Doritos Taco Salad is the best kind of salad. Top shredded lettuce with seasoned ground beef, Doritos or tortilla chips, cheese, and your fave taco toppings, then drizzle it all with spicy ranch dressing. Even salad haters are going to love this one!

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Pin RecipeA Meal-Worthy Salad That Kids Will Actually Eat
There arenโt very many salads you can make a meal out of. A few handfuls of greens and some veggies might be healthy, but itโs not exactly satisfying. A Taco Salad is different, though. Youโve got your greens and your veggies, but youโve also got all the other food groups covered: protein, dairy, carbs, and ranch. (Just kidding. But seriously, ranch dressing is so good.)
This Doritos Taco Salad recipe is also kid-friendly. Naturally, kids love tacos, but theyโll also like this recipe because they can customize their own meals by adding their favorite taco toppers. Kids love when they feel like they can decide what they eat! Put the taco meat in a thermos and you can even send your kids to school with this salad for lunch.

Easy Doritos Taco Salad Recipe
This recipe is simple to make, and itโs also great for meal prep. You can make the taco meat in advance, then prep the lettuce and other veggies and store them separately. When youโre ready to eat, just heat the meat and assemble your salads.
If youโre on a low-carb or keto diet, you can make this a keto Taco Salad recipe by using homemade taco seasoning (the store-bought kind sometimes has sugar in it!) and either omitting the Doritos or swapping them with a low-carb chip like Quest protein chips.

Ingredients For Making Doritos Taco Salad
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning โ Either an envelope of store-bought seasoning or homemade taco seasoning.
- Water
- Iceberg lettuce โ Romaine will work too, but you want a crisp lettuce that wonโt immediately wilt under the taco meat.
- Cheddar cheese โ Or substitute a Mexican cheese blend.
- Tortilla chips or Doritos โ The best part of a Taco Salad! (For another recipe that uses Doritos, try this Dorito Chicken Casserole.)
- Spicy ranch dressing โ Or any kind of ranch you like.
- Taco toppings โ Weโre talking tomatoes, cilantro, sliced black olives, guac, salsa, diced onions, whatever!

How to Make Doritos Taco Salad
- Cook the Taco Meat: Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, then drain off any fat. Stir in the taco seasoning and water, then bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Assemble the Salad: Place the lettuce in either a large bowl or several individual-sized bowls. Top it with the taco meat, chips, cheese, and other toppings, then drizzle with the ranch taco salad dressing. Toss to combine and serve.

Quick Tip
Let the taco meat come down in temperature a bit before adding it to the salad. If you add in the hot meat, it will cause the lettuce to wilt!
How to Store Doritos Taco Salad
To keep your lettuce from getting wilted and sad, I recommend storing the taco meat separately from the lettuce and then assembling your salads right before serving. The components will last in the fridge separately for 2 to 3 days.
FAQs
This is entirely up to you and your preferences, but in my opinion, the perfect taco salad starts with cold, crisp lettuce and warm taco meat.
If you want to add a side to your Doritos taco salad, stick with something simple like rice, corn, or even more beans. It will be best to work with ingredients that will complement the salad.
Yes! If you are not a fan of ground beef, switch up the protein with chicken, ground turkey, or even tofu. Pretty much any protein will be great for carrying the flavor in the taco seasoning.
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Doritos Taco Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 envelope taco seasoning or my homemade taco seasoning
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 medium head iceberg lettuce torn (about 8 cups)
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups broken tortilla chips or Doritos
- 1/4 cup spicy ranch dressing
- Your favorite toppings: tomatoes, cilantro, olives, etc.
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain.
- Stir in taco seasoning and water; bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 4-6 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, add lettuce. Top with beef mixture and chips; cheese, toppings – drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.