Spicy Dorito Taco Salad has a perfect tangy homemade dressing that pairs especially with all of your Mexican favorites – seasoned beef, jalapenos, shredded cheese, tomatoes, and cheesy flavored Doritos for a crunch.
This taco salad recipe is a def must for your next party, potluck, BBQ, or cookout and is a quick and hearty weeknight meal.
Why you should make Doritos Taco Salad
There is a reason taco salads are one of the most commonly created side dish options for potlucks. They are easy to make, can be altered with many different favorite ingredients, and are just flat-out delicious.
I love a Dorito’s taco salad, and if you want to skip the homemade spicy dressing recipe listed below (although try it!), taco salads go super well with pre-made dressings like Catalina, French, Ranch, and even Thousand Island.
Ingredients
- Taco Meat – We highly suggest ground beef (lean ground beef is fine) for taco salad. It soaks up seasoning well, and the meat mixture keeps the dish easy to load up on.
- Seasoning: Packet of taco seasoning and additional chili powder for more taco flavor.
- Filling: Rinsed off black beans, tomatoes (or sliced cherry tomatoes), chopped onion, and shredded Iceberg lettuce.
- Cheese – The most commonly used cheese for a taco salad is cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, or Colby jack cheese. There are also specific Mexican blends that work great.
- Nacho Cheese Doritos – This easy taco salad has the best crunch and flavor from Doritos! Doritos has a variety of flavors from Cool Ranch, Spicy Nacho Cheese, Regular Doritos, and Spicy Sweet Chili, and whatever your favorite chip, you can substitute in! crushed
- Toppings: sour cream and hot jalapeno slices.
Homemade Taco Salad Dressing
I am a fan of just straight-up adding CATALINA DRESSING. It’s a favorite family dressing for this dish. Add it right before serving, stir well, and serve. However, this spicy homemade dressing works well. Please test it out in a bowl and see which version you prefer.
- vegetable oil
- hot taco seasoning
- jalapenos
- Worcestershire sauce
- Add oil, taco seasoning, jalapeno juice, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Whisk well to combine.
How to make Dorito Taco Salad
- In a large skillet, add beef. Brown until no longer pink and drain grease.
- Add taco seasoning packet, chili powder, and water and mix well. Heat over medium heat until bubbly. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Add black beans, drained tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos in a large salad bowl. Mix well. Add beef mixture and lettuce and mix well.
- Stir in cheese and chips. Drizzle with spicy homemade dressing and mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Serve topped with sour cream, jalapeno peppers, and any other of your taco topping favorites.
How many people does Taco Salad Serve?
Trying to figure out how many servings in taco salad can be challenging. What exactly IS a serving when it comes to anything taco at all?
An 11 oz. A bag of Doritos is considered 1 oz. Per person, serving 11 according to their bag. In theory, adding all the extra ingredients and the meat, this salad should serve around 15 people.
I would consider a side salad for 10-12 in realistic proportions or six people as a meal. Also, let’s face it- if you are eating taco night anywhere, we all overindulge just a bit.
How to make Taco Salad ahead of time
Prep all ingredients, keep in baggies separately and then assemble with dressing at the arrival point.
This keeps the sauce from sogging out the corn chips or Dorito’s, as well as the lettuce, from getting soggy or brown.
FAQ’s
The ULTIMATE taco salad recipe, Dorito Taco Salad, can also be served with Ranch dressing, Catalina Dressing, or tangy French dressing.
Ground chicken, pulled chicken, or ground sausage. Taco salad is also great without any meat and is a great recipe to serve with just beans and toppings.
For this spicy taco salad recipe, I used Doritos. Still, if you are only looking for crunch and not flavor, Frito’s or regular tortilla chips also work as a valid substitution. Doritos also come in various flavors like Cool Ranch or Sweet Chili, which also makes an excellent variation for a taco salad.
Individual chip bags make great self-serving “walking tacos” with their bag. No plate needed! Just create and add filling right inside mini Doritos Bags and serve with a disposable fork.
Alternative Taco Salad Ingredients
Other alternative ingredients for taco salad would be chopped avocado, chopped green onion, lime juice, pinto beans, kidney beans, bell pepper, fresh cilantro leaves, additional spices like onion powder, garlic powder, or black pepper, and a bit of sour cream and salsa to round it out.
Related Taco Tuesday Recipes
- This Beef Tortilla casserole recipe with deliciously seasoned ground beef, corn, tomatoes, and beans in between flour tortillas is a great school night dinner that everyone will love.
- Do you know how easy it is to make Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips?
- Pile taco salad with Cilantro Lime Rice.
- TikTok got this mexican chicken and rice recipe right.
- You won’t believe how simple Slow Cooker Refried Beans are to make at home!
- Enchilada Beef Dip is crazy good for a crowd.
- Mexican Chicken Casserole is another quick weeknight meal but is made with chicken.
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Dorito Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 15 oz. black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. diced tomatoes drained
- 8 oz. hot jalapeno slices drained and diced (reserve juice for dressing)
- 1 small white or purple onion diced
- 8 oz. shredded lettuce
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 11 oz. Dorito's or Frito's crushed
- sour cream for serving optional
Seasoned Ground Beef
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 package hot taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup water
Spicy Homemade Taco Dressing
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons juice from jalapenos or use apple cider vinegar
- 1 envelope hot taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
MAKE SPICY DRESSING:
- Add vegetable oil, taco seasoning packet, jalapeno juice and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl.
- Whisk well to combine.
COOK GROUND BEEF:
- In a large skillet, add beef. Brown until no longer pink and drain grease.
- Add taco seasoning packet, chili powder and water and mix well.
- Heat beef over medium heat until bubbly.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- ASSEMBLE TACO SALAD
- In a large bowl, add drained black beans, drained tomatoes, diced onions and diced jalapenos. Mix well.
- Add beef mixture and lettuce and mix well.
- Stir in shredded cheese and Doritos chips and toss gently.
- Drizzle with spicy dressing and mix well.
- Serve taco salad topped with sour cream, diced avocado, salsa and jalapenos.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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