These quick and nourishing Ground Beef Taco Bowls highlight your favorite taco night flavors, but are even more filling to keep you going for hours! Savory taco meat, fluffy rice, and all your favorite toppings are drizzled with a creamy avocado dressing that takes them over the top. Load them up in little containers for easy meal prep or make them in just 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner. You can’t go wrong with this meal! {Gluten-free}

Table of Contents
Healthy Taco Bowls with Ground Beef
If you’re trying to get into a meal planning routine, believe me when I say that taco meat will be your new best friend.
You can make a double batch once, use half for dinner that night (think tacos, taco salads, or these healthy taco bowls), and use the other half to prep satisfying lunches all week long. You’re already doing the work, so make just a little bit more than you need to save time later.
Plus, these meal prep taco bowls are just as satisfying as a trip to Chipotle or Qdoba, except they’re cheaper, less processed, and formulated by a Registered Dietitian to be high in protein and fiber while reducing the fat and sodium content.
This means you can enjoy your favorite foods while making it easier to hit your macros and keep your sodium intake lower at the same time. What’s not to love?
Tip: Make some Crockpot Beef Taco Meat ahead of time to come home to perfectly cooked taco meat for all of your bowls, salads, and leftovers!

Why We Love This Ground Beef Taco Bowl Recipe
- Classic taco flavors you already love
- Adapted to be higher in protein and fiber and lower in fat and sodium
- Each taco rice bowl lasts 4-5 days in the fridge for easy lunches all week
- Make them your own with your favorite taco toppings and sauces
- Made with simple ingredients probably already in your fridge or pantry
- Loaded with fresh flavors and savory taco meat
- The tangy cilantro lime avocado dressing is like guacamole in dressing form!
Ingredient Notes

For the creamy avocado dressing
- Avocado: This is the perfect creamy alternative to mayo and offers healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber.
- Low fat plain Greek yogurt: For that creamy, smooth texture with extra protein and less fat.
- Sriracha: Optional if you like a bit of heat.
- Seasonings: You need cumin for that savory note and then just a little salt and black pepper.
For the bowls
- Olive oil: Or another neutral oil to brown the beef with the onion and garlic.
- Lean ground beef: Look for beef with a high ratio of meat to fat, ideally over 90% meat. You’ll see this as 90/10, 95/5, 96/4, etc.
- Taco seasoning: You can certainly grab some taco seasoning at the store, but it’s usually packed with sodium preservatives, and additives. My homemade taco seasoning is just as flavorful (if not more) and is lower in sodium.
- Cooked rice: This is the starchy base of the bowls to keep you full. Choose white, basmati, or brown rice. I prefer brown rice for the extra fiber and nutrients.
- Low sodium black beans: I usually just used canned beans that I drain and rinse. You can also cook dry black beans if you have extra time. Pinto beans work, too!
- Frozen corn: No need to cook the corn. Just let it thaw and add it as a topping.
Step-by-Step Instructions
For the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until fully combined. For an even creamier dressings you could put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
For the bowls






- Thinly slice half of the red onion, finely dice the other half. Place the thinly sliced red onion in a small bowl and fill with ice water. Let this sit while you prep the other ingredients, this will help take the bite out of the raw onion.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add a drizzle of oil followed by the diced onion, garlic and ground beef. Break up with a wood spoon and cook until most of the pink is cooked out of the beef. Add the taco seasoning, salsa and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Drain the ice water from the sliced red onion. Place as much rice, ground beef, tomatoes, black beans, corn and lettuce in the bowls as you’d like. Drizzle with the avocado dressing, serve immediately with avocado, lime wedges, cilantro, red onion and salsa, if desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Expert Tips
- These taco bowls are an excellent make ahead for dinner meal prepping, or quick and easy lunches.
- You can substitute my taco seasoning for your favorite store bought taco seasoning.
- My creamy avocado dressing adds lots of bright tangy flavor and a bit of heat to this dish. If you don’t have it on hand, you can use some light sour cream or Greek yogurt as a substitute to bring some creamy texture to your taco bowl.
- Leafy kale, finely shredded can be substituted for the romaine lettuce. Be sure to remove the stems.
- Use any rice you like, or leave it out completely for a lower carb variation.
- Feel free to add shredded cheese, queso fresco, diced jalapeno pepper, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips or any other taco toppings you like!

