Today we’re going to take a look at how to freeze taco meat at home. I’ll cover pros, cons, pitfalls, as well as the best types of tools and containers you can use. Be sure to use the table of contents to jump around to parts of this article that are most helpful, and to take a glance at the FAQ.
If you need a homemade taco seasoning recipe, I’ve got one for you here.
Why Freeze Taco Meat?
You may be wondering if it’s a good idea to freeze taco meat and the simple answer is that it’s an EPIC idea. Freezing meat at home gives you the opportunity to make a big batch of a taco meat recipe that you love, portion it, then have lots of future meals taken care of.
You can also skip preseasoned meats at the grocery store and follow an easy recipe like this one to make taco meat at home. That will help you save money in the long run, and you can also create custom flavour profiles you love. Know that when you batch cook, there’s no real additional cost in the long run, in fact, you’ll save time, money, and energy.
Another reason to freeze taco meat home is if you’re managing food allergies and other dietary restrictions. Your freezer taco meat can really come in handy when you need a quick meal, or perhaps want to take a trip out of town. You can grab several items from your freezer, pop them in a cooler, and take off.
Essentially, there are so many pros to freezing taco meat at home. Honestly, the only con is making sure you don’t create food waste. Food waste happens when you forget to eat the meat, don’t plan to eat the meat, or don’t store it properly. We’ll talk more about all of this further down in the article.
How to Freeze Taco Meat: Step-by-Step Directions
Whether you’ve made a large batch of taco meat or a small batch, these are the easy steps to follow so you can freeze the meat.
- Season and cook your taco meat. You can follow a recipe using custom spices, or use a taco seasoning packet like this one from Siete Foods.
- Drain the meat to remove excess fat.
- Allow the meat to cool completely.
- Transfer the taco meat to a freezer safe container of your choice (more on that below).
- Remove air from the container if needed. Alternatively, make sure the container is full. Unlike liquids, dry cooked meat won’t expand when frozen, and you don’t want air in the container.
- Label the container with the date and flavour.
- Put the container in your freezer.
That’s it! Make sure that as you meal plan, you incorporate your frozen taco meat (and other tasty freezer meals) into the plan. This saves you effort, but also ensures that your loot doesn’t go to waste.
How to Freeze Taco Meat: Sheet Pan/Baking Sheet Method
Before you tackle the sheet pan method of freezing, be sure to plan out how much meat you’ll be cooking and how many trays you have. You wouldn’t want to try to freeze 15 pounds of taco meat on one tray since it would be super over crowded, so keep that in mind as you plan your batch cooking.
- Season and cook your taco meat. You can follow a recipe using custom spices, or use a taco seasoning packet like this one from Siete Foods.
- Drain the meat to remove excess fat.
- Allow the meat to cool completely.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Transfer the meat to the tray and spread evenly into a flat layer.
- Place the entire tray into your freezer.
- Allow the meat to freeze for several hours (it should be frozen solid after 4 – 6 hours).
- Once frozen, transfer the taco meat to a freezer safe container of your choice (more on that below).
- Remove air from the container if needed. Alternatively, make sure the container is full. Unlike liquids, dry cooked meat won’t expand when frozen, and you don’t want air in the container.
- Label the container with the date and flavour.
- Put the container in your freezer.
That’s it! Now you have meat ready to go for your next taco dinner. The benefit to using the baking sheet method is that the meat is a lot less likely to clump together. This makes it so much easier to grab only what you need the next time you need taco meat. Usually with this method, you’re using a large freezer baggie as your storage container.
Choosing the Best Freezer Bags and Storage Containers for Freezing Taco Meat
The first step in choosing a container is to assess your space. If you have a really small freezer, you’ll lean towards smaller containers, silicone bags, and plastic bags.
The next step is to assess your medical needs and personal choices. Some people are simply anti-plastic whilst others like myself are allergic to most plastics and need to use glass containers. Once you know what you need, you’ll be able to make the best choice.
Now, assess your budget. If you’re anti-plastic but have a tiny budget, you’re going to end up with plastic. There’s no real way around that. In that situation, I’d suggest looking at second-hand options for glass containers, or saving up for a set you like. Be sure to check stores like Costco, as they usually have a great deal on sets of glass containers.
