Bubbly Taco Salad Bowl Recipe

Make Amazing Taco Salad Recipes at home with these ultra-crispy Bubbly Taco Salad Bowls. Learn How To Make Tortilla Bowls (Taco Shells) just like your favorite Mexican restaurant… Without deep-frying!

Why We Love This Taco Shell Bowls Recipe

The best thing about eating a taco salad at a restaurant is the crunchy tortilla bowl. Am I right?

The golden color and crisp airy bubbles are so alluring, that it’s hard not to break off a big chunk of bowl before ever picking up your fork!

At restaurants, taco salad bowls are made by deep-frying extra-large flour tortillas in a specially-shaped frying basket.

However, most of us don’t have deep fryers at home. And if you try to just bake tortilla bowls, they come out crisp, but not puffy and bubbly.

So today I’m going to teach you a quick trick to making crispy taco salad bowls at home, without a deep fryer! You get the feel of eating crunchy tacos, yet with much more vegetable goodness, and no guilt!

How do you make bubbly taco salad bowl shells at home?

Our secret taco salad bowl recipe hack requires two quick-cooking steps…

First, you pan-fry the tortillas in a small amount of oil, so they puff up with ethereal bubbles.

Second, you bake the tortillas. I know this sounds like more work, but it’s actually very easy.

Flash-frying the tortillas gives them lift, color, and coats them in oil, so they can continue to crisp up in the oven.

Then you simply shape the puffy tortillas in cereal bowls and pop them in the oven.

Ingredients You Need

In order to make ridiculously addictive taco bowl shells, you only need two ingredients…

• Extra-Large Flour Tortillas– About 10-12 inches across, burrito sized.
• Flavorless Cooking Oil – For frying, vegetable oil is great.

A little sprinkling of salt is a good idea, but not necessary.

How To Make Taco Salad Bowl Shells

1. Set Up: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set 4 oven-safe cereal bowls on a large rimmed baking sheet. Then set a large 12-14 inch skillet on the stovetop over medium heat/medium-high heat.
2. Coat: Pour oil into the skillet. Once hot, place a tortilla in the skillet. Use tongs to swirl the tortilla to coat it in oil, then flip it over.
3. Flash Fry: Pan-fry the tortilla for 30-45 seconds per side, allowing it to puff up with large bubbles. The bigger the better! Flip and repeat.
4. Shape: Use tongs to move the tortilla to one of the cereal bowls. Tuck it down into the bottom of the bowl, to create a bowl shape with the tortilla.
5. Repeat: Continue frying the remaining three tortillas.
6. Bake: Once all the tortillas are flash-fried and shaped into bowls, place them on the center oven rack and bake until very crispy and golden.
7. Prep: Fill with chopped greens and sprinkle with your favorite Taco Salad toppings.

Get The Full (Printable) Taco Bowl Shells Recipe + Video Below.

Can I Bake Them Instead?

The cooked taco shells recipe we are sharing today is technically a baked tortilla bowl recipe, even though you flash fry the tortillas first.

You can skip the step of flash frying and just brush the tortillas with oil, shape, and bake… But they will not form the large airy bubbles that are not near and dear to our hearts.

It is worth the extra 4 minutes of work to gain golden pillowy bubbles in your taco bowl shells. These crispy taco shells will give you all the love of hard taco shells from taco night in this salad recipe.

How To Assemble Taco Salad Bowls

Now you have fabulous taco bowl shells for taco salad recipes. So what are you going to fill them with?

Consider topping the Taco Bowl Shells with these Favorite Taco Fixings:

• Shredded Romaine Lettuce
• Iceberg Lettuce
• Onion
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Ground Turkey Taco Meat
• Grilled Fish
• Shredded Chicken
• Black Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Refried Beans
• Sliced Black Olives
• Pico de Gallo or Salsa
• Chopped Roma Tomatoes
• Sliced Avocado
• Guacamole
• Grilled Corn
• Jalapenos
• Fresh Cilantro
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Queso Fresco
• Cotija Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Tortilla Chips 
• Ranch Dressing
• Catalina Dressing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a taco salad bowl made of?

Typically, a taco salad bowl starts with a bubbly taco bowl shell, then is topped with all the best taco salad ingredients like lettuce, ground or shredded meat cooked in taco seasoning, and then piled high with veggies like cherry tomatoes, avocado, onions, olives, and a taco salad dressing of your choice!

Can You Make Tortilla Bowls with Corn Tortillas?

Yes and no. Yes, you can follow this exact process, with corn tortillas, to make crunchy corn tortilla bowls.

However, it’s hard to find extra-large corn tortillas so the bowls will not be as large.

Also, there will be small bubbles from frying, but you will not get the massive bubbles with corn tortillas, that you do with flour tortillas.

Can You Make Them With Gluten-Free Tortillas?

Yes! If you can find gluten-free flour tortillas, you can make taco salad shells the same way.

How Far In Advance Can You Make Taco Salad Bowls?

These crunchy taco salad shells are best if made right before serving. However, they will last 2 days and can be reheated in the oven.

Wrap them in plastic and keep them at room temperature for up to 48 hours.

Can You Make Mini Taco Bowls For Events?

Of course! If you don’t need to fit a whole dinner-size portion of salad in the bowl, you can make them with any size of flour tortilla you like.

Find smaller oven-safe bowls to shape the tortillas. Fry and bake for the same amount of time as with the large bowls.

Looking for More Mexican-Inspired Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:

• Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad
• Carne Asada
• Shredded Chicken Tacos
• Crockpot Beef Enchiladas
• Dorito Taco Salad

Check the recipe card below for the nutrient information including calories and other daily values.

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