Kid Food

30+ Taco Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight

Kelli FosterCulinary Producer
Kelli FosterCulinary Producer
I'm a recipe developer, food writer, stylist, and video producer (and The Kitchn's Dinner Therapist), with more than 10 years professional experience. Since graduating from The French Culinary Institute, I've authored 3 cookbooks: Buddha Bowls, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, and The Probiotic Kitchen.
published Jan 10, 2023
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instant pot chicken tacos on a plate near limes and guac
Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Anna Stockwell

The wonderful thing about tacos is that they require more inspiration than actual recipe. Because when it comes down to what to stuff inside tortillas, the sky’s the limit, and you can put as much or little effort in as you like. If you’ve got time, pulled pork, roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, or boneless chicken thighs are all good choices for a taco filling. And for those nights when fast and easy is the name of the game, assemble tacos with a rotisserie chicken and bag of slaw, start with a can of black beans and avocado, or scramble those last few eggs in the fridge. While tacos are certainly meal on their own, but sometimes having an easy side dish for taco night (think, taco slaw, salad, or rice) is just the thing to round out dinner.

Here are more than 30 of our best taco recipes to give you inspiration for your next taco night.

Meaty Tacos

Everything from chicken breasts and thighs to quick-cooking ground meat, hearty pulled pork, and even rotisserie chicken are a good start for a truly delicious taco night.

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Credit: Kelli Foster
Steak Tacos
Flank steak marinated with chipotle, citrus, cilantro and onions.
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Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: James Park
Chicken Tacos
No other chicken tacos will come close to being as good as these.
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Credit: Photo: Ghazalle Badiozamani; Food Styling: Brett Regot
Easy Ground Beef Tacos
These easy ground beef tacos are a winning weeknight dinner loaded with moist, flavorful beef and your favorite toppings.
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman | Food Stylist: Cyd McDowell
Instant Pot Beef Birria Tacos
This step-by-step guide will walk you through making the very best homemade beef birria, plus how to turn it into crispy quesatacos.
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Credit: Maria Do
Grilled Chicken Tacos
A quick and easy weeknight grilled chicken taco recipe.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Téllez Household Tacos
Mexican cookbook author Lesley Téllez shares her family's favorite taco recipe, complete with easy spiced chicken thighs and lots of fun toppings.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn
Chicken Tacos with Broccoli Slaw
Start with a pack of ground chicken, and 10 minutes in the kitchen is all you need to bring these family-friendly tacos to the table.
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Ben Weiner
Cheesy Gordita Crunch-Inspired Beef Tacos
These Taco Bell-inspired tacos feature a double taco shell stuffed with a beef-and-bean filling.
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
The easiest weeknight chicken tacos start with a rotisserie chicken and bag of broccoli slaw.
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Anna Stockwell
Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
Salsa-seasoned shredded chicken tacos topped with a cool avocado dressing is the ultimate taco dinner.
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Credit: Diana Yen
Slow-Cooker Chicken Tacos
Cook up a bunch of spiced shredded chicken in the slow cooker, then dress up your tacos any way you like.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Slow Cooker Beef Tacos
These 3-ingredient bulgogi-inspired tacos are super easy to bring to the table with the help of your slow cooker.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Chicken thighs, peanut butter, and spicy sambal combine to create the easiest-ever slow cooker chicken tacos.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos
Transform a cut of pork into a sweet and spicy taco filling with just a jar of pickled jalapeños and a drizzle of maple syrup.
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Credit: Apartment Therapy
Pulled Pork Tacos
Anytime I have a little bit of leftover pulled pork, tacos are my favorite way to stretch it into a meal for the whole table.
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Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are easy (and fast!) to make at home. Any kind of white fish — fresh or frozen — is fair game. You can also use salmon for tacos, as well as frozen shrimp.

