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Home » Appetizers » Taco Cups with Beef and Cheese

Published: February 25, 2018 Last Modified: March 24, 2019 By Sara 68 Comments

Taco Cups with Beef and Cheese

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Taco Cups Recipe | Wonton Taco Cups | Taco Cupcakes | Mexican Appetizer

These wonton taco cups are the perfect appetizer or fun twist on taco night! Layers of seasoned beef and cheese are baked in layers of wontons in a cupcake pan, then finished off with your favorite taco toppings.

How cute are these taco cupcakes? They’re as much fun to make as they are to eat, and make a delicious and hearty snack for any occasion.

Taco Cups Recipe | Wonton Taco Cups | Taco Cupcakes | Mexican Appetizer #taco #hamburger #appetizer #dinneratthezoo #beef

A plate of taco cups made with wontons, seasoned ground beef and cheese, then topped with sour cream, tomatoes and green onions.

Tacos are one of my family’s favorite foods to eat – there are endless ways to mix and match the flavor combinations, and they’re all totally delicious! These taco cups are a fun play on tacos that use wonton wrappers instead of tortillas. The wontons are layered with meat and cheese and baked to crispy, gooey perfection.

How to make taco cups

The first step in making taco cups is to cook up your meat. I use 90% lean ground beef, although ground turkey will also work. The meat is flavored with taco seasoning and a can of petite diced tomatoes. It’s important to use the petite diced tomatoes so that you don’t have giant chunks of tomato in your taco cups.

Ground beef and tomatoes form the filling for taco cups.

After your meat is ready, it’s time to build your taco cupcakes! The first layer is wonton wrappers which get pressed into the wells of a muffin tin.

Wonton wrappers inside a muffin tin.

After that, you’ll add a layer of meat and shredded cheese.

Layers of meat and shredded cheese are combined with wontons then baked.

Then you’re going to repeat the process by stacking a second layer of wonton, meat and cheese on top of the first. From there the taco cups get baked until the cheese is melted and the wontons are golden brown.

Taco cups baked in a muffin tin.

You actually can just eat the taco cups as-is from here, but I do like to add a few more toppings. I finish my taco cups with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh tomatoes and green onions. Other great topping choices are diced avocado, chopped cilantro, sliced olives or minced red onion.

Taco cupcakes layered with wontons, seasoned meat and cheese, then baked to perfection.

I love that these taco cups feed a crowd, they’re perfect for birthday parties, Taco Tuesday, football parties or just for any time you have a taco craving!

More Mexican appetizer ideas

  • Shrimp Ceviche
  • White Queso Dip
  • Southwestern Egg Rolls
  • Pico De Gallo Recipe
  • Chicken Taquitos
A plate of taco cups made with wontons, seasoned ground beef and cheese, then topped with sour cream, tomatoes and green onions.
Print Pin
4.98 from 37 votes

Taco Cups

These wonton taco cups are the perfect appetizer or fun twist on taco night! Layers of seasoned beef and cheese are baked in layers of wontons in a cupcake pan, then finished off with your favorite taco toppings.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 182kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes drained
  • 24 wonton wrappers
  • 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup diced fresh tomatoes
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
  • Add the beef to the pan. Use a spatula to break up the meat, stirring constantly. Add the taco seasoning and salt to taste. You may not need to add salt if your brand of taco seasoning already contains salt.
  • Cook the meat for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in the canned tomatoes.
  • Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Place one wonton wrapper into the bottom of each muffin cup.
  • Spoon approximately 1 tablespoon of meat into each cup and top with approximately 2 teaspoons of cheese.
  • Place a second wonton layer on top of the cheese, then add the remaining meat and cheese across all the muffin cups.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges are browned and cheese is melted.
  • Top each taco cup with a small dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions and tomato, then serve.

Notes

  1. Recipe adapted from Kevin and Amanda.
  2. 93% lean ground turkey may be substituted for the ground beef.

Nutrition

Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 158mg | Vitamin A: 215IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 1.5mg
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Filed Under: Appetizers

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    Comments

    1. Mary says

      December 7, 2022 at 11:24 am

      Do I use regular sized muffin tins or min muffin tins?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 8, 2022 at 8:16 am

        Regular size!

        Reply
        • Zona Marihugh says

          December 9, 2022 at 9:15 am

          5 stars
          I used mini muffin pan and they turned out great (and more bite size).

          Reply
    2. Vicki says

      June 26, 2022 at 10:12 am

      5 stars
      Will make this again, my spouse devoured it.

      Reply
    3. Nadine says

      June 14, 2022 at 4:49 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe my fiancé and I loved it

      Reply
      • Nadine says

        June 14, 2022 at 4:51 pm

        5 stars
        I used ground turkey and it was amazing

        Reply
    4. Melanie says

      May 30, 2022 at 3:45 pm

      4 stars
      Great flavor but my wontons never got crispy 😭

      Reply
    5. Linessa Frazier says

      February 23, 2022 at 3:42 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was so yummy ♥️ I added cilantro lime creama and it was exquisite.

      Reply
    6. Suzy says

      February 18, 2022 at 10:58 pm

      I’m helping cook for a girlfriend in a house of picky eaters! One of the kids is gluten free and I am celiac myself. Gluten free wontons seem to be impossible to find (trust me, I’ve searched for other recipes as well!!)! Do you have any suggestions? I feel like tortillas won’t get as crispy and that seems like half of the fun of this recipe! Any suggestions welcomed! If time allows, I will experiment and report back! ☺️

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 22, 2022 at 8:02 am

        Unfortunately I can’t think of a great substitute, I feel like tortillas would be too soft.

        Reply
    7. Katherine says

      January 14, 2022 at 9:15 am

      5 stars
      These were fantastic!! I used beyond meat. They were so great, the kids asked if there were any left over the next morning for breakfast

      Reply
    8. Deborah says

      January 1, 2022 at 9:17 am

      5 stars
      Super easy, and delicious! I happened to have everything in the house to make them. It was a great New Year’s day food tray. I will definitely be making them again, soon.

      Reply
    9. Annette Kreamer says

      June 25, 2021 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      I like the food & i want the Recipe please

      Reply
    10. Katie B. says

      February 24, 2021 at 11:18 am

      5 stars
      Huge hit! These are great. I substituted dairy free cheese and dairy free sour cream (son has a dairy allergy) and my two toddlers and husband loved them too! It was easy and definitely going to be a go to new recipe.

      Reply
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