Keto Beef Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce
Is it taco Tuesday yet? These Keto Tacos (Mini Taco Bowls) are a great go-to for those who want to forgo the carbs but still enjoy a dish with tons of flavor. For this low-carb recipe, the traditional corn shells are replaced with shells made of cheese — and that alone makes your taco Tuesday special and unique.
Looking for other Tex-Mex favorites? You’ll love my Crispy Fish Tacos with Grilled Corn Salsa, Mexican Taco Pizza, Grilled Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa & Avocado Cream, and Braised Beef Short Rib Quesadillas.
This light but hearty taco dinner can be enjoyed simply or topped with options like Pico de Gallo, sriracha sauce, and Monterey jack cheese. I’ve also included a quick 5-ingredient recipe for my creamy avocado sauce. It is an excellent addition to this dish.
I went lean on the ground beef to add a healthier variation. Lean ground beef is 90 to 95 percent lean. It’s a great way to feed your muscle without the extra fat. The lean ground beef is made using seasonings you may already have in your pantry. You’ll find this recipe to be quite simple and easy to pull together. It is also perfect for a crowd!
Ingredients you will need to make the tacos:
- You’ll need ground beef. Lean ground beef has less fat, but the flavor from the smoked paprika, garlic powder, cilantro, salt, black pepper, onion powder, Pico de Gallo, and sriracha sauce will ensure you don’t miss it.
- The “cheese” shells are made of white sharp cheddar cheese. This is what makes this a unique taco. You will be baking the cheese and then forming them into small cups to load your ingredients.
- The Pico de Gallo, Monterey jack cheese, and shredded lettuce are perfect toppings.
- The cherry on top is the avocado cream sauce. You will need an avocado, sour cream, cilantro, black pepper, and salt.
- Now, jalapeno slices will add a nice touch if you want to bump up the heat.
How to make your keto cheese shells:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cover a large baking sheet (paid link) with parchment paper.
- Add 1/4 cup mounds of shredded white sharp cheddar cheese on the parchment paper making sure the mounds are a few inches apart from one another.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then allow the melted cheese mounds to cool for 30-45 seconds.
- While the cheese is cooling, spray the back of a muffin tin with oil or butter, then carefully place the melted cheese over the muffin tin cups using a flat spatula (paid link).
- Allow to sit and set for 10 to 12 minutes.
Frequently asked questions:
Tacos come in all forms. And while this version uses lean seasoned ground beef, you can opt for chicken, seafood, and even a vegetarian taco.
I use cheddar cheese. But you can use any other hard cheese that will get crispy when baked, like parmesan. Other softer cheese will never be crisp enough to create a cheese shell.
Tips
- For a crispier cheese taco shell, bake the cheese mounds until their edges bubble and begin to turn dark brown.
- Don’t wait for your cheese mounds to cool completely. You want them to be warm and pliable enough to form cups on the back of your muffin tin.
- Cheese does release oil as it bakes. To remove some of the excess oil, you can lightly dab your cheese mounds with a paper towel before placing them on the muffin tin.
While tacos are great served with corn taco shells, they can also be enjoyed just as much with cheese shells. So give this keto, low-carb version a spin!
Print
Keto Beef Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 – 6 1x
Description
These Keto Tacos are a great go-to for those that want to forgo the carbs but still enjoy a dish with tons of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried cilantro flakes
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- shredded lettuce, optional
- jalapeno slices, optional
For the avocado cream sauce:
- 1 avocado
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp cilantro flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Cover a baking sheet (paid link) with parchment paper. Add 1/4 cup portions of shredded white sharp cheddar cheese on parchment paper, Make sure the mounds of cheese are a few inches apart from one another. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the edges are bubbling and brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 30-45 seconds.Â
- Spray the back of a muffin tin with oil spray then carefully place melted cheese over the bottom of the tin cups. Allow the cheese to set for 10-12 minutes.Â
- Add ground beef, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried cilantro flakes, sea salt, black pepper, and onion powder to a pan on medium heat. Cook beef until slightly browned then add pico de gallo and sriracha stirring until combined. Remove from heat.Â
- In a small bowl, slice open the avocado, remove the seed, then scoop the insides of the avocado into a bowl. Add sour cream, cilantro flakes, black pepper, and salt. Mixed together.Â
- To build your c tacos, Fill each taco shell with ground beef topping it off with Monterey cheese, shredded lettuce, pico de Gallo, and avocado sauce.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Low Carb
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Calories: 462
- Sugar: 0.7g
- Sodium: 550mg
- Fat: 32.2g
- Carbohydrates: 4.8g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 38.1g
- Cholesterol: 129mg