The Ultimate Fried Tacos (Easy, Crispy Recipe!)
Mar 20, 2024, Updated May 14, 2024
What is better than meaty, crunchy and flavor-laden fried tacos? You’ll be cranking out restaurant-worthy hot, crunchy tacos with this easy method.Â
Table of Contents
- Wanna Make the Best Crispy Tacos of Your Life?
- 3 Ways to Make Fried Tacos
- Common Mistakes When Making Fried Tacos
- Fried Taco Ingredients
- How to Make Fried Tacos: An Easy Guide
- How to Bake “Fried Tacos”
- How to Air Fry Tacos
- How to Serve Fried Tacos
- Make Ahead
- Final Notes, Pro Tips + Science-Based Secrets
- FAQs About Fried Tacos
- The Ultimate Crispy Fried Tacos (Quick, Easy Recipe!) Recipe
Wanna Make the Best Crispy Tacos of Your Life?
DROP the storebought crispy shells. Forever.
You’ll be cranking out restaurant-worthy hot, crunchy tacos with this easy method.
Here’s the quick scoop:Â
- Use fresh flour or corn tortillas. They taste SO much better than the hard taco shells I grew up with for 90s taco nights. Although those do still have a special place in my heart.
- Add taco filling and cheese. Don’t over-fill them.Â
- BEST PART. Make ’em crispy.
After that, you can ✨gently✨ open them up a little to add lettuce, tomatoes, avo, or whatever else you love in your tacos.Â
3 Ways to Make Fried Tacos
Now, you have fun choices!Â
- For maximum restaurant-y deliciousness, pan-fry them in hot oil.
- For a lighter option in a large batch, brush or spray them with oil and bake.
- For quick and crispy results (but you’ll have to work in batches), brush or spray them with oil air fry your tacos (flipping once to fry the other side).Â
Which do you like best?
Common Mistakes When Making Fried Tacos
Here are five common mistakes to avoid when making fried tacos:
- Overfilling the tacos: Loading the tacos with too much meat mixture can cause them to burst open during frying. Make sure to leave enough room for the filling to expand while ensuring the taco can be sealed properly.
- Using cold tortillas:Â Working with cold or room-temperature tortillas can lead to them breaking. Warm them slightly before filling them.
- Oil temperature: Frying tacos in oil that isn’t hot enough can lead to soggy and greasy tacos. Make sure the oil is heated to the proper temperature (around 350°F or 175°C) before adding the tacos.Â
- Crowding the frying pan:Â Adding too many tacos at once can lower oil temperature and prevent them from becoming crispy. Fry the tacos in batches.
Fried Taco Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these fried tacos:
- Oil: Choose a high smoke point oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil for frying. Make sure there’s enough oil to submerge the tacos in.
- OnionÂ
- Minced garlic
- Ground beef
- Taco seasoning (store-bought or use my homemade version in my original ground beef tacos recipe)
- Small flour or corn tortillas
- Grated cheese: Go for a sharp cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend cheese for melting into the taco filling.
- Optional toppings: Load them up with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, taco salsa, and easy guacamole from scratch offer a variety of flavors and textures to customize the tacos.Â
How to Make Fried Tacos: An Easy Guide
Here are basic steps on how to make these fried tacos:
Make Beef Filling
- Add the onion over medium-high heat in a skillet. Sauté them until they are translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute or so.
- Add the ground beef and taco seasoning. Break it up as it cooks. Cook it until no longer pink.Â
Prep Tortillas
- To make the tortillas pliable and prevent tearing during folding, heat each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 20-30 seconds on each side or until they are soft and pliable.Â
- Alternatively, you can wrap them in a damp cloth and microwave for about 30 seconds.
Assemble Tacos
- Lay out each tortilla out. Â Spoon in some of beef mixture. Â Sprinkle over some cheese.Â
- Fold the tortilla in half over the filling.
How to Fry Tacos
Add oil to the bottom of a frying pan over a medium heat.Â
- Once the oil is shimmering hot (about 350°F), use tongs to carefully touch the oil with a small piece of test tortilla. If it sizzles and bubbles immediately, it’s ready. Â
- Carefully place a few tacos in the pan to crisp them up.
- Fry each side until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side.Â
- Use tongs in one hand to pinch closed the open side of the tacos as you flip them over. Use a spatula in the other hand to help flip it if needed.Â
Remove the tacos using tongs and let them drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
How to Bake “Fried Tacos”
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Brush or Spray: Lightly brush or spray both sides of the tacos with oil.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place the tacos on a baking sheet lined with parchment, making sure they are not touching.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
- Flip: Carefully flip the tacos halfway through baking to ensure even crisping.
- Finish Baking: Continue baking for about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy.
If you like this method, you must also check out my Crispy Baked Chicken Tacos.
How to Air Fry Tacos
- Preheat Air Fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
- Brush or Spray: Lightly brush or spray both sides of the tacos with oil.
- Arrange in Air Fryer: Place a few tacos in the air fryer basket, making sure they are not overcrowded. You’ll have to work in batches of 2-3 depending on the size of your appliance.
