Walking Tacos

Portable and perfect as a snack, appetizer or party dish, Walking Tacos are all the rage and totally delicious! Just pile taco toppings on top of your favorite bag of chips!

overhead of walking tacos with condiments


 

What is a walking taco?

I had no clue when I first heard the term. I figured it referred to a taco cartoon character with legs. But I was corrected and now I’m here to share my portable taco knowledge.

Walking tacos are simply all the ingredients for tacos, ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, in a convenient bag. They are eaten with a spoon, fork or spork, if you are lucky enough to get your hands on some! Almost like a Frito Pie.

close up of walking taco with fixings

This makes them superior to the classic crunchy taco. We’ve all been there. You nosh into your hot , crispy taco shell to find fresh, luscious lettuce, taco meat and more and what happens?

The whole shell breaks. Not just into your mouth, but the rest of it too and now you’ve got a taco salad. Not a bad thing, but not what you wanted.

Walking Tacos prevent the inevitable from happening and just start with a deconstructed taco from the very beginning.

how to make a walking taco bar - fritos and doritos

Taco Meat

I like to use ground beef, but ground chicken or turkey works well too. Feel free to use my homemade taco seasoning or store bought. Make it on the stovetop, but also think about Instant Pot or slow cooker versions if you are feeding a crowd for football games.

Or just a lively Taco Tuesday…

Chips

The type of chips you use is totally up to you and if you are making a walking taco bar (more on that below) you can use a variety.

Fritos and Doritos seem to be the most popular, but try other flavors like Cool Ranch or even Spicy Cheetos!

Individual snack size bags work best because you can just cut off the top and be ready to assemble, but if you are serving a crowd you can also set up a taco bag station.

dorito and frito bagged tacos

Offer individual plastic bags and place your chips of choice in bowls. Just make sure your bags are big enough to include lots of yummy toppings! Then people can make their own tacos in a bag and mix and match chip options.

I’ve even seen walking taco bags for sale online. They come in a range of different chip options like Tostitos, Doritos, Fritos and more.

Walking Taco Bar

Making a walking taco bar is exactly like making a regular taco bar, but instead you can offer snack size bags of chips, or as described above, other baggie options with a mix-and-match feature.

ingredients for walking tacos

Some of our favorite taco toppings include:

Once you’ve got your toppings figured out, it follows like an assembly line from there. You start with your bag of chips. Put your taco m eat on top (you could even use shredded chicken instead of or as well as beef.)

taco meat in a skillet

Then load that baby up with all of the toppings your heart desires! And voila! You’ve just made your first walking taco.

This is a great option for a fun way to mix up taco night at home. But it’s also perfect for parties and picnics.

It’s not exactly easy to walk around and mingle while trying to eat a taco. But if you can eat it with a fork out of a bag? Genius!

walking tacos for pinterest

More fun ways to mix up taco night:

Crispy Pork Tacos are soft tacos filled with mango salsa, cool avocado, crumbly queso fresco, butter lettuce and crispy onion straws.

Crispy Pork Tacos

5 from 2 votes
Crispy Pork Tacos are soft tacos filled with mango salsa, cool avocado, crumbly queso fresco, butter lettuce and crispy onion straws.
See The Recipe!
close up of barbacoa tacos

Barbacoa Tacos

5 from 6 votes
These Barbacoa Tacos are savory, a little spicy, and major crowd pleasers! Get ready for a tasty homemade Mexican dinner!
See The Recipe!
A close up of a plate of food, with Steak and Taco

Jalapeno Lime Flank Steak Tacos

4.91 from 10 votes
Flank Steak Tacos with a jalapeno lime marinade that will have you craving more. Made with few ingredients and lots of flavor, it's sure to become a family favorite!
See The Recipe!
Homemade breakfast tacos on a cutting board

Best Breakfast Tacos

5 from 5 votes
Make your own breakfast tacos at home! Perfect for a fun brunch gathering or even serve breakfast for dinner.
See The Recipe!
close up of walking tacos for pinterest
four walking tacos in a basket

Walking Taco

4.49 from 37 votes
Portable & perfect as a snack, appetizer or party dish, Walking Tacos are totally delicious! Just pile taco toppings on top of your favorite bag of chips!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients

Tacos:

Instructions

  • Add ground beef to a large skillet, using vegetable oil, if needed. If using lean beef (turkey or chicken) oil will be necessary. Cook until no pink remains.
  • Drain and return to the skillet.
    ground beef cooking in a skillet
  • Add beef back into pan and mix with taco seasoning and salsa, stir well until fully coated.
    ground beef with salsa and seasonings
  • Serve immediately with bags of Fritos or Doritos and toppings of your choice.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 285 kcal, Carbohydrates: 20 g, Protein: 5 g, Fat: 6 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Cholesterol: 20 mg, Sodium: 222 mg, Potassium: 148 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 146 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 14 mg, Iron: 1 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 285
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: walking taco
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Jessica Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and food lover behind Savory Experiments. She is obsessed with butter, salt and bacon and spends all her time in the kitchen and behind a camera. Jessica is a contributor to PopKitchen by Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!

Read More About Jessica

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Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    LOVED this recipe!! It reminded me of Frito boats 🙂 These are so fun and can’t wait to make them again!

  2. 5 stars
    My kids loved this because it was tasty and fun. I loved this because it was so easy with very little clean up.