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These adorable Wonton Taco Cups are a quick and easy appetizer everyone is sure to love. Tiny, elegant, and delightfully crispy baked wonton cups hold all of your favorite taco salad ingredients for a delicious two-bite snack. Best of all, they only take 25 minutes to make!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy. They’re done in just 25 minutes, even if you make your own homemade pico de gallo.
- Easily Customizable. Feel free to swap in different meats or toppings to make the taco salad of your dreams.
- Made With Just 9 Ingredients. With an ingredient list this short, you don’t even need a grocery cart!
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Ingredient Notes
- Wonton Wrappers – Found in the refrigerator aisle of most major grocery stores, these little guys are awesome to keep on hand in the freezer for last-minute apps. I used Nasoya brand vegan wonton wrappers. Feel free to swap in gyoza or egg roll wrappers as needed, though you may need to cut them to size.
- Ground Beef – This recipe was developed using 85/15 ground beef, but you can easily swap in ground Mexican chorizo, ground chicken, or ground turkey.
- Taco Seasoning – Those pre-blended packets are one of my favorite conveniences, but you can also feel free to make your own.
- Toppings – Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Cilantro
How To Make Wonton Taco Cups
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
- Shape Wonton Cups. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Press a wonton wrapper into the bottom of each well of a mini pan. Ensure that the wonton wrapper is flat so the finished cups have a flat base to stand up on.
- Bake Cups in the preheated oven until golden brown. Remove baked cups from the muffin tin and allow to cool.
- Brown & Season Meat. Brown the ground beef in a large pan, breaking up meat into very small pieces. Drain any grease from the pan. Add the taco seasoning and water and simmer until the sauce has thickened and most of the water has evaporated. Cool at least 10 minutes.
- Make Pico de Gallo. While the meat cools, combine all pico de gallo ingredients in a small bowl with a fork, taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Assemble Taco Wonton Cups. Place cheese in each cup, followed by taco meat. Top cups with shredded lettuce, a tiny dollop of sour cream and guacamole, and pico de gallo or salsa. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired. Serve immediately.
- Alternatively, you can fill the wonton cups with just cheese and meat on a serving platter, then allow your guests to build their own taco salad cups with their chosen toppings.
Serving Suggestions + Pairs Well With
These taco salad wonton cups are an excellent addition to nearly any appetizer spread. They’re particularly well suited to pairing with other Mexican and Tex-Mex treats like:
- Crispy Chicken Flautas
- BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos
- Chile con Queso
- Mexican Pinwheels
- Layered Tex Mex Dip
- Mezcal Margaritas
Variations
- Vegetarian Taco Salad Cups. Swap out the ground meat for meatless crumbles, or use black beans or refried beans as your base.
- Tortilla Chip Taco Cups. Swap out the wontons for Tostito’s Scoops.
- Make spicy pico de gallo. You can add a diced jalapeño for a bit of a kick. If you only want medium heat, be sure to remove the seeds and membranes before chopping.
- Other topping ideas: Olives, jalapeno, diced tomato, diced avocado, black beans, salsa con queso cheese sauce, queso fresco, cotija cheese crumbles, salsa verde, refried beans.
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
- You can make the taco meat a day or two ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Just warm it up gently in a saute pan over low heat when ready to use.
- Store any leftover unused taco meat in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- You can bake wonton cups a day ahead of time and store them at room temperature in an airtight bag, preferably with a leftover silica packet from beef jerky or new shoes. If moisture does get to them, just pop them in the oven for two or three minutes to re-crisp before filling.
- Baked wonton cups will only stay crispy for an hour or two once filled.
- Pico de gallo is best if eaten within one day.
Recipe Tips
- Your life will be easier if you have two mini muffin tins, so you don’t have to work in batches.
- Keep the stack of unused wonton wrappers covered with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out as you fill the muffin tins.
- To make filling the wonton cups even easier, keep the cups in the muffin pan to stabilize them.
- When making pico de gallo, soak the diced onions in ice water for 10 minutes to take some of the “bite” out of them.
More Bite-Size Appetizer Recipes
- Fried Pickles
- Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket
- Cranberry Brie Bites
- Popcorn Shrimp
- Air Fryer Wonton Chips
Recipe
Taco Cups
Wonton Taco Cups are a quick and easy appetizer. Crispy baked wonton cups hold all the best taco salad toppings for a delicious 2-bite snack.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 24 Refrigerated wonton wrappers
- 1 pound Lean ground beef
- 1 Packet taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup Water
For serving
- Finely shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Finely shredded iceberg or romaine cheese
- Pico de gallo or store bought salsa
- Sour cream
- Store bought or homemade guacamole
- Cilantro for garnish chopped
Instructions
Wonton Cups
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Press wonton wrappers into the bottom of a mini pan, making 1 fold in the middle of each long edge of the wrapper. Ensure that the wonton wrapper is flat against the bottom of the cup so the finished cups have a flat base to stand up on. Keep the stack of unused wonton wrappers covered with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Spray cups lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes. or until golden brown. Remove baked cups from the muffin tin and allow to cool. To make filling them even easier, keep the cups in the muffin pan.
Taco Meat
- Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat, add a small drizzle of canola oil, and add the ground beef. Cook the ground beef, breaking up meat into very small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until no longer pink. Drain any grease from the pan.
- Add the taco seasoning and ¼ cup water, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has thickened and most of the water has evaporated; about 2 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes.
- Assembly: Place 1 teaspoon of finely shredded cheese in each cup, followed by 1 heaping teaspoon of taco meat. Top cups with shredded lettuce, a tiny dollop of sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo or salsa. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired. Serve immediately. Or you can place the wonton cups filled with just the cheese and meat on a serving platter, and put your favorite taco toppings in small bowls alongside the cups and allow your guests to build their own taco salad cups.
Notes
You can make the taco meat a day or two ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. Just warm it up gently in a saute pan over low heat when ready to use.
Store any leftover unused taco meat in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can bake wonton cups a day ahead of time and store them at room temperature in an airtight bag. If moisture does get to them, just pop them in the oven for two or three minutes to re-crisp before filling.
Baked wonton cups will only stay crispy for an hour or two once filled.
Nutrition
Calories: 99kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 7gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 266mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 195IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
