Crescent Taco Cups
These Crescent Taco Cups combine taco meat, cheese and crescent dough to make a fun and flavorful dish you can’t resist. Perfect for a fun dinner or appetizer!
AN EASY DINNER RECIPE
These Crescent Taco Cups combine all your favorite flavors into a single little muffin-sized treat. Our whole family goes crazy for these and we make them as a light lunch, side dish or an appetizer. They are perfect for going alongside a bigger meal as well. When it comes to this Crescent Taco Cup recipe you really can’t go wrong! Even your picklest eaters will fall in love!
TIPS FOR MAKING CRESCENT TACO CUPS:
- You can use your favorite salsa that you like for this recipe.
- I use Colby jack cheese but you can use cheddar or even a Mexican cheese blend if you like.
- Crescent dough sheets make it easier for these so they are easily cut into squares. If you are in a pinch you can use regular crescent rolls, just pinch the seems together.
- You can use homemade or store bought taco seasoning for this instead of the seasonings used below.
- Easily double the recipe to make more.
- Make sure to spray your muffin pan well so they are easier to come out after cooking.
- Use a lean ground beef for this, preferably 85/15 or higher.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- ground beef
- ground cumin
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt and pepper
- salsa
- water
- crescent roll dough sheet
- colby jack cheese
HOW TO MAKE CRESCENT TACO CUPS:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 8 sections of a muffin tin with cooking spray, set aside. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it into crumbles. Drain any excess grease.
Add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, ¼ cup salsa, water, and cilantro.
Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and simmer until most of the liquid is cooked out, 3-5 minutes. Take off the heat.
Cut the crescent dough into 8 equal squares. Gently press the dough into the 8 sections of the greased muffin tin.
Add ⅓ of the cheese to the bottom of the cups.
Evenly divide the taco meat among the cups.
Top with another ⅓ of the cheese.
Fold the flaps over the filling.
Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Take the cups out of the muffin tin, careful they are hot! I find it easier to run a butter knife along the edges to release it from the tin if any of the cheese stuck to it.
Serve with a garnish of more chopped fresh cilantro and salsa for dipping.
HOW TO STORE:
- This Crescent Taco Cup recipe can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or ziptop bag for up to 3-4 days. You can easily remove and heat up in the microwave until heated through.
- These can also be frozen! To freeze: bake and cool completely then place in a freezer bag and they should stay good in the freezer for up to 6 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then microwave or heat on the lowest setting on your oven to reheat these.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Crescent Taco Cups
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup salsa plus more for dipping
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro plus more for garnish, optional
- 1 crescent roll dough sheet
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease 8 sections of a muffin tin with cooking spray, set aside. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it into crumbles. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, ¼ cup salsa, water, and cilantro.
- Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and simmer until most of the liquid is cooked out, 3-5 minutes. Take off the heat.
- Cut the crescent dough into 8 equal squares. Gently press the dough into the 8 sections of the greased muffin tin.
- Add ⅓ of the cheese to the bottom of the cups.
- Evenly divide the taco meat among the cups.
- Top with another ⅓ of the cheese.
- Fold the flaps over the filling.
- Top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Take the cups out of the muffin tin, careful they are hot! I find it easier to run a butter knife along the edges to release it from the tin if any of the cheese stuck to it.
- Serve with a garnish of more chopped fresh cilantro and salsa for dipping.
Notes
- You can use your favorite salsa that you like for this recipe.
- I use Colby jack cheese but you can use cheddar or even a Mexican cheese blend if you like.
- Crescent dough sheets make it easier for these so they are easily cut into squares. If you are in a pinch you can use regular crescent rolls, just pinch the seems together.
- You can use homemade or store bought taco seasoning for this instead of the spices used above.
- Easily double the recipe to make more.
- Make sure to spray your muffin pan well so they are easier to come out after cooking.
- Use a lean ground beef for this, preferably 85/15 or higher.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I just have to share with everyone how versatile these are. I already reviewed these taco cups and the Sloppy Joe Cups on this site. (Both 5 Star). My husband requested a breakfast version of these cups. Great Idea!! I cooked breakfast sausage links, drained them well and cut them into fourths/fifths. Made a batch of soft scrambled eggs and broke slices of Yellow American cheese into fourths (my family’s favorite breakfast cheese). Then I layered inside the crescent cups: a square of cheese on the bottom, a cut up sausage, scrambled eggs and another square of cheese. Thank you so much, Brandy for such great recipes. I love this site.
My entire family loves these. Yummy, easy and fun.
This looks delicious.