Different Types of Containers
These are the most common, most affordable, and most used types of containers for storing taco meat:
- Ziploc Bags
- Glass Containers with Lids
- Plastic Containers with Lids
- Silicone Container Bags
Each of these will have a pro and con, so let’s take a quick look. Ziplock bags come in a range of sizes which is a huge pro. They’re low cost, and can also fit into weird spaces in your freezer. For these reasons, I personally use Ziplock bags for items I cook for my kids.
Glass containers on the other hand are great if you’re wanting less plastic and less toxic items in your home. Given my severe allergies, it’s what I use for myself. The biggest con is that you have to have space to store all of that glass when it’s not in use. Trust me, it’s so easy to run out of space which is why I have boxes and boxes of glass containers.
Another consideration to make for both glass and plastic containers with lids is their overall footprint, and if they’ll stack well. What you don’t want is an avalanche in your freezer, so it’s important that the containers have lids with indents/grooves that allow them to stack.
Personally, I try to get square and rectangle glass containers since it’s an easy way to use the space wisely. If you have a lot of round containers, once your freezer is full, you’ll find you’ve wasted quite a bit of space.
Like Ziplock bags, silicone container bags are very handy and can fit into weird spaces. Like glass containers, they’re also dishwasher safe. Know that Ziplock says the bags can be washed by hand and reused, but honestly, I’ve never met anyone doing that.
If you need to store small amounts of food, I could see the silicone system working well. It could also work well for small amounts of taco meat, or individual servings of other foods you make. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of this storage method, and don’t own any in this style.
HUGE Tip for busy parents and people who are low on bandwidth: no matter what style you choose, purchase individual sized containers as part of your system. This allows yo quickly grab one portion and a single meal will be very easy to make.
FoodSaver System: Yay or Nay?
Before you rush out to purchase a FoodSaver system, let’s talk pros and cons. Now, I can tell you from personal experience, it’s my least favorite way to store food. I had one of these units and it felt like such a pain to use. It’s really big, so you need space for it, and you have to purchase their special bag roll to use with the device.
The steps for freezing pretty much follow the first set of steps I shared, except, you place the meat in the special plastic roll, then use the device to seal the bag and suck out ALL of the air.
Now, the greatest PRO to this system is that you have absolutely zero freezer burn. Honestly, if that’s a concern for you, this is the system you want. When you use a system like this, you generally can expect a longer freezer life because of how well it’s stored.
If this is something you’re interested in, watch some videos online and ask yourself if you’re really do the work. Then, see if a friend has one and if they’d let you freeze a few items. Could you see yourself doing this all the time? If so, invest. If not, go with glass or freezer baggies.
Tips on Preventing Freezer Burn When Freezing Taco Meat
The best way to prevent freezer burn is to make sure you’ve removed as much air as possible from your freezer bags. Excess air is the nemesis of frozen food, as that’s what causes the quality to decline over time.
If you use freezer bags, I’d suggest sealing the bag most of the way, then rolling it so the air is forced out, then finish the seal. If you’re using silicone, you can consider using a stray to suck the air out as you seal the bag. I’ve seen people (myself included) use these methods successfully.
If you’re planning to use glass or plastic storage containers, make sure the container is as full as possible, as this will naturally eliminate air. From there, you can look into purchasing a set that has special “air removal” lids.
General Storage Guidelines for Taco Meat
Taco meat will taste the best if eaten within 2-3 months of freezing, however, you can get more time depending on the storage container. Know that if the food remains frozen solid, it’s not that it’s “gone bad” (like bad chicken that sat in the fridge for 3 weeks), it’s that it’s past the days of its best quality for thawing, reheating, and enjoying.
If you make taco meat to have some fresh and some frozen, meat stored in the refrigerator has a shelf life of 3-4 days for best results.
Ways to Use Your Frozen Taco Meat When Thawed
One of the biggest pros to making a large batch of taco meat and having it available is that you essentially have easy freezer meals to pull from. This can be fantastic at breakfast, lunch, or dinner time if you’re constantly on the go.
