I went to New York with my girlfriends earlier this year, and the one place every single one of us had on our list before we even landed was Los Tacos No.1. From Carne Asada (grilled steak) to Nopal (grilled cactus) the main thing I learnt from visiting was that tacos don't need loads of toppings, they need just a handful of really good elements to have the most delicious bite.
So I went digging. I read through hundreds of comments across cooking forums and Reddit threads, some of them ten years old, looking for the taco toppings people actually come back to. Some of it confirmed exactly what I'd eaten in NYC. Some of it was a full-blown taco argument (wait until you see how people feel about lettuce). And a few of them I'd never have thought of in a million years...
This guide is what came out of it. In my opinion these are the 32 best taco toppings, plus my quantities table so you know how much to actually buy, and a make-ahead plan.
I should say I'm not totally new to this. Tacos are pretty much a weeknight staple in our house, and there are four of them live on the blog already: my ground pork tacos, my fish tacos with mango salsa, my black bean tacos, and, because I can't help myself, my sushi tacos.
Scroll down for the full list, my taco bar quantities cheat sheet, and the make-ahead timeline!
One thing before I get going. I'm not Mexican, and I'm not the person to tell you what counts as authentic. What I can tell you is what I've eaten, what I've cooked in kitchens and at home, and what comes up again and again when you read a few hundred people passionately discussing it. So take this as one cook's read rather than a ruling. I'll also update this post once I've been to Mexico...flights pending!!!
Jump to:
- How to Build a Taco That Actually Works
- The Four Non-Negotiables Taco Toppings
- Salsas and Sauces
- Creamy Taco Toppings
- Cheese
- Crunch and Fresh
- The Ones That Surprised Me
- What to Put Underneath your Taco Toppings
- How to Set Up a Taco Bar
- My Taco Bar Quantities Cheat Sheet
- Make-Ahead Timeline
- Expert Tips for Better Tacos
- Taco Toppings FAQs
- Looking For More Topping Inspiration?
How to Build a Taco That Actually Works
Before we get to the list, let's talk about why some tacos taste incredible and some taste like a mess of damp ingredients. For me it's about having the right proportion of taco toppings.
Someone in one of the threads I read described it as balancing rich things against bright things, and that clicked something into place for me.
The Bright / Rich / Crunch Rule
Every good taco has all three. If you miss one you'll probably feel it.
| Layer | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Bright | Cuts through fat, wakes everything up | White onion, cilantro, lime, salsa verde, pickled onions, tomatillo |
| Rich | Adds body and makes it satisfying | Crema, cotija, guacamole, refried beans, melted cheese |
| Crunch | Texture contrast against a soft tortilla | Cabbage, radish, pepitas, escabeche, crisp lettuce |
The mistake almost everyone makes at home is stacking three rich things together. Sour cream, cheddar, and guacamole on the same taco can be a bit too... heavy. It tastes flat. Add pickled onions and suddenly the whole thing comes alive, and you haven't changed anything else.
My top-tip: if your taco tastes like it's missing something, it's almost always acid. Lime, pickled anything, or a spoonful of salsa verde. Nine times out of ten that's the fix, trust me.
How many taco toppings is too many?
For a single taco: for me it's three to five.
For a taco bar: I like to have eight to twelve options out, spread across bright, rich and crunch. Fewer than six feels stingy. More than twelve and people take a bit of everything, and every taco on the table tastes identical and is also impossible to fold!
The Four Non-Negotiables Taco Toppings
If you only put four toppings out on your taco bar, put these four taco bar toppings out. This is what was on my cactus taco in New York, and it's what you'll get at basically any decent taqueria.
1. White Onion, Finely Diced
A white onion diced small is essential and is really the best onion for tacos.
I saw this stated with real conviction in a few different threads and I think people are right about it. White onion has a clean, sharp bite that cuts fat without the sweetness of a yellow onion or the slight mustiness of a red one. Try and dice it finely so you get it in every bite rather than in occasional aggressive chunks.
My top-tip: if raw onion is too harsh for you, rinse the diced onion under cold water for thirty seconds and pat it dry. It takes a bit of the edge off without cooking it.
2. Fresh Cilantro
The single most mentioned topping across everything I read, by a mile. And I'd recommend roughly chopped, stems and all (the stems have more flavor than the leaves and I don't know why people throw them away).