- Air Fry: Air fry for 5-6 minutes.
- Flip: Carefully flip the tacos halfway through the cooking time to ensure even crisping.
- Finish Cooking: Continue air frying until they are golden brown and crispy, 3-6 minutes more.
How to Serve Fried Tacos
Open each taco slightly (be careful as they’ll be hot and crispy) and stuff them with lettuce, tomato, and any other fillings you have selected.
Serve with sides of sour cream, jalapeño slices, salsa, and a sprinkle of cilantro.
Make Ahead
Fried tacos are best enjoyed fresh and crispy, but you can prepare the filling and components ahead of time.
Meal prep:Â You can make all the elements in advance! I LOVE a big batch of taco filling. (Here are a bajillion ways to use leftover taco filling.)
Here are some tips:
- Prepare the filling: You can prepare the taco filling (ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasoning) ahead of time and store it in an airtight container or bowl in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. When ready to use, reheat the filling in a skillet until warmed through.
- Prep toppings: Chop lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and any other toppings in advance. Store them separately in airtight containers or resealable bags in the refrigerator. Only add fresh fillings right before serving.
Keeping Tacos Warm
- I don’t recommend you fully assemble and fry the tacos far ahead of time (as they might become soggy).
- You can keep them warm in a very low oven (160ÂşF) while you fry in batches or for about 30 minutes before serving. No hotter or longer or you risk making them hard.
Storage
Fried tacos are best enjoyed fresh and crispy. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.Â
To reheat, place them on a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through and crispy.
Final Notes, Pro Tips + Science-Based Secrets
Here are my pro tips and secrets to help your OVER-deliver this recipe:
- Maintaining oil temperature: Consistently maintaining the oil temperature is crucial for achieving crispy tacos. Use a deep-fry thermometer to monitor the temperature and adjust the heat as needed. The ideal frying temperature is around 350°F (175°C).
- Tip for keeping them closed: If you’re having trouble getting the tacos to stay closed as you fill them, place a baking sheet or a plate on top of them to pin them shut as you work.
FAQs About Fried Tacos
Just whizzing through this article? Here are some key takeaways:
Fried tacos, also known as crispy tacos or hard-shell tacos, are a type of taco where the tortilla is filled with various ingredients such as seasoned meat, cheese, lettuce, and salsa, and then fried until crispy.
The main difference lies in the preparation method and texture. Fried tacos have a crispy outer shell, achieved by frying the filled tortilla, whereas regular tacos typically use soft tortillas that are not fried.
Yes, you can bake fried tacos in the oven instead of deep-frying them. Simply arrange the filled tacos on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven until crispy.
Popular toppings for fried tacos include shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, chopped onions, grated cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and hot sauce.
Fried tacos are best enjoyed fresh and crispy, but you can prepare the filling and components ahead of time.
It depends on the type of tortillas used. Corn tortillas are usually naturally gluten-free, so if you use corn tortillas for your fried tacos, they can be gluten-free. However, if you use flour tortillas or a taco seasoning that contains wheat starch, they contain gluten.
Other Fan Favorite Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
If you love flavor-packed Mexican cuisine as much as I do, you MUST try these super-popular dishes:
- Baja Fish Tacos: with crisp battered fish, topped with easy quick-pickled red onion,  drizzled with creamy Baja sauce and cabbage slaw for fish tacos.
- Cheese Quesadillas
- Elotes Salad
- Instant Pot Mexican Ricetasty.
- Chicken Street Tacos
- Spicy Fish Tacos
The Ultimate Crispy Fried Tacos (Quick, Easy Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning or 1 packet
- 16 small corn tortillas
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese
- Lettuce shredded
- 2 tomatoes diced
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 jalapeño sliced
- Fresh cilantro chopped (optional)
- 1 cup salsa or pico de gallo optional
- Oil for frying
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Beef Filling:
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
- Add the ground beef and taco seasoning, breaking it apart as it cooks. Cook until no longer pink.
Prep Tortillas:
- To make the tortillas pliable and prevent tearing during folding, heat each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 20-30 seconds on each side or until they are soft and pliable. Alternatively, you can wrap them in a damp cloth and microwave for about 30 seconds.
Assemble Tacos:
- Lay out each tortilla, place a spoonful of beef mixture on one side, and sprinkle with some cheese. Fold the tortilla in half over the filling.
Fry Tacos:
- Generously coat the bottom of a frying pan with oil and heat over medium heat.
- Once the oil is shimmering hot (about 350°F), use tongs to carefully touch the oil with a small piece of test tortilla. If it sizzles and bubbles immediately, it’s ready.  Carefully place a few tacos in the pan.
- Fry each side until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Use tongs in one hand to pinch closed the open side of the tacos as you flip them over. Use a spatula in the other hand to help flip it if needed.
- Remove the tacos using tongs and let them drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Serve:
- Open each taco slightly (be careful as they’ll be hot and crispy) and stuff with lettuce, tomato, and any other preferred fillings.
- Serve with sides of sour cream, jalapeño slices, salsa, and a sprinkle of cilantro.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
who knew making tacos could be this easy, gonna impress my roomates