Looking for a fun and creative polymer clay craft? This mini clay taco is the perfect DIY project for anyone who loves tiny creations and working with polymer clay! In just a few simple steps, you can shape, texture, and assemble your own adorable taco — complete with realistic-looking lettuce, cheese, and tomato details.
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned crafter, this project is easy and fun. Use your mini taco as a fridge magnet, keychain charm, necklace pendant, or as a cute addition to your miniature food collection. So grab your polymer clay tools and let’s start crafting this tiny taco-shaped masterpiece!
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How to Make a Clay Taco
Materials:
- Polymer clay (tan, brown, orange, green, red)
- Chalk pastels
Equipment:
- Drinking glass (or clay roller)
- Tweezers (optional)
Watch the step-by-step video tutorial:
Instructions:
Step 1: Find what you need
- Gather your supplies and materials.
Step 2: Make the clay taco shell
- Begin by setting up a clean/dust free surface to work on. We used a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.Then break off a small piece of tan coloured polymer clay and condition it, rolling it and squishing it between your fingers until it’s easy to work with. Roll the clay into a ball.
- Place a small piece of parchment paper on top of the clay ball and use the bottom of a drinking glass to flatten the clay into a round tortilla.The circle should be about 1/16 inch thick and have a 1-1/4 inch diameter.
- Wet a paintbrush and transfer some water onto an orange-yellow coloured chalk or soft pastel. Use the brush to pick up some colour.
- Brush the colour onto the clay, spreading it around evenly on the top and sides of the clay circle.
- Then layer on a smaller amount of terracotta brown pastel, creating a corn tortilla colour.
- Finally, use a dotting tool to pick up a bit of darker brown pastel. Use the dotting tool to add flecks of colour and texture to the tortilla.Set the tortilla aside so the colour can dry while you work on the toppings.
Step 3: Make the clay toppings
- Break off a tiny bit of dark brown clay and roll a ball between your fingertips.
- Then roll the ball along a textured tool to create pieces of ground beef.
- Repeat, making at least 5 or 6 pieces for each taco.(Yes, they look like something else at this point, but we promise they look good once they’re in the taco!!)
- Flatten out a piece of orange clay until it’s about 1mm thick. You can roll it out or just squish it flat with your fingers.Use a plastic knife to cut pieces of shredded cheese. We found it easiest to do this on a separate piece of parchment that can be lifted up.
- Peel the cheese off the parchment. It should thin out and lengthen a bit as you remove it.It’s okay if the clay breaks off as you pull it up – it just makes the cheese look more realistic!
- Repeat, getting at least 7 or 8 pieces of grated cheese. You can also twist the pieces and pull them thin, leaving some pieces longer and others shorter.
- Squish a piece of green clay flat, about the same thickness as the orange clay.Use a textured knife to cut thin pieces of lettuce (6 or 7 pieces will do).
- To make tomatoes, roll a tiny ball of red clay and then flatten it between your fingertips.Use a toothpick to create lines going into the center, like spokes on a wheel. Repeat, making 5 or 6 tomato pieces.
Step 4: Put the clay taco together and bake
- Lift the tortilla shell, being careful not to distort the shape too much.Fold the circle gently into a taco shape (don’t fold in half completely!), so you can see where the fold line will be.
- Set the shell back down, with the coloured side down, and add toppings along the top half of the shell, overlapping over the edge a bit.
- Fold the bottom of the taco up.Look from the sides to make sure the taco seems full. If need be, use a toothpick or tweezers to squish in more toppings, so there aren’t any gaps.
- Finally, make 2 tiny balls from black clay and roll a thin line for a smiling mouth. Press them on the front of the taco.Then bake on a parchment lined tray, according to package directions (our clay recommends 275F for 15 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness).
- Your kawaii mini clay taco is complete!
- You can also make realistic clay tacos without the faces! Have fun making a whole plateful for taco Tuesday.
Helpful Tips:
- Customize Your Taco Toppings: Use different shades of green clay to create avocado or jalapenos, or add tiny “blobs” of white clay for sour cream.
- Add Cute Expressions: Give your taco a kawaii-inspired face, or leave it plain for a realistic miniature food look.
- Embrace Texture: Unlike other polymer clay crafts, texture is a good thing here, so ditch the gloves! Fingerprints and rough edges enhance the authentic taco shell look.
Do I have to use pastels to colour the clay taco shell?
No, you don’t have to use pastels to colour your clay taco. You can use your clay as-is or mix your own custom clay colours for the shell.
You can also paint small details on the clay after it’s baked and cooled.
What types of tools are needed to make a clay taco?
To make a polymer clay taco, you’ll need a few basic clay tools. You can find an inexpensive set at the dollar store, your local craft store, or on Amazon. We suggest using the following:
- Plastic knife (for cutting clay)
- Ball stylus tool (for texture)
- Textured tools (for adding realistic details to the taco toppings)
Alternatively, household items like a drinking glass, toothpick, plastic ruler, or crumpled aluminum foil can also be used to create similar effects.
What can I do with my clay taco?
These polymer clay tacos are cute enough to display on their own, but you can also turn them into a functional craft.
DIY Taco Magnet: Glue a magnet to the back of the baked taco for a fun food fridge magnet, just like we did in our Clay Projects with Kids Domestika course.
Clay Taco Keychain or Pendant: Use a needle tool (or toothpick) to make a small hole before baking. Then attach a jump ring to transform your cute taco into a keychain or jewelry.
No matter your skill level, crafting with polymer clay is a fun and relaxing way to unwind and explore your creativity. This DIY clay taco is the perfect project for any crafter, so have fun making these tiny food creations on Taco Tuesday or any day!
Here’s even more clay craft ideas:
Polymer Clay Pumpkin and Ghost
Now available
Low-Mess Crafts for Kids Book
72 cute and fun crafts that kids and parents alike can enjoy. All with as little mess as possible!
Where to buy:
You can purchase Low-Mess Crafts for Kids from Amazon, or wherever books are sold:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Indiebound | Amazon Canada
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