Carne Asada Street Tacos 🌮 are made with juicy, marinated beef, warm corn tortillas, and simple fresh toppings.
I may be a little biased living in San Diego, but I still think the best tacos are in Tijuana. These Tacos de Carne Asada are inspired by the tacos you’ll find at Tijuana taquerias and taco stands.
The beef is marinated with fresh lime and orange juice, garlic, jalapeño, and spices, then grilled over high heat until juicy and nicely charred. Serve with cilantro, onion, lime, and your favorite salsa.
My favorite pairing? A cold glass of my Authentic Horchata Recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Tijuana-style tacos at home. These carne asada tacos are inspired by the simple tacos I love eating just across the border.
- The marinade does the heavy lifting. Fresh lime and orange juice, garlic, jalapeño, and spices give the beef plenty of flavor.
- Quick to grill. Once the beef is marinated, it cooks quickly over a hot grill.
- Simple toppings. Warm corn tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa are all you need for classic street tacos.
- Easy to customize. Add your favorite salsa, avocado, queso fresco, or other taco toppings.
-Maggie
🥩 Ingredients
- Flap Steak (you might also see it labeled as flap meat)
- Jalapeno
- Fresh limes
- Fresh orange
- Olive oil
- Ground Cumin
- Ground Oregano
- Paprika
- Garlic
- White Onion
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and Black Pepper
Flap steak, flank steak, and skirt steak are all great choices for carne asada. Honestly, I use whichever one is on sale that week! Each cut works well with this marinade and is delicious grilled over high heat.
Substitutions
- Swap out the fresh onion for 1 tablespoon onion powder, and the fresh garlic for 1 tablespoon garlic powder.
- Instead of salt, add a tablespoon of soy sauce.
- We are using fresh oranges to make orange juice. Substitute for store-bought juice.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
Marinating the Steak
- Add the marinade ingredients to a large resealable bag. Add the steak, seal the bag, and turn to coat the meat.
- Let it sit for at least an hour (but preferably overnight) to allow the flavors to meld together.
🌟 Pro Tip: Marinate the Beef in a Bag
I highly recommend marinating the beef in a sealable plastic bag and keeping it in the fridge in a large bowl. See picture above.
Any loose drippings will fall into the bowl and not in your fridge. It also makes for easy cleanup.
Grilling Carne Asada
- Next, fire up the grill and cook your meat to your desired level of doneness.
- Carne asada is best cooked quickly over high heat.
- Make sure your grill is hot before adding the meat, and don’t overcook it or it can become tough and dry.
Grilling above the meat are Cebollitas Asadas. They are very common at taquerias, food trucks, and family BBQs.
- With a sharp knife, cut into thin slices against the grain on a cutting board.
- Or, dice up the meat. Whichever you prefer.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Flap steak, flank steak, and skirt steak are all good choices for carne asada. Flap steak is especially good for tacos because it cooks quickly and is easy to slice or chop after grilling.
Marinate the beef for at least 1 hour, but you can marinate it overnight for more flavor. Keep the steak refrigerated while it marinates.
Heat your grill to about 450°F. For thin flap steak, grill for about 5–6 minutes per side, depending on thickness and desired doneness. For medium-rare, aim for an internal temperature of 130°F. Let the meat rest before slicing or chopping.
Let the grilled steak rest, then slice it against the grain into thin strips. You can also dice the meat into small pieces, which is common for street tacos.
Yes. Heat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the steak for about 5–6 minutes per side, depending on thickness and desired doneness. For medium-rare, aim for an internal temperature of 130°F.
“Carne” means meat, and “asada” means grilled or roasted. Carne asada generally refers to seasoned or marinated grilled beef.
Yes. Place the grilled meat in an oven-safe dish, cover it with foil, and keep it in a 275°F oven until ready to serve. Be careful not to leave it there too long, since continued heating can dry out the meat.
How to Serve Carne Asada Tacos
Warm small corn tortillas on a hot griddle, then fill them with chopped carne asada. Top with diced white onion, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and your favorite salsa. Serve immediately while the tortillas and meat are warm.
🍴 Serve With
- Arroz Mexicano
- Frijoles Refritos
- Chiles en Vinagre
- Ensalada de Nopales
- Mexican Pickled Carrots
- Chiles Toreados
These Carne Asada Street Tacos keep things simple: juicy grilled beef, warm corn tortillas, onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa.
If you’ve ever had carne asada tacos in Tijuana, you know how good that simple combination can be. Now you can make them at home anytime you’re craving a taste of the border.
And don’t forget some Taqueria-Style Salsa Serrano.
Carne Asada Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 lbs flap steak (or flank or skirt steak)
- 1 jalapeño diced or sliced
- 3 limes (juiced)
- 1 orange (juiced)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- ½ onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Also Need:
- 12 corn tortillas
- cilantro chopped
- onion diced
- lime (halved)
- favorite salsa
Instructions
- Add all the marinade ingredients in a large plastic, sealable bag.
- Add the steak and zip up the bag.
- Make sure the bag is firmly closed.
- Then, mix the marinade with the steak.
- Place in the fridge for an hour, up to overnight.
- Heat the grill to 450 degrees F.
- Add the flap steak and grill for 5-6 minutes per side.
- If using flank steak the cook time is slightly different. Grill 5-6 minutes on each side until it reaches an internal temperature of 130°F for medium rare. 7-8 minutes on each side for medium.
- Cook until desired wellness.
- Let rest before slicing (or dicing)
- Warm tortillas.
- Add chopped meat to tortillas.
- Top with cilantro, onion, and salsa.
Video
Notes
- Swap out the fresh onion for 1 tablespoon onion powder, and the fresh garlic for 1 tablespoon garlic powder.
- Instead of salt, add a tablespoon of soy sauce.
- We are using fresh oranges to make orange juice. Substitute for store-bought juice.
Fantastic! Marinate over night makes a huge difference in flavor penetration. It was bomb!!! Thank you from a fellow SD girl (relocated to the PNW). I miss the carne asada in SoCal. This brings me back home. 🤩
That’s so great to hear! The carne asada in SD is next level. I’m glad I was able to bring a little bit of home to you.
You had me at steak and tacos- two of my favorite foods! This was a delicious dish and I will make it again soon.
That’s awesome to hear. So glad you enjoyed it! I hope you make this recipe again soon.
How much of each ingredient and spices do you use to marinate the asada for street tacos?
The recipe is in the recipe card. Here, I’ll share the link to the card itself https://inmamamaggieskitchen.com/carne-asada-street-tacos/#recipe
Such delicious tacos! Carne Asada is my favorite and this looks amazing!
Carne Asada is indeed a popular choice for tacos, and it’s no wonder why it’s a favorite for many people. You’re going to LOVE them! They’re sooo good.
Oh man! Now these look legit! 🙂 So flavorful and delicious.
Flavorful and delicious is 100% correct! The combination of well-marinated, grilled meat with delicious toppings and warm tortillas creates an authentic and satisfying taco experience.
The marinade for this meat is so flavorful. Great grilling recipe!
The key to a delicious Carne asada is a well-seasoned and flavorful marinade. You’ll love this Carne Asada Street Tacos recipe. Super tasty!
These tacos are bursting with flavor! The juicy carne asada and fresh toppings create a perfect bite
The combination of flavorful Carne asada, tender tortillas, and fresh toppings is what makes these tacos so delicious, that’s why I love this recipe. Hope you enjoy!