Name: Ground Beef Taquitos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 38 min
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)

Dip these crunchy Ground Beef Taquitos into salsa or guacamole. They are mouthwatering delicious and perfect for game day and Cinco de Mayo!

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Three crispy taquitos, filled with classic ground beef, are served on a white plate alongside fresh salsa in a small bowl and accompanied by mixed greens.

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

1 🥩 Instructions
2 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
3 🔥 More Cooking Instructions
4 Freezing and Reheating Instructions
5 Storing Instructions
6 😃 The Name Game
7 😋 Hungry for More?
8 Ground Beef Taquitos

🥩 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.

A soft tortilla, reminiscent of classic ground beef taquitos, is topped with seasoned ground meat and shredded cheese, resting elegantly on a dark countertop.

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.

A rolled-up tortilla, reminiscent of classic ground beef taquitos, is secured with three toothpicks on a textured gray surface, accompanied by a pile of wooden toothpicks.

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!

Two classic ground beef taquitos sizzle in hot oil as they fry to perfection. Toothpicks securely hold the rolled tortillas together, while bubbles dance around the edges, indicating that these savory delights are almost ready to enjoy.

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.

A hand holds a partially eaten Classic Ground Beef Taquito above a white plate. The taquito is filled with seasoned meat. In the background, more taquitos rest on the plate beside a small bowl of salsa with diced tomatoes.

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.

Two images of classic ground beef taquitos on a white plate. The top image shows taquitos with salsa and avocado slices, garnished with greens. The bottom image features a close-up of hands holding a taquito with a bite taken out of it.

😃 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!

😋 Hungry for More?

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