Keto Taco Cups have a baked cheese shell and are filled with seasoned beef and all your favorite taco toppings to make an easy and delicious keto meal.
» You might also like these Easy to Make Keto Enchiladas.
If you’re ever lamented the fact that most taco shells or bowls have tons of carbs in them, you don’ t have to worry about that now, because these Keto Taco Cups are make entirely of cheese and they are incredibly easy to make at home.
You might have seen versions of these cheese shells at the store, but there’s no need to spend extra money to buy them. They are very simple to make at home with a baking sheet and shredded or sliced cheese.
You can make them for lunch or dinner, since they are substantial enough to keep you full and they contain almost no carbs.
Ingredients You Need
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – This is the main ingredient needed to make the cups. It’s best to shred your own cheddar from a block, but you can use store-bought shredded cheese or a slice of cheese.
- Ground Beef – Ground beef or turkey can be used. I go for a lean 90% version, so there’s not a lot of fat to remove from the pan.
- Seasonings – Chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, salt, ground black pepper
- Toppings – You can pick and choose your favorite toppings for your taco cups. I like to put on some lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. You could also use green onions, jalapenos, and some hot sauce or salsa, if you want.
Equipment Needed
- Muffin tin
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
How to Make Keto Taco Cups
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray. You could also use a silicon mat. I’ve found that putting the cheese directly on the baking sheet leads to it sticking.
Form 8 piles with the shredded cheese. If you’re baking sheet isn’t big, you might have to do this in two parts. You want to give enough room for the cheese to spread out to about 3″ around.
Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the edges of the cheese start to brown. The top will bubble up, but you don’t want the center of the cheese to brown – then you’ve gone too far.
Remove the tray from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes until it’s cool enough to handle the cheese.
Carefully peel each cheese round off the parchment paper and mold it to the inside of a muffin tin. You can place it inside the muffin tin or over the cups on the back of the tin. Either way works. Over the back side makes them a little less crumpled, so you might find that easier.
Allow the cheese to cool completely before you take it out of the cups. You can put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to speed up the process.
In a medium pan, cook the ground beef on medium high heat until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate it all. You can add a tablespoon of water to help disperse the spices, if necessary. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Fill each cheese cup with meat, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, tomato, and cilantro.
Tips and Notes
- You can use any type of hard cheese that you want, it doesn’t have to be cheddar. Other options would be Monterrey Jack, Parmesan, Mozzarella, or Colby Jack. It can be shredded or a full slice. With shredded, you can use less cheese per shell because it spreads out better.
- It’s not really possible to reheat the cheese shells. They are best served fresh. When you reheat it, it falls apart and loses it’s shape. It can also become quite greasy.
- You should also avoid freezing the cheese cups. They will become brittle and break, plus you can’t reheat them anyways. If you aren’t going to use them right away, you can leave them at room temperature for up to 3 or 4 hours, or refrigerate for one day. However, then they will be cold when you eat them.
Possible Substitutions
These Keto Taco Cups are very versatile and allow for several variations.
- Ground beef is a major component that can be substituted with other things like ground turkey, chopped steak, chicken, fried halloumi, tofu or beans.
- Use any toppings you want. For instance, you could just fill them with meat and salsa for a quick and easy version, or you could load them up with any veggies you like. Add hot sauce, Ranch dressing, or Sriracha mayo.
- For a spicier version, you can use cayenne powder instead of paprika.
- If you don’t have all the spices, you could use taco seasoning – either homemade or store-bought.
What to Serve With This Dish?
If you’re looking for a great side dish to serve alongside this main dish, why not try one of these recipes below. They will compliment this main dish very well and are all low in carbs so you can make a great keto or low-carb meal to enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many carbs are there in Keto Taco Cups?
Keto Taco Cups are made with cheese and other ingredients that do not contain many carbs, so this is a very low-carb and keto-friendly meal. The serving size is two keto taco cups, which contains
How long can you store Keto Taco Cups?
The cheese cups are best served fresh. You can always make more since it only takes a few minutes to prepare. If you want to make them ahead, you could prepare all of the ingredients ahead and assemble them with fresh cheese cups when you’re ready to serve. Otherwise, the cheese cups will keep for up to a day in the refrigerator.
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Easy Keto Taco Cups
Equipment
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped lettuce
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 avocado diced
- 1 small tomato chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray. Form 8 piles with the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 5-6 minutes, until the edges of the cheese start to brown.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let cool for a few minutes until cool enough to handle.
- Peel each cheese round off the parchment paper and mold it to the inside of a muffin tin to cool.
- In a medium pan, cook the ground beef on medium high heat until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate. You can add a tablespoon of water to help disperse the spices, if necessary.
- Fill each cheese cup with meat, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, tomato, and cilantro.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Laura is dedicated to a low-carb lifestyle after losing 52 pounds on the keto diet. As many of us do, she struggles with her weight and has found that one of the only diet lifestyles that allows her to maintain a healthy weight is a low-carb diet. She shares her favorite low-carb recipes here that are both easy to make and full of flavor, so you don’t even miss the carbs.