When you’re looking for party food, be sure to add these Mini Taco Appetizers to the menu. They are everything you love about tacos in bite-sized form.
» You might also like this Chipotle Beef Barbacoa and these Super Tasty Party Appetizers.
I’ve been making these mini taco bites for years at parties. They’re always the first thing to disappear and everyone remarks on how cute they are. Set these out along with these taco egg rolls and be ready for the compliments to pour in.
For me, the best part of these little bites is that they’re so simple to put together, but they make a big impression at your party. When I served these for the first time at one of my parties a few years ago, no one could believe I went to so much trouble to make them. (Shh, don’t tell anyone how easy they actually are to make!).
Another bonus: guests can eat them while standing up at a party, even if they have a glass of wine in one hand.
What Shells to Use
The shell is an important part of these mini taco appetizers, so you want to choose the right wrapper. I’ve made these with both wonton wrappers and spring roll wrappers. They’re both very good, but with slight differences.
I prefer to use flour spring roll wrappers personally, but this decision is really up to you and and what you can find in the store. This is the spring roll wrapper I use. These come in large sheets that I cut into 4 squares. Each square is the right size for one.
You can also use wonton wrappers. These come in small squares. The difference between the two is that wonton wrappers are slightly thicker, so they turn out more crunchy.
Ingredients You Need
Mini Taco Bites contain all the yummy ingredients you’d normally put into a taco. We use the following:
- Seasoned ground beef – Use this homemade taco seasoning to liven up your ground beef.
- Onion – Diced into small pieces.
- Tomato
- Cheddar Cheese
- Avocado
- Cilantro – Cilantro is a typical Mexican herb but if you don’t like it check out these alternatives.
- Sour Cream
You don’t need a large quantity of these ingredients to make a dozen appetizers. So this recipe is built for 12 mini appetizers. You can double it to make 2 dozen, etc., as needed.
If you have left over toppings, here’s a great way to use them up: taco pizza!
The other thing you’ll need is a mini muffin pan. I use a 12-cup muffin pan, but these come in trays up to 48. If you’re catering for a large party, you might want to try this large one.
I usually just make two to three batches of mini cups and keep them on a tray or carefully placed in a large bowl, until I need them. It’s quick to fill up 12 more appetizers on the fly, if you already have the cups made.
How to Make Mini Taco Cups
Start by preheating the oven to 350° F.
To make the pastry cups, press one wrapper into each of the wells of a mini muffin tin. If you’re using spring roll wrappers, cut the wrapper into 3-4 inch squares and use one square per well. If you’re using wonton wrappers just use them as they are. Bake them for 3-5 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown and crispy. Carefully remove the mini cups from the muffin tin.
Combine the ground beef and onion in a skillet and cook over medium heat until browned, around 8 minutes. Skim off any fat in the pan, add the dry taco seasoning and water. Stir and simmer until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Just before serving, fill each pastry cup with meat, tomato, cheese, avocado and cilantro. Top with a dollop of sour cream.
Tips for Making Mini Taco Cups
When you make the mini cups, you’ll need to make sure the cups are held open properly so there’s room inside for the filling. You can do this in two ways. Spray the wrappers with cooking spray to make them pliable and sticky. Then you will have more control to push the edges down.
If you’re having trouble keeping the center open, you can make little squares of tin foil to put in side the cup to keep it open while it bakes. I find this works the best to make sure there’s plenty of space inside the cup for filling.
Once you’ve baked the cups, you can keep them aside until just before you’re planning to serve them. As long as the filling has cooled, the cups will stay in tact for at least 30 minutes, without becoming soggy. But you want them to be as crispy as possible when they are served.
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Mini Taco Appetizers
Ingredients
- 12 spring roll or wonton wrappers
- 1/2 pound ground beef or chicken
- 1/2 onion diced
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
For Garnish
- 1 small tomato finely diced
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 avocado finely diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely diced
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- To make the pastry cups, press one wrapper into each of the wells of a mini muffin tin. If using spring roll wrappers, cut the wrapper into 3-4 inch squares and use one square per well. Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the wrappers are golden brown and crispy. Carefully remove the mini cups from the muffin tin.
- Combine the ground beef and onion in a skillet and cook over medium heat until browned, around 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
- Just before serving, fill each pastry cup with meat, tomato, cheese, avocado and cilantro. Top with a dollop of sour cream.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- If using spring roll wrappers, these are usually around an 8×8″ square that can be cut into 4 pieces, so you will only need 3 spring roll wrappers to make 12 cups.
- You can push a square of tin foil into the well to hold the wrapper open.
Nutrition
Other Appetizer Recipes To Try
- Warm Citrus-Marinated Castelvetrano Olives
- Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball
- Antipasto Skewer Appetizer
- Crispy Baked Breaded Mushrooms
Click for Even More Appetizer Recipes
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Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.
These go so fast at any party! Delicious and fun to make and eat!
You had me at taco! These are so cute, and delicious. I love how they are customizable too!
These are so cute! I might actually end up eating the whole pan.
these mini tacos were a hit with my family! So much fun to make and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!