These Taco Bites are bite-sized keto egg muffins with all the flavor of your favorite Mexican dish. Loved by kids and adults alike, they are an easy idea for any party or get together. And they take only four simple ingredients!
I first made these easy keto appetizers for a New Year’s Eve party in 2018. It was a large group of all ages and I needed something easy that made enough for everyone. And something that appealed to all the picky kids (and some picky adults too!).
Given the popularity of my Easy Taco Pie, I knew a taco-inspired appetizer would fit the bill. So why not just turn it into finger food? I browned up some beef, greased my mini muffin pan, and got cracking some eggs.
At the party, I made sure to have plenty of sour cream, guacamole, and salsa for topping the bites. They were an instant hit, and I got several requests for the recipe. We now make them all the time as easy appetizers and high protein snacks!
Why we love this recipe
How can you go wrong with little egg bites packed with meat, cheese, and taco seasonings?
- Seriously easy! These little taco bites take only 4 ingredients and are ready in about 35 minutes.
- Full of flavor: Taco seasoning is pretty much delicious on anything. But you can play up the heat in these, or tone it down. It’s up to you!
- Kid-friendly: My kids love these and my friends’ kids love these. They have infinite appeal to the younger crowd!
- High protein snack: Four of these little bites have 18g of protein and only 1g of carbs.
- Make ahead: These are great for making ahead and storing in the fridge or freezer!
Reader’s Thoughts
“Just made these and couldn’t wait to try one! Delicious! Looking forward to breakfasts this week!” — Colleen
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: You can also use ground chicken or turkey.
- Taco seasoning: I usually store-bought seasoning, but I always make sure it has no added fillers, sugars, or starches. Or make your own by combining chili powder, cumin, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Eggs: Eggs make up the bulk of this recipe, besides the taco meat. They help bind the meat and cheese together.
- Shredded cheese: I usually use cheddar or a Mexican blend. You can also use Monterey Jack or Pepper jack.
- Garnish: Sour cream, sliced olives, cilantro, salsa, or guacamole.
Step by Step Directions
- Sauté the meat: In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the ground meat until almost cooked through, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the taco seasoning and continue to sauté until completely cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare the muffin pan: Preheat the oven to 350ºF and brush a good non-stick mini muffin pan with the melted butter. (You can also use silicone or parchment mini muffin liners, if you prefer – if your pan is not very non-stick, this is your best option). This recipe makes about 32 mini muffins so you may need to work in batches if you don’t have more than one mini muffin pan.
- Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the taco meat and half of the shredded cheese. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Fill the muffin cups and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake the bites: Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 10 minutes. Use a thin flexible spatula to run around the edge of the muffins to release. Serve with your favourite taco toppings, such as salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
Tips for Success
Choose your muffin pan (or muffin liners!) wisely, as it needs to be very non-stick. If you have an older metal pan, the taco bites may stick a lot. You can use silicone liners or a silicone muffin pan instead.
Most taco seasoning has a fair bit of salt, as does cheese. So this recipe doesn’t call for any additional salt. If your taco seasoning is salt-free, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the meat along with the seasoning. If your bites aren’t quite seasoned enough after cooking, just sprinkle them with a little extra!
Want to kick the heat up a notch? Add half a teaspoon of cayenne or chipotle powder along with the seasoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most taco seasonings are just a mix of spices and are perfectly keto friendly. However, sometimes brands add starches or even sugar so it’s best to check the labels. I really like Kinder’s Taco Blend.
This easy low carb recipe for taco bites has only 1g of carbs per 4 bites. It’s a perfect high protein snack!
