Beef Taquitos
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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!
Table of contents
Ever since I introduced these Air Fryer Taquitos on the blog in 2023, I can’t stop making them! They’re crispy on the outside, cheesy on the inside, and because they’re cooked in the air fryer, they’re a lot less greasy than the traditional deep-fried version.
While those taquitos are filled with chicken and cheese, I decided to introduce a beef version of the recipe with my famous carne asada. In this recipe, juicy skirt steak is covered in carne asada seasoning and grilled over high heat to create a juicy, flavorful steak that’s perfect for filling up these taquitos.
Taquitos are traditionally made with corn tortillas, but I find that flour tortillas are easier to roll up, so I use them in this recipe. Feel free to use whichever you like to make these rolled tacos.
If you use flour tortillas, most Mexican restaurants would call them flautas. If you use corn tortillas, they will probably call them taquitos. And using either one, they’re a rolled taco, which is always delicious!
These beef taquitos are filling enough to serve as a weeknight meal, but they’re also a perfect appetizer for a party or game day. Roll them up in advance, then all you have to do is pop them in the air fryer for 8-10 minutes, right before serving them!
Ingredients
- Carne asada – for this recipe, I recommend using a flank steak or skirt steak. Rub the steak with olive oil, then season it with carne asada seasoning and grill the steak. If you have a little extra time, you can marinate the meat in my famous carne asada marinade, with lime juice, orange juice, and soy sauce. Click the link for the seasoning above and it will take you to the recipe for the marinade.
- Cheddar cheese + Monterey jack cheese – I always recommend grating the cheese at home, instead of buying pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store. The bags of shredded cheese contain anti-caking additives, which means the cheese won’t melt nearly as well as freshly grated cheese. This cheese grater is my favorite! It grates cheese so quickly and easily, and it’s only $12.
- Flour tortillas – for this recipe, you’ll want 6 inch flour tortillas, generally labeled “fajita” tortillas. If using “soft taco” size tortillas, that are bigger, this recipe will make 8-10 taquitos, instead of 12 taquitos. You can also use corn tortillas, which are traditionally used for taquitos, whereas flour tortillas are more often used to make flautas.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare the carne asada.
- Season the steak. Coat a skirt steak, or flank steak, with olive oil. Season the steak on all sides with carne asada seasoning. This delicious seasoning blend combines chili powder with ground cumin, salt, garlic powder and onion powder. You can make it in advance and store it in the pantry for up to 6 months.
- Grill the steak. Preheat a grill over high heat. 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. Remove the steak from the grill, cover it loosely with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes.
If you have time, you can marinate the steak for up to 8 hours before grilling, instead of simply seasoning and grilling the steak. Follow the blog post for carne asada seasoning for the marinade recipe.
Assemble the taquitos.
- Heat the tortillas. Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 60 seconds. This will make them easier to roll up.
- Fill the tortillas. Starting with one tortilla, place 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese in the middle of the tortilla. Top with 2-3 tablespoons of diced carne asada. Roll the tortilla up tightly over the cheese and steak, then set it aside. Repeat until all 12 of the taquitos are filled and rolled up.
Air fry the taquitos.
- Preheat an air fryer to 400°F. Place the taquitos, seam-side down, in an even layer in an air fryer basket, with enough room around each one for the air to circulate. Spray with cooking spray, then air fry at 400°F for 4-5 minutes.
- Flip and cook again. Open the air fryer, use tongs to flip the taquitos, spray with cooking spray again, then cook at 400°F for an additional 4-5 minutes. 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.
Optional toppings
When you order rolled tacos, or taquitos, at a taco shop, they usually come piled up with toppings. If you’d like to replicate this at home with these beef taquitos, add any, or all, of the optional toppings on top of the taquitos, right before serving them.
- Guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced onions
- Pico de gallo
- Chipotle sauce
- Shredded lettuce
- Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
- Salsa
How to make them in the oven
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.
How to make them with ground beef
You can make this beef taquitos recipe with ground beef instead of steak. If you have leftover ground beef from taco night, feel free to use it in this recipe.
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.
Recipe notes
- 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.
- Always make sure that the taquitos are wrapped up tightly before cooking them in the air fryer or oven. If they’re not tightly wrapped, they’re likely to come open while cooking.
- If your taquitos are not crispy, try cooking them for an extra 1-2 minutes per side. Also don’t forget the step of spraying the taquitos with cooking spray before cooking them. This will help them get brown and crispy on the outside.
- To make gluten free beef taquitos. You can use corn tortillas or these gluten free tortillas. They’re made with rice flour and are more pliable than corn tortillas, making them easier to roll up over the cheesy carne asada filling, without ripping the tortillas. If using corn tortillas, you’ll always want to heat them up in the microwave before preparing the taquitos to make them more pliable, and less likely to rip when they’re rolled up.
- This recipe makes 12 taquitos. You can easily double the recipe by clicking the 2X button in the recipe card below. You can store uncooked, prepared taquitos in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Storage tips
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.
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Beef Taquitos
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.
- 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.
- Preheat a grill over high heat.
- 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.
- Remove the steak from the grill, cover loosely with foil and let the steak rest for 10 minutes.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the grilled steak against the grain into thin strips, then dice it into small pieces.
Prepare the taquitos.
- Stack up the tortillas and wrap them in damp paper towels. Microwave for 60 seconds.
- 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.
- Repeat until all of the taquitos are filled and rolled up.
- Preheat an air fryer to 400°F.
- Place the taquitos in an air fryer basket seam-side down, with enough room around the taquitos for air to move.
- Spray the taquitos with nonstick cooking spray, then cook at 400°F for 4-5 minutes.
- Open the air fryer, use tongs to flip the taquitos, spray with cooking spray and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Facts
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