Prime Rib Tacos are the best way to use leftover prime rib. With avocado horseradish sauce and caramelized onions they are taco perfection.
Prime rib is one of those meals that just begs to be made for a special occasion. Like Christmas dinner. But what do you do with the leftovers? If you are asking yourself that question, you’ve reached the right recipe post because I am going to tell you exactly what to do with your leftover prime rib.
MAKE TACOS!
Because Tacos.
But not just any tacos, mind you, Prime Rib Tacos with Avocado Horseradish Sauce. Sounds fancy right? It’s not. It’s totally easy. And with a few steps you can wow your family with your ability to turn your leftovers into another show stopping meal.
Let’s talk about what you need:
LEFTOVER PRIME RIB: I like to slice it thin, or you could dice it into small pieces similar to carne asada.
TORTILLAS: Corn work best!
YELLOW ONIONS AND GARLIC: Sliced thin as well. Sautéed they go perfectly with these tacos!
Now we all know that horseradish cream sauce is a must when making Prime Rib, so I figured these tacos needed to have some horseradish too. But with a latin twist. Whether you want to call it Avocado Horseradish Sauce or Horseradish guacamole, this stuff is amazeballs. To make it you’ll need:
AVOCADO
GARLIC
LEMON JUICE: The lemon juice does double duty here. First, it adds brightness to the avocado and it also keeps it from oxidizing and turning brown.
PREPARED HORSERADISH: You can find this in the condiment aisle of your grocery store. Keep in mind, prepared horseradish is different than the creamy horseradish sauce. Beaver’s Prepared Hot Horseradish (affiliate link) is my go-to brand.
SALT
Like most taco recipes, this one is easy too!
STEP #1: Start by preparing the avocado horseradish sauce. Place avocado, garlic, lemon juice, horseradish and salt together in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate while you prepare the tacos.
DES’ TIP: I use a mini 3.5 cup food processor (affiliate link) for this. If the food processor is too big, it won’t blend this enough unless you double the batch. You can also use a potato masher to mash it together for a chunkier version.
STEP #2: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook onions until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and sliced prime rib. Cook just until the prime rib is warmed through. Transfer to a plate, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
STEP #3: In the same skillet you cooked the meat, heat a thin layer of oil. Fry a taco shell, 30 seconds on each side and transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining taco shells.
STEP #4: To assemble a taco, place a spoonful of prime rib mixture in the middle of a shell. Spoon avocado sauce on top. Sprinkle with cilantro. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve.
If I’m being honest, while the prime rib is great (duh) it’s the sauce that totally steals the show! It also makes it not *super* kid friendly since the horseradish gives it a little kick. I just gave my kiddos regular guacamole and all was right!
Can’t get enough tacos? Welcome to the club! Here are some of my most popular taco recipes:
Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Cream Sauce
If you’re looking for more Beef recipes check these out!
Flat Iron Steak with Balsamic Sauce
Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2014. It was updated with new photos and nutrition facts in 2020.
Elaine
January 3, 2022 at 7:27 pmLoved this recipe. Just finished eating. It was a big winner! The only change I would make was doubling the horseradish. We don’t have any little kids anymore and we love horseradish.
Deseree
January 5, 2022 at 8:00 pmGlad you enjoyed these, Elaine!
Jeanne Monroe
December 29, 2019 at 6:02 pmHey, did anyone else have trouble with making the avocado sauce? Everything just gets whipped onto the sides of the processor bowl, all still chunky? I was expecting smooth. Seems there is not enough to fill the bowl and I followed the recipe exactly….wish I would have at least put the garlic thru the press. :( I am sure it’ll be fine, the flavors seem spot on, so thanks.
Deseree
December 29, 2019 at 6:16 pmHi Jeanne! I’m glad that you enjoyed the flavor! The sauce isn’t supposed to be super smooth but if it’s super chunky, it might come down to the size of the food processor you’re using. If you’re using a super large one, this might not be enough stuff to make it work well if that makes sense. What size are you using? You could always try mashing with a potato masher to see if that helps!
