Walking Tacos

When you need tacos on the go, look no further than these Walking Tacos! All your favorite taco toppings are piled into a bag of Fritos (or Doritos, if that’s your thing!) for an easy grab and go dinner. These are perfect for summer parties, tailgating, or any meal that needs a little extra fun and nostalgia.

Want to make this into a casserole instead? Check out our Walking Taco Casserole.

Hand holding a bag of Walking Tacos.

A Cafeteria Classic

It’s not often that I attempt to recreate a meal made in the kitchen of my high school cafeteria. I mean, breakfast for lunch was great and all, but frozen french toast sticks just don’t inspire me the way they used to.

But Walking Tacos are different. Walking tacos are seriously tasty and seriously fun. They bring back memories of that cramped cafeteria where I learned lines for musicals, drank a disturbing amount of Fruitopia, and nonchalantly (read: obviously) waited for my crush to walk through the door.

I haven’t had a walking taco since I left high school over a decade ago. In fact, had it not been for this post, I may have forgotten about them completely. Luckily, I didn’t. And as it turns out, these are as simple to make as I always imagined them to be and even tastier than I remember.

Key Ingredients for Tacos in a Bag

  • Ground beef
  • Onions
  • Jalapenos- These are totally optional. If you donโ€™t like heat, omit them.
  • Taco seasoning- I prefer to use homemade taco seasoning, but store bought packet will also work fine.
  • Diced canned tomatoes
  • Canned tomato sauce
  • Canned kidney beans

In addition to the walking taco filling, youโ€™ll need:

  • Individual sized chip bags
  • Your favorite taco toppings- My 3 must are shredded cheese, sour cream, and shredded lettuce.

How To Make Walking Tacos

  1. The walking taco starts with a bag of Fritos or Doritos, which is basically the epitome of class.ย Totally free pro tip: roll down the bag 1/3 of the way to avoid getting meat mess all over the top!
  2. Next layer in your meaty mixture. A note about the meat. Some recipes use plain taco meat, but the Walking Tacos of my memory had more of a chili-like feel to them. This meat mixture is definitely more in line with the latter version, with plenty of onion, pepper, beans, and tomatoes sautรฉed together with the meat to create a saucy filling.
  3. Next? Cheese. Lots and lots of shredded cheese. It’ll get nice and melty in there.
  4. What’s a taco without some toppings? Throw some on there!
Meat mixture for Walking Tacos with bags of Doritos and Fritos, plus bowls of lettuce, cheese, and sour cream on the side.

How to Eat a Walking Taco

How to eat a walking taco comes down to personal preference, but there are a couple different ways to enjoy this moveable feast.

  1. Open up the chip bag like you usually would and ladle everything in. It can be helpful to roll the bag down a bit so itโ€™s easier to reach everything.
  2. If you have a pair of scissors handy, turn the chip bag sideways and cut across the long end. This gives you a nice little โ€œboatโ€ that can make eating the walking tacos easier.
  3. Some people like to crumble up the chips before opening the bag, others like to add everything to the bag then use their hands to crush, crumble, and combine all the ingredients together. I personally think that approach is insane (I like to use a fork and have a little variety in each bite), but Iโ€™m not here to yuck anybodyโ€™s yum. Itโ€™s kind of fun to see how everyone makes their own special walking taco!
Spoon scooping taco meat into a bag of Doritos.

Once they’re all assembled, it’s time to roll up the bag and dig in! These are so perfect for summer parties, tailgating, really any gathering that needs a little extra fun and nostalgia.

Variations + Toppings

What kind of chips do you use for Walking Tacos?

Fritos are a classic and what I consider the โ€œoriginalโ€ Walking Taco chip, but itโ€™s also really good with Doritos, either the Nacho Cheese or Cooler Ranch. We also like it with the Chili Cheese Fritos!

Toppings for Bag Tacos

  • Anything youโ€™d put on a taco, you can put on a Walking Taco! Try these other favorites:
    • guacamole
  • Try different taco meats– These would also be great with Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef, Crock Pot Shredded Chicken, or Crock Pot Taco Meat. You could even use leftover Slow Cooker Steak Chili as a filling! BONUS- the slow cooker is great for preparing the filling ahead and keeping it warm until party time!
Open bag of chips layered with taco meat, lettuce, sour cream, and cheese.

What to Serve with Walking Tacos

Could there be anything better than a party featuring tacos in a bag and pitcher margaritas? Thatโ€™s the stuff dreams are made of.

But, if you need something more than tacos and booze, this would also pair well with Corn Souffle (add some green chiles to spice it up a bit!), Cheddar Cornbread Muffins, or Cilantro Lime Rice.

Hand holding bag tacos and another hand taking a bite out of it with a fork.

More Taco Inspired Recipes

Can’t get enough taco recipes? Us either!

We love giving our favorite dinners a taco twist. See for yourself with these other favorites:

Do we have a problem turning everything into tacos? Yes, yes we do.

Hand holding a bag of Walking Tacos.

Walking Tacos

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Walking Tacos feature all your favorite taco toppings in a grab and go bag that's perfect for parties!

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 small jalapenos, seeds removed, diced (optional)
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 1/2 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
  • 1 14 ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 14 ounce can kidney beans
  • 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 6 Frito bags-make sure they are all corn if you're gluten free
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Shredded Mexican Cheese blend
  • Sour Cream

Instructions

  1. In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until beginning to soften. Add the jalapenos and saute an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef to the pan and cook until no pink remains. Drain any excess fat then stir in taco seasoning.
  2. Add the tomato sauce, kidney beans, and drained diced tomatoes to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
  3. To assemble, open Frito bags. Divide meat mixture evenly among the bags, filling about 2/3 full. Sprinkle with cheese. Add sour cream and lettuce if desired. Eat away!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 530Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 820mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 31g

Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.

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31 Comments

  1. Theses are called frito pies where i come from. My ex used to do this because the men he worked with didnt want to bring extra tupperware in their lunch boxes (or bags) so they used the frito bags cut sideways and just added chili and cheese. It was a simple lunch for them.

  2. When I was a kid back in the 70s, we called these Frito pies. Old pro tip, don’t open the bad at the top, slit it down the side.

  3. Your recipe is good,, a note to you if you turn Fritos bag on the side and split the side open you will have a boat shape, more room for add ins and easier to to get into with fork or spoon.

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