Mini Taco Salad Cups

September 24, 2025mayurisjikoni
Blog post

Recipe: Mini Taco Salad Cups

Mini Taco Salad Cups make a great appetizer/starter dish for parties. Best part is that you don’t need a fork. They are so cute and attractive. Add any salad of your choice to the taco cups. Use up leftover chile. Add any topping of your choice, sour cream, guacamole, lime coriander salad dressing, etc. Make the taco cups ahead and store them in an airtight container till required.

Sharing Mini Taco Salad Cups Recipe With 2025 Alphabet Challenge Group

We’ve reached letter T for the alphabet challenge initiated by Wendy who blogs at . Lots of options for T, ingredient wise. Tea, tomato, thyme, taco, tangerine, tofu, tempeh, tamarind, tapioca, tarragon, Thai cuisine, turmeric, tuna, tortellini,  etc. I opted to go the taco way, primarily because I wanted to update an old post.

T is for taco. 

Memories

Our Trip Aug 2014

My dream holiday to Italy was worth ever penny. I cannot thank hubby dear enough for organizing the trip. It was the first time we booked the whole tour through Cosmos, and what a wonderful experience. Organized tours have advantages and disadvantages, but the advantages definitely outweighed the disadvantages as language doesn’t become a barrier to enjoy  destinations. We met people from different cultural backgrounds, different countries.

During our daily briefings, everyone complained about having to get up really early, but next day everyone would be on the bus 5 minutes earlier all eager to discover Italy through the eyes of our ever smiling and friendly tour leader and our very capable and careful driver. Italy is all about cararra marble, duomos, prosecco, olives, sculptures, history, fiats and vespas.

Our friends and family ask us which was our favourite place. It is such a difficult question to answer as each place we visited had its own beauty and charm. The colourful homes in Burano or the Colesseum, how can one choose?

Italy And Food

The disadvantage of travelling to a place through a tour company is that you can restricted to eating at places they have pre arranged. For me that was a disadvantage as I didn’t get too much choice where food was concerned. A couple of times we skipped the group meal to venture to our choice of restaurants. That is when I enjoyed pizza, cannelloni or ravioli.

I never imagined I would miss salad so much during our 13 day trip. We got salad at very few places where we dined. Mostly, a slice of tomato, a few lettuce leaves, julienne of pepper used a decor was all we got. If we ever got proper salad, mostly everyone on our table would have a heapful on their plate. From a vegetarians point of view, Italian cuisine can be full of carbs. Pizzas and pastas with hardly any topping and sauces barely clinging to the pasta! When others got chicken, fish or meat as their main course, I was usually served cold grilled zucchini (3-4 slices), a big slice of grilled eggplant and a grilled half pepper.

Back At Home

When we got back home, most of my meals for several days was mainly salads. Occasionally would cook something to satisfy hubby’s hunger. One such dish was quesadillas. Back then had to make the tortilla at home as we didn’t get ready made ones. With leftover tortilla, I baked mini cups and served salad the next day. This salad hubby was pleased with!

Redoing An Old Post

I first posted the recipe on 16/09/2014. Today I am sharing a post that I have redone. 24/09/2025, almost 11 years. Now it is so much easier getting ready made tortilla. For our summer party with friends I prepared mini taco salad cups using spinach tortilla. I found cutting the circles from the tortilla using a bane can super difficult. Hubby watched as I struggled cutting the circles. Next Amazon parcel arrived with round cookie cutters in them! Bless his heart 🙂

 

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TOMATO ONION CHUTNEY
Tomato Onion Chutney is a popular condiment especially in the Southern States of India. This tangy, slightly spicy chutney is usually served with idli, dosa and paniyaram.  Easy to make, this recipe has no coconut. I
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SOUTHERN TOMATO SANDWICH
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T Recipes By Members Of  The Group

 

2025 Alphabet Challenge Journey So Far

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Ingredients Required For Mini Taco Salad Cups 

Tortilla

Can use homemade or ready made tortilla. I used the large size ready made spinach tortilla wraps. I used 2 large tortilla for 12 cups. Don’t throw the sides or leftover. Bake them and use it as tortilla chips or for a mixed salad. I kept them on the side and my guests enjoyed them with the sour cream.