If, like my partner, cilantro tastes like soap to you, that's genuinely genetic and I'm really sorry. Flat-leaf parsley with a little extra lime is the closest substitute, though it isn't the same thing.
3. Lime Wedges
Lime wedges are non-negotiable for me. A taco without a squeeze of lime is a taco that's missing its final 20%.
I'd recommend putting out more lime than you think you need, cut into proper wedges rather than thin slices so people can actually squeeze them.
4. Salsa (Green and Red)
Salsa verde is bright, tangy and tomatillo-based, while Salsa roja is deeper, smokier, usually built on dried chiles.
They do different jobs because verde is brilliant on pork, chicken and anything fried, while roja is better with beef.
My top-tip: here's a tip I pickled up in one of the taco threads. Instead of putting onion, cilantro and lime out separately, mix them together into a relish ahead of time. Finely-diced white onion, chopped cilantro, a big squeeze of lime, pinch of salt. It's one bowl instead of three, the flavors marry while it sits, and it goes on evenly in one spoonful.
Salsas and Sauces
5. Pico de Gallo
Pico de gallo is chopped rather than blended, which is what separates it from a regular salsa. It's super simple to make as well, you just need tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeño or serrano, lime and salt. That's the whole thing.
Because it's raw and chunky it adds texture as well as flavor, which makes it one of the hardest-working things on the table. If you like this kind of fresh chopped-tomato situation, my bruschetta dip works on exactly the same principle.
My top-tip: salt your tomatoes separately and let them sit for ten minutes, then drain off the liquid before mixing. Otherwise you get watery pico that floods your taco, and makes a big old mess.
6. Salsa Verde
Salsa verde is really delicious. All you really need to make salsa verde is tomatillos, green chiles, garlic, cilantro, lime. It's tangy, bright, and a little bit sour in the best way.
Multiple people mentioned charring or boiling the tomatillos first, which mellows the sharpness and deepens the flavor.
7. Salsa Roja
Salsa Roja is made with dried chiles that are rehydrated and blended, sometimes with charred tomato. It's deeper, smokier and usually hotter than verde, which is great if you're looking for that extra kick of heat!
8. Salsa Macha
This came up a couple of times and I was delighted, because it's essentially a Mexican chili oil made from dried chiles, garlic, nuts or seeds, all fried in oil and left chunky.
It's nutty, crunchy, spicy and completely different from a wet salsa. If you already keep chili oil in the house you'll immediately understand the appeal, and my Vietnamese-inspired chili oil scratches a very similar itch. If you can't find either, my guide to chili oil substitutes has options.
9. Chipotle Crema
Chipotle crema is made from sour cream or Mexican crema blended with chipotles in adobo, lime and a little salt. Smoky, creamy, mildly spicy, and it drizzles beautifully.
I find this sauce goes really well with fish tacos and will definitely have people asking how you made it!
10. Spicy Mayo
Not traditional in the slightest, and I don't think that should matter too much because it's so good. Mayo with sriracha, or mayo with blended chipotle adds creaminess and heat in one go, and it's excellent on shrimp and fried fish tacos.
If you want to go further, my homemade kewpie mayo makes a much better base than regular mayo because it's richer and slightly tangy already.
This is also the sauce that holds my sushi tacos together, where sriracha mayo gets drizzled over marinated salmon and avocado on a round of nori. It's a different cuisine entirely, not at all authentic, but it's rather delicious!
11. Mango or Pineapple Salsa
Diced mango or pineapple with red onion, cilantro, lime and chile is sweet, sharp and brilliant against anything rich or spicy.
Pineapple in particular is genuinely traditional with al pastor, where the pork is cooked on a spit with pineapple on top. I've built two different versions of this into recipes on the blog and they're worth comparing. The one in my fish tacos with mango salsa uses mango, orange bell pepper, baby tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro and lime, so it leans fresh and juicy. The one in my ground pork tacos adds shredded white cabbage and green chile, which turns it into more of a slaw and gives you crunch and brightness in a single spoonful. If you're building a taco bar and want to put out one thing that does two jobs, make that one.
