Would you like to plan a taco bar for a lot of people? Our taco bar calculator can help you!
Are you trying to figure out how many pounds of taco meat each person needs? Are you looking for the most complete list of taco bar ingredients you can find online? You’ve come to the right place!
Read on to quickly finish your taco bar shopping list and learn how to serve tacos to a large group, no matter the event! Also, if you cook or bake a lot, check out our cooking measurement converter to get the exact amount of each ingredient you need.
Tacos are one of the best meals for feeding a crowd. They are easy to make, customizable, and almost everyone loves them! When you are hosting a large taco dinner, determining how much meat you need can be tricky. You want to make sure you have enough so no one goes hungry, but not so much that you end up with a freezer full of leftover taco meat.
In this article I’ll provide a simple ground beef calculator to tell you exactly how many pounds of meat you need when making tacos for 40 people. You’ll also find helpful tips on planning a fantastic taco bar that will satisfy even the heartiest appetites!
Figuring Out How Much Taco Meat Per Person
When calculating how much taco meat to purchase, the first step is determining how many tacos each person will eat. Here are some general guidelines:
- Adult men – 3-4 tacos
- Adult women – 2-3 tacos
- Teens (13-18 yrs) – 3-4 tacos
- Kids (4-12 yrs) – 1-2 tacos
- Toddlers (2-4 yrs) – 1 taco
Of course appetites vary widely so adjust as needed for extra hearty or light eaters in your group. As the host, it’s better to have too much than not enough food.
On average, each taco uses around 4 ounces of cooked ground beef. That equals about 1/2 pound of raw meat per 3 tacos.
So for 40 people estimate 120-160 total tacos needed. Using the 1/2 pound of raw beef per 3 tacos formula you will need 20-26 pounds of ground beef for the entire group.
Always round up when estimating to ensure you have enough!
Purchasing The Right Amount of Ground Beef
To make taco planning easy, here is a simple chart with specific poundage to buy for different sized taco parties:
- Tacos for 10 people – 3-5 lbs ground beef
- Tacos for 15 people – 5-7 lbs ground beef
- Tacos for 20 people – 7-9 lbs ground beef
- Tacos for 40 people – 20-26 lbs ground beef
- Tacos for 50 people – 25-30 lbs ground beef
- Tacos for 75 people – 35-40 lbs ground beef
- Tacos for 100 people – 45-55 lbs ground beef
For a group of 40, purchasing 25-26 pounds of ground beef is recommended. This allows for 3-4 tacos per person, with a little extra.
Always check your grocery store ad for the best price on ground beef and stock up when it goes on sale!
Tips For Cooking All That Taco Meat
Cooking 20+ pounds of ground beef is no small task! Here are some tips to make it more manageable:
- Cook in smaller batches – don’t try to brown more than 3-4 lbs at once
- Use a very large skillet, dutch oven, or even divide between two skillets
- Make sure to stir frequently and break up the meat as it cooks
- Drain excess grease as each batch finishes cooking
- Let the meat cool slightly before adding taco seasoning
- Make the meat ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze in portions
When browning in batches, the total cooking time will take 1-2 hours. If you have time, tackle it over a couple days in 10 lb increments.
Perfectly Seasoning A Crowd-Sized Batch of Taco Meat
To season 20-26 lbs of ground beef, you’ll need:
- 1-1 1⁄4 cups taco seasoning (I prefer homemade over store-bought)
- 10-13 cups water to rehydrate the meat after browning
If using packaged seasoning, simply follow the directions on the packet for spice amounts.
For homemade, use approximately 1 TBSP of seasoning and 1⁄2 cup water per pound of ground beef.
Add the spices after cooking when the meat has cooled slightly. Pour in the water and stir well until combined.
For a party, making the meat 1-2 days in advance works well. Store it in the fridge until an hour before guests arrive, then reheat in a skillet or slow cooker.
Tacorrific Taco Bar Topping Suggestions
Once you’ve got the main protein ready, here are some tasty taco bar essentials:
- Taco shells – flour, corn, crunchy or soft
- Refried beans and/or black beans
- Diced onions and peppers
- Shredded lettuce and cabbage
- Diced tomatoes
- Salsa – mild and hot
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- Grated cheese – cheddar, queso fresco, etc.
- Jalapeños and other sliced peppers
- Limes and cilantro
Provide an assortment of salsas and hot sauces so guests can amp up the flavor how they like it.
Crunchy toppings like lettuce should be added just before eating so they don’t get soggy.
Handy Items For Serving 40 People Tacos
When serving a crowd, make your life easier with these handy taco party supplies:
- Chafing dishes to keep taco meat and other toppings warm
- Disposable taco holders so guests can build tacos easily
- Tong sets for hygienic self-serving
- Labelled condiment squeeze bottles for fast toppings assembly
- A napkin holder and extra napkins
- A beverage dispenser with margaritas or agua fresca!
With the right tools, you’ll keep ingredients fresh and accessible for guests to customize their tacos all night long.
Planning An Epic Taco Fiesta!
Feeding a group of 40 is no small feat, but tacos make it fun and manageable. Use 20-26 pounds of ground beef, season it perfectly, and arrange bountiful garnishes for guests to craft their ideal tacos.
With a bit of planning and these tips, you’ll throw an incredible taco bar bash that will have everyone shouting Olé! ¡Buen provecho!
How much taco meat per person?
Instead of just asking, “How much ground beef do you need for each person for tacos?” we made 4 different kinds of meat to meet all of your needs.
We estimated that the average person would need 6. 5 oz (184 g) of ground beef or shrimp, 5. 0 oz (142 g) of hamburger meat, or 5. 5 oz (156 g) of chicken.
Lets see exactly how many pounds of taco meat for 200 people we need:
- Enter the number 200 into our taco meat calculator.
- Choose your desired unit of weight.
- Choose between:
- Chicken — 62.5 lb;
- Hamburger meat — 62.5 lb;
- Ground beef — 81.25 lb; and
- Shrimps — 81.25 lb.
With our taco bar calculator, it should be easy to make tacos for a lot of people. At least you’ll know how many pounds of taco meat each person needs
What vegetables go with tacos?
For tacos, the classic choices are lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. You can add other things, like beans, refried beans, olives, and bell peppers, in addition to these traditional choices.
How To Make: Ground Meat for Tacos with Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
FAQ
How much taco meat do you need for 40 people?
How much ground meat do I need for 40 people?
How many tacos will 10 pounds of ground beef make?
How much ground beef for 50 tacos?
How much ground beef per Taco?
Our calculator simplifies the process of determining how much ground beef you need. The general rule of thumb is 1/8th of a pound (about 2 ounces) of taco meat per taco. This estimation considers the shrinkage of meat during cooking and the addition of seasonings and other ingredients.
How many tacos for 20 people?
Yup, you’ve got to make 60 tacos for 20 people. 10 pounds of raw ground beef, yielding 7.5 pounds of cooked ground beef in total. This will be enough to stuff each taco with 2 ounces of ground beef each, serving three tacos to each person.
How much taco meat do I Need?
If you are going to use ground beef, you will need 6.2 pounds for catering a party of 20 people. When opting for shredded turkey or chicken, you will need 6.4 pounds. Simply multiply the number of guests with a single serving of taco meat, and you will get the total amount of taco meat.
How much ground beef do you cook for 50 people?
Time to roll up your sleeves and get taco-ing. But really, cooking for 50 people is no walk in the park. Be sure to prepare at least 25 pounds of raw ground beef. This will yield about 18.75 pounds of cooked ground beef. This will be enough for a total of 150 tacos, 3 per person, filled will roughly 2 ounces of cooked ground beef each taco.