Waffle tacos deliver a fun twist on everyone’s favorite taco night! A slightly crispy waffle is the perfect vessel to pile on some juicy, seasoned ground beef, cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes! Customize the toppings to your liking, and enjoy an easy, family-friendly dinner any night of the week!
Waffle tacos are the kind of meal idea that makes dinner time fun! They’re simple to assemble, customizable to everyone’s tastes, and perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends!
They’re made with store-bought frozen waffles because I’m all about quick and easy, but by all means, use waffles made from scratch. It’s slightly crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, filled with seasoned ground beef, and, let’s be honest, half the fun of a taco is adding all your favorite toppings.
Set up a DIY waffle taco bar and have everyone fill their own!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a 20-minute meal idea, perfect for busy nights!
- The ingredients are flexible, so you can make yours the way you like.
- Toast the waffles a bit extra and eat them flat like a homemade tostada, or lightly toast them and fold them up like a taco.
- Serve it for lunch or dinner, on taco Tuesday, at parties, sleepovers, and movie nights.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground beef: Use lean ground beef (80/20) so there is still plenty of flavor, but not too much excess grease. You can also substitute ground turkey.
- Taco seasoning: You’ll need 1 packet of taco seasoning plus the water required to turn the powder into a sauce. If you have a homemade taco seasoning blend you like, go ahead and use that.
- Frozen waffles: Eggo waffles are the most popular, but these will work with any kind! Gluten-free, whole wheat, and, of course, homemade. You can even whip up a batch using a waffle mix batter and a waffle iron if you have some time.
Topping Ideas
- Shredded cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa, avocado salsa, or tomatilla salsa
- Sour cream
- Diced avocado or guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Chopped onion
- Sliced olives
- Pickled jalapeno
- A squirt of lime juice
How to Make Waffle Tacos
Step 1: Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks. Once browned and cooked through, drain excess grease.
Step 2: Reduce the heat to medium and add the taco seasoning and water to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Step 3: Toast the waffles until crispy and warm (if you’re hosting a larger crowd, you can heat them in the oven on a baking sheet).
Step 4: Divide the taco meat evenly onto the tacos and add whatever toppings you desire. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- An easy way to drain the grease is to move all the meat to one side of the pan and slightly tilt the pan to the opposite side. Use a couple of paper towels to soak up the fat.
- Swap the filling for Jimmy Dean’s breakfast sausage and scrambled eggs. If we can have breakfast enchiladas, we can have breakfast tacos!
- Use any kind of waffle you like just be sure it’s not flavored or too sweet!
- This recipe makes 10 tacos, but you can easily double or halve the recipe as needed.
- Have one of those metal taco holders that holds the taco shape? This is a great time to dust it off!
Serving Suggestions
When I serve these for my family before we run out the door again, these alone are filling enough. However, if we’re doing something a little extra for a movie night in, or if we’re hosting a crowd, we’ll serve it with other Mexican-inspired sides like chorizo and black bean soup, Mexican corn salad, or a platter of loaded nachos.
To wash it down, a pitcher of family-friendly pineapple margarita mocktail!
FAQs
I don’t suggest assembling the waffle tacos ahead of time, as they will get soggy. You can, however, cook the taco meat ahead and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it and serve.
You can also prepare the toppings ahead of time and keep them in separate containers in the fridge. Shred the cheese and lettuce, dice the onions, etc.
Keep leftover meat in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it in a skillet or microwave.
More Fun and Easy Dinner Ideas
Waffle Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef, or ground turkey
- 1 packet of taco seasoning, plus water required
- 10 Frozen Waffles
Toppings, as desired:
- shredded cheese
- shredded lettuce
- chopped tomatoes
- salsa, sour cream
- diced avocado or guacamole
- cilantro
- chopped onion
- sliced olives
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the skillet and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula, until browned. Drain any excess grease from the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the taco seasoning and water to the skillet. Stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often
- Meanwhile, toast the frozen waffles until they are crispy and warm.
- Serve the taco meat in warmed waffles, adding your favorite toppings, as desired.
