Dairy-Free Taco Salad with Baked Tortilla Bowls
Light, refreshing, and versatile this dairy-free taco salad recipe in a baked tortilla bowl is the perfect healthy-ish meal for taco Tuesday. Made with a baked flour tortilla shell and filled with taco meat, beans, avocado and more, these delicious taco salads make a delicious lunch or dinner recipe!
Soon after our second child was born we started consuming more take-out than usual. One of the top foods I ordered was a taco salad in a tortilla shell.
I loved how the “salad” didn’t feel like an all consuming bowl of greens to take on. There were various flavors, textures and layers that kept me coming back for more!
After the dozenth or so taco salad, I knew I needed to start making these at home or risk breaking the bank ordering them to-go.
Alyssia from Mind Over Munch has a quick and simple method for making baked taco bowls that has made them a staple in our house for a few months now.
Her Baked Tortilla Bowl recipe is the base of this homemade taco salad that gives everyone a delicious, hearty, and healthy taco in a bowl!
Why We Love this Dairy-Free Taco Salad
Delicious, baked, and dairy-free this simple taco salad recipe has it all. Here are some of the reasons we make this taco salad every taco Tuesday!
- Versatile– This recipe is merely a suggestion of what to include on your salad. You can easily add or sub different toppings that fit your taste.
- Filling– With a number of different toppings you can make a pretty hefty taco salad that is equal parts delicious and filling.
- Meal-Prep-able. This recipe can easily be made in advance and re-heated when you are ready to assemble the taco salad making it a perfect meal prep recipe.
Dairy-Free Changes to Taco Salad
For this recipe I keep it dairy-free by using dairy-free toppings. Some of the dairy-free taco toppings include:
- Homemade cilantro avocado crema. Made with coconut milk for a creamy finish.
- Dairy-Free cheese alternative. Shredded cheese like VioLife works great in this taco salad.
- Vegan sour cream alternative. I like using Kite Hill’s vegan sour cream to dollop on a homemade taco.
How to Make Dairy-Free Taco Salad
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Baked tortilla shell– Use a burrito sized tortilla sprayed with non-stick spray and baked in the oven.
- Taco meat– Made with ground beef, a blend of spices, and tomato sauce.
- Cilantro avocado crema– Blend together cilantro, avocado, coconut milk, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice, onion powder, and salt.
- Shredded lettuce– I used a head of iceberg lettuce.
- Additional toppings: Chopped tomato, cilantro, green onion, avocado, etc.
Step-by-Step Directions for Taco Salad with Baked Tortilla Bowls
When it comes to making this dairy-free taco salad recipe in a baked tortilla bowl you want to start with the longest step first and work your way to the shortest step last.
Bake the Tortilla Bowl
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Prepare: Using oven safe bowls, place the number of bowls you need on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Spray tortillas: Take out your burrito sized tortilla and spray with non-stick spray on both sides.
- Create bowls: Place the tortilla into the oven safe bowl and tuck the edges to fit the tortilla into the bowl.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes before removing and filling with the taco salad.
Make the Taco Meat
While the taco bowls are baking you can make the taco meat.
- Cook meat: In a large skillet brown and crumble ground beef.
- Season: Add onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Sauce: Pour in tomato sauce and stir to combine.
- Cook: Reduce heat to low and cook 10-15 minutes to reduce the tomato sauce.
Prepare Additional Toppings
- Make cilantro avocado crema by blending: cilantro, avocado, coconut milk, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, onion powder, and salt.
- Chop iceberg lettuce into finely shredded pieces (or buy pre-shredded lettuce).
- Rinse and drain a can of black beans.
- Chop a tomato into cubes.
- Dice an avocado.
- Cut green onion.
Assemble your Dairy-Free Taco Salad
- Place the baked tortilla bowl on a large plate.
- Fill with shredded iceberg lettuce.
- Top with cooked taco meat.
- Add black beans, tomato, avocado, a dollop of the cilantro lime crema, and green onion to garnish.
- Enjoy!
Helpful Kitchen Tools
When you are ready to bake up your own taco salads in a tortilla bowl, here are a few helpful kitchen tools to get you started.
- Oven safe bowls– Used to bake the tortilla shells.
- High speed blender– Great for blending up the dressing.
- Rimmed Baking sheet– Holds the bowls of tortilla shells together while they bake.
Additional Toppings for Taco Salad in a Baked Tortilla Bowl
The versatility of this dairy-free taco salad recipe is what makes it a slam dunk in our household. Here are some of the different sauces and toppings you can include on these taco salad bowls for a fun and flavorful dinner.
- Vegan shredded cheese
- Pico de gallo
- Mexican street corn dip
- Fresh roasted corn
- Cilantro lime rice or plain rice
- Additional cilantro
- Pickled jalapeño
- Vegan sour cream alternative
- Mom’s blender salsa
Storing Parts of a Dairy-Free Taco Salad
My suggestion is to prep some of these items in advance to make taco night a breeze. Here are the storage tips for the taco shell, taco meat, and cilantro avocado crema.
- Baked tortilla shell– Allow to cool completely and place in an air-tight container (gallon zip top bag works great!) and store for up to 2 days after baking.
- Taco meat– Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Cilantro avocado crema– Place the dressing in an air-tight container and refrigerate up to 5 days.
Tex-Mex Taco Bowls to Make Next
If you tried this dairy-free taco salad recipe please let me know in the comments below!
You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!
Looking for more delicious dairy-free recipes and tips? Sign up for my newsletter below to get the most helpful recipes, tips, and products for your life after dairy.
Taco Salad in a Baked Tortilla Bowl
Light, refreshing, and healthy-ish these dairy-free taco salads in a baked tortilla bowl are a better than take out treat your family will love for Taco Tuesday!
Ingredients
Tortilla Shell
- 4 Burrito Sized Tortillas
- Non-Stick Spray to spray the tortillas
Taco Meat
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 8 ounces Tomato Sauce no salt added
Cilantro Avocado Crema
- 1 cup Coconut Milk full fat
- ¾ cup Cilantro washed
- 1 Avocado ripe
- 1 Jalapeño seeded
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Additional Toppings
- Iceberg Lettuce shredded
- Black Beans washed
- Tomato diced
- Avocado diced
- Cilantro chopped
- Green Onion chopped
Instructions
Make the Tortilla Bowl
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
-
Using oven safe bowls, place 4 bowls you need on a rimmed baking sheet.
-
Take out 4 burrito sized tortillas and spray with non-stick spray on both sides.
-
Place the tortillas into the oven safe bowl and tuck the edges to fit the tortilla into the bowl. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes before removing and filling with the taco salad.
Make the Taco Meat
-
In a large skillet brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef.
-
Add 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.
-
Pour in 8 ounces tomato sauce and stir to combine.
-
Reduce heat to low and cook 10-15 minutes to reduce the tomato sauce.
Cilantro Avocado Crema
-
Add 1 cup full fat coconut milk, ¾ cup cilantro, 1 avocado, 1 seeded jalapeño, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 Tablespoons lime juice, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
-
Blend on high until mixed together.
Assemble the Taco Salad in a Baked Tortilla Bowl
-
Place the baked tortilla bowl on a large plate. Fill with shredded iceberg lettuce.Top with cooked taco meat.
-
Add black beans, tomato, avocado, a dollop of the cilantro lime crema, and green onion to garnish.
Recipe Notes
Link to mind over munch tortilla bowl.
Some of the links above contain Amazon affiliate links. These are products and brands I use in my kitchen daily. They pay me a small commission for the referral at no additional cost to you.