Looking for a quick and delicious meal? Try this easy Taco Bowl Recipe that can be customized with your favorite toppings and ingredients. Perfect for busy weeknights!

protein, rice, and veggies in a green bowl for meal prep.

With my kids in school and extra curricular sports, our weeks are quite busy and dinner can be hard to get on the table! One of my family’s favorite meals are these Ground Beef Taco Bowls! Not only are we able to each customize our bowls to fit our tastes, but it is a meal I can prep earlier in the day and simply warm up when dinner time rolls around! If you love quick and easy meals, also check out my Shrimp Burrito Bowls, Chicken Taco Casserole, Frito Taco Bake, Taco Lasagna!

tortilla chips, sour cream, beans, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream over rice with seasoned beef.

Why You’ll Love this Taco in a bowl recipe

Customizable– the best part of this recipe is how everyone can add their own toppings. From classic taco toppings, to salsa, hot sauce, and more….so many options to make these your own.
Perfect for meal prepping– these beef taco bowls are the best meal prep recipe because you can make them ahead of time and enjoy them later in the day or week as a quick lunch or dinner option.
Easy and delicious– using simple ingredients, these come together quickly and you can even use up any leftover meat you have on hand if you don’t want to use ground beef.
Ready in minutes– the longest part of this recipe is cooking the ground beef. You can serve this meal in only 20 short minutes!

What is a Mexican Taco Bowl?

A taco bowl is a dish that’s made with a base of rice or beans and topped with classic taco ingredients. Taco bowls are similar to taco salads, but served in a bowl instead of on a plate. Here are some ingredients that can be used to make taco bowls:

Ground Beef or other protein such as chicken, steak, pork, brisket, etc.
Beans (Black Beans, Pinto Beans, or Easy Charro Beans are great options)
Rice (we love using Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice or Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice)
Pico de gallo or Salsa
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Avocado, Lettuce, Tomato, Cilantro, etc. You can also customize your taco bowl with your favorite toppings. Some people like to prepare the toppings ahead of time so that everyone can build their own bowl at the table.

a green bowl with taco ingredients inside.

Easy Taco Bowl Recipe Ingredients Needed

Below is a brief overview of the ingredients needed. To see the printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Ground Beef– I use lean ground beef since it has enough fat to add great flavor, but isn’t too greasy. You can also use ground turkey, chicken, or leftover meat from a different recipe.
Taco Seasoning– use your favorite kind, or try my homemade taco seasoning recipe to control the spices added such as salt, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.
Water– you’ll combine this with the taco seasoning.
Rice– you can use brown rice, cauliflower rice, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, Restaurant-Style Mexican, Instant Pot Jasmine Rice, etc. Pre-packaged rice works great as a shortcut.
Corn– I love using canned sweet corn, be sure to drain it before adding.
Beans– canned black beans that are drained and rinsed are my favorite, but pinto beans, Mexican charro beans, etc. work too.
Cheese– shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese.
Toppings Desired– see options below.
Sour Cream– you can also use plain Greek yogurt if preferred.
Fresh Cilantro/ Lime Wedges– the perfect garnish to squeeze a fresh lime and some chopped cilantro on top just before serving.
Tortilla Chips– optional, we love adding a few to use for dipping.

all the ingredients needed to make taco bowls.

How to make Taco Bowls

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef until browned. Drain the excess grease, then stir in the taco seasoning and water.
Heat the cilantro lime rice according to package directions.
On a plate, create a bed of rice. Spoon the seasoned ground beef (or whatever taco meat you are using) into the center of the rice.
Top with corn, black beans, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, jalapeño slices, and sour cream.
Garnish with cilantro and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top. Use corn tortilla chips for dipping, if desired. Enjoy!

step by step on how to make a taco bowl.

Beef Supreme Taco Bowl Topping Ideas

Below is a list of our favorite topping ideas. Of course, feel free to add your own if I missed any!

Shredded Romaine Lettuce
Diced Avocado and Tomatoes
Black Olives
Homemade Restaurant-Style Tableside Guacamole
Salsa and/or Pico de Gallo
Jalapeno Slices
Easy White Queso
Tortillas and/or Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Red Onion

Storing and Freezing this Taco Bowls Recipe

You can cook and season the meat and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week.
Keep the toppings separate after chopping and use a storage container to keep them fresh in the refrigerator. Most of the toppings will also last about 1 week, the avocado may not however.
If freezing, place the cooked meat in a freezer safe container up to 3 months.
If reheating, place the servings into the microwave and heat in 30 second increments until heated through.

Taco Bowl Recipe FAQ’s

How do I make this healthier?

This taco rice bowl is actually quite a protein filled, healthy meal, however, to cut down on carbs, you can omit the rice and serve the meat and toppings over lettuce to make a taco salad. You can also use cauliflower rice, Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, ground turkey in place of the ground beef, etc.

What is a good way to bulk up the veggiess added in this meal?

We love cooking up some bell peppers and onions to add and turn it into more of a fajita bowl. Such a great way to bulk up the fiber count in this meal.

Do I have to eat this warm?

Nope! In fact, when I have leftovers to enjoy as a quick lunch option, I toss everything into a bowl and enjoy it cold. This taco bowl can be enjoyed warm or cold.