Keto Canned Chicken and Cheese Taco Shell Recipe
FREE PRINTABLE: LOW CARB & KETO FOOD LIST
GET IT NOW
This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)
- What Are Keto Cheese Taco Shells?
- Tips For How To Make Cheese Taco Shells
- How To Store Low Carb Taco Shells
- Ways To Use Keto Taco Shells
- Low Carb Keto Cheese Taco Shells - Fast, Easy & Crispy
Today is the 3-year anniversary of Wholesome Yum! I am so humbled and grateful every single day that I get to do this. Thank you for being here… from the bottom of my heart! So to honor the anniversary of my little low carb recipe site (that maybe isn't so little anymore?), I wanted to share with you one of my favorite low carb recipes. It's not a celebratory cake or low carb dessert, but it's a part of a popular low carb dinner staple… low carb tacos using keto cheese taco shells!
If you haven't tried them yet, you're going to love them! We have them for Mexican night regularly. And even if you have had them before, I hope my tips and my twist on them will be a good reason to make them again.
Either way, I'm excited to show you how to make cheese taco shells – and what to fill them with!
What Are Keto Cheese Taco Shells?
What are keto cheese taco shells? They are taco shells made of cheese! That already sounds pretty delicious if you love your tacos with cheese.
But can a taco shell made of cheese really replace a crispy taco shell? I believe it can.
The key is to use a harder cheese that gets crispy when baked, and has a flavor that goes well with Mexican. With that criteria, it's no surprise that cheddar works so well!
Now, I want to show you how to make cheese taco shells in the oven, and tell you about a small addition to up the flavor.
Tips For How To Make Cheese Taco Shells
The instructions for how to make taco shells out of cheese are below, but as always, I want to share some of my favorite tips! This way, you'll end up with the most perfect keto taco shells ever. 🙂
Use 2 jelly roll pans to save time.
You can usually fit two jelly roll pans in the oven side by side, meaning you can cook all the cheese taco shells at once. I love these particular pans! They are just big enough to fit 3 shells, but small enough to fit in the oven side by side.
And, the non-stick surface is so exceptional that they work even without parchment paper. I still like to use parchment paper for easy cleanup, though. For most pans, you definitely need the parchment paper to prevent sticking.
If you have one very large sheet pan, that will work as well.
Use spices in your cheddar cheese taco shells.
Why limit yourself to just the cheese? This recipe includes cumin and chili powder, because they're totally delicious for tacos. I used just a bit for flavor without added heat, but feel free to experiment with any spices you like.
Make the circles uniform.
It's important to have the cheese circles be uniform in both size and thickness. Otherwise, some will be done before others and it will be a big hassle.
Setup multiple glass/spoon setups ahead.
You'll need to hang the tacos all at once, in order to get the timing right. So, prep the glasses and spoons while the cheese is in the oven.
Make sure the edges are browned.
Cooking your cheddar cheese taco shells for just the right amount of time is key. They are done when the edges are bubbling and starting to brown.
See those browned edges in the pictures? They are the best part!
Hang the cheese tacos about a minute after removing from the oven.
Work quickly! If you wait too long, the cheese won't be pliable enough to form the hard keto taco shells.
But, you do want to wait 45-60 seconds for the cheese to cool enough. That way, it will still be pliable, but will not fall apart.
Use a solid turner or spatula to lift the cheese taco shells.
The easiest way to lift the cheese circles is to use a thin turner or spatula. When using parchment paper, I love a large, solid restaurant-style turner like this one. Just don't use anything with holes, because the cheese can sink through while it's still soft.
Wait for the keto taco shells to cool a little.
The cheese will crisp up more as it cools. They don't need to be totally cold, but they do get more crispy with time.
Don't reheat the shells.
Sorry, keto taco shells don't reheat too well. The cheese will start to melt and lose its shape.
How To Store Low Carb Taco Shells
Ideally, you'd serve your low carb taco shells right away. They are quick to make, so no reason not to make them right before your meal.
But, if you want to make cheddar cheese taco shells ahead, you can. Store them in the fridge with paper towels between them. Just know that they will not be as crispy as fresh ones.
I don't recommend freezing keto taco shells, because the texture of cheese changes when frozen. It tends to get crumbly.
Ways To Use Keto Taco Shells
Even though you can't freeze the actual shells, you can still cook up some meat with homemade low carb taco seasoning and freeze that. Making the taco shells later will be a breeze!
Want to try something different? How about making taco bowls? I love walking taco bowls even without a shell, but having the shell is even better.
To make them, make extra large circles, big enough to form a bowl. When they are done in the oven, drape the cheese over upside down bowls instead of over a spoon. Then, whip up some easy healthy taco salad and fill the taco bowls with it!
Of course, you can't go wrong with classic low carb tacos. Fill your keto cheese taco shells with some taco meat or barbacoa beef, and all your favorite taco fixings. Don't forget the homemade salsa with fresh tomatoes!
Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
This reader favorite recipe is included in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook! Order your copy to get 100 easy keto recipes in a beautiful print hardcover book, including 80 exclusive recipes not found anywhere else (not even this blog!), my complete fathead dough guide, the primer for starting keto, and much more.
ORDER THE EASY KETO COOKBOOK HERE
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (191 degrees C). Line either two jelly roll pans or one XL baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Place cheese in circles on the baking sheet(s), with even thickness throughout. Sprinkle with cumin and chili powder.
-
Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the edges start to brown and bubbles start to form.
-
Meanwhile, setup wooden spoons sitting horizontally across two overturned glasses (see picture above with the cheese on it). This way, they'll be ready once the cheese taco shells are out of the oven.
-
Remove the pan(s) from the oven and cool without disturbing for about 1 minute.
-
Use a flat turner or spatula to lift the cheese circles and hang them over the wooden spoons. Let them hang until hardened, about 5 minutes.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
Rate this recipe
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too - I'd love to see it!
Serving size: 1 keto taco shell
Video Showing How To Make Cheese Taco Shells:
Tap here to jump to the video for this recipe -- it's located directly above the ingredients list. It's the easiest way to learn how to make Cheese Taco Shells!
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.
Calories 152
Fat 12g
Protein 9g
Total Carbs 0.4g
Net Carbs 0.4g
Fiber 0g
Sugar 0g
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Want to save this recipe?
Create a free account to save your favourites recipes and articles!
Sign Up To Save Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We'd LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
Keto Canned Chicken and Cheese Taco Shell Recipe
Source: https://www.wholesomeyum.com/keto-cheese-taco-shells/