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5.0 from 3 votes

Beef Taquitos

It's easy to make taco shop-style Beef Taquitos at home with this simple 6 ingredient recipe. Crispy on the outside, with juicy, flavorful carne asada and melty cheese on the inside, these taquitos are so delicious and easy to make in just 30 minutes in an air fryer, or the oven!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 12 taquitos
Calories: 200 kcal
Course: Main Course , Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Carne Asada
  • ½ pound skirt steak or flank steak
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon carne asada seasoning click link for the recipe (or use steak seasoning or taco seasoning)
Taquitos
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 cup Monterey jack cheese grated
  • 12 six-inch flour tortillas “fajita size” or corn tortillas

Instructions

Prepare the carne asada.
    Cup of Yum
  1. Rub the skirt steak with olive oil, then cover on all sides with the carne asada seasoning. If you have more time, you can marinate the steak for up to 8 hours, using the carne asada marinade recipe in this post.
  2. Preheat a grill over high heat.
  3. Cook the steak for 3-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 135°F for a medium-rare steak. A skirt steak will cook faster than a flank steak. If using a skirt steak, plan for 3-4 minutes per side. If using a flank steak, plan for 5 minutes per side.
  4. Remove the steak from the grill, cover loosely with foil and let the steak rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Use a sharp knife to slice the grilled steak against the grain into thin strips, then dice it into small pieces.
Prepare the taquitos.
  1. Stack up the tortillas and wrap them in damp paper towels. Microwave for 60 seconds.
  2. Place 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese in the middle of a tortilla, top with 2-3 tablespoons diced carne asada, then roll it up tightly.
  3. Repeat until all of the taquitos are filled and rolled up.
  4. Preheat an air fryer to 400°F.
  5. Place the taquitos in an air fryer basket seam-side down, with enough room around the taquitos for air to move.
  6. Spray the taquitos with nonstick cooking spray, then cook at 400°F for 4-5 minutes.
  7. Open the air fryer, use tongs to flip the taquitos, spray with cooking spray and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
  8. You will have to cook the taquitos in batches, unless you have a giant air fryer. In my 5.8 Quart Air Fryer, I was able to fit 6 taquitos, so I could cook all 12 in two batches.
  9. Once all of the taquitos are cooked, serve them with salsa, sour cream, pico de gallo, or guacamole.

Notes

  • If you don’t have an air fryer, you can cook the beef taquitos in the oven instead, following these instructions.

  • If you don’t have an air fryer, you can cook the beef taquitos in the oven instead, following these instructions.

    Preheat the oven to 425°F. If your oven has a convection setting, I recommend using that. Place the taquitos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes. Remove the taquitos from the oven, flip, spray with cooking spray and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown.

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. If your oven has a convection setting, I recommend using that.
  • Place the taquitos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 6-7 minutes.
  • Remove the taquitos from the oven, flip, spray with cooking spray and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • You can also make these taquitos with ground beef instead of carne asada. To make ground beef for this recipe, add 1/2 pound of ground beef to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Cook until the beef is brown, then drain any grease. Add 1 tablespoon taco seasoning and 1/4 cup water, or beef broth. Simmer for 5 minutes, then use in the taquitos, in place of the carne asada.
  • You can make the carne asada ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator whole (without dicing it up) after it’s cooled, in an airtight container. You can do this up to 2 days in advance. When you’re ready to make the taquitos, remove the steak from the fridge, dice it up and add it to the taquitos. The steak will heat up as the taquitos cook in the air fryer or oven.
  • If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the steak on the stovetop instead. Use a cast iron skillet or grill pan, if you have one available. If not, use the heaviest bottom, largest skillet you have. Turn the stove on to high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the carne asada and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 135°F. Remove from the skillet and rest for 10 minutes before slicing and dicing.
  • Store uncooked, prepared taquitos in the fridge for up to 3 days before cooking.
  • Store leftover cooked taquitos in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. I recommend reheating them in the air fryer at 400°F for 2-3 minutes per side.
  • You can also store uncooked, prepared beef taquitos in the freezer and cook them directly from frozen anytime within 3 months. When cooking frozen taquitos in the air fryer, simply add 2 minutes to the cooking time, so they’ll need to cook for 5-6 minutes per side in a preheated 400°F air fryer.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1taquito Calories 200kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 11g (22%) Fat 10g (15%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 30mg (10%) Sodium 368mg (15%) Potassium 108mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 188mg (4%) Vitamin C 0.1mg (0%) Calcium 182mg (18%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12taquitos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 200

% Daily Value*

Serving 1taquito
Calories 200kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 11g 22%
Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 30mg 10%
Sodium 368mg 15%
Potassium 108mg 2%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 188mg 4%
Vitamin C 0.1mg 0%
Calcium 182mg 18%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.