rice mixture, lettuce, cheese, guacamole, and salsa—all loaded into those crunchy scoops tortilla chips. Of course, you can swap out the beef for any meat you like, beans, or tofu, and the other taco fillings are completely up to you!
For packed lunches, all you have to do is cook your meat and rice ahead of time, then portion and store it along with your desired toppings and chips. You can check out the video shared below to see how I pack these scoops taco bites bento box style, but packing it all into individual containers works just as well!
Mini Taco Bites Ingredients
Meat & Rice Mixture
drizzle of oil
½ cup onions
1 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup cooked white rice
Taco Bites Assembly
scoops tortillas chips
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
guacamole
salsa
Ingredient Notes:
- Meat: Feel free to use any ground meat that you prefer, or go with crumbled tofu or your favorite beans for a vegetarian option!
- Seasoning: I’ve kept things simple by using a pre-made taco seasoning, but you’re welcome to make your own seasoning blend or just use seasonings that you have at home.
- Rice: Personally, I love to mix my cooked meat with some cooked rice, but you can skip it if you’re not a fan! You can cook a batch of rice on the stove, but I prefer the simplest route: microwaving a bag of frozen rice.
- Toppings/Fillings: Use whatever you like! Those listed above are just ideas.
- Chips: For these taco bites to work as intended, using scoops tortilla chips is the way to go! Their scooped shape is what makes these bites possible, but of course you can do your best with regular chips if that’s what you can find.
How to Make Taco Bites with Scoops Tortilla Chips
First, cook up your meat and rice, or whichever protein you plan to use. For me, this just involves sauteing some chopped onion and then cooking the ground beef until it’s no longer pink. Ground meat is easy and quick to cook, and using a pre-made taco seasoning keeps the process simple!
While the meat cooks, I just pop a bag of frozen rice into the microwave for a few minutes until it’s cooked. This is the most convenient option for me, but you’re welcome to cook it on the stove instead! Once the meat and rice are both done cooking, I simply stir about a cup of the cooked rice in with the meat and store them together. And the base for my scoops taco bites is ready!
Finally, all that’s left to do is assemble your remaining taco filling components and the chips. You can assemble your mini taco bites to enjoy immediately, or package and store them in compartmentalized or separate containers for packed lunches. Generally, I’ll divide my meat and rice mixture into 4 portions to use throughout the week, and for each lunch I’ll pack a few tablespoons of each of my desired toppings.
Simple as that, this lunch is ready to travel or to be devoured! I love scoops taco bites because they combine on of my favorite foods—tacos—with the fun of a DIY, hands-on, tapas-style meal. And, you can switch up the fillings for endless variety, just like you would with tacos!
See how this recipe & bento box is made in my Adult Lunchables video!
Mini Taco Bites Recipe
Ingredients
Meat & Rice Mixture
- drizzle of oil
- ½ cup onions
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup cooked white rice
Taco Bites Assembly
- scoops tortillas chips
- shredded cheese
- shredded lettuce
- guacamole
- salsa
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil and chopped onions. Saute until tender, 3-4 minutes.
- Add ground meat, breaking it up into large pieces at first to allow it to brown. Flip large sections of meat and gradually break into smaller pieces as meat cooks. Season to taste with taco seasoning.
- Once meat is cooked, add in cooked white rice. (You can cook this separately over the stove ahead of time, or use microwaveable frozen rice like I did!)
- If prepping for lunches ahead of time, store cooked meat and rice mixture in an airtight container in the fridge until the time of assembly. Store separately from other taco bites components (like shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, chips, etc.)
- To assemble taco bites, fill scoop-shaped tortilla chips with cooked meat and rice mixture. (Reheat mixture as needed.) Top each bite with some cheese, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, or whichever toppings you enjoy!
2 Comments on “Mini Taco Bites Recipe”
My kids are crazy about this for a dinner or for lunches while we were homeschooling during covid. So fun & so easy to get them to eat since they love the crunch!
Sounds like your kids have great taste! We love these mini taco bites for a dinner or just for a snack… Thanks for trying the recipe & sharing how it’s gone for you 🙂