Oil

Use vegetable oil or olive oil. I used sunflower oil for brushing.

Salad

Any salad of your choice. I used my Avocado, Bean & Mango Salad which I prepared for the beginning of the Alphabet Challenge. Another suggestion is Mexican Corn Salad or Guacamole Salad.

Cheese 

Use cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese. Cut the cheese into cubes. I used about 150g of cheese.

Sour Cream

An option as a topping as it makes the salad taste different. Use salsa as a topping if you don’t want to use sour cream.

Salad Dressing

I used Cilantro Lime Salad Dressing. Check out the recipe here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch How To Make Mini Taco Cups

MINI TACO SALAD CUPS

mayurisjikoni
Mini Taco Salad Cups make a great appetizer/starter dish for parties. Best part is that you don't need a fork. Add any salad of your choice to the taco cups.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, Party, Salad, Starter
Cuisine TexMex
Servings 12 CUPS

Ingredients
  

FOR THE TACO MINI CUPS

  • 2 large tortilla
  • 3 tbsp oil

FOR THE AVOCADO, BEAN & MANGO SALAD

  • 1 cup ripe mango diced
  • 1 medium avocado diced
  • 1 cup red| black beans cooked
  • ½ cup sweet corn cooked
  • 1 jalapeño finely chopped
  • ¼ cup spring onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice for the avocado
  • ½ tsp paprika powder

FOR THE CILANTRO LIME SALAD DRESSING

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • ½ tsp black pepper coarsely ground
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup | honey optional
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro finely chopped

FOR SERVING - OTHER INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 150 g cheddar or Monterey Jack small cubes

Instructions
 

PREPARATION OF MINI TACO CUPS

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃.
  • Brush the muffin tray with some oil.
  • Cut the tortilla into small circles using a round cookie cutter, a lid or can. The diameter of the circles should be about 3½ inches.
  • Alternately, use the can to cut around it using a knife.
  • Push a circle of the tortilla into the oiled muffin cup. Press the sides against the wall of the cup.
  • Repeat with the remaining circles. I made 12 cups.
  • Brush the top of the tortilla cups with some oil.
  • Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
  • I also put the scraps of tortilla to bake.Brush them lightly with oil before baking.
  • Keep an eye as in some ovens the tortilla may crisp up within 15 minutes. They tend to turn brown very quickly.
  • Remove the baked tortilla cups from the oven.
  • Place them on a wire rack to cool.
  • In the meantime prepare the salad and the salad dressing.

PREPARATION OF THE SALAD

  • Use any salad of your choice or make the avocado, bean and mango salad.
  • Mix the salad ingredients in a bowl. Remember to coat the avocado with the lime or lemon juice.

PREPARATION OF THE CILANTRO LIME DRESSING

  • Add all the dressing ingredients in a jar or a small jug.
  • Whisk it well to emulsify.

SERVING MINI TACO SALAD CUPS

  • Fill each cup with some salad.
  • Add a couple of cheese cubes.
  • Add a tbsp of the dressing.
  • Top with some sour cream.
  • Alternately, you can allow the guests to help themselves.
  • can also add guacamole, salsa on the side to give your guests a choice of what they would like to add to the salad.

Notes

  • Keep an eye on the tortilla cups when baking. They tend to brown very quickly. After 12 or 15 minutes keep checking.
  • Remember on cooling the cups will crisp up further.
  • Can use any tortilla wrap of your choice.
  • Use any salad of your choice.
  • Prepare the cups ahead. Store them in an airtight container.
Keyword mini taco salad cups, taco salad, taco salad cups

Pin For Later

A Small Request

If you do try this recipe then please either

  • add a comment below,
  • send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
  •  tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
  • or comment on Pinterest @mayuri62

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

25 Comments

  • Priya Suresh

    September 16, 2014 at 8:35 pm

    Those salad cups is just torturing me, so tempting and droolworthy.