Creamy Taco Toppings
12. Guacamole
Mashed avocado, lime, salt, and as much or as little onion, cilantro and chile as you like - YUM! Everyone knows this one, so the only advice worth giving is: make it the same day, and press plastic wrap directly onto the surface if you need to hold it for a couple of hours.
Honestly though, I often don't make full guacamole. The smashed avocado I use in my ground pork tacos is just avocado, finely diced red onion, lime, salt and pepper, and it takes about two minutes. Same with the avocado crush in my black bean tacos which has fewer ingredients and is quicker to make if you're short on time.
13. Sliced Avocado
I think it's worth listing sliced avocado separately, because it is genuinely a different taco topping. Guacamole is creamy and blended into the taco. Sliced or cubed avocado stays distinct, keeps a firmer texture, and lets the other flavors stay separate.
There's a third option too, which is blending it into a sauce. The avocado cilantro sauce in my fish tacos blitzes avocado with jalapeño, cilantro, olive oil and a spoonful of mayonnaise until it's pourable. It coats the tortilla rather than sitting on top, which is exactly what you want under something delicate like fish.
14. Mexican Crema
Someone put it very bluntly in one of the taco toppings threads: crema, not sour cream.
Crema is thinner, less sour, slightly sweet, and it drizzles rather than sitting in a cold lump like sour cream. Once you've had it on a taco the sour cream version feels a bit... heavy.
If you can't find it you can try thin sour cream with a little lime juice and a splash of milk until it pours. It's not identical, but much closer to the real thing.
15. Sour Cream
Firmly in the Tex-Mex lane, and completely delicious there. On a crunchy ground beef taco with cheddar and lettuce, sour cream is exactly right. Just don't put it on your carne asada.
I do also use it on my ground pork tacos, where a teaspoon per taco cools the cumin and paprika down without smothering the mango salsa. You only need a teaspoon, not a dollop - trust me.
Cheese
No list of the best taco toppings is complete without cheese. So here are my top picks.
16. Cotija
Cotija cheese is firm, salty, crumbly, and the one that most people mean when they describe "that white cheese" at a Mexican restaurant. It doesn't melt, it seasons. Think of it more like a salty finishing element than a cheese.
Feta is probably the closest widely available substitute, though it's tangier and wetter.
17. Queso Fresco
Cotija's milder, softer cousin. Queso Fresco is fresh, milky, mildly salty, and it crumbles into soft curds rather than sandy crumbs. In my opinion it's better than cotija when you don't want the salt to dominate, especially on fish or vegetable tacos.
18. Shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack
The Tex-Mex classic and genuinely brilliant in its own context because it's so melty, salty and delicious!
My top-tip: grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch and it will not melt properly. Honestly, it's the difference between a molten taco and a slightly dusty one.
If you want to see this cheese doing its absolute best work, my black bean tacos fold cheddar and Red Leicester inside the tortilla and then pan-fry the whole thing until it's golden and crisp. The cheese becomes the glue and the crunch.
Crunch and Fresh
19. Pickled Red Onions
If there was one topping that people got genuinely evangelical about across everything I read, it was this. Multiple people described keeping a jar in the fridge permanently and putting them on everything.
They're also really really easy to make. Thinly slice a red onion, cover it in fresh lime juice with a good pinch of salt, and leave it for a couple of hours. That's the whole method, no vinegar, no boiling, no canning. They turn bright pink and go sharp, sweet and crunchy all at once.
I've started keeping a jar too. They're the finishing touch on my fish tacos with mango salsa, where the sharp pink onion against sweet mango and rich avocado sauce is the whole point of the dish. They're also extraordinary on burgers and rice bowls.
20. Shredded Cabbage
Someone made the case that finely shredded cabbage is far better than lettuce on a taco, and having tried both back to back I do think it's something worth thinking about.
Cabbage holds its crunch. It doesn't wilt when it meets a warm filling, it doesn't go slimy, and it has lots of flavor. Slice it as thinly as you possibly can, and dress it with lime and salt if you want to go one better.
This is standard on fish tacos for exactly this reason, and it's why I fold shredded white cabbage straight into the mango salsa on my ground pork tacos rather than putting it out separately. If you like a well-built crunchy element, my guide to crunchy salad toppings has more ideas that transfer straight across.
