8 Elevated Taco Toppings: You’re Not Basic, Your Tacos Shouldn’t Be Either
Tired of boring taco toppings? Try these eight options and elevate your next taco night!
We all love tacos, right? But the standard chopped tomatoes, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and guacamole can be a bit boring (although always tasty). Try the unexpected with delightful and delicious results. See if any of these creative taco toppings below inspire you to up your game for your next taco night.
8 Creative Taco Toppings For Your Next Taco Night
Pickled Vegetables
Beyond pickled onions, consider pickled radishes, carrots, or homemade pickled jalapeños. These add a tangy brightness that complements the tacos. Truth be told, I almost always have a jar of pickled veggies, especially red onions, in the fridge. And, if you love pickles, try our catfish tacos with traditional pickles as the topping — they are delicious!
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Fruit Salsas
Fruit-based salsas like mango, pineapple, or peach offer a sweet contrast to the savory flavors of tacos. Don’t assume this taco topping only works with fish or shrimp. Try them with chicken, pork, or beef as well. If you want to go a bit more out-of-the-box, try our blueberry-peach salsa recipe.
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Coleslaw Variations
A slaw with a twist, like a cilantro-lime slaw, green goddess broccoli slaw, or spicy kimchi slaw, can add freshness and a bit of zing. Coleslaw can go heavy on thinly sliced bell peppers and can be both mayonnaise-based or oil-based.
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Unique Cheeses
Try crumbled feta, goat cheese, or smoked gouda for a different flavor profile from the traditional cotija or cheddar. It’s nice to have multiple options for a taco bar, but if you only have one option, we’d still choose cheddar.
Avocado Crema
For a smoother option than guacamole, try avocado crema. It can add creaminess to the tacos. Tacos are just better with some form of avocado! But avocado crema is a bit more elevated than guacamole.
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Crunchy Toppings
Add crushed tortilla chips, toasted pumpkin seeds, or crispy onions for added texture. I mean, if crunchy onions can elevate a green bean casserole as much as they do, imagine what they will do to your tacos. Even something as small as the sesame seeds below add some crunch to these duck tacos.
Herb Garnishes
Experiment with different herbs like dill, basil, or mint in addition to the usual cilantro. While the photo below does not showcase tacos, it is from a Mexican-meets-Caribbean restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina, Salsas, which uses unusual pairings of herbs in their salsas better than any restaurant I’ve ever been to. Add the dill! Add the mint!
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Sauces
Yes, sauces are taco toppings! Depending on the tacos you are serving, up your sauce game. For example, if you are serving egg tacos, have a hollandaise sauce. For beef tacos, consider a chimichurri or peri-peri sauce (I’ve heard Trader Joe’s peri-peri sauce is delicious, FYI). For lamb tacos, consider a tzatziki sauce or mint pesto. And a creamy salsa would definitely count as a sauce!
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Are you ready for tacos yet? Yep, we are, too.
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Are you looking for even more Mexican recipes? Check out dozens more in the StyleBlueprint archives.
Liza Graves
As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!