Great Ingredients to Keep on Hand
Before I share the ideas, here’s a quick list of ingredients to keep on hand that will pair well with your leftover taco meat:
- Avocado or Guacamole
- Beans (dry, canned, refried, beans, etc.)
- Corn (canned, fresh, or frozen)
- Green Salsa
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Sweet Potatoes or White Potatoes (think: taco hash)
- Tomato Sauce (think: taco ragu for pasta)
- Tortillas and Hard Taco Shells (you can get these in a range of options including gluten free, grain free, and allergy friendly)
If any of your favorite toppings aren’t listed, consider having them available as well. Now, on to the ideas!
Quick Taco Salad
A great way to use your thawed taco meat is to make a taco salad. The nice thing is that this can be pretty versatile, and you can swap through additional ingredients so each time it feels a little different (can help prevent getting stuck in a food rut). Chop crisp romaine (or your fave lettuce), top with taco meat, then additional toppings. If you have hard taco shells or chips on hand, you can crush those and use them like a faux crouton.
Bean Dip
Another easy dinner idea (or lunch) is to create a bean dip with your leftover taco meat. You can make a large platter and call it an easy taco night, or you can put out a range of ingredients your whole family enjoys, serve it family style, and let each person build their own dip/bowl.
On busy weeknights when I do this, I heat up organic refried beans, organic guac that I get a Costco, cans of olives, and other misc toppings and let my kids build it their way. Everyone is happy and I don’t have to put in too much effort.
Taco Soup
Taco soup is a family favorite around here. I make a simple version, but I’m sure you can find recipes all over the web. In addition to taco soup, you can make a taco chili. To do that, you’ll use taco seasoning (homemade or store bought) when cooking the chili.
For taco soup, I like to use leftover pork broth (from when I make pressure cooker pork) as part of the base. I cook vegetables in that, including some drained canned beans, sliced carrots, and green beans. Once the veg is just about ready, I add in frozen taco meat. When the soup comes back up to temperature, it’s ready to serve.
Burritos
Homemade burritos are pretty easy to make. You will want to purchase burrito sized tortillas (these are a specific product, larger than regular tortillas, and are about 12″/30cm in diameter).
Once you have the tortilla, put in all of your fave burrito ingredients, then add your thawed taco meat. I like to reheat the taco meat on low heat whilst I pull everything else together, then it’s usually ready to go.
Taco Quesadillas
If your family loves quesadillas and tacos, why not combine them for a super tasty meal? To make a taco quesadilla, make your quesadilla as you normally would. Before adding the second tortilla, add your taco meat, and a little more cheese, then add the second tortilla.
The end result is an ooey-gooey taco forward quesadilla I think you’ll love.
Taco Pizza
To make a taco pizza, you’ll want:
- Homemade taco meat
- Premade pizza dough (or homemade if you’re up for it)
- Salsa
- Sliced peppers
- Any other toppings you may enjoy
Roll out the dough, then add the salsa instead of pizza sauce. Alternatively, you can use guacamole or guac + salsa here. Add cheese, then top with taco meat, sliced peppers, and anything else you’d like to add.
Bake in the oven according to the directions for your pizza dough. Once it’s ready, cut, serve, and enjoy. If you have a pizza oven (I have this one), you can cook it in that as well. My kids love it that way.
Taco Pot Pie
I’ve made this for my kids and they go wild each time I do. To make taco pot pie, you create a filling that uses beans, your taco meat, aromatics (onion, etc.), and anything else you like.
Fill a pie crust with your filling, add cheese, and a top layer of crust. Bake until the crust is done and you’ve got taco pot pie. It’s very non-traditional, and incredibly delicious. It’s also freezer friendly so you can make individual portions and freeze those, rather than freezing a giant pot pie.
Tips on Preventing Food Waste
Food waste is something that’s always on my mind. Not only does it waste your time and money, but it wastes resources in general, and I’m really not a fan. Here are some ways you can prevent food waste at home:
- Avoid storing cooked meat in your freezer for a long time. After many months, the quality declines and you won’t want to eat it.
