Doritos Walking Taco

Handheld and tasty, this Doritos Walking Taco recipe is your new favorite portable snack! This is an easy way to turn a bag of chips into a mini taco bowl that you can take on the go.

Why you’ll love this Doritos walking taco recipe

Tacos are one of my favorite foods. The way you can customize them makes them a versatile dish with something to please everybody and taco night is always a hit! But sometimes they can be messy or hard to eat.

That’s where these walking tacos come in handy. Using a bag of your favorite chips and an assortment of fix-ins, you can create a deconstructed taco dish that’s easy to take with you and easier to eat than handheld tacos. Great as a fun take on an easy meal for Taco Tuesday or the perfect party food!

Looking for inspiration to add fun twists to your walking taco bags? Check out my slow cooker barbacoa tacos, bang bang shrimp tacos, chicken tacos, or even these spaghetti squash boats for ideas!

What is a walking taco?

Despite what the name implies, the taco itself won’t be walking anywhere! This name refers to the fact that you can walk around while eating this dish.

It combines a bag of tortilla chips with your choice of protein and favorite taco toppings for a portable version of the taco that you can carry around with you and eat with a fork, which means in some situations it’s much more convenient than traditional tacos.

I love serving these walking tacos at Super Bowl parties because they’re so fun for my guests to customize and they can easily eat them while watching the game.

Is walking tacos a Midwest thing?

While there’s some debate about the true origin of the walking taco, the Midwest (specifically Wisconsin) is often credited with creating this dish. It’s also sometimes called taco-in-a-bag or a Frito pie, as a bag of Fritos was often used as the chip base for walking tacos.

Ingredients you will need

Lean ground beef: I primarily think of seasoned ground beef when I think of tacos, but you could use another protein like ground turkey or ground chicken for a leaner version of this recipe, or even something like shredded chicken or pulled pork.

Red onion: Adds some additional depth to the ground beef.

Taco seasoning: A crucial ingredient to flavor the beef. If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, combine salt and pepper with paprika, oregano, chili powder, and your choice of cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Tomato paste: Provides some hearty sweetness to your easy walking taco recipe.

Doritos: I suggest starting with the classic nacho cheese flavor, but feel free to branch out into other flavors as well and see what you like!

Toppings: the more the better in my opinion! Here’s everything I like to add to mine:

If you’re having a party, you can make a walking taco bar with all the toppings in small bowls for everyone to put their own walking taco chip bag together.

How to make walking tacos

1. Brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the taco meat. Let the beef sit on one side to get browned and crisp, then flip and do the same on the other side. Once you have a nice crisp outside, break up the beef and cook it through.
2. Add onion. Chop the red onion and add it to the beef, then cook until fragrant.
3. Finish cooking the beef. Add tomato paste and taco seasoning mix to the beef mixture, as well as a bit of water. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cook until the mixture has cooked down.
4. Assemble walking taco chip bags. After the beef has cooled slightly, add it to the bag of chips, then top it with your favorite fix-ins, grab a fork, and dig in!

What kind of chips should I use?

A great option is to make a Doritos walking tacos bag, because Doritos have that nice cheesy flavoring and the perfect amount of crunch. You could try this with other flavors as well, like their Cool Ranch Doritos or their Spicy Sweet Chili flavor.

You can also use Fritos (or any bag of corn chips), Cheetos or Hot Cheetos, Takis, or even potato chips! As long as you use something tasty and crunchy, it’s sure to make a good base for this walking tacos recipe.

Tips for how to make walking taco chip bags

• Open the chip bags carefully, as the bag becomes your container for the taco! If you want a shallower container, roll the edges down instead of cutting them off.
• Remove a few chips from the bag to make extra room for toppings. You can eat these as they are, use them for scooping, or crumble them on top of your walking tacos.
• To make them easier to eat, gently crush the chips before adding your toppings. This will ensure the pieces are bite-sized and fit on your fork.
• Make sure the beef has cooled a bit before adding it to the bag. This will prevent the chips from getting soggy, and also ensure you don’t burn your hands!

What to serve with walking tacos

For extra flavor, make some air fryer bacon and crumble it over top of your walking taco bags. You could also make a batch of homemade guacamole or an avocado crema instead of just using plain avocado. If you’re looking for a bit more nutritional value, another good option is to make fajita veggies!

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