My are made in a matter of minutes using cheese slices. Making Keto Cheese Shell Taco Cups a great way of reducing the carb count on any meal and what’s even better is they are super simple to cook with minimal preparation.

Keto Cheese Shell Taco Cups

Name: Keto Cheese Shell Taco Cups with Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: Sliced Colby Jack Cheese or sub with desired cheese; Preferred type of taco meat ground beef featured in this picture; 2 tomatoes chopped; 2 jalapenos; Juice of ½ a fresh lemon; ¼ cup olive oil; ¼ cup Greek yogurt; 1 clove minced garlic; 1 cup loosely packed cilantro stems removed; ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar; Pinch of salt

I have many friends on the Keto Diet right now, and there are a lot of discussions and sharing on social media about ways to make favorite dishes Keto Friendly.

One of my boys thinks every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday and I’m always looking for ways to mix it up a little, while still sticking to the general Taco/Mexican Food theme. Using cheese squares to create Keto Friendly Taco Shells is one fun way to change it up.

My guys also love the Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce and want me to use it in several other recipes too. I’m not afraid to admit it’s too hot and spicy for me – I can’t tolerate jalapenos or anything too spicy, so I leave it off of mine and add extra to theirs!

I hope you enjoy this Keto Cheese Shell Taco Cups with Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce and be sure to share it with your family and friends!

What is a Keto Taco Cup?

Mexican hard shell or cup tacos are fried tortillas that have been made with corn flour. Tortillas are too high in carbs so no use for anyone following a keto diet. I’ve made my Keto Taco Cups with slices of cheese instead, making them ideal for anyone following a Keto or low-carb diet. They also happen to be gluten free too.

How to get the best shape for Keto Cheese Cup Tacos?

Getting the cup shape right for making these Keto Cheese Cup Tacos was made a whole lot easier when I thought about using a muffin tin to help mould the cheese slices into shape.

Once the cheese slice has been melted it is placed inside a muffin tin to form a cup shape. I show you just how easy this is in the recipe below.

How to make Keto Cheese Cup Tacos:

Begin by looking out all your ingredients ready to start.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place slices of cheese on the prepared baking sheet – leaving an inch or so between each.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, the cheese slices should be golden brown and just be starting to bubble slightly.

Remove the sheet from the oven and allow the cheese slices to cool on the pan for two minutes.

Then using a spatula, gently lift each cheese slice and place one in each cup of a muffin tin.

Carefully press the cheese into the cup, pushing out to the edges to form the cup shape.

Allow to cool in the muffin tray for 10 minutes.

When cool, remove the cheese cups from muffin tin and place on a tray or platter and get ready to assemble.

How to make Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce:

While the cheese taco cups are cooling, prepare the Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce.

Slice the jalapenos horizontally, trim and remove all (or some) of the seeds depending on your desired heat preference.

More seeds = more heat.

Place the pieces of jalapeno into a food processor, add the juice of half a lemon, olive oil, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, and salt.

Pulse several times until ingredients have been broken down into a smooth sauce.

Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Keto Cheese Taco Cups ingredients & flavor variations:

CHEESE: I have used sliced Colby Jack Cheese, it is a great melting cheese and has a nice flavor – not too strong to overpower the other flavors on the dish. You can substitute with any other cheese slice, like cheddar .
TACO MEAT: Use the type of taco meat that your family enjoy eating. I have used ground beef but you can use ground pork; chicken or turkey as they would all work in this dish.
JALAPENO CHILI: 2 jalapenos are used to add chili heat to the jalapeno and cilantro sauce. If you want to reduce the heat remove and discard the seeds.
LEMON: The juice of ½ a fresh lemon adds acidity to the sauce, you could substitute with lime juice.
OLIVE OIL: Olive oil is added to the sauce, you can use regular or extra virgin olive oil or swap for rapeseed oil which would also work.
GREEK YOGURT: Greek yogurt adds a creamy element to the sauce, you could also use sour cream.
GARLIC: 1 clove of minced garlic flavors the sauce. If you want to cut back on the flavor, just add half a clove instead.
CILANTRO: Fresh cilantro flavors the sauce, I remove the stems and only use the leaves.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: I use apple cider vinegar for acidity in the sauce, but you could substitute with white wine vinegar.

How can I reduce the chili heat?

The easiest way to reduce chili heat when making the jalapeno cilantro sauce is to remove and discard the seeds from the jalapenos. This will cut down on the heat in the sauce leaving it a little milder.

I’m the first to admit that I can’t handle chili heat, however my family love chili. So what I do is add the jalapeno cilantro sauce to their tacos and leave it off mine entirely.

Can you have have salsa on keto?

Salsas and sauces, like my Jalapeno Cilantro sauce, are ideal on any keto diet as they are generally made using fresh vegetables, spices and other seasonings.

If you are using store bought salsas just check the ingredients label first to ensure that no sugar or preservatives have been added which will increase the carb count.

Serving suggestion:

I like to fill my keto cheese taco cups by filling a few tablespoons of taco meat into each cup. You can then follow this with your favorite toppings, sauces and salsas. It is a good idea to put these in separate bowls on the table, that way everyone can make their own taco just how they like it.

Here are some topping ideas:

Jalapeno cilantro sauce
Greek yogurt
Sour cream
Tomato salsa
Sweetcorn salsa
Guacamole or slices of avocado
Lettuce
Shredded cheese
Freshly chopped cilantro

Recipe tips:

When molding the molten cheese, take real care not to burn your hands.
Always wash you hands immediately after handling chili, this stops the risk of touching your eyes and face.
Leftover cheese taco cups can be stored in an airtight container on the counter top for 1-2 days after being cooked, making these easy cheese taco cups ideal for making ahead.

Don’t miss these additional delicious Keto Recipes here at When Is Dinner:

Yield: 8

Keto Cheese Shell Taco Cups with Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

Sliced Colby Jack Cheese or sub with desired cheese
Preferred type of taco meat ground beef featured in this picture
2 tomatoes chopped
2 jalapenos
Juice of ½ a fresh lemon
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup Greek yogurt
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup loosely packed cilantro stems removed
½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place sliced cheese on the prepared baking sheet – leaving an inch or so between each.

Bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven.

Cheese slices should be golden brown and just be starting to bubble slightly.

Allow cheese slices to cool on the pan for two minutes.

Using a spatula, gently lift each cheese slice and place one in each cup of a muffin tin.

Carefully press the cheese into the cup to form the same shape.

Allow them to cool in the cups for 10 minutes.

While cups are cooling, prepare the Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce.

To prepare the sauce: Slice jalapenos horizontally, trim and remove all (or some of the seeds depending on your desired heat preference.)

Place the pieces of jalapeno into a food processor.

Add the juice of half a lemon, olive oil, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, and salt.

Pulse several times until ingredients have been broken down into a smooth sauce.

Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Remove cheese cups from muffin tin and place on a tray or platter.

Place a few tablespoons of taco meat in each cup, followed by freshly chopped tomato, a drizzle of jalapeno cilantro sauce, extra Greek yogurt and cilantro and/or any other preferred toppings (salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, etc.).

Notes

Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce may be stored in the fridge for up to a few days. Use it on fajitas, chicken burrito bowls – you can really get creative as there are many uses of this sauce!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 308Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 424mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 17g