- Rotate thru great recipes that can utilize your freezer taco meat so it doesn’t just sit in the freezer forgotten.
- Schedule in a Taco Tuesday with your frozen taco meat.
Additionally, think about how much meat you generally consume. if you know you only eat about 5 pounds of ground beef (or other ground meats) a month, don’t make a big batch of taco meat using 20 pounds of ground beef. It’s too much for your needs, especially if you’ll be eating other things. Instead, make a big batch with three pounds of ground beef, and then portion it into airtight storage containers that make sense for your needs.
Little things like this can go a long way in preventing food waste, and ensuring you get the most out of your efforts.
Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Taco Recipes
- Gluten Free Lamb Tacos
- GF + Top 9/14 Free Taco Spaghetti
- Street Tacos (GF, Top 9 Free, Top 14 Free, Truly Corn Free)
- Kid Friendly Apple & Chicken Tacos (GF, Top 9/14 Free)
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Answering Your Questions on Freezing Taco Meat
Can I freeze taco meat that’s been made with ground turkey?
Yes, you can freeze your ground turkey taco meat. In fact, you can freeze any ground meat you choose to use in your tacos.
Is it OK to thaw frozen taco meat at room temperature?
Generally speaking, no, you don’t want to thaw any raw meat or cooked meat at room temperature. For food safety, you’ll want to thaw it in your refrigerator overnight. You can also cook from frozen, but be careful with that method, as it can dry the meat out.
What’s the best airtight container to use when freezing taco meat?
You have a few options. First, a freezer safe baggie. I like those because it’s really easy to press the air out. Next, a glass container with airtight lid. With those, I like to get them pretty full to reduce the chance of freezer burn developing.
You can also experiment with silicone bags. I haven’t personally, but I’ve heard so many good things about them. Finally, a FoodSaver type of system is going to be one of the best options. However, it’s an investment, and one you may not feel you really need.
Can I make taco meat with ground chicken?
Ground chicken is a great option, and one of many ground meats that can be used to make taco meat. Know that the type of meat you choose will impact how much seasoning to use, along with your cook time.
Outside of that, it really comes down to personal preferences, and when it comes to tacos, I don’t know that there’s ever a wrong answer.
Can I freeze taco meat that’s been made in a crock pot?
Yes! If you’ve got Instant Pot taco meat or even taco meat that’s been cooked in a slow cooker such as a crock pot, you can still follow the steps above that walk you through how to freeze your taco meat.
In your case, you’ll want to drain off the extra liquid before storing the meat. I’ll also add this: save the liquid. You can use it as a faux homemade broth. I often purchase 32-ounce deli containers and freeze the liquid from the pressure cooker when making pork and chicken, then I use it as a flavourful broth when making rice etc.
Can I make traditional tacos with my leftover taco meat from the freezer? Will they taste good?
Yes! The key is to season your taco meat the way you’d consider a “traditional taco” to be. For example, if you don’t feel ginger is a traditional taco spice, don’t use it.
Then, once your meat has cooled, freeze it. Thaw your frozen meat when you’re ready, and then add the traditional taco fixings you love, and boom. You’ve got tacos that are going to taste fantastic.
Can I make taco meat without chili powder?
Yes, you can skip the chili powder if needed. Your meat mixture can be unique to your taste preferences and ultimately, there are a thousand ways to make a taco. You may be more interested in fish tacos which tend to have more tropical flavours (pineapple, etc.) rather than spicy chili powder.
You can also make kid friendly chicken tacos like this easy recipe for something that’s chili free.
Are tacos a healthy meal?
First, the term healthy isn’t a regulated one, and can mean something different to each person. However, I personally believe that tacos can absolutely be part of a healthy meal. You’ve got your meat as protein, and spices can absolutely have health benefits. Taco meat is generally a sugar free food (though, I sometimes add organic maple sugar for my kids), so overall, I’m going to say yes.
However, if the quality of meat is a concern, you may feel more comfortable purchasing lean cuts of grass fed organic meats and grinding/mincing them at home, then making your taco meat from that.
