21 Taco Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Four beef chili tacos and two lime halves in a basket, with bowls of pickled onions, slaw, and a beer on the side.

Roland Persson

1 of 21

Beef Chili Tacos

When chili con carne meets all your favorite taco fixings, the result is these beef chili tacos. The taste? Incomparable.

Wood bowl with tequila-lime chicken tacos, charred limes, radishes, sour cream

Joshua Resnick

2 of 21

Tequila-Lime Chicken Tacos

These easy chicken tacos, made with marinated grilled chicken and a cilantro-spiked mayonnaise, are an easy meal, perfect for weeknights or casual entertaining.

A hand holding a grilled fish taco topped with cilantro that is wrapped in a paper napkin.

Ray Kachatorian

3 of 21

Grilled Fish Tacos

These grilled fish tacos are easy and healthy and made with cilantro, cabbage, lime, and a splash of tequila for good measure. Almost exactly like what you’d find in Baja Mexico.

Three sweet and spicy tacos on a white plate with wedges of lime alongside.

Stephen Danelian

4 of 21

Sweet and Spicy Taco

These sweet and spicy tacos are made with ground turkey, chili powder, and orange juice. Its unusual spice is perfect for a DIY taco party.

A basket containing two Baja-style tempura fish tacos and some pickled vegetables, with a bottle of Pacifico on the side.

Ed Anderson

5 of 21

These Baja-style tempura fish tacos are as authentic as they come. White fish is dunked in a quick chile-lime marinade and then battered and pan-fried until crisp before being tucked in soft tortillas and topped with slaw and banana mango salsa.

Two plates topped with kimchi tacos with glasses of beer and a bowl of guacamole on the side.

Christina Holmes

6 of 21

Kimchi Tacos

These Korean-inspired tacos are topped with beef bulgogi, kimchi, and a gochujang taco sauce.

Man's hand holding four beef tongue tacos, or taquitos de lengua, filled with cubed meat, onions, cilantro

Penny de los Santos

7 of 21

Beef Tongue Tacos

Yes, beef tongue tacos. DON’T click off this page! These little babies are made from beef tongue that is slowly cooked until falling apart tender then chopped and spooned atop soft corn or flour tortillas. Classic and authentic.

A plate with a fish taco topped with creamy chipotle cabbage slow with a bowl of slaw beside it.

Ellen Silverman

8 of 21

Fish Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Cabbage Slaw

This fish tacos recipe with creamy chipotle cabbage slaw is made with fish, cabbage, lime, cilantro, and corn tortillas.

Sliced skirt steak on a wooden board with tortillas, lime wedges, cilantro, jalapeno, and pickled red onion.

Ed Anderson

9 of 21

Grilled Skirt Steak Tacos

Skirt steak is one of the most flavorful cuts on the entire steer, and when grilled and sliced properly, it’s one of the best values at the butcher shop. I like my tacos on the spicy side, so I load them up with plenty of sliced jalapeño and garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime, cilantro, and pickled red onions.

A person assembling a slow cooker barbacoa taco with a pot of shredded barbacoa meat, a small dish of onions, a bottle of hot sauce, and some cilantro around the taco plate.

Jody Horton

10 of 21

Barbacoa Tacos

These slow-cooker barbacoa tacos, filled with tender shredded meat, onions, salsa, limes, hot sauce, and cilantro is perfect comfort food any time of the day.

Two pork tacos filled with shredded pork, radishes, jalapenos, salsa, and sour cream on a plate.

Leela Cyd

11 of 21

Pork Tacos

These pork tacos, made with pork, beer, spices, and soft tortillas, are wicked tender and almost like tacos al pastor. Slather, bite, repeat.

Two steak tacos on a wooden board with lime wedges, onion, and cilantro scattered around.

Brent Hofacker

12 of 21

Steak Tacos

For these steak tacos, flavorful flank steak is marinated in a spicy paste of garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and cilantro and then seared until medium-rare. The tacos are garnished with pickled red onions and lime.

A shredded beef taco bar--a wooden platter with a braised beef shank, cilantro, lime, and pickled onions

Time, Inc.

13 of 21

Shredded Beef Taco Bar

This shredded beef taco bar is a build-your-own extravaganza including braised beef, pickled red onions, lime crema, and creamy coleslaw. Pile your favorites onto a warm tortilla, devour, and repeat.

Four ancho pork and potato tacos topped with cubed pork and potatoes, sliced radish, sour cream, and cilantro.

CB Creatives, Inc.

14 of 21

Ancho Pork and Potato Tacos

These ancho pork and potato tacos are a cheater’s way to have tacos on the table in just 45 minutes by relying on spice-rubbed pork chops and tender potatoes wrapped in corn tortillas.

A pile of soft tortillas topped with carnitas, onion, guacamole, and cilantro. They're resting in a woven basket on a pile of blue napkins.

Romulo Yanes

15 of 21

Carnitas Tacos

These carnitas tacos are made with moist, tender pork shoulder, avocado, onion, tomatillo salsa, lime, and cilantro. Great party food for a crowd, a weekend dinner, or outdoor entertaining.

Two ancho fish tacos in a metal dish with lime wedges and chipotle mayo on the side.

Time Inc. Food Studios

16 of 21

Ancho Fish Tacos

These easy, healthy fish tacos are loaded with spiced grilled fish, tangy coleslaw, and a chipotle lime mayonnaise.

Two BBQ pulled pork tacos in a cardboard dish with a bear and a dish of coleslaw on the side.

Time Inc. Books

17 of 21

BBQ Pulled Pork Tacos

BBQ pulled pork tacos! The deliciously tender and slightly sweet pulled pork is heaped in a warmed tortilla with creamy chipotle slaw.

A person squeezing lime juice over an open pulled pork taco.

Nik Sharma

18 of 21

Pulled Pork Tacos

These pulled pork tacos with apple-serrano slaw are made with shredded pork cooked with a blend of Indian spices. Taco Tuesday just got a whole heck of a lot more interesting.

Three avocado breakfast tacos with eggs, bacon, shallots, and chives with a bowl of salsa on the side.

Tieghan Gerard

19 of 21

Avocado Breakfast Tacos

These avocado breakfast tacos are made with easy components—cheesy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, cool avocado, and smoky chipotle salsa. So satisfying that they’ll be on repeat each weekend.

Four crispy mashed potato tacos on a sheet of white paper with a couple lime wedges on the side.

Molly Krebs

20 of 21

Crispy Mashed Potato Tacos

These crispy mashed potato tacos, filled with crunchy cabbage, creamy mashed potatoes, fresh pico de gallo, and cilantro, are unconventional yet absolutely delicious.

A cut sheet pan taco bake in a rimmed sheet pan topped with pico de gallo and sour cream.

Lauren Volo

21 of 21

Sheet Pan Taco Bake

This sheet pan taco bake has seasoned ground beef, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses enveloped in tortillas and baked until crunchy and golden. Great party food for feeding a crowd.