Taquitos
Air Fryer Taquitos taste like your favorite tacos, but rolled out. They're super easy and quick to make, so TASTY and delicious, and they're a crowd pleaser! These taquitos are perfect as an appetizer, a lunch, and freeze so well! Be sure to watch the video and step by step tips for that absolute crisp texture we LOVE!
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 teaspooon oil
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
Taquitos Filling
- Cooked ground beef Recipe above
- 2/3 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup Salsa homemade or store-bought
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup red onions diced
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup cilantro minced
- 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded or Monterey jack
Tortillas
- 24 mini tortillas 4.5 inch size corn or flour tortillas
- 1/4 cup oil avocado oil divided
To serve
- Sauces Poblano Sauce or Nacho cheese sauce
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 Avocado diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 lime wedges
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 green onions minced
Instructions
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The very first step to make taquitos is to prepare your filling, just as with tacos.
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If using cooked ground beef or leftover chicken, replace that with the beef mixture.
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If not, then cook the ground beef in oil with the onions, garlic and spices. Keep cooking until the beef is ready and proceed with the recipe.
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In a large bowl you'll add in the cooked beef or lamb, the black beans, the Homemade Salsa, lots of cilantro, the spice blend, minced garlic and onions.
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You'll mix those together realy well before adding in the cheese.
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Now you'll add the cheese and mix it in evenly. The reason we add the cheese towards the end is to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed. You wanna make sure that the taquitos filling is well mixed before proceeding so that the taste is uniform.
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At that point the filling is ready.
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To prepare the tortillas, make sure you're using the small size (about 4.5 inch diameter).
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The trick to really smooth rolling and filling of the taquitos is one thing: PLIABLE SOFT tortillas!
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Use a neutral tasting oil such as avocado. You'll need a shallow plate that's wide enough for you to comfortably dip the tortilla in. To that plate, add in the oil.
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Now one by one dip the tortilla in to the oil. You don't need to soak it or submerge, rather a quick dip. Then you'll flip and quickly the other side too.
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Take the lightly oiled tortilla and place it over a wooden surface, and place a tablespoon or so of the filling along the center.
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Now gently roll the tortilla over the filling to form a cylinder. Make sure not to overfill your tortillas, no matter how tempting it maybe be. When you overfill it, you'll have a grader time rolling and keeping the filling inside.
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After filling and rolling the tortillas, you're going to arrange them in a single layer in the basket of your air fryer.
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Air fry the taquitos while flipping them halfway for about 9-12 minutes total (depending in the strength of your air fryer).
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The taquitos will look golden and crisp on the outside.
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Since the filling is already cooked, you don't have to worry about the filling coking through. So they're ready when the tortilla is ready.
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Serve the taquitos on a plate and garnish with extra cilantro, tomatoes, green onions, avocados, lime wedges or your favorite!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Taquitos in The Air Fryer Tips and FAQ
- Choose your filing and make it as personalized to your taste as you prefer.
- When buying the tortilla, make sure to buy the small 4.5 inch size as these roll up to snack size taquitos.
- Corn or flour tortillas work well for this recipe.
- The trick to soft and pliable tortillas to roll up is the oil dip. You don't need alot of oil, just a thin layer that you'll dip the tortilla in swiftly on both sides, shaking off any excess.
- Avoid overfilling the taquito, this will make the filling seep out during cooking.
- Make sure to flip the taquitos halfway during air frying, as the air fryer heat is mainly at the top. So you'll need to flip halfway for even cooking.
- Depending on your air fryer you may ned between 9-12 mins max total cooking time. Make sure to flip at the 5 minute and decide at the point how much longer you'll need.
- Storing, preparing in advance, serving options and much more are covered below.
What to Serve with Taquitos?
Any SAUCE is great! In the video here you can see we used our Poblano Sauce. We also love dipping them in Authentic Guacamole Recipe, Homemade Salsa, Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe, Garlic Parmesan Sauce or even Spicy Mayo.
Which type of tortillas are best for taquitos?
Authentically, this recipe would be made with corn tortillas. However, if you’re not a fan of corn tortillas, you can use flour tortillas as we did so here.
How to make chicken taquitos in the Air fryer?
Follow the same steps as we did with this recipe, but substitute cooked chicken for the cooked ground beef. This would be a great recipe if you have leftover rotisserie chicken for example. Or even use the same Buffalo Chicken Wrap recipe for the chicken.
Taquitos VS Flautas, what's the difference?
Traditionally, a taquitos is small rolled like taco made using a small size corn tortilla rolled up. Flautas on the other hand, are larger size flour tortillas rolled. After testing a few times, we have successfully made our Chicken Flautas in the air fryer!
How to keep tortillas from cracking when rolling taquitos?
There are several ways to keep the tortillas pliable when rolling, especially corn tortillas as they are more sensitive than flour tortillas. You can place them in the microwave for a few seconds, and then roll right away while they're still soft. Don't wait after that as they become even harder.
You can also heat them in a small non-stick skillet over medium heat for just 1 minute total flipping them halfway. However we have found that dipping them in a shallow plate of oil, shaking off excess oil is the most helpful. Not only does it make the tortillas easy to roll, it also helps with a crisp crust when air frying.
Can I cook Taquitos in the Oven?
Yes! Follow our recipe for Chicken Flautas as we walk you step by step (and video) how to cook them in the oven. You will prepare the filling, dip in oil and roll the same way. Cook them in a single layer on a baking sheet for 12-15 minutes or so in a 400 degree F preheated oven.
How to Store Leftovers?
Any leftover taquitos store very well in an airtight container in the fridge after cooling completely.
How to Freeze Taquitos?
We love freezing them after they've air fried and cooked. Place them in a ziploc bag once cooled completely and freeze them for upto 3 months. You can alternatively freeze the taquitos when rolled and before air frying, however, you may notice some tend to un roll or open up during freezing.
Reheat Taquitos
To reheat leftovers: simply place them in the air fryer at 350 degrees and heat them for 4 minutes. For frozen taquitos that have already been cooked, place them likewise in a single layer at 350 degrees for 8 minutes shaking them halfway.
If you're cooking raw frozen taquitos, arrange them in a single layer and cook them at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes flipping halfway.