Taco Cups with Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

When you’re craving a Mexican food fix, try making these Taco Cups with Cilantro Lime Sauce. They’re delicious, very satisfying, and easy to make.

My family loves Mexican food. By that, I mean that we love it so much, we could eat some version of Mexican food most days of the week.

As the primary cook for the family, I love Mexican food because it’s not only tasty but also super easy to make! And it reheats super well.

Recently we were running from activity to activity with everyone on a different schedule and no one able to eat at the same time.

I wracked my brain to come up with an easy meal idea that I could whip up ahead of time but would taste great when each family member could sit down to eat.

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I thought of tacos but didn’t have any taco shells. Then I decided to take our tortillas and make them into taco cups which are like mini bowls (it’s super easy)!

Don’t these mini taco cups look amazing? I love how cute they look – as if looking cute makes them more tasty!

Ingredients Needed for Taco Cups w/ Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

• Ground beef or turkey
• Homemade taco seasoning (or 1 packet of taco seasoning mix)
• Street taco size corn tortillas
• Lettuce, shredded
• Cheese, shredded
• Tomato, chopped small 
• Cilantro, chopped fine
• Sour cream
• Lime, cut into 4 wedges

How to Make Mini Taco Cups with Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce

This recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Here’s how!

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2

Make the Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, cilantro, and the juice of one-quarter of a lime. Set it aside.

Step 3

Warm tortillas for about 15 seconds in a damp paper towel in the microwave.

Step 4

Turn a muffin tin (6 or 12 cups) upside down and lay one tortilla over each muffin section.

Take a second muffin tin and place it over the first one as shown – this will help shape the tortillas during baking.

Step 5

Bake the tortillas for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from muffin tin and set aside.

Step 6

Prepare the ground meat. Brown the beef in a pan on medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp of homemade taco seasoning (or the contents of a taco seasoning) and 1 cup water.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the water is almost entirely gone.

Step 7

To prepare the cups, layer in the meat, then add fresh lettuce, tomato, cilantro lime sour cream sauce, and cheese.

Serve and enjoy! 

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Variation Ideas for Taco Cups

One of my favorite things about making and eating tacos is that they are so versatile! Here are some fun ways to change them up:

• Serve them as a meal or an appetizer – these cute little shapes are pretty perfect as a party appetizer. Serve them at your next gathering or big game party.
• I like serving these taco cups as cute little fresh tacos. However, you could make them into a baked version by mixing the taco meat with 4 oz of cream cheese and top with cheese. Throw them into the oven for 10 minutes then top with taco sauce.
• Try different sauce toppings. This cilantro lime sauce has a cooling effect, but you could use taco sauce, hot sauce, sriracha, salsa, or any other sauce you prefer.
• Add refried beans for a fun twist!

More Small Bites You’ll Love

• Juicy Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
• Adorable Chocolate Peanut Butter Acorn Treats
• Instant Pot Mini Turtle Cheesecake Bites
• These Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites make an awesome dessert!
• Bacon, Spinach & Potato Frittata Muffins

Pin for Later!

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