Doritos Taco Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Crispy, creamy, and bursting with Tex-Mex goodness, this Doritos Taco Salad is the ultimate no-fuss meal. Toss it all together in one bowl for an easy dinner or a potluck-ready favorite. The chips add just the right amount of crunch and fun!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Tired of the same dinner rotation? Doritos taco salad is my go-to when I need something fast, filling, and totally different from the usual. It mixes crunchy nacho cheese chips with taco-seasoned beef, crisp veggies, and creamy dressing.
Whether I’m making a quick weeknight meal or bringing a crowd-pleaser to a potluck, this always hits the spot. And yes, I call it a salad… even if it includes chips!
Why I love this recipe
I love how versatile this recipe is. I can switch up the protein, add more beans or veggies, and it still tastes amazing. It’s a super family-friendly meal that everyone can customize for their own tastes and make their own.
The crunch of the Doritos, the creamy dressing, and the bold taco flavor come together in every bite. It feels like comfort food, but it’s still light enough that I don’t feel weighed down.
If you are looking for more taco recipes, you should try my crescent taco bake or taco tot casserole next!
Ingredients
Each ingredient in this taco salad brings its own flavor and texture, creating a fun and satisfying dish. It brings zesty, creamy, crunchy, and savory.
- Protein & Seasoning: lean ground beef, taco seasoning, and water
- Greens & Veggies: Romaine or iceberg lettuce, pinto beans, diced tomatoes, corn, red onion, and jalapeños (seeds removed)
- Cheese & Chips: shredded cheddar cheese and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos
- Toppings: black olives, fresh cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges
- Dressing: cilantro lime or avocado lime ranch dressing
Step by step
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Let it simmer until the mixture thickens, then set it aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the lettuce, beans, cheese, tomatoes, corn, red onion, jalapeños, and black olives.
- Once the beef has cooled slightly, mix it into the bowl along with half of the crushed Doritos and the salad dressing. Toss everything until evenly coated.
- Finish by sprinkling the rest of the Doritos on top, then add a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges before serving.
Tips for Best Results
- Choose frozen or fresh corn for the best texture. Canned corn tends to be overly soft and can water down the salad.
- Add the Doritos just before serving to keep them crunchy and avoid sogginess.
- Use a dressing you love. A store-bought cilantro lime ranch works great, or make your own by blending avocado, lime juice, cilantro, a bit of oil, and your favorite seasonings for a creamy, fresh option.
Variations
This taco salad is super flexible. I like using turkey sometimes instead of beef, especially for a lighter feel. You can also switch pinto beans for black beans or try out different cheeses. You can even play with the chips, cool ranch or spicy nacho are great alternatives to the classic nacho cheese
Storage
This salad is definitely best served fresh, but if you have leftovers, store the salad (without dressing or chips) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Only add the dressing and chips when you’re ready to eat so everything stays crunchy.
If you try this recipe please comment and give it a 5-star rating below, I love hearing from you!
If you liked this recipe, you’ll love my free 5-Ingredient Dinner Challenge.
I’ll send you super simple meals that use just five ingredients and come together fast — perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t want to overthink dinner.
Doritos Taco Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
Description
Crispy, creamy, and bursting with Tex-Mex goodness, this Doritos Taco Salad is the ultimate no-fuss meal. Toss it all together in one bowl for an easy dinner or a potluck-ready favorite. The chips add just the right amount of crunch and fun!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (I used 85/15)
- 1 ounce mild taco seasoning packet (or 3 tablespoons homemade)
- ½ cup water, or the amount on back of seasoning packet
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped (or 1 head iceberg lettuce)
- 15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels, thawed or cooked through
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 jalapenos, deseeded and diced
- ½ cup sliced black olives
- 12 ounce cilantro lime ranch salad dressing (or avocado lime ranch salad dressing)
- 9.25 ounce bag Doritos nacho cheese chips, crushed
- sour cream, for topping
- fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the taco seasoning and water. Let it simmer until the mixture thickens, then set it aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the lettuce, beans, cheese, tomatoes, corn, red onion, jalapeños, and black olives.
- Once the beef has cooled, mix it into the bowl along with half of the crushed Doritos and the salad dressing. Toss everything until evenly coated.
- Finish by sprinkling the rest of the Doritos on top, then add a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: none
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 488
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 1647.6 mg
- Fat: 36.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.2 g
- Fiber: 5.9 g
- Protein: 24.5 g
- Cholesterol: 75.4 mg