Ed
August 26, 2019 at 4:38 pmThese are amazing. But, it’s not limited to a prime rib roast (since I make s prime rib once or twice a year.). Living in California, we grill tri-tip a lot and there’s always leftovers. That sauce is wonderful on s tri-tip taco!!!
Deseree
August 26, 2019 at 8:57 pmOoooh that is fabulous to know Ed! I will have to try that next time!
Dianna
May 13, 2019 at 6:14 pmFabulous, used left over prime rib and horseradish too. Made my salsa. My hubby is the horseradish guy
He says yumm
Deseree
May 13, 2019 at 9:03 pmThat’s great too hear! I adore pretty much anything with horseradish too!
Danielle Green
December 29, 2017 at 11:20 amThese simply look amazing!
Sweet Basil
December 29, 2017 at 9:52 amWe love horseradish and that sauce sounds like the absolute perfect way to top a prime rib taco!
Alecia
December 29, 2017 at 6:38 amI completely agree about winter ending with Christmas! I think these tacos will do a good job making me forget the frozen tundra I live on for a while though ;-)
Betsy @ Desserts Required
December 28, 2017 at 5:51 pmMy mouth is watering just looking at this!
Allison Miller
December 27, 2017 at 1:26 pmA prime rib taco sounds like the best idea ever!
Derek Deen
December 26, 2017 at 5:33 pmThis is a must try! We just tried this tonight with Christmas leftovers and this in my wife’s words is the best leftover idea yet! Thanks for sharing
Deseree
December 27, 2017 at 9:07 pmI am so happy to hear that Derek! It is one of our favorite ways to use leftover prime rib too!
Jill S
July 20, 2016 at 7:25 pmThese were so very tasty! We added some yellow bell peppers to the sautéed onions and added some lettuce and sharp white cheddar to the toppings. Delish.
Des @ Life's Ambrosia
July 21, 2016 at 2:34 pmYay! I am so happy to hear that you like them and I LOVE the sound of adding some sharp white cheddar. Yum!
Cheryl Benecke
June 23, 2015 at 4:52 amI am making these tonight. Can’t wait to try them. Will report back. I had left over prime rib from Father’s Day and Googled recipes for left over prime rib and yours was the first to pop up. Looks fabulous! Thank you! Love your blog too. I will be following you from now on. Oh and brilliant photos by the way, thanks to your hubby as you mentioned. We certainly eat with our eyes first.
Laura T
February 24, 2015 at 8:46 pmThese are brilliantly inventive! What a great way to make sure extra meat does not go to waste. And I love the horseradish with the beef–such a classic combo and for good reason!
fakeginger
February 24, 2015 at 8:03 pmThese are my kind of tacos! I want one RIGHT NOW.
Nibbles By Nic
February 24, 2015 at 6:38 pmWow, is this pretty!! I love the fried taco shell idea!! How creative :-)
Brandy M
February 24, 2015 at 10:06 amWe do taco Tuesday a lot, this would be a great change of pace from what we usually have! Thank you for sharing it.
Heather // girlichef.com
February 24, 2015 at 5:47 amSeriously, there is no other explanation needed than…tacos! These sound absolutely perfect…I need a few.
Rachel Cooks
February 24, 2015 at 3:59 amYou had me at prime rib! The fried taco shell and the sauce are totally icing on the cake! Wowza.
Alice
February 24, 2015 at 12:37 amhaha I absolutely love this! ;) we do this all of the time! This is so perfect to lighten up these dark, dreary, winter days! Plus, as a first time visitor to your blog, I absolutely love the layout and everything, it is so easy to navigate and so pleasing to the eye!
Deseree
February 24, 2015 at 9:33 pmThank you Alice!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan
December 19, 2014 at 11:28 amI have to try that avocado horseradish sauce!! Also, I’m so with you. Let’s just skip January-April.
Heather @FrenchPress
December 19, 2014 at 7:53 amI am SO looking forward to our prime rib leftovers now
Meg
December 19, 2014 at 5:24 amPrime rib tacos?! I am sold!
Sharon
December 19, 2014 at 4:57 amThese look amazing! We’re huge fans of beef in my house, we’ll definitely be making these soon!