If you know, you KNOW. A Doritos Walking Taco is one of those truly fun-to-eat, comfort food-type meals. They are amazingly delicious thanks to bold, crunchy Doritos and taco-seasoned ground beef. And they are easy to prepare; plus, you can add whatever toppings strike your fancy.
Side note: You may also know it as the Frito Pie.
They also make serving a crowd less daunting. It’s really all gravy after you pick up the base ingredients - individual-sized bags of Doritos chips, ground beef, and taco seasoning. From there you can keep it as simple or make it as extravagant a taco buffet as you’d like. Shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, and salsa and/or hot sauce are a must for me, but I often mix it up with pinto beans, sliced black olives, sour cream, and diced tomatoes.
If you want to be EXTRA, you could also bust out this Doritos Taco Salad Board for your crew - inspired by the charcuterie board trend that’s been all the rage. Or serve up these poppable Taco Balls alongside.
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How to make a Doritos Walking Taco: Ingredients
To make Doritos Walking Tacos, you will need the following ingredients. The top 5 ingredients are really the heart of the recipe, and you can serve whatever toppings you’d like to make the dish customizable. This recipe is really more of a guideline.
- Doritos chips, individual-sized bags
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning
- Salsa
- Water
- Black beans
- Shredded cheese
- Your favorite taco toppings, like lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, sour cream, etc.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make a Doritos Walking Taco: Instructions
Cook the ground beef in a large pan over medium heat until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. This should take around 8 minutes. Strain the excess grease from the cooked ground beef.
Add taco seasoning, a little water (per taco seasoning package instructions), and salsa to the pan and stir to combine. I like to add salsa directly to the meat because it adds another layer of flavor, but you can omit it.
Cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until slightly reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assemble your Doritos Walking Tacos buffet! Set out individual-sized bags of Doritos, and toppings of your choice, like black beans, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, and salsa.
Assemble your own Doritos Walking Taco! Cut lengthwise (or across the top, your choice!) along the bag of Doritos. Open the bag up and add a large spoonful or two of taco-seasoned ground beef. Then add any toppings you like! I added pinto beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and pickled jalapenos (pictured).
Grab a fork and dig in!
I prefer lengthwise because it gives me more space to work with in crafting the perfect bite. Others prefer cutting across the short side (top) because it lessens the chance of spillage. Do it however you prefer! You might even consider setting out scissors and letting guests cut their own bags open (in case anyone has any strong opinions on the matter).
Of course! Another popular Walking Taco variation is to use Fritos corn chips. You could also use regular tortilla chips, sun chips, or even Takis! As long as the bag is individually sized and pairs well with taco flavors, the chips you decide to use is fair game!
So MANY things!
Pinto or black beans
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheese - from cheddar to Pepper jack to Colby jack
Crumby cheese - cotija or feta
Jalapenos, fresh or pickled
Banana peppers, pickled
Black olives
Green olives
Tomatoes, fresh
Onion, fresh or pickled
Rotel canned diced tomatoes
Salsa - from chunky to smooth
Hot sauce
Sour cream or crema
Guacamole
Try pairing Doritos Walking Tacos with one of the following side dishes or toppings:
Instant Pot Spanish Rice
Easy Seasoned Refried Beans
Restaurant Style Refried Beans from a Can
Roasted Garlic Guacamole
Spicy Pico de Gallo
Creamy Green Sauce
Doritos Walking Taco Substitutions
Here are a few substitutions to make these Doritos Walking Tacos your own!
- Ground beef - Ground pork, ground chicken, or ground turkey can each be used instead of ground beef. Go vegetarian-friendly with black beans or pinto beans as the main protein, or opt for a plant-based protein like Trader Joe’s soyrizo.
- Taco seasoning - Those prepared packages of taco seasonings are perfect in a pinch, but you can also make your own. Try this Low Sodium Taco Seasoning.
- Doritos chips - Classic Nacho Cheese is the go-to Dorito flavor here, but other flavors like Cooler Ranch are also delicious. Instead of Doritos you could also use Fritos corn chips, sun chips, or plain old tortilla chips. Just make sure you get the individual-sized bags!
Variations on Doritos Walking Tacos
- Spicy - Add chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper along with the taco seasoning to make spicy Doritos Walking Tacos. And/or top with hot peppers or a fiery salsa or hot sauce.
- Vegetarian-friendly / vegan-friendly - Replace the ground beef with black or pinto beans. You could also coarsely grind some chickpeas like in this Buffalo Chickpea Quesadilla so that it mimics ground meat. Or use a plant-based meat substitute of your choosing.
Storage
Store leftover ground beef in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Store any leftover toppings that need to be refrigerated, like black beans, in their own lidded containers, separate from the other toppings.
Remember to....
Have fun with this meal! Make these Doritos Walking Tacos your own - there are so many different ways to customize this simple recipe to suit your personal taste preferences. Remember, recipes are only guidelines!
Instead of seasoned ground beef, this would also be fantastic with Instant Pot Pork Butt or Instant Pot Salsa Chicken.
Where did the Doritos Walking Taco come from?
Unfortunately the Walking Taco - which is also known as the Frito Pie - has several origin stories that cannot be wrapped up in one neat little Doritos bag. Most probably it was invented by Daisy Dean Doolin, the mother of Elmer Doolin, the founder of the Frito company (though Oaxacan immigrant Gustavo Olquin invented the actual Frito chip).
Check out OAXACANS, MORMONS, AND A BAG OF CHIPS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WALKING TACO by Heavy Table for the full details on the possible origins of this beloved snack.
Doritos Walking Tacos
Ingredients
- 8 1 ounce bags Doritos (any flavor you wish!)
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¾ cup chunky salsa (I like to use Pace salsa)
- 1 15 ounce can black or pinto beans, strained
- Colby Jack cheese, grated
- Your favorite taco toppings such as: chopped lettuce, tomatoes, homemade guacamole, shredded cheese, or sour cream
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef in a large pan over medium heat until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. This should take around 8 minutes. Strain the excess grease from the cooked ground beef.
- Add taco seasoning, a little water (per taco seasoning package instructions), and salsa to the pan and stir to combine. I like to add salsa directly to the meat because it adds another layer of flavor, but you can omit it. Cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently until slightly reduced. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Assemble your Doritos Walking Tacos buffet! Set out individual-sized bags of Doritos, and toppings of your choice, like black beans, shredded cheese, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, and salsa.
- Assemble your own Doritos Walking Taco! Cut lengthwise (or across the top, your choice!) along the bag of Doritos. Open the bag up and add a large spoonful or two of taco-seasoned ground beef. Then add any toppings you like! I added pinto beans, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and pickled jalapenos (pictured).
- Grab a fork and dig in!
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