21. Shredded Lettuce
The Tex-Mex counterpart, and honestly, on a crunchy-shell ground beef taco it's the way to go. The cold, watery crunch of the lettuce against hot seasoned beef and melted cheese is just the best. Shred it finely and keep it cold until the last second.
22. Radishes
Thinly sliced, raw, peppery and crisp... radishes are something I grew up loving to eat in France. You'll often see them kust piled on the side of the plate, but please don't ignore them... They add a clean, sharp crunch that cuts through fatty meat like carnitas beautifully, and they look gorgeous on a taco bar.
23. Escabeche (Pickled Carrots and Jalapeños)
Somebody described the late-night taco spots in Mexico all having a jar of pickled carrots, jalapeños and onions that sits on the counter, alongside pickled habaneros.
They're sour, spicy, crunchy, and it lasts for weeks in the fridge. Genuinely one of the best-value things you can put on a taco bar because you make it once and it keeps going.
24. Pickled Jalapeños
Picked jalapeños add heat plus acid plus crunch in one ingredient. Excellent on Tex-Mex tacos, on my black bean tacos where they cut through all that melted cheese, and on nachos, obviously.
25. Diced Tomatoes
We're back in the Tex-Mex lane again. Fresh diced tomato adds juiciness and a little sweetness. If you're going traditional you'd use them in a pico rather than scattered raw, but on an American-style taco they're right at home.
The Ones That Surprised Me
This is my favorite section, and it's these weird and wonderful taco toppings that inspired me to write this post.
26. Nopales (Grilled Cactus)
Nopales are the paddles of the prickly pear cactus, grilled until tender and slightly charred, and they taste a bit like a cross between green beans and okra with a squeeze of lemon running through them. They're slightly tart, slightly slippery, deeply savory.
You can buy them jarred or canned in Mexican grocers and larger supermarkets, and it's a brilliant vegetarian taco filling that isn't just black beans again.
Though in fairness to black beans, my black bean tacos are one of the best things on my whole blog, so I'd suggest making both and deciding for yourself.
27. Chipotle Pepitas
This one came from a single comment in a cooking thread and I think it's a really great idea. Simply take raw pumpkin seeds, tossed in olive oil, chipotle powder, garlic powder and salt, and roast until they pop and darken.
They add a nutty, smoky crunch that no other topping on this list does. Brilliant scattered over veggie or bean tacos.
28. Grilled Pineapple
Yep, grilled pineapple is not just for salsa. Actual grilled chunks of pineapple, charred at the edges so the sugars caramelize are great on tacos. It's the traditional partner to al pastor and the sweetness against the spiced pork is one of the great flavor combinations in my humble opinion.
29. Cucumber with Crema
Someone described this as a Sonoran-influenced combination they grew up with: cabbage, cucumber and crème fraîche with pickled onions. It sounds a bit unusual, but the cool, crisp, creamy, tanginess of it is especially good on shrimp tacos.
I already make a version of this, though mine goes in a very different direction. My cucumber dill salad is sliced cucumber in a tzatziki-style yogurt dressing with dill, mint, garlic and lemon, and it takes five minutes. To make it Mexican inspired instead, swap the dill and mint for cilantro and the lemon for lime.
30. Esquites (Mexican Street Corn)
Esquites is essentially charred corn kernels mixed with crema, cotija, lime, chile powder and cilantro. It's elote, off the cob, and it is outrageously good spooned onto a taco.
This is the topping that will make people ask what it is. It works as a side dish too, so it earns its place twice!
31. Tajín
The chile-lime-salt seasoning in the white-capped bottle that packs a beautiful punch. A shake over the top of a finished taco adds acid, salt and gentle heat in one move.
It's probably the laziest possible upgrade on this post but it works on almost everything, especially anything with fruit or avocado in it.
32. Chili Crisp
Not remotely Mexican, but I'm putting it on the list anyway because I tried it and it's excellent. The crunchy fried garlic and chile flakes bring exactly what salsa macha brings, and if you already have a jar in the cupboard (which, if you cook the way I do, you absolutely do) it's a thirty-second upgrade.
If you want the properly Mexican version, go back up to salsa macha at number 8.
What to Put Underneath your Taco Toppings
Let's be honest, a taco bar is only as good as the thing the taco toppings are sitting on! So here's some of my favorite taco recipes you can make at home. Give them a try!
