These easy-to-make Taco Dinner Ideas are the perfect weeknight dinner or Taco Tuesday. All of these recipes are gluten-free, and there are lots of dairy-free options as well, so there’s a little something for everyone. Many of these taco recipes are budget-friendly but they’re also kid-friendly too. From tacos to taco bowls and more there are endless ways to enjoy your next taco night by simply changing up a few ingredients.
I grew up eating classic American-style tacos like most people I know and absolutely loved them! But as I got older and really into food, my taco world just continued to expand with all the options.
All my favorite options are below for taco-inspired dinners and taco combinations for chicken, beef, pork, and seafood.
We make taco bowls in our house more often than tacos, and you’ll find my tips below for how to turn any taco into a bowl.
Taco Recipes for Dinner
- Taco Bowls
- Taco Meat (for classic American Tacos)
- Creamy Taco Soup
- Taco Casserole
- Fish Taco Bowls
- Turkey Taco Salad
- Loaded Taco Salad
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Blackstone Chicken Fajitas
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls
- Beef Barbacoa Burrito Bowls
- Carnitas Burrito Bowls
Along with our favorite American-style taco recipes, I’ve included my fajita and burrito bowl recipes here too. They all make a great taco night.
Build your own taco night
- Instant Pot Salsa Chicken
- Classic Taco Meat
- Chipotle Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salsa Beef
- Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa
- Instant Pot Carnitas
- Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
Taco Night: Meat + Tortillas/Base + Toppings + Sauce
Choose a base
- Instant Pot White Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
Use these recipes as a base when you make taco bowls. And, of course, you can always pile your favorite taco fillings into tortillas. We love corn tortillas and the almond flour tortillas from Siete.
Add some toppings
- Pico de Gallo
- Fire Roasted Salsa
- Mango Salsa
- Pineapple Salsa
- Strawberry Mango Salsa
- Best Guacamole
- Bacon Guacamole
- Mango Guacamole
- Fajita Veggies
Salsa of all kinds, guacamole, and some Fajita Veggies add so much to a taco night. Vary the salsa you make depending on the season. In the winter, I make mango and pineapple salsa, but also my Fire Roasted Salsa, which uses canned tomatoes.
Other toppings to add to a taco night
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded cabbage or napa cabbage
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Sliced or diced avocado instead of guacamole
- Sour cream
- Fresh or cooked corn
- Pickled onions, diced onion, or sliced green onion
- Chopped tomatoes, mango, or pineapple instead of salsa
- Grated cheese, cheddar & jalapeno jack are my favorites
- Crumbled Cotija cheese or Queso Fresco
- Sliced jalapenos, pickled jalapenos, or olives
- Lime wedges
Finally choose a sauce
- Chipotle Aioli
- Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Cilantro Chimichurri
- Best Vegan Queso
Combinations for Taco Dinner Ideas
- Chicken Tacos: Instant Pot Salsa Chicken, Tortillas, Jalapeno Jack cheese, Pineapple Salsa, & sliced avocados, Sour Cream or Chipotle Aioli
- Beef Barbacoa: Instant Pot Beef Barbacoa, Tortillas, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Shredded Cabbage or Sliced Radishes, and Cilantro,
- Pork Tacos: Instant Pot Carnitas, Tortillas, Mango Salsa or Pineapple Salsa, Guacamole, Shredded Napa Cabbage, Crumbled Cojita Cheese
- Fish Tacos: I use the fish from my Fish & Chips recipe or Fish Taco Bowls , Tortillas, Mango Salsa, Shredded Cabbage, Cilantro Lime Dressing, & Chipotle Aioli
- Shrimp Tacos – Chipotle Shrimp Tacos , Tortillas, Pico de Gallo/Mango Salsa/Pineapple Salsa, Sour Cream, Shredded Lettuce
You can make any of these taco combinations into a taco bowl by piling them over steamed rice or sweet potatoes in place of tortillas.
Fish Taco Bowls– my favorite way to enjoy fish tacos at home!
Beans and rice both go well with taco dinners. You can serve cooked black beans, pinto beans, or refried beans. I like to serve my Cilantro Lime Rice for extra flavor. Chips, salsa, and guacamole also round out a taco night for pre-dinner snacking.
Entertaining with tacos is my favorite way to entertain because it’s so easy! Make taco meat, choose tortillas & rice for taco bowls, and add your favorite toppings and sauce. Put everything out buffet style and let each person mix and match their way into tacos or taco bowls.
Classic American Tacos
- Ground Beef Taco Meat – spices are included in the recipe
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Taco Shells of choice
- Grated Cheddar Cheese
- Shredded Lettuce
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Sour Cream
Add some diced onions, or try my budget-friendly taco meat option with black beans. The Taco meat is made with the classic cumin, chili powder, garlic & onion powder, but also gets extra flavor from smoked paprika.
My favorite taco memories growing up were from Saturday dinners. My parents owned a roller rink, and so on Saturdays, we would often get Taco John’s for dinner.
They knew the manager (who lived near the roller rink), and she would deliver our order decades before anything like DoorDash existed!
I had a crazy big appetite and would eat 4 tacos + 1 pound of their Potato Olés. It’s a wonder my parents could afford to feed me really! While
I have fond memories of fast food tacos, homemade is so much tastier, more affordable, and healthier too.
Enjoy these 12 Almond Flour Muffin Recipes for all seasons, from blueberry and banana, to blackberry and morning glory. I have a basic all-purpose almond flour muffin recipe included as well, so you can make your own variations. It’s vanilla scented with a streusel topping and glaze. It’s perfect for all sorts of additions like berries and/or chocolate chips. All 12 recipes are naturally gluten-free with dairy-free options and made without refined sugar.
