A chocolatey choco taco is the yummy creamy frozen treat that everybody loves!
This copycat recipe for choco tacos is fun to make, delicious and so easy to switch up with different toppings and favorite ice cream flavors.
Best of all, the family just might think this homemade version is even better than the popular Choco Tacos that used to be available in stores!
What is a Choco Taco?
Sweet choco tacos are a cross between waffle cones and ice cream bars. Ice cream is stuffed inside taco-shaped waffle cones and then held in place with a thin halo of melt-in-your-mouth chocolate shell.
Taco Bell took these off its menu many years ago, and recently Klondike, the maker of the popular treat discontinued making them altogether. Ice cream tacos are easy to make at home, and the kiddos just might think the homemade kind is more crispy-licious than the store-bought version! Plus, the potential for variety is endless!
A Fun Homemade Dessert
- Copycat choco uses a shortcut making them fast to prep.
- We think they taste even better than the original, the chocolate (with an addition) just seems creamier!
- They’re fun to make and you can swap up the ice cream flavor and the toppings.
- DIY choco tacos can be customized! Vanilla ice cream is the classic choice of filling, but any kind of ice cream will work. Use dairy-free, sugar-free, or the fussy one’s favorite flavor! Anything freezable can be packed inside a choco taco!
- There are unlimited choices for toppings or mix-ins too. Chopped nuts, rainbow sprinkles, or swirls of fudge or caramel in the ice cream are just a few of the many options.
What’s in a Choco Taco?
Waffle taco shell – Skip making the shells at home since you’d need a waffle cone maker (they’re pricey, I checked!). We have a couple of great alternatives to make them at home.
Our #1 choice for the taco shell is a thin and crispy pre-made pizzelle cookie (this idea for a shell comes from America’s Test Kitchen). These cookies are available at most stores or even online. Simply warm in the microwave, bend, and let cool. So easy!
Other options include waffle bowls that can be heated and shaped or small waffles, which could also be shaped when still warm (and not too crisp) from the toaster or waffle iron.
Ice Cream Filling – Vanilla ice cream goes great with the chocolate magic shell topping. But any flavor or type of frozen dessert will work, even dairy-free or Italian ice! Go totally DIY and try one of these homemade no-churn ice cream recipes: cookie dough ice cream has chunks of egg-free cookie dough in vanilla ice cream or try some vanilla ice cream with just three ingredients!
Toppings and add-ins – We dip these in our fave homemade magic shell and let them set. Chopped nuts are the ever-popular topping of choice. Other options include coconut, M&Ms, mini marshmallows or chocolate chips, chocolate or rainbow sprinkles, and more. Give creativity free reign!
How to Make Choco Tacos
Here’s how to make choco tacos the easy way:
- Warm the pizzelle cookies in the microwave (as per the recipe below) and gently hang them over a wooden spoon to cool into a taco shape.
- Make a magic shell by melting chocolate chips with coconut oil, and keep warm.
- Fill tacos with softened ice cream and freeze. Dip them into magic shell and sprinkle with peanuts or sprinkles. Freeze until set.
Serve and enjoy!
Our Favorite Toppings
- For toppings, try bits of crunchy homemade toffee sprinkled on top will give those choco tacos a burst of toasted caramel flavor!
- Edible, egg-free cookie dough is easy to crumble into chunks for a topping, mix-in, or filling ingredient!
- Want to dress up your choco tacos even more? Poke a couple of churros into the softened ice cream filling, or crumble them on top before coating with a magic shell and freezing.
Did you enjoy these Copycat Choco Tacos? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Copycat Choco Taco
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pint chocolate or vanilla ce cream
- 10 pizzelle cookies
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ¼ cup crushed peanuts or sprinkles
Instructions
- Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let sit 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Wrap pizzelles, two at a time, in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 seconds. Working quickly, bend softened pizzelles over a wooden spoon handle to create a taco shape and let sit until firm (about 1 minute or so). I place the spoons over a couple of cans so the shells can hang while they cool.
- Gently scoop or pipe softened ice cream into pizzelle taco shells. The bottom of a muffin tin is a handy way to hold the tacos upright while filling them.
- Place into the freezer until ice cream has hardened.
Assembly
- Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave at 50% power until smooth. Set aside.
- Remove tacos from the freezer. Dip into the melted chocolate mixture and quickly sprinkle with nuts if desired.
- Place on a parchment lined baking pan and place back into the freezer.
- Freeze 15 minutes before serving (or up to 3 months).
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Taco shell recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
Where can I find the Pizzelle cookies?
I was also wondering why do I have to fill this out every time I ask a question because I’ve already filled it out once.
I’ve had some luck finding them off Amazon. Otherwise it’s quite easy to make your own!
I don’t have coconut oil. Can I substitute canola or vegetable oil?
Hi Michelle, we use coconut oil because it has a higher fat content which helps the chocolate harden faster. I haven’t tried those so I can’t say for sure if it would work, my substitutes of choice would be refined coconut oil or sunflower oil. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I’m confused. In your note it says to leave leftover Choco Tacos in the refrigerator. I assume the freezer is the best place for a ice cream dessert. And thank you for this recipe for all the people that gotta have a Choco Taco!
Sorry for the confusion, definitely store them in the freezer!
I love your receipts, I’d love to have Quick and Easy receips
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Evelyn! To receive our newsletters to see more quick and easy recipes, you can sign up here or scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a signup box.