Now that so many of our friends have kids, my hosting motto is, “When in doubt, serve tacos.” Kids love them. Adults love them. Everyone loves them! And do you know what’s better than tacos? Mini tacos! Not only are they delicious, they’re absolutely adorable and easy to both serve and eat. Since May is Beef Month, I thought it’d be both fun to share my favorite mini beef tacos recipe with y’all in today’s post! It’s adapted from Pizzazzerie’s Entertain in Style and involves making my own shells and using one pound of ground beef, an onion, and some seasoning for the filling. They’re perfect for summer fiestas, Cinco de Mayo, Día de los Muertos, and pretty much every occasion in between. Keep reading for a printable/shareable mini taco recipe card, plus tips on how to serve them!

How to Make Mini Beef Tacos

These mini beef taco appetizers are perfect for spring and summer, and they’ll be a guaranteed hit, even for picky eaters, at your next fiesta! Here’s everything you need to serve ten (multiply by two or three for larger parties)–

For the baked mini taco shells:

• 10 large soft flour tortillas (you’ll need to get 2 mini taco shells from each– even better if you can cut out 4)
• 3 or 4-inch round cookie cutter (I used one of these)
• Muffin tin

For the mini beef taco filling: 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium white onion, chopped (yellow works great, too)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish
• Fresh limes, for garnish

To start, preheat the oven to 350F. Use a round cookie cutter (either three or four-inch works well) to cut out as many mini taco shells from the soft flour tortillas as you can. If you don’t happen to have a round cookie cutter on hand, cut around a similarly-sized lid with a knife. Then, lightly spray each mini tortilla with cooking spray (I use this avocado oil spray) and microwave for ten seconds to make them more flexible. Finally, turn a muffin tin upside down and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Fold your warm taco shells in half and place them between the muffin spaces to allow them to bake into a taco shape. Bake for six to seven minutes or until lightly golden. 

Tip- If you don’t have a muffin tin on hand, you can mold baking paper or tin foil to help prop up the sides in a Bundt cake pan. You can also place oven-safe ramekins upside down on a baking sheet to achieve the same taco-shaped result!

Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet or pan, brown the ground beef and white onion until beef is fully cooked (between eight to ten minutes). Drain and stir in chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Keep warm on simmer until you’re ready to assemble your mini tacos. 

Once your mini taco shells are baked and your beef is ready, fill each baked mini taco with seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, and crumbled Cotija cheese. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

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Mini Beef Tacos

Yield: 20 mini tacos

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 17 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Made with flavorful ground beef and fresh flour tortillas, these colorful mini beef tacos are the perfect kid-friendly party appetizer! Fill your homemade baked mini taco shells with seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, Cotija cheese, and cilantro or create your own taco bar and set out all the toppings for your guests to make their own!

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Ingredients

• 5 soft flour tortillas
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, drained
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish
• Fresh lime wedges, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 
2. Use a 3 or 4-inch round cookie cutter to cut out as many mini taco shells as you can from the flour tortillas (at least 2 per tortilla). Lightly spray each shell with cooking spray and microwave for 10 seconds to make more flexible. Then, turn a muffin tin upside down and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Fold each warmed shell in half and place in between the muffin spaces to create a “taco” shape. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden.
3. In a medium nonstick skillet, brown ground beef and onion for 8-10 minutes or until beef is cooked thoroughly. Drain and stir in chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Keep warm on simmer until ready to serve. 
4. Fill each baked mini taco shell with ground beef, diced tomatoes, crumbled Cotija cheese, and cilantro. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use lime wedges to keep your mini beef tacos upright! Not only does it look nice, but it also allows guests to add a squeeze of lime to their tacos if they want to.

Other popular mini taco toppings to consider are shredded lettuce, fresh avocado, guacamole, salsa (corn or tomato), sliced black olives, and sour cream.

Feel free to sub out the garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper for a pre-made taco seasoning mix. It won't necessarily save you much time, but it'll make your ground beef extra flavorful.

Nutrition Information

Yield 10Serving Size 2 tacos
Amount Per ServingCalories 234Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 46mgSodium 294mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 16g

Nutritional information isn't always accurate and can vary based on a number of factors, including but not limited to discrepancies among brands, precision of measurements, and freshness of ingredients.

How to Serve Mini Tacos

Tacos can be a little hard to serve, since they naturally flop over without taco holder. So, instead of buying a bunch of unsightly mini taco holders, lean your mini beef tacos up against fresh lime wedges on a flat serving tray to keep them upright. Not only does it look nice, guests can use them to add a squeeze of lime to their mini tacos if they’d like, too. 

Also, just in case guests are particular about their tacos, I recommend putting out extra Cotija cheese, diced tomatoes, cilantro, and lime wedges in individual ramekins or divided “taco bar” serving trays (like this one!). Other popular mini taco toppings include shredded lettuce, fresh avocado, guacamole, salsa (corn or tomato), sliced black olives, and sour cream. Having napkins on hand is a must, too, primarily because colorful ingredients equal difficult stains.

What to Serve with Beef Tacos

If you need ideas for what to serve with your beef mini tacos, here are a few of my go-to cocktails and appetizers:

• Guacamole– We make ours with avocados, sliced cherry tomatoes, diced onion, diced cilantro, white vinegar, lime juice, and salt and pepper, and it’s amazing. 
• Chips and salsa– Check out two of my favorite fruit salsa recipes here!
• Margaritas– These cilantro-lime mango jalapeño margaritas are a family favorite– and aside from the mango juice, you probably already have everything on hand. 

Also, if you’re into mini appetizers, these caprese bites and itty bitty mini cheeseburger bites are always a hit! They’re not “on theme” per se, but variety’s the spice of life. 

As always, please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any trouble with this recipe or any of my others! I love hearing from you guys, and I’m happy to help!

This post is sponsored by the Missouri Beef Industry Council. Follow along with them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for updates on Missouri beef and related topics– from the farm to the fork! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you so much for supporting the businesses and brands that make Diary of a Debutante possible!

Photography by Catherine Rhodes