  • Joanne T Ferguson

    September 17, 2014 at 2:25 am

    G'day! These look delish and very creative indeed!
    Congrats on completing this month's challenge too!
    Cheers! Joanne

  • Amrita Roy

    September 17, 2014 at 8:57 am

    Innovative salad…

  • Gloria

    September 17, 2014 at 10:00 am

    they look so delish….loved the idea of taco cups

  • Shweta Agrawal

    September 20, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Itlay is huge isnt it? I mean every sqaure, pillar, park all are so grand there. I loved itlay in night:)
    Hey so share the pics. Now enjoy the salads:)
    wow thats a good creative recipe, will try sometime soon:)

  • Nayna Kanabar

    March 2, 2018 at 7:09 pm

    I love the idea of these mini taco bowls,they would make great party appetisers.

  • Budget-Friendly Chunky Potato Soup with Thyme

    September 24, 2025 at 9:45 am

    […] Mini Taco Salad Cups by Mayuri’s Jikoni […]

  • hobby baker Kelly

    September 24, 2025 at 1:12 pm

    These sound delightful! We love making seasoned tortilla strips, tossing with a little oil, salt, and pepper, and baking crispy. I think these would be wonderful potluck fare or great for upcoming fall festival.

    1. mayurisjikoni

      September 30, 2025 at 5:08 pm

      Thanks Kelly, like your idea of tortilla strips.

  • Karen’s Kitchen Stories

    September 24, 2025 at 1:50 pm

    That is such a cute story about the cookie cutters! Made me smile. These mini taco salads sound like they are totally worth revisiting. They are very cute and sound delicious.

    1. mayurisjikoni

      September 30, 2025 at 5:06 pm

      Thank you so much Karen. Very thoughtful of my hubby as he saw me struggling with the knife to cut the circles out from the wrap.

  • Stacy

    September 25, 2025 at 2:25 pm

    Your husband is definitely a keeper! I love that he ordered cookie cutters for you completely unprompted. And I love your little taco salad cups!

    1. mayurisjikoni

      September 30, 2025 at 5:04 pm

      Thank you so much Stacy.

  • Colleen – Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck

    September 26, 2025 at 9:12 am

    Such a great way to serve a salad…perfect for a small dinner with friends. Can’t wait to try this!

    1. mayurisjikoni

      September 30, 2025 at 5:02 pm

      Thanks Colleen. Made them for the family when we had board games night. Everyone enjoyed them.

  • Jolene

    September 26, 2025 at 2:56 pm

    I’m always looking for game day food that is on the healthier side and these will be perfect. Love the individual little servings rather than scooping out of one big bowl.

    1. mayurisjikoni

      September 30, 2025 at 5:00 pm

      Thank you so much Jolene. Enjoy it for game night.

  • Sue Lau

    September 27, 2025 at 8:01 pm

    We eat Mexican several times a week so I’m looking forward to having these. Thanks for sharing!

    1. mayurisjikoni

      September 30, 2025 at 4:58 pm

      You’re welcome Sue, love how easy it is to make and filling too.

  • Neha (My Culinary Expressions)

    October 5, 2025 at 1:34 pm

    5 stars
    Such dainty looking salad cups – impossible to miss on any grazing table. I love the interesting stories that you weave in your recipes. It is such a guilt free appetizer with infinite customization. Wish could binge on it. Truly enjoyed your post!

    1. mayurisjikoni

      October 10, 2025 at 7:49 pm

      Thank you so much Neha. These taco cups are definitely liked by all for parties. And yes can add any filling of your choice.

  • Wendy Klik

    October 6, 2025 at 9:30 am

    These sound wonderful. I love these little taco cups…always looking for taco Tuesday recipes.

    1. mayurisjikoni

      October 10, 2025 at 7:47 pm

      Thanks Wendy.Hope you’ll be trying out the recipe soon.

  • Kalyani

    October 9, 2025 at 4:19 am

    5 stars
    My Mexican-cusine-loving family will kill for these mini taco cups. looks festive and so customisable , even with just salsa and some sour cream. Bookmarked to try this Diwali / festive season.

    1. mayurisjikoni

      October 10, 2025 at 7:41 pm

      Thank you so much. Yes, they are perfect for the festival season. Enjoy when you make the mini taco cups.

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