Keto Taco Bites are a fabulous make-ahead recipe. Simply bake the bites and remove from the pan, then let cool completely. Flash freeze them on a parchment lined baking sheet and
More Delicious Bite Sized Recipes
Mini Taco Bites
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 6 large eggs
- 4 ounces shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
- Salsa, guacamole, and sour cream
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the beef until almost cooked through, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Add the taco seasoning and continue to sauté until completely cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and brush a good non-stick mini muffin pan with the melted butter. (You can also use silicone or parchment mini muffin liners, if you prefer – if your pan is not very non-stick, this is your best option). This recipe makes about 32 mini muffins so you may need to work in batches if you don’t have more than one mini muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the taco meat and half of the shredded cheese. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Fill the muffin cups and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool 10 minutes. Use a thin flexible spatula to run around the edge of the muffins to release.
- Serve with your favourite taco toppings, such as salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I made these as regular muffin size. (I got 18) I added a small amount of finely diced onion, and a whole can of finely chopped black olives to mimic the beans. Added almost 1 whole tablespoon additional taco seasoning as it didn’t feel like enough. Cooked a bit longer, maybe 24 minutes. Used for whole meal adding green beans and a bit of Mexican cauliflower rice.
Awesome!
Update: I didn’t have any salsa, or avocado (guacamole). I did have some sour cream, but didn’t like it alone on the muffins. So, what I did was take a jar of diced tomatoes, put some in the bottom of a baking dish, added lots of cilantro to it with some lime juice powder, put the muffins on top and heated them all thoroughly. It was Delicious! I may try adding the diced tomato in the mix next time to give it a bit of moisture. I didn’t over-bake, but they seemed a bit dry to me.
I will add this to my regular recipe rotation.
Also: it only made 16 regular muffins. I was still baking when I wrote the 18. (but I had tasted a couple that were cooling off!)
thanks for the metric weights … could we have metric temperatures as well please
… Stuart ..an Aussie
Sorry, but you will need to calculate that yourself. Should be pretty easy to do! 🙂
Can these be made into regular sized muffins? If so, any ideas on how long to bake, carb/calorie counts?
Thanks
They can be and I have other egg muffins you could use as a guide for timing! Just use the search box.
I made these…delicious….used some queso and olives and a sprinkle of cilantro onto. I ate more than a couple!!!
Just made these, so very good! I had about 2 Tablespoons of green chilis in my freezer that I added to the meat while browning, added about 10 minutes to bake time. This is a keeper! Thank you.
easy to make and easy to use as an appetizer, or have for a quick meal from the freezer!
Easy and tasty to the point of addicting! Great for a potluck or any appetizer occasion. Thanks for another really good recipe!
I’d like to make these for MEALS rather than snacks. Would it work to make them in regular size muffin tins and then simply multiply and divide to figure out serving size? About how long to bake or should I simply watch for puffing and the color yours are the first time I make them?
Yes, absolutely! It will make about 11 to 12 muffins and you can check out my other egg muffins for a basic guide to bake time!
My husband is gluten-free and sugar-free. You post the most delicious looking recipes that are both. Thank you. I was wondering if these could be made with gluten-free tortillas lining the mini muffin tins.
Sounds like you will need to experiment.
I must be missing something. I can’t find where to add the cup of salsa.
The salsa is the dip 🙂
You must be looking at a different recipe as there is only a mention of salsa, sour cream etc as toppings.
These look delicious. Can you tell me the serving size and the corresponding calories? Thank you so much.
Please make sure you are looking at the nutritional information at the bottom of the recipe.
Please e mail the recipes in the group of taco bites and etc
They looked great ty
What group? The recipe is right here, anyone can come look at it.
Do you think you could add the salsa to mixture before baking or would that be too much liquid? They are really tasty but think I would like it better if salsa was added instead of using it as a topping.
I think it would be too liquidy! But you could maybe use some of the parts of the salsa fresh… like chopped tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro. That would have less liquid.
Just made these and couldn’t wait to try one! Delicious! Looking forward to breakfasts this week!
This is such an easy recipe. I make as stated in the recipe, except in a regular sized muffin pan (makes 12) Reheats in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Top with sour cream, halfed grape tomatoes. Guacamole would be wonderful too.