Halloween Taco Cups
These easy Halloween Taco Cups are the ultimate party bite — fun, festive, and endlessly customizable! Each mini cup is layered with Spanish rice, black beans, salsa, sour cream, crisp lettuce, cheddar cheese, and topped with a fun tombstone cracker for a perfect mix of textures and flavors. They’re easy to make ahead, simple to serve, and a total crowd-pleaser for any Halloween get-together. Add your favorite toppings or layers and let guests dig in!
Ingredients for Halloween Party Appetizer
- Spanish Rice (in Ready-Made Package) – I love the 90 second microwave packages – SO easy! You can of course make your own from scratch if you want.
- Black Beans– You just need 1 cup of black beans (I get them from a can). I recommend adding a few spices to them for more flavor (garlic powder, cumin, chili powder – see the recipe for specific measurements)
- Salsa – mild, medium, or spicy – whatever you like!
- Sour Cream – you can choose a dairy-free version if needed. I like the one from Tofutti.
- Lettuce – Shredded or finely chopped
- Shredded Cheese – I like cheddar. Choose a dairy-free version, if desired. I like Violife or Follow Your Heart.
- Oval or Rectangle Crackers – For your tombstone. In my photos I am using Town House crackers (vegan friendly) but you could also use Club Crackers (rectangular in shape)
- Edible Food Marker – Yes these exist! I got mine online.
- 3 oz plastic cups – I got these online as well. You could consider doing larger cups but will need to adjust the ingredient amounts as needed.
- Optional: tiny spoons (plastic) – for serving
How to Make This Easy Halloween Appetizer
1. Gather all your ingredients
I find it easiest to put all the ingredients in small bowls for easy assembly.
For your microwave spanish rice, I recommend microwaving for part of the time, not the full 90 seconds, but just enough to soften the rice to make it scoopable. This is because hot rice in a plastic cup will create condensation (so you won’t be able to see the rice very clearly in the cup) and also could potentially melt the plastic (not yummy!)
The black beans can be warmed slightly, but it really is unnecessary if they are pre-cooked.
2. Assemble
Start by pressing down spanish rice in the bottom 1/3.
Then press black beans in the next 1/3.
Top with a thin layer of salsa.
Follow with some sour cream, spreading it evenly with a spoon.
Top with the shredded lettuce.
Sprinkle on some cheese.
Optional step: Add some black olives for garnish.
Write “RIP” with edible marker on your cracker. Place it in the cup near the back.
3. Serve
Once fully assembled (including cracker) they are best enjoyed right away.
If you want to prep these for a party, complete all the steps EXCEPT the cracker. When you are ready to serve, pop the crackers in and they are ready to go!
Serving Recommendations
These can be served chilled or room temp. It’s hard to serve warm because you cannot reheat in a plastic cup. They are delicious even when not warm!
These look really cute on a large Halloween platter, like this one!
Taco Cup Variations: Filling Ideas
Common Questions
Yes, you can, but don’t put the cracker on top until you are ready to serve. (It tends to get mushy if it sits for a long time in the cup). You can fill all the cups with the ingredients, place on a tray, and cover with a large plate or plastic wrap. Store in the fridge until your party.
Most do not contain milk products, but make sure to check the label.
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Halloween Taco Cups (Easy Appetizer)
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Equipment
- 10-12 3 oz plastic cups
Ingredients
- 8.8 oz package 90-second Spanish rice
- 1 cup black beans optional: add 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp of salt for more flavor
- 1/2 cup salsa of choice
- 1 cup finely chopped lettuce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese choose a dairy-free version if vegan (I like Follow Your Heart or Violife)
- 1/2 cup sour cream choose a dairy-free version if vegan (like Tofutti)
- 10-12 Club or Town House crackers or another oval or rectangular cracker
- black edible food marker optional – to write "RIP" on the cracker
Optional toppings
- sliced black olives
- guacamole
- jalopeño slices
- So many more! See below more more ideas
Instructions
Gather all your ingredients
- I find it easiest to put all the ingredients in small bowls for easy assembly.Microwave spanish rice: I recommend microwaving for part of the time, not the full 90 seconds, but just enough to soften the rice to make it scoopable. Hot rice in a plastic cup will create condensation (so you won't be able to see the rice very clearly in the cup) and also could potentially melt the plastic (not yummy!)Black beans: Can be warmed slightly, but it really is unnecessary if they are from a can and are pre-cooked.
Assemble
- Start by pressing down spanish rice in the bottom 1/3.
- Then press black beans in the next 1/3.
- Top with a thin layer of salsa.
- Follow with some sour cream, spreading it evenly with a spoon.
- Top with the shredded lettuce.
- Sprinkle on some cheese.
- Optional step: Add some black olives for garnish.
- Write "RIP" with edible marker on your cracker. Place it in the cup near the back.
Serve
- Once fully assembled (including cracker) they are best enjoyed right away.
- If you want to prep these for a party, complete all the steps EXCEPT the cracker. When you are ready to serve, pop the crackers in and they are ready to go!
Notes
- The ingredients measurements are estimations to make 10-12 cups. This may vary based on how much filling you add to each cup. You could easily double this recipe for a big party.
- If you warm the rice and beans, condensation will build on the bottom of the cup – and it tends to make it harder to see what’s in the cup (and doesn’t look as “pretty” in my opinion.) I recommend adding room temperature ingredients when assembling.
- These can be served chilled or room temp. It’s hard to serve warm because you cannot reheat in a plastic cup. They are delicious even when not warm!
