Aunt Sue’s Doritos Taco Salad Recipe

This Dorito’s Taco Salad recipe is famous in our family, known to us as “Aunt Sue’s Taco Salad,” it’s always present at our family gatherings.   This easy recipe is full of yummy fresh veggies, beans, lean ground beef, and shredded cheese, then, right before serving crunchy Doritos are mixed in, and tossed with a tangy Italian dressing. Switch up your Taco Tuesday, and serve this delicious salad as a quick and easy meal- your whole family is sure to give it rave reviews!

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If my sister-in-law Sue asks “What should I bring?” 95% of the time she gets a resounding TACO SALAD! This salad is legendary among my kids, her kids … pretty much everyone. It’s perfect to take to a gathering, whether it be a cookout, a tailgate, or a large family event.  It always disappears quickly, and it feeds a crowd!

Taco Salad with Doritos

Whether you are serving this Dorito Salad as a side dish or a main dish, it’s sure to be a big hit. I mean, who doesn’t love Doritos? This is a great recipe for any potluck, and it’s ever-present at our cookouts on holiday weekends. I know there are lots of recipes like this one, roaming around the internet – but dare I say this is the Best Dorito’s Taco Salad? Yes, yes, I do!

Ingredients in Taco Salad with Doritos

For complete ingredients and instructions scroll to the bottom of this post for the full printable recipe card. 

• iceberg lettuce – I enjoy using a mixture of iceberg and Romaine lettuce. 
• shredded cheddar cheese – I highly recommend grating your own cheese, instead of buying the pre-shredded packaged kind.   
• lean ground beef – I brown mine with some diced yellow or white onion and salt and pepper. Substitute ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.  
• tomatoes – diced
• dark red kidney beans – drained and rinsed
• Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed
• Italian Dressing – we always use Wishbone brand

How to Make Doritos Taco Salad

Just a few easy steps before you’re noshing on this yummy Dorito’s Taco Salad!

Brown ground beef with salt and pepper in a large skillet, and drain off any excess fat. Set aside.

Note: Sometimes I add a little diced onion to the meat when I brown it – but not always. 

Rip lettuce into a large bowl.

Add chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, ground beef, and cheese. Toss.

Right before you are ready to serve, add in the shredded cheese and dressing. Toss.

Mix in crushed Doritos.

Serve immediately.

​I typically keep the Doritos separate if I plan to keep leftovers. They get soggy in the fridge. But the salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge. I would recommend eating it the next day. 

Love It? Pin It!

If you love this Doritos Taco Salad recipe make sure that you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!

Substitutions

• Sub Dark Red Kidney Beans for other beans like black beans, chili beans, pinto beans or garbanzo beans. Use what you like – or even just what you have on hand.
• Change up the salad dressing with French dressing, tangy Catalina dressing, Ranch dressing, or Nebraska’s Favorite; Dorothy Lynch. Mix a little sour cream into your Italian dressing for a creamy Italian twist.  
• Instead of Nacho Cheese Doritos, try using Spicy Doritos or Cool Ranch Doritos. This delicious taco salad will be great with your favorite kind!
• Use a Mexican Blend cheese in place of cheddar. 
• I never season my ground beef with anything other than salt and pepper and onion, use a packet of Taco Seasoning if you want Taco Meat instead. I have a homemade taco seasoning recipe here on my website. 
• Other optional add-ins: Black Olives, red onion, green onions, jalenpeño, bell peppers.
• Leave the meat out entirely for a vegetarian Dorito’s Taco Salad – Add in extra beans for more protein if you like. 

What to Serve with Doritos Taco Salad?

We love this recipe as a side dish to grilled hamburgers, brats and hot dogs. But honestly, it goes good with any protein. Fried chicken, grilled pork chops, you name it!

Recipes that Use Doritos

Do you love Doritos like we do?  Here are a couple of other recipes that call for Doritos that we love: 

Chicken & Doritos Casserole (pictured above), Mom’s Taco Casserole, Slow Cooker Dorito Taco Casserole and even Spicy Nacho Flavored Doritos Popcorn!

See ALL of my Salad Recipes

I can’t wait to hear what you think of this Easy Doritos Taco Salad recipe! Please leave me a comment if you try it and let me know!

I first published this recipe on July 7, 2015. It has been updated to improve user experience and reshared on April 8, 2024.