Doritos Taco Salad is loaded with seasoned ground beef, cheddar cheese, fresh vegetables, crushed Doritos, and tangy dressing. It's a perfect easy family dinner or a great potluck dish to pass that will always get rave reviews.
Doritos Taco Salad
Doritos Taco Salad is a quick and easy recipe that's great for weeknight dinners, potlucks, Taco Tuesdays, or picnics.
It's packed with lettuce and fresh veggies, taco meat, cheese, and Doritos with a tangy dressing. Dorito Taco Salad is perfect for summer when you don't feel like turning on the oven, and will almost certainly get your kids to eat their vegetables! And come back for seconds. This Tex-Mex favorite will quickly become an instant family favorite!
What Dressing Should I Use?
Catalina or French dressings are probably most common. These are the orange dressings that are slightly tangy and slightly sweet. Ranch dressing is another great alternative, as it goes well with most things and adds a creamy element to the salad.
Salsa with (or without) a dollop of sour cream or taco sauce make yummy, lighter options.
Looking for Some More Variety?
The great thing about this recipe is that it's so easily customized to you and your family's taste preferences. Try these extra add ins and substitutions for some extra variety and freshness.
- Choose a different protein, such as shredded or diced chicken or pork instead of ground beef.
- Black beans can be substituted for any of your favorites or what you have on hand including kidney beans, pinto beans, pink beans, garbanzo beans, chili beans, or ranch-style beans.
- Add some fresh avocado or homemade guacamole.
- Include your favorite fresh veggies such as bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, freshly chopped cilantro, or even black olives!
- Add sour cream or Mexican crema for some extra creaminess.
- Make your own homemade salsa or pico de gallo for a jolt of zesty flavor.
- Use Cool Ranch Doritos instead of the classic nacho cheese flavor. Or you can just use plain corn tortilla chips, if you'd prefer.
What to Serve with Doritos Taco Salad
This salad has a protein, carb, and lots of veggies, so it's basically a meal all by itself. If you're looking for some dishes to serve with it to stretch it a bit here are some ideas:
- Homemade guacamole or salsa with chips
- Quesadillas
- Rice (try this favorite Cilantro Lime Rice!)
- Refried Black Beans
- Texas Trash Dip
- Baked Taquitos
More Taco Recipes You'll Love
- Easy Layered Taco Dip - a simple creamy and cool dip packed with Tex-Mex flavor.
- Taco Stuffed Shells - a fun twist on stuffed shells, stuffed with a cheesy taco filling and topped with taco sauce and fresh toppings.
- Taco Bake Casserole - my husband's childhood favorite, and now my own kids' favorite. A must try recipe you'll make over and over.
- Cornbread Taco Casserole - cheesy taco filling topped with warm cornbread. Pile it high with your favorite taco toppings for the ultimate comfort food.
Doritos Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ sweet onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ tablespoons taco seasoning
- 2 romaine hearts rinsed and chopped
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1 can black beans (15 ounces) drained and rinsed
- 1 can corn (15 ounces) drained
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 2-3 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 bag Nacho Cheese Doritos (10 ounces) crushed
- 1 cup Catalina dressing (or French or Ranch. See notes)
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef with onions and garlic. When cooked through, drain.
- Mix taco seasoning into ground beef mixture. Set aside to cool while preparing the rest of salad.
- In a large bowl, add romaine, tomato, black beans, corn, cheddar, and green onions. Toss to combine.
- Add ground beef, Doritos, and dressing into the salad mixture, and gently stir to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Taco Seasoning: I like to make my own taco seasoning (you can use my favorite recipe here). In this recipe, you can omit the salt because of the saltiness from the chips.
- Dressing: The most common dressings for this salad are Catalina, French, or Ranch. I add a little at a time so I don't end up over-dressing it. You can also use ½ cup sour cream and ½ cup salsa or taco sauce for a lighter option.
- Storage: This recipe is really best served right away. If you anticipate leftovers, don't add the dressing to the big salad, as it will make the lettuce soggy from sitting. Store covered in the refrigerator, and add dressing just before serving.
- Make Ahead: You can prep all of the ingredients, including cooking the ground beef, and store it all in separate containers. Combine all ingredients just before serving.
Nutrition
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Cam says
Omg I can't resist anything that has Doritos involved and this salad did not disappoint!! It was so good we didn't even have any leftovers!
Caroline says
This was such a fun salad for our neighborhood party! Everyone loved it. No leftovers!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Thank you so much! The flavors are perfect and I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Caitlin says
This is truly the best taco salad, so much flavor and texture and so easy to make!!
Tayler says
I made this taco salad for dinner last night and my whole family loved it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Gloria says
This is the perfect salad for bbq parties. I don't know a single person that does not love Doritos and tacos. What's not to love....they are delicious.
Janessa says
This salad was an absolute crowd pleaser! It reminds me of the "Taco in a Bags" I used to get at sports tournament concessions as a kid.
Tara says
Oh yum! I love how easily this taco salad comes together. So much flavor with the addition of the Doritos.
Carrie Robinson says
You had me at Doritos! 😉 What a delicious idea for a taco salad.
Jamie says
I brought this to a potluck and everyone loved it! It was flavorful, crunchy, and easy to make!
Beth says
This salad is great! We have loved it with catalina and ranch dressing - delish!
MacKenzie says
My family loved this recipe. They get tired of plain tacos every Tuesday. I tried this one last week and it will definitely be added to my weekly rotation.
Cathleen says
Wait, this taco salad is perfect!! I can't believe that I have never made something like this before! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 🙂
Jacqueline says
Oh I love the idea of turning tacos into a salad. Brilliant!
Deb says
Made this with Gardein meatless ground. Loved it.
Andrea Harrison says
Perfect! made this yesterday for a family get together and it was the center of attention. So easy to put together and it was bursting with flavor!
Vanessa says
This sure is a family pleaser! Everyone was very happy!
Aimee Mars says
This was a hit with my son. I have such a hard time to get him to try anything new and as soon as I said "doritos," he was all about it! Thank you for sharing!
Claudia Lamascolo says
My grandson went crazy over this so glad to find this recipe something finally new he will eat and its delicious!
Jean says
I loved this taco salad, so flavorful. I did make a couple substitutions. I actually used Gardein beefless crumbles to make it meatless and it worked out great.
Caroline says
A fun salad that I can see being great for a potluck.
Dana Sandonato says
This is delicious! The chips REALLY kick things up a few notches! So salty and crunchy 🙂