It is so easy to make hard taco salad bowls at home. There 3 quick and healthier ways to make them in your oven.  It only takes 35 minutes to make.

You know how I like making my own food items, right?  Remember when I made my own hard taco shells?  Or my homemade feta cheese?

Today, I made these taco bowls and they turned out so perfectly!  They were sturdy and stood up to all the ingredients I filled them up with.

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Front view of one taco bowl and 2 stacked in the back - Make Taco bowls in a cake pan

Have you seen those huge taco salad bowls you get at restaurants?  Some are filled sky high with all kinds of yummy goodness.  By the time I am finished with the salad, there isn’t a crumb leftover!

The problem is that the restaurants generally frown when you ask them if you could take a few empty taco shells home to make a recipe.  I don’t know why they won’t let me take a few home….

So, I started making them at home and creating my own recipes to use the shell in.  Personally, I am not a fan of frying them because they are too oily and not really good for you.

Baking them is so much easier, so, I decided to share my tips and tricks to make a healthier version at home.

Prepare the tortillas first

  1. Preheat oven to 325°
  2. Wet a paper towel.  It should be long enough to cover one large tortilla. I used (affiliate link)  These are the large burrito tortillas
  3. On a plate, place the wet paper towel and then place one tortilla on top of it.
  4. Repeat until  you have put 3 tortillas.  Top with another paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds
  5. Start with one tortilla.  Keep the other 2 covered with the wet towels

Make them in a cast iron pan

Overhead view of a tortilla bowl baked in a cast iron skillet - Make Taco bowls in a cake pan

From all 3 methods, my favorite way to make them is in the cast iron.  It is easier to shape the tortilla and you can also leave it in there after you add the ingredients.  The taco bowl is crisp and holds shape when you load it with ingredients.

Lightly spray the inside of a 9″ cast iron skillet.  Take that first tortilla and mold it inside the cast iron.  Use a ramekin to push the bottom of the tortilla to the edges.  The ramekin will also help to flatten the base of the taco bowl.  Spray the inside of the burrito and place it in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the shells have browned / hardened.

I used this taco shell in my Mexican Street Corn recipe and it didn’t get soggy! How cool is that?

Make it in an oven safe glass bowl

Overhead view of a tortilla bowl baked in a glass bowl - How to Make Taco Shells

I love oven safe glass bowls.  They are so convenient because I can store food in it and then place it directly into the oven.  No extra pans required!

Lightly spray the inside of an oven safe glass bowl.  I used a 7-cup/1.65L bowl which is 6.8″x3″.

Take the microwaved tortilla and mold it inside the glass bowl.  Use a ramekin to push the bottom of the tortilla to the edges.  The ramekin will also help to flatten the base of the taco bowl.  Spray the inside of the burrito and place it in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the shells have browned / hardened.

Make it in a non-stick cake pan

Overhead view of a tortilla bowl baked in a cake pan - Make Taco bowls in a cake pan

I used a 9″ non-stick cake pan to mold a taco bowl.  It came out great, but, the pan wasn’t as non-stick as advertised.  So, I made it a second time and this time, I used aluminum foil to line the inside of pan first.

Then, I sprayed the foil before molding the tortilla inside the pan.  That worked out much better.

The cake pan version seems to be more popular with you readers.  I think  its because you can get a wider diameter with it.  My favorite is making it in the cast iron pan.

Storing the tortilla bowls

These tortilla bowls are really easy to store and you can store them for about a month.

I recommend following these steps when storing them.

  1.  Let them cool completely before you store them
  2. Wrap them individually in paper towel first
  3. Then, wrap them in aluminum foil.
  4. Place them in large ziplock bag, if they are big enough to fit in it
  5. To refrigerate, place them in the least coldest place of the refrigerator
  6. They are best stored in the pantry after being wrapped in paper towel and foil
  7. To freeze them, wrap them in the same manner and refrigerate.  I don’t recommend refrigerating beyond 2 weeks.

So, there you have it.  You can now make your won taco bowls at home. What ingredients would you fill them with?


How to make taco bowls at home

Baked Taco Salad Bowls

Rini
3 quick and healthier ways to make taco bowls at home
4.85 from 45 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Appetizer, brunch, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 3 people
Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°
  • Lightly wet a paper towel that is long enough to cover one large tortilla.
  • On a plate, place the wet paper towel and then place one tortilla on top of it.
  • Repeat until you have put 3 tortillas stacked
  • Microwave for 30 Seconds
  • Lightly spray the inside of a 9" cast iron skillet, cake pan or glass bowl.
  • Start with one tortilla, keeping the other two covered
  • Take that first tortilla and mold it inside the kitchenware of choice.
  • Use a ramekin to push the bottom of the tortilla to the edges to flatten the bottom
  • Spray the inside of the burrito with oil spray
  • Place it in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the shells have browned / hardened.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 4gSodium: 411mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gCalcium: 64mgIron: 2mg
Keyword can you make taco shells at home, easy-to-make taco bowls, homemade taco bowls
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
It is so easy to make hard taco salad bowls at home. There 3 quick and healthier ways to make them in your oven. It only takes 35 minutes to make.
How to make taco bowls at home. 3 Easy way to make them at home in the oven with very little effort. Vegetarian, Vegan, Kid-friendly #vegan #vegetarian #healthy #tacobowls #taco #mexican #DIY #homemade #ovenbaked #howtomake
How to make taco bowls at home. 3 Easy way to make them at home in the oven with very little effort. Vegetarian, Vegan, Kid-friendly #healingtomato #tacobowls #DIY

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16 Comments

    1. Can you explain a little more? Is it that the taco bowls were hard? Maybe, you may need to “wet” the tortillas a little longer. If your tortillas were a little on the older side, the result could be tough shells. Give me a few more details and I will be happy to walk you through the issue.

    1. Interesting question. I am not sure, but, you can get 3 of the same utentsil you are using. For example, 3 cake pans or 3 cast iron pans? You can try to layer 2 tortillas at a time and see if it works? You make have to keep it longer in the oven. Or, start with two tortillas in one pan, then, remove the bottom one when its done. Keep the top one until its fully done. Thank you.

  1. I want 2 make 15 taco bowls in advance for a luncheon. I have the forms, but don’t know how 2 use them. Help.

  2. I’m thinking about making them for a graduation party so I’ll need to make them ahead of time. What would be the shelf life? VERY FAB idea on a healthier and cheaper version:)

    1. Thank you, Bethanie. I stored them in aluminium foil and kept them in the pantry. They stayed great for about 9 days. Also, I froze one and kept it for about 2 weeks. When I was ready to use it, I just plopped it into a preheated oven of 400° without thawing it. Worked great!