Ground Beef Taquitos are perfect for game day. These crunchy bites of heaven are better than anything you’ll find at taco stand!
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Make a few extra and stick them in the freezer. They are ideal for a quick meal on busy weeknights. Serve with refried beans and hot sauce to make it a complete meal.
So good, they’ll be a family favorite!
Table of Contents
🥩 Instructions
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Tip 1: Got leftover ground beef? Add it to a pan with tomato molcajete salsa (or your favorite red salsa). Let it simmer for 5 minutes in a large skillet. Be sure to use lean ground beef so it won’t be so greasy.
- Tip 2: Got uncooked ground beef? Cook it. Drain it. Add your favorite salsa. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Don’t forget to taste for salt.
- Tip 3: To Make Shredded Beef Taquitos or or Steak Taquitos: Cook the beef and chop or shred into small pieces. Then follow this same procedure of cooking the beef with salsa, then rolling and frying.
- Tip 4: Got no ground beef, but you’re looking for mouthwatering food pictures? Keep scrolling! 😉
Please don’t tell my traditional Mexican mom, but you can use taco seasoning instead of salsa.
For Chicken Taquitos or Turkey Taquitos:
Instead, you can use ground chicken or ground turkey and follow the same procedure.
- Warm up the corn tortillas.
- Add some of the mixture to the center of the tortilla. About 2 tablespoons.
- Top with cheese – cheddar, pepper jack cheese, or anything that will melt well.
To make the tortilla pliable, you have to nuke them for 30 seconds in the microwave. Or if you don’t believe in microwaves, stick them in a warm oven for a few minutes.
These are beef and cheese taquitos. You can make these only beef and omit the cheese.
- Roll up the tortilla, making sure the filling is in the center.
- Insert the toothpicks to seal.
- Repeat until you have assembled all your taquitos.
Once they are cooked, don’t forget to take them out!
- Heat oil. Add taquitos. Fry for 3 minutes on each side.
- Place on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.
- Continue frying until there are no more taquitos.
What kinds of oils are good for frying? I recommend vegetable oil, peanut oil, and canola oil.
🔥 More Cooking Instructions
- For Air Fryer: Set the temperature to 400°F and cook them for 5 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy,
- For Oven Taquitos: Place them seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Bake in a 425 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Flip halfway through.
- For Deep Fryers: Heat oil. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove and drain excess oil.
Freezing and Reheating Instructions
- Bake or fry the taquitos as normal. Let them cool.
- Place them in a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible, and freeze.
- To reheat, wrap the taquitos in a damp paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute. They will not be very crunchy.
- The best way to reheat taquitos is by placing them in an oven at 375 F for 15 minutes.
Storing Instructions
- Fully cooked, taquitos last 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Fully cooked, taquitos last up to 3 months in the freezer.
😃 The Name Game
Taquitos Vs. Flautas Vs. Rolled Tacos
They all mean the same thing. My family is from Durango, Mexico. It’s a northern state. To me:
- taquitos are made with corn tortillas
- flautas are made with flour tortillas
- rolled tacos is a Mexican-American term.
If you see “taquitos” or “flautas” on the menu, ask what type of tortilla they are using: corn or flour?
The crunch of these Ground Beef Taquitos is simply addictive. Serve with pico de gallo, sour cream, and jalapeno creama. So delicious!
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Ground Beef Taquitos
Equipment
- toothpicks
Ingredients
- ½ lb ground beef
- ½ cup salsa (of your choice)
- 1 dozen corn tortillas
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups oil
- More salsa optional
- Guacamole optional
Instructions
- Cook ground beef, drain, and return to pan with your favorite salsa.
- Let simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat.
- Warm tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Add a spoonful of ground beef to the tortilla.
- Add shredded cheese.
- Roll up and tie with a toothpick, as shown in picture above.
- Set aside. Repeat.
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Fry taquitos 3-minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
- Drain on a paper towel.
- Serve with salsa and/ or guacamole.
- NOTE: Do not overcrowd the pan, or they will not cook properly.
Video
Notes
- To make the tortilla pliable, you have to nuke them for 30 seconds in the microwave.
- Or if you don’t believe in microwaves, stick them in a warm oven for a few minutes.
If you are not interested in frying the taquitos, you can put them in the oven. 425 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Scrumptious!
Indeed! Thank you.
What brand of corn tortillas do you use? Mine always tear apart?
It depends. Mission, Guerrero, you name it. I have tried them all. Sometimes, the fall apart has to do with moisture. Put them in them microwave for 30 seconds to remove the moisture. Hope this helps.
Can you make them in an air fryer?
Yes, of course! Place them in the air fryer at 400 for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
I grew up eating ground beef taquitos but fix it different. Mix cheese and spices into raw ground beef. Shape the ground beef into sausages and wrap in tortilla seal with toothpick and fry on medium heat. The beef is fully cooked after frying.
Shaped into sausage? That sounds interesting. I’ll have to try that next time I make ground beef taquitos.
Oh my gosh, those corn tortillas are tricky! I heated them in a warm oven, but they still fell apart. Hope that they are messy but good!
It sounds like your tortillas developed moisture from the bag. That is usually what causes them to fall apart. Those are not good for frying.
When I made my taquitos Alfredo for about a minute and when I put a toothpick in it held a lot better
Yes! Use lots of toothpicks.
These look divine. Such a wonderful treat and enjoyed many while visiting Mexico. I’ve never thought of making at them home…hmmm. Thanks for the recipe. I know what’s for dinner next Tuesday now.
Thank you! Hope you try this recipe, it’s delicious!
Everything looks so delicious. I have to make these for my kids. I am also Mexican. My parents are from Zacatecas and DF.
How fun! I’m sure your kids will love this recipe!
This beef taquitos looks delicious I need to try it for my self.
So glad you enjoyed this!
I have never made taquitos. This would be a fun recipe to try for Taco night!
Yumm taco night! Sounds delicious