Recipe FAQs
Yes and no. These taco bowls are formulated to be a complete meal on their own, including sufficient carbs, fiber, healthy fats, and protein to keep you full and energized for hours. Regular tacos can be a healthy option too, but many of us overdo it on the crispy taco shells, cheddar cheese, and other higher calorie toppings.
These easy beef taco bowls still have all the flavors and textures you enjoy, but with plenty of rice, veggies, and lower-fat, high-protein elements that will keep you full. Instead of using the chips and shells as a vehicle to eat the taco meat, use them as a garnish alongside all your favorite toppings!
If you like the fluffy rice you get at burrito shops, look for a long-grain variety like basmati or jasmine. I usually prefer to use brown rice since it adds extra fiber and a nice nutty flavor that goes well with the other ingredients in the recipe. You can also use cauliflower rice or skip the rice completely, if you prefer.
This recipe can very easily be served as a taco salad by replacing the rice with a bed of crunchy lettuce. In restaurants, some taco salads are served in a crunchy tortilla shell, which is generally very high in calories. The main ingredients in the salad, like the taco meat, veggies, beans, and dressing, are all included in this dish and would make a delicious salad!
Storage Guidelines
Store leftover components in separate air tight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Serving Suggestions
These delicious taco bowls can be enjoyed on the same day as a fun alternative to traditional beef tacos or taco salad or you can package up for meal prep. If you’re serving them as part of a family dinner, try offering them with:
- Chips and salsa or bean dip
- Mexican Macaroni Salad
- Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Cilantro Lime Slaw
Recipe Variations
- To make vegetarian: Similar to these Black Bean Burritos Bowls, season the black beans with a couple tablespoons of taco seasoning and some sauteed onion and garlic and omit the ground beef for a meat free taco bowl.
- Change up the meat: If you’re not a fan of ground beef, ground turkey or ground chicken are easy swaps.
- Reduce the carbs: You can always replace the rice with cauliflower rice. The beans and corn will add some carbs, but reducing the rice will drop the total carb count drastically.
- Add more veggies: The flavorful taco meat pairs great with other veggies, too, like sauteed onions, bell peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, and more. If you’re trying to eat more fresh veggies, either add them as extra toppings or use them to replace some of the rice.

More Recipes You’ll Love
- Ground Beef Quinoa Bowl
- Easy Taco Dip Recipe with Ground Beef
- Mason Jar Taco Salad
- Sweet Potato Taco Boats
- Epic Beef Nachos Supreme
Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a star rating and review!

Easy Ground Beef Taco Bowls
Ingredients
For the creamy avocado dressing
- 3/4 cup ripe avocado, smashed well with a fork
- 1/2 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons sriracha (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the bowls
- 1 small red onion, divided
- Olive oil, or other neutral oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium taco seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup water
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups cooked rice (brown, white, basmati)
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 (15 ounce) can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 heaping cup frozen corn, thawed
- 2 heaping cups leafy romaine lettuce, chopped
Instructions
For the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until fully combined. For an even creamier dressings you could put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
For the bowls
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add a drizzle of oil followed by the diced onion, garlic and ground beef. Break up with a wood spoon and cook until most of the pink is cooked out of the beef. Add the taco seasoning, salsa and 1/4 cup water. Simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Drain the ice water from the sliced red onion. Place as much rice, ground beef, tomatoes, black beans, corn and lettuce in the bowls as you’d like. Drizzle with the avocado dressing, and serve immediately with avocado, lime wedges, cilantro, red onion, salsa, or other desired toppings
Notes
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- My creamy avocado dressing adds lots of bright tangy flavor and a bit of heat to this dish. If you’re tight on time, you can use some sour cream or Greek yogurt as a substitute to bring some creamy texture to your taco bowl.
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- Use any rice you like, or leave it out completely for a lower carb variation.
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- Feel free to add shredded cheese, queso fresco, diced jalapeno pepper, sour cream, guacamole, tortilla chips or any other taco toppings you like!
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