Speedy Ground Pork Tacos
My ground pork tacos are the ones I make on a weeknight when I've had a long day and I'm still not willing to eat something boring. Around 20 minutes, and only one element needs a pan. The pork gets cumin, paprika, oregano and garlic, then a splash of passata to bring it together.
Go for a higher fat ground pork if you want flavor. Leaner works, but you'll notice.
Best on a taco bar because: ground meat is the easiest thing to scale up and keep warm, and it suits both the traditional and the Tex-Mex topping lanes.
Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
My fish tacos with mango salsa take just 15 minutes, perfect when short on time. Cubed salmon seasoned with cumin and paprika, seared briefly so it stays moist in the middle, then piled onto corn tortillas with mango salsa, avocado cilantro sauce and pickled red onions.
Best on a taco bar because: It's the lightest meat you can serve in my opinion, which matters if you're putting out three proteins.
The BEST Black Bean Tacos
My black bean tacos use black beans and kidney beans with cumin, paprika, chile flakes, balsamic and Worcestershire sauce, then get folded with cheese and pan-fried until crisp. Around 20 minutes.
The balsamic is the secret here and it gives the beans a dark, savory depth that I find is missing in some vegetarian tacos.
Best on a taco bar because: you need a vegetarian option that isn't an afterthought, and this one people fight over. You can also make the filling days ahead and fry them to order.
Fail-proof Sushi Tacos
And then there's my sushi tacos, which are a taco in shape only. A round of nori instead of a tortilla, sushi rice, marinated salmon, avocado, pickled ginger and sriracha mayo.
My dad taught me and my sister to make sushi when we were little, so this one comes from a completely different part of my life than the New York trip.
Best on a taco bar because: put these out at the end as a surprise and watch what happens.
Also worth a look: if you want something crunchy and cheesy alongside all this, my beef and cheese taquitos are a brilliant thing to have on the table.
How to Set Up a Taco Bar
The taco toppings matter, but the order you lay them out in matters almost as much. Here's how I do it.
- Tortillas first, and keep them warm. Wrap them in a clean kitchen towel inside a covered dish, or use a tortilla warmer if you have one. Cold tortillas ruin everything downstream. Warm them in batches so the last person gets the same experience as the first.
- Protein second, kept hot. A slow cooker on warm is perfect for carnitas or birria, a covered skillet works for ground beef.
- Beans and rice next, if you're doing them.
- Then the wet things: salsas, crema, guacamole. Small spoons in every bowl.
- Then the dry things: cheese, cabbage, onion relish, radishes, pepitas.
- Lime wedges and Tajín at the very end, right by where people pick up their plate. These are the finishing touches and they should be the last thing people see.
My top-tip: put out small bowls, not big ones, and refill them. A half-empty enormous bowl of guacamole looks sad after twenty minutes. A small bowl you top up looks abundant all night.
My Taco Bar Quantities Cheat Sheet
Nobody tells you this bit, and it's the only thing you actually need to know when you're standing in the grocery store. This assumes three tacos per person, which is about right for a main meal.
The first column is what actually ends up on one person's plate. The last two are what to put in your basket, which is not always the same number, and I'll explain why underneath.
| Item | On each plate | Shop for 6 | Shop for 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small corn tortillas | 4 | 30 | 60 |
| Cooked protein | 4 oz | 1½ lb | 3 lb |
| Raw ground beef | 5 oz | 2 lb | 4 lb |
| Cheese, grated or crumbled | 1 oz | 6 oz | 12 oz |
| Guacamole | 2 tbsp | ¾ cup | 1½ cups |
| Salsa (per type) | 2 tbsp | ¾ cup | 1½ cups |
| Crema or sour cream | 2 tbsp | ¾ cup | 1½ cups |
| Beans | ⅓ cup | 2 cups | 4 cups |
| Shredded cabbage | ¼ cup | 1½ cups (½ small head) | 3 cups (1 small head) |
| Pickled red onions | 1 tbsp | ¾ cup (1 red onion) | 1½ cups (2 red onions) |
| White onion, diced | 1 tbsp | ⅓ cup (1 medium onion) | ¾ cup (2 medium onions) |
| Cilantro, chopped | 1 tbsp | ⅓ cup (1 large bunch) | ¾ cup (2 large bunches) |
| Limes | ½ lime (3 wedges) | 3 limes | 6 limes |
I always buy more tortillas than the math says, which is why the shopping column is 30 and not 24. They tear when you warm them, someone always wants a fourth taco, and leftover corn tortillas are never a problem.