I used to make these blueberry muffins that were outrageously good. However, they were made primarily with processed ingredients like flour and sugar.
So one of the first flavors I set out to recreate was, of course, blueberry muffins! To my surprise, after some testing, I came up with a formula for almond flour muffins that I loved more than the processed version.
From there, I was off and running, making all my favorite classic muffin flavors. So today I have them all together in one place as well as my recipe for basic almond flour muffins.
There’s a flavor here for every season all year long. And my basic almond flour muffins can be tinkered with for endless variations too.
All-Star Almond Flour Muffin Recipe
These Coffee Cake Almond Flour Muffins are my most basic almond flour muffin that is endlessly customizable. It comes with a cinnamon streusel topping and a glaze.
But both of those can be omitted for a plain vanilla almond flour muffin. And you’ll find the recipe at the bottom.
From there, you can add anything you’d like, from berries to mini chocolate chips for variations.
Spring & Summer Almond Flour Muffins
- Peach Streusel Muffins
- Raspberry Poppy Seed Muffins
- Blackberry Cardamom Muffins
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Almond Flour Blueberry Muffins
- Pineapple Zucchini Muffins
I probably make the blueberry muffins the most often, with frozen blueberries most of the year and fresh huckleberries in the summer. They’re Tyler’s favorite and have just a hint of lemon that makes them irresistible.
But each one of these muffins is a long-time favorite! The peach muffins just hit the spot when peaches are in season, and you’ll always find me making zucchini muffins in the height of summer.
Fall & Winter Almond Flour Muffins
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- Apple Streusel Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
Again, you can’t go wrong here, but we’re partial to the Morning Glory Muffins with their carrot cake flavors. Banana is a classic that I usually make when we have company because everyone really loves them.
And finally, the pumpkin, apple, and cranberry orange muffins are my favorites to make early fall, right through to the holidays.
Ways to serve Almond Flour Muffins
- Add some protein with my Sausage Breakfast Casserole , Sauage Egg Muffins , Spinach Scrambled Eggs , or Veggie Scrambled Eggs .
- Turkey Breakfast Sausage or my Air Fryer Sausage Links are both great for breakfast with these muffins.
- In the winter months try my Winter Fruit Salad with some protein.
Almond flour adds richness and moistness to baked goods like muffins. However, it doesn’t have any binding qualities like gluten in all-purpose flour. That is why it’s important to combine it properly so your muffins are fluffy.
I have two secrets to baking with almond flour. The first is to use a combination of tapioca starch and almond flour. The second secret is to use eggs with the almond flour and tapioca. The 3 bind together nicely to produce a moist but fluffy muffin. Almond flour on its own tends to be too crumbly because it doesn’t have any gluten or ‘binding’ qualities.
Tips & Tricks
- Almond flour vs. almond meal – almond flour has a much finer texture than almond meal. It should resemble very fine sand, where almond meal can be gritty.
- If you have almond meal you need to use up, I find it to be a better option for something like my Almond Flour Chicken Parmesan than for baking.
- Don’t expect almond flour muffins to rise as much as muffins made with all-purpose flour. However, with a combination of almond flour + tapioca starch + eggs , you will get a nice fluffy result.
- To tell if your almond flour muffins are done, insert a toothpick into the center, if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, they’re done. If there’s a little batter, they need a few more minutes.
- Start testing your baked goods early! Every oven bakes differently, and ovens are rarely correctly calibrated. You can get a thermometer to help you see what temperature your oven is ‘actually’ running at. Or test early to make sure your baked goods don’t get overcooked.
INGREDIENTS1x2x3x
- 2 cups fine almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch - sometimes called flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 vanilla bean - split in half lengthwise, see notes
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Grade A maple syrup - or honey
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup butter - melted, ghee or coconut oil
Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup fine almond flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds - or chopped pecans
- 2 tbsp butter - melted, ghee or coconut oil
- 2 tbsp Grade A amber maple syrup - or honey
Glaze:
- 1/4 cup coconut butter - also called coconut mana
- 1 tbsp Grade A amber maple syrup - or honey
- any remaining vanilla bean seeds you can scrape out
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with muffin cup liners.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, sea salt, and baking powder. Scrape the seeds from the split vanilla bean into the bowl and stir to combine all the ingredients. Set the vanilla bean pod aside for the glaze and keep it for another use listed below in the notes.
- Add the vanilla extract , honey, and melted ghee/butter. If your honey is solid, you will need to melt it over low heat before adding it to the bowl. Stir until the mixture is combined, then portion the batter evenly into the lined muffin tin.
- For the streusel, stir together the almond flour, cinnamon, and sliced almonds until the cinnamon is mixed in. Then add the melted ghee/butter and honey. Stir again to combine, then portion the streusel evenly over the top of the muffin batter.
- Bake the muffins for 10-15 minutes, and when they’re looking very golden, place a piece of foil over them as a ’tent’ to keep them from over browning.
- Normally you wouldn’t need to do this when baking muffins, but honey can over brown, and burn easily. Continue to bake until the muffins are puffed in the middle and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, about 22 minutes total.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and set them on a cooling rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Then carefully remove the muffins from the pan to continue cooling.
- While the muffins are cooling, make the glaze by adding the coconut butter to a small saucepan. Melt over low heat, then when no more lumps remain, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the honey. Scrape any seeds you can from the vanilla bean pod into the melted coconut butter, and whisk in water 1 tablespoon at a time until a glaze like consistency forms. If the glaze looks broken, just whisk in another tablespoon or so of water until it smoothes out again.
- From there you can drizzle it over the tops of the muffin or place it in a squeeze bottle to makes clean lines over the tops of the muffins. Serve the muffins still warm or at room temperature.