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Credit: Naomi McCullough
Fish Tacos
These seared fish tacos start with inexpensive white fish, which cooks in a flash for an easy weeknight dinner.
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Credit: Laura Manzano
Shrimp Tacos
These fun and festive tacos lean on three main components: well-seasoned shrimp, a creamy slaw, and a tangy, fruity salsa.
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Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Barrett Washburne
Mahi-Mahi Tacos
Mild mahi-mahi stuffed into warm tortillas with a creamy avocado and red cabbage slaw.
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Credit: Photo: Ghazalle Badiozamani; Food Styling: Brett Regot
15-Minute Chile-Lime Salmon Tacos
The salmon is kissed with a punchy chile-lime coating, and stuffed in a warm tortilla with lime-tinged avocado, crunchy shredded cabbage, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Cyd McDowell
Quick & Easy Crispy Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw
These crispy fish tacos start with frozen beer-battered cod fillets, which makes them extra quick to prepare.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos
Dinner is as easy as tossing shrimp with smoky cumin and chili powder, roasting for a few minutes, then piling them into warm corn tortillas.
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Credit: Leela Cyd
Fish Tacos with Rhubarb-Pineapple Salsa
The sweet and tangy salsa is hands-down the star of these tacos.
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Credit: Photo: Tara Donne; Food Styling: Anna Stockwell
Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa
Spicy, smoky shrimp and a homemade tomatillo salsa combine in these flavor-packed summer tacos.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: CC Buckley/Kitchn
Fish Tacos
These homemade fish tacos boast the crispiest golden fish fillets — no deep-frying required.
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Credit: Danielle Tsi
Roasted Shrimp Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa
A punchy fruit salsa is our favorite way to dress up basic shrimp tacos.
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Vegetarian Tacos

Almost any combination of beans and veggies works to make a satisfying taco. Some of our favorites include smoky roasted cauliflower, black bean and sweet potato, and mushroom and poblanos.

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Credit: Laura Rege
Jackfruit Tacos
This recipe essentially transforms a can of young jackfruit into a plant-based taco without too much effort.
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Credit: Photo: Yudi Ela Echevarria; Food Stylist: Ashley Nevarez; Prop Stylist: Nidia Cueva
Taco de Quelite Estilo Baja (Quelite Fishless Taco)
Huauzontle and squash blossoms are breaded and fried until crisp in this plant-based riff on Baja-style fish tacos.
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Credit: Dan de Jesus
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos
A quick and easy recipe for soft tacos filled with black beans and sweet potatoes, which can be made vegan without the cheese.
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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Roasted Mushroom and Poblano Tacos
These quick and easy vegetarian tacos are filled with roasted portobello mushrooms and poblano peppers and topped with creamy goat cheese.
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Credit: Lauren Volo
Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
From the lightly charred and spiced cauliflower florets, to the crispy, tangy pickled cabbage, to the cool avocado-yogurt crema, this is how to tackle Taco Tuesday, veggie-style.
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Credit: Lauren Volo
10-Minute Black Bean Tacos
This effortless dinner is just one reason I always keep a couple of cans of black beans in the pantry.
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Credit: Nick Evans
Crunchy Black Bean Tacos
Heat your tacos in a skillet and they fall somewhere between soft-shell taco, hard-shell taco, and quesadilla. They're pretty amazing.
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Credit: Emily Han
Kale and Black Bean Tacos with Chimichurri
Herby, bold chimichurri sauce isn't a traditional taco topping, but it is downright delicious and makes these plant-based tacos sing.
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Credit: Emily Han
Tacos with Roasted Winter Vegetables and Red Cabbage Slaw
Still figuring out what to do with those leftover roasted veggies in the fridge? Turn them into tacos, of course!
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Breakfast Tacos

I love them in the morning, but I happen to think breakfast tacos are even better served for dinner. Here are some of my favorite picks.

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Credit: Joe Lingeman
Basic Breakfast Tacos
The crispy bacon and a mix of diced potato, onion, and sweet bell pepper can all be made in advance, so come morning all you have to do is whip up the scrambled eggs.
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Credit: Ghazalle Badiozamani; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk
Soy Chorizo and Fried Egg Breakfast Tacos
These vegetarian egg tacos start with soy-based sausages made with the same warming spices as traditional chorizo.
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Credit: Maria Siriano
Huevos Rancheros Tacos
Pile cheesy scrambled eggs, roasted red peppers, and black beans and you've got a kid-friendly dinner made in minutes.
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Credit: Sarah E Crowder
Scrambled Egg Tacos
A mix of zucchini and corn gives these breakfast tacos a summery spin.
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This post was originally published on Kitchn. Read it there: 30+ Taco Recipes to Make for Dinner Tonight

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