One honest note on the guacamole row: 2 tablespoon a head is the correct amount and it is not the amount your guests will take. Guacamole always goes first. If it's the only rich topping on the table, double it.
Make-Ahead Timeline
The whole point of a taco bar is that you're not cooking while people are in your house. Here's what actually keeps.
| When | What to make |
|---|---|
| 3 days ahead | Escabeche, pickled jalapeños, salsa roja, chipotle pepitas |
| 2 days ahead | Pickled red onions, salsa verde, chipotle crema, spicy mayo |
| 1 day ahead | Beans, protein (most braised meats are better the next day), esquites, shredded cabbage (store dry, dress on the day) |
| Morning of | Pico de gallo, cilantro and onion relish, mango salsa, grated cheese |
| Last hour | Guacamole, sliced avocado, lime wedges, warming the tortillas |
My top-tip: braised proteins like carnitas and birria improve overnight. If you're hosting, make the meat the day before and reheat gently.
Expert Tips for Better Tacos
- Warm your tortillas properly. Use a dry pan, on medium-high, thirty seconds a side until they puff and get a few brown spots. Not the microwave. This is the single biggest upgrade available to you and it costs nothing.
- Double up your corn tortillas. This is what taquerias often do. Two thin tortillas hold together where one falls apart, and it isn't excessive, it's structural.
- Dip the tortilla in the meat fat before warming it. A few people mentioned this and it's definitely worth it.
- Don't overload. Three to five taco toppings. I know, I know.
- Season your taco toppings, not just your meat. Salt on the cabbage, lime on the onion, salt on the tomatoes. Unseasoned taco toppings dilute a well-seasoned filling.
- Serve tacos small. Three small tacos beat one enormous one every time, because you get more edges, more tortilla contact and more variety.
Taco Toppings FAQs
Across every forum thread I looked at, the four that come up most consistently are diced white onion, fresh cilantro, lime, and salsa. After that it's guacamole, cotija or queso fresco, and pickled red onions. In the Tex-Mex tradition the top four are shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato and sour cream instead.
Traditionally, very little. A corn tortilla, the meat, finely diced white onion, chopped cilantro, a squeeze of lime and a spoonful of salsa. Cheese often isn't included at all, and when it is it's crumbled cotija or queso fresco rather than melted cheddar. Radish and pickled vegetables usually come on the side of the plate.
Eight to twelve is the sweet spot for a group. Aim for a spread across bright toppings (onion, cilantro, lime, salsa), rich ones (crema, cheese, guacamole) and crunchy ones (cabbage, radish, pickled onions). Fewer than six feels sparse, and more than twelve means everyone's taco ends up tasting the same.
Plan on about 4 oz of cooked meat per person, which is roughly 5 oz raw for ground beef. For twelve people that's about 3 lb cooked or 4 lb raw. Allow four small tortillas each and buy extra, because they tear when you warm them.
Almost everything. Pickled onions, escabeche and salsas keep for two to three days. Braised meats like carnitas and birria are better the day after. Leave guacamole, sliced avocado and warming the tortillas for the last hour, and make pico de gallo the morning of so it doesn't go watery.
It depends which tradition you're in. For street-style tacos, cotija (salty, firm, crumbly) or queso fresco (milder and softer) are the ones you want, and neither is meant to melt. For Tex-Mex tacos, shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated yourself rather than bought pre-shredded so it actually melts.
Looking For More Topping Inspiration?
If you enjoyed this one, I've got a whole collection of topping guides:
- Bagel toppings
- Nacho toppings
- Chili toppings
- Baked potato bar toppings
- Burger toppings
- Crunchy salad toppings
And if you're in a Mexican-inspired mood, my high protein breakfast burrito is a brilliant way to use up leftover taco fillings, and my arepas reina pepiada scratch a very similar itch.
I really hope this guide helps inspire your best taco bar yet!
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