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Crispy, crunchy, and packed with savory beef filling, these air fryer beef taquitos are the ultimate handheld snack or meal. Corn tortillas are tightly rolled around a flavorful filling of seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, and vibrant veggies like green bell peppers and onions.
Forget about the deep fryer and all the mess it entails – these little rolled-up corn tortilla bites achieve the perfect level of crispness right in your air fryer. With just a few simple ingredients and a lightning-quick cook time, you’ll be munching on these beef taquitos in no time!
Ingredients for Beef Taquitos in the Air Fryer
The ground beef mixture calls for:
- Ground beef – Lean ground beef works best!
- Yellow onion – A white onion can also be used in a pinch.
- Green pepper – Be sure to dice this up into fairly small pieces.
- Garlic powder – This helps to create a wonderful savory depth in the filling.
- Paprika – I love this for the color, and the very slight added sweetness.
- Olive oil – Avocado oil can be substituted.
- Salt and pepper – Be careful how much of each of these you add.
To assemble the taquitos, you’ll need:
- Eggs – Just 2 will be enough.
- Corn tortillas – Be sure to buy soft corn tortillas!
- Mexican cheese – Buy a big enough bag of shredded Mexican cheese that you can get 2 cups out of it.
- Corn husk – You’ll need to tear these into long strips. If these are hard to come by, it’s okay, you can use twine!
How to Make Beef Taquitos
- Sauté the vegetables. Over medium-high heat in a skillet with cooking oil, sauté onions together with the green peppers, stirring until the onions and green peppers have softened.
- Add the ground beef and season. Add ground beef, stirring and breaking apart into smaller pieces. Cook beef through then season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Transfer ground beef mixture to a bowl.
- Assemble the beef taquitos. On a clean work surface or a plate, lay down one corn husk strip (or kitchen string) sideways (in horizontal position). Place a corn tortilla on top of the strip. Put 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese on the tortilla, forming a line from top to bottom (vertically). Add 1 1/2 tablespoon of ground beef mixture on top of the cheese. Roll the tortilla. Start by taking the right side and bring it over to the left, covering the cheese and meat mixture. Tuck the edge under the filling mixture, then slowly and as tight as possible, roll the tortilla. Tie the corn husk strip/kitchen string securely around the middle of the roll. Push any filling that might have come out of the ends back into roll and cut off excess length of the strip/string
- Air fry the taquitos. Carefully place beef taquitos into the basket of your air fryer and lightly spray the tops with cooking spray. Air fry at 375 degrees for 6 minutes, flip and air fry for another 3 minutes.
Topping Suggestions for Beef Taquitos
- Cilantro lime dressing
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Cotija cheese
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Pickled onions
- Pickled jalapeños
What to Serve with Beef Taquitos
Go ahead and whip up a batch of my easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice and serve alongside these air fryer beef taquitos! Make it a full platter by adding Corn and Avocado Salsa and refried beans!
Storage Instructions
Leftover beef taquitos will keep for 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, pop back into the air fryer to heat through or toaster oven. Keep an eye on them though since they’re already browned from the first cooking. You don’t want to burn them.
To make these ahead of time and freeze, assemble the taquitos then place them into a freezer-safe storage bag or container for up to one month. To reheat, air fry or bake until warmed through!
Air Fryer Beef Taquitos
Corn tortillas are tightly rolled around a flavorful filling of seasoned ground beef, melty cheese, and vibrant veggies like green bell peppers and onions.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the ground beef mixture:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium green pepper, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For assembling the taquitos:
- 2 eggs
- 24 soft corn tortillas
- 2 cups (224 g) shredded Mexican cheese
- Corn husk, torn into long strips, or kitchen string cut into 7” long sections
Instructions
For the ground beef mixture:
- Heat olive oil in a large frying pan/skillet over medium heat, and sauté onions together with the green peppers, stirring until the onions sweated and turned slightly brown and the green peppers softened.
- Add ground beef, stirring and breaking apart into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Sauté until the meat is nearly cooked through. Add garlic powder and paprika and continue to sauté until the ground beef is fully cooked and slightly crispy.
- Take the pan/skillet off the heat, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assembling the beef taquitos:
- Transfer the ground beef mixture into a bowl and allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk 2 eggs in a small bowl. Once the ground beef mixture is cool add eggs and mix well.
- On a clean work surface or a plate, lay down one corn husk strip (or kitchen string) sideways (in horizontal position). Place a soft corn tortilla on top of the strip
- Put 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese on the tortilla, forming a line from top to bottom (vertically). Add 1 ½ tablespoon of ground beef mixture on top of the cheese
- Roll the tortilla. Start by taking the right side and bring it over to the left, covering the cheese and meat mixture. Tuck the edge under the filling mixture, then slowly and as tight as possible, roll the tortilla. Tie the corn husk strip/kitchen string securely around the middle of the roll. Push any filling that might have come out of the ends back into roll and cut off excess length of the strip/string.
- Repeat the process for the remainder of the tortillas and filling.
Air frying the beef taquitos:
- Spray the base and sides of your air-fryer basket with avocado oil spray.
- Place as many taquitos in the basket as you can without crowding them and spray the top with avocado oil spray.
- Set air fryer to 375 °F (191 °C) and timer to 6 minutes. Check the taquitos and once the top surface is brown and crispy, flip them over so the bottom side can get crispy as well. Fry for another 3 minutes. Once top and bottom side are golden brown and crispy, take the taquitos out of the fryer. Add 2 minutes of additional time if the taquitos are not yet crispy.
- Repeat the process for the remainder of the taquitos.
- Serve immediately (see notes in the post for suggested toppings).
Notes
Corn husks can be purchased on Amazon or Latin food stores. Alternatively, you can use kitchen string (cut into 7” length for each taquito), or toothpicks to close each end of the taquito. If using corn husks, soak them in water for 5 minutes and dry well prior to using. This will make them are easier to work with and will not snap easily. Tear the corn husk into strips (by hand or with scissors), about ¼” wide per strip.
Cooking time depends on your air fryer. If in doubt, use less cooking time and keep checking the taquitos and adding more cooking time until they are crispy, flipping them over so that the other side can get crispy as well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taquito, Calories: 155kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 102mg, Potassium: 189mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g
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