Croissant Tacos

Taco-seasoned ground beef meets croissant to make the ultimate dinner handheld. The Croissant Taco is designed to deliver familiar taco night flavors in a unique buttery flaky vessel smothered in melty cheese.

I'll admit, this is the best recipe idea I've had in a while. I've been crushing pretty hard on croissants lately - after all, what's not to love about those buttery, flaky layers? I've also been seeing all kinds of creative uses for croissants across the internet lately; my current personal favorite is the campfire s'mores croissant. But I also saw someone turn a croissant into a hot dog bun. And I immediately thought to myself, why not a taco?

And thus the croissant taco was born.

As I was discussing the taco filling idea with the spouse, he thought adding salsa as a garnish would be odd because it would absorb into the croissant. But I insisted salsa be involved so chunky salsa gets added to the ground beef after cooking. That way the flavor is incorporated into the filling and is therefore less "odd".

Also in the filling, taco seasoning (of course), along with diced onion and jalapeno if you're feeling spicy. Then shower with shredded cheddar and after a brief bake you'll have a croissant taco with perfectly melted cheese and lightly crispy edges. PLUS, you can pick it up and eat it, no silverware needs to get involved.

By the way, if you love taco seasoned everything and are looking for more unique eats, try these Taco Balls which offer a fiesta spin on the much loved sausage ball appetizer. Or this delightfully informal Midwestern classic handheld, Walking Tacos (aka Taco in a Bag).

Ingredients

• Ground beef (85% lean 15% fat or 80% lean 20% fat) - I often reach for 85% lean 15% fat ratio these days, but have made croissant tacos with 80% lean 20% fat with delicious success.
• Taco seasoning (2 tablespoons or 1 (1-ounce) package) (or try a homemade taco seasoning) - But of course it has taco seasoning! Buy it premade or make it yourself, cook's choice.
• Red onion, small, diced - I used red onion, but really any 'ol onion is fine, yellow or white work great too.
• Jalapeno, diced, seeds and pith removed - Or replace it with ½ green bell pepper. You can also leave it out if you don't want it too spicy.
• Pace salsa (or chunky salsa of your choosing) - I recommend adding the salsa to the ground beef after cooking so you get the salsa flavor in every bite. Pace is a nostalgia salsa I often still gravitate to and it is perfect for these croissant tacos. Use any salsa you like, but I'd recommend it be a chunky one.
• Croissants (Costco has perfectly sized croissants for this recipe) - I used 6 croissants, but the filling could accommodate 7 easily. I recommend using 6-8 croissants for this recipe because croissant sizes can vary.
• Cheddar cheese, shredded - You'll want around 1-1 ½ cup(s). I went with good old mild cheddar cheese, but any good melting cheese works like mozzarella.

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below - keep scrolling!

Suggested Toppings

These croissant tacos are ready to eat straight from the oven, but I encourge you to play around with toppings like:

• Parsley or cilantro
• Avocado
• Guacamole
• Hot sauce or thinner style salsa (maybe for dipping???)
• Sour cream
• Crushed tortilla strips
• Tortilla chips (absolutely you should put crushed Doritos on top of these)

Variations

Try using a different protein or a different seasoning to give these croissant tacos your own spin. Be sure to comment below if you have a preferred variation :).

• Use a different protein - Pork, chicken, pinto beans, use whatever you'd like in place of ground beef. You could also use chorizo (since this is seasoned, skip the taco seasoning if using). Thanksgiving is coming up, maybe save this recipe for leftover turkey croissant tacos? Either ground or shredded pork or chicken would be welcome in these taco croissants.
• Try alternate seasonings - Go ahead and use a fajita seasoning, adobo seasoning, or this homemade Everything But the Elote seasoning.

How to Make Croissant Tacos - Directions

1. Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook ground beef over medium heat until cooked through, around 7-8 minutes.

2. Step 2: Add taco seasoning and stir well. If necessary, strain off some but not all of the excess grease.

3. Step 3: Add the diced onion and jalapeno so it can cook in the beef's natural juices, stirring occasionally.

4. Step 4: After 5 minutes, add in the salsa and stir to combine. Remove from heat.

5. Step 5: Cut a line down the center of each croissant, stopping an inch and half from the ends as you'll want to leave those intact. Use your fingers to tear out pieces of croissant from the center cut line, but make sure you don't go too deep or two wide.

6. Step 6: Arrange croissants on a baking sheet. Take ¼ cup and use it to add a heaping scoop of taco filling to each croissant (this may vary depending on the size of your croissants). Once each has been filled, continue to add more filling until they are pleasantly stuffed but not overflowing.

7. Add a generous pinch of shredded cheese to the tops of each. Bake for 7-8 minutes. At this stage the edges of the croissants get lightly crisp, and the cheese is beautifully melted. You can cook for longer if you'd like a crunchier exterior, but keep an eye on it! These croissants will burn quickly if you're not careful.

Related or Pairing

Looking for other dinner recipes like this? Give these a try:

If you tried this Croissant Tacos recipe (or any other recipe on Midwexican), please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it turned out in the 📝 comments below!