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Easy Taco Bar Ideas for Walking Tacos that WOW Party Guests

Easy Taco Bar Ideas for Walking Tacos that WOW Party Guests
These Taco Bar ideas for Walking Tacos are sponsored by Pepsico. All thoughts, opinions and ideas are my own.

A party isn’t a party without great food! Easy to make and easy to serve, a taco bar is a great party/entertainment feature you can use to feed your party guests. And why not kick it up a notch and make your taco bar party serve WALKING tacos? Add a little bit of novelty to a run of the mill taco bar dropping the tortillas and adding a cup and a fork.

If you’ve got food sensitive guests–gluten free, dairy free or otherwise–an ingredient separated bar like this makes it easier to take their diets into consideration when you’re party planning. Win for the food allergy crowd (I’m one myself!) AND for you! 

So what the heck is a walking taco?

A walking taco is much more contained than a regular tortilla-type taco. You can buy individual sized bags of Doritos, Cheetos or Fritos and dump the ingredients on top and eat them out of the bag with a fork. OR if you don’t love that idea (it can be a little on the messy side for smaller hands) you serve the taco ingredients out of a cup, making it so you can walk around and eat your taco.  We found Doritos, Cheetos and Fritos make a great crispy base for the tacos, depending on your favorite flavor. 

Walking Tacos are perfect to Take Outside!

Walking tacos are ideal for entertaining a crowd outside, or just for taking the family out on the back porch to have dinner. A taco bar for the family, of course, will focus a little bit less on presentation and more on good food. 

How to Set up a Taco Bar for Walking Tacos

The basic premise of walking tacos is that you’ll layer your taco toppings from the taco bar into your cup just like you would a taco, without the mess of things spilling out the bottom of your tortilla. Set up your topping bar with the kind of stuff you like to serve your tacos with; the list in the recipe here is just a suggestion! 

Taco Bar Ideas for Walking Tacos

Taco Bar Ideas for Walking Tacos

Kick up your taco bar party by making Walking Tacos! Your favorite taco ingredients in a much less messy cup for eating on the go. Add or subtract taco bar ideas for ingredients according to your own personal tastebuds. There is no wrong on a taco bar!

As an alternative to using cups, feel free to purchase individual bags of chips. Your guests will open the tops of the bags, put the taco bar ingredients on top of the chips and then grab their forks to start eating.

PRO TIP: Buy a rotissere chicken and shred it to cut down on prep and cooking time!

Ingredients

  • Fritos, Cheetos and/or Doritos
  • 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken or other chicken, shredded
  • Sour Cream
  • Shredded Mexican Cheese or similar
  • Guacamole
  • Avocados
  • Diced red onion
  • Diced tomatoes
  • Jalapeños
  • Black beans
  • Corn Salsa
  • Cilantro
  • Hot sauce
  • Lime wedges
  • Lettuce, cut into strips
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Cups and forks for serving
  • Walking taco bar instruction sign

Instructions

  1. If you're using purchased rotisserie chicken for your taco bar and walking tacos, go ahead and shred that now! If you make your own, you'll need about two cups of shredded chicken.
  2. Make the chicken taco seasoning: stir together salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, paprika and garlic powder in a small bowl until combined.
  3. Pour chicken taco seasoning over shredded chicken and stir until completely blended. It's now ready to serve!
  4. Set out all of your ingredients and serveware on your taco bar for people to load up their cups. See the Taco Bar Ideas for Walking Tacos post for ideas on how to decorate your cups.
  5. Print and prop up the free printable walking taco bar instruction sign. It's there just so people know what they are getting into!
  6. Let each person put their personal Walking Tacos together just how they like them.
  7. Watch everyone have a blast at your taco bar party!

Walking TACO bar PARTY BONUS RECIPE: The Ultimate Limeade Recipe

What do you drink at your taco bar party with your amazing walking tacos? Limeade is a good choice. It’s a kissing cousin to lemonade, but the lime gives it a twist that goes great with Latin-inspired seasoning. Limeade is a bit like a margarita without the kick. Serve them up in a mason jar or margarita style glass for bonus points from your family–or friends!

Limeade Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cold water 
  • 1 cup simple syrup (or 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar)
  • 1 cup lime juice

To make a quick and easy simple syrup if not using purchased syrup: In a microwave safe cup or bowl, heat 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar for 2 minutes, or until boiling. Remove from microwave and stir until sugar is completely dissolved and let cool. 

If you’re juicing your limes, you’ll need 4 to 5 large ones to make 1 cup. Add this juice plus the cooled simple syrup to your pitcher. Add your cold water and stir. Add a few slices of lime to the pitcher to serve.

***For a fizzy-type lime aid, use 3 to 4 cups soda water.

Taco Bar Ideas for a personalized party

Parties, entertaining and even family dinners are all in the little details! Here are a few immensely simple details to add to your walking taco bar that will make it really feel like a celebration and not just dinner or just another taco. Make your taco bar FUN!

Personalized walking taco bar cups

Clear plastic cups go glam with the addition of a few pieces of washi tape. Pick up the tape in your local craft store in bright colors or you can find every washi tape color in the world here on Amazon. Wrap the washi tape around the cup and pop them on your taco bar ready to fill. 

Walking Taco Bar Sign

A few little paper details always add pop! Download this Walking Taco Bar sign for your bar here. Print, cut it out, and glue it to a piece of foam core to get it to stand on its own.

Taco Bar Party Decor : Tissue Paper Fringe Banner

Cut double layers of 7×14 rectangles of colorful tissue papers. Fold the tissue paper over twine, gluing it to the twine with small dots of hot glue. Cut fringe into the twine and hang. See the full tissue paper fringe banner tutorial HERE.

Don’t forget to pin this taco bar idea post for later!

This outdoor entertaining idea for a Walking Taco Bar is sponsored by PepsiCo. All thoughts, opinions and ideas are my own.

Paula Biggs

Owner at Frog Prince Paperie
Paula Biggs is a party planner, DIY crafter, and owner of Frog Prince Paperie, where you can find hundreds of party, craft and lifestyle ideas.

Mindy

Thursday 11th of May 2023

I love this and am going to do it for my Son's grad party. I have to ask though, where did you get your amazing bowls?

Paula Biggs

Friday 19th of May 2023

I'm pretty sure I picked those up at Homegoods! They tend to have quite a bit of non-breakable serve ware in fun patterns.

From the Front Porch – The Crowned Goat

Friday 18th of December 2020

[…] Sunday – Family Friendly Taco Bar or Walking Tacos if you’re walking around the neighborhood to check out the […]

Kimberly G

Saturday 9th of June 2018

I would like to try the Yoplait® Yogurt Parfait Popsicle recipe

stella methvin

Saturday 9th of June 2018

Ranch Spinach Pasta Salad sounds awesome. I love cold salads and this would be amazing to have on hand.

Lisa

Saturday 9th of June 2018

The Potato Dog Skins recipe looks sooooo good!

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