Tacos de Papa 🌮 are crispy Mexican potato tacos made with mashed potatoes folded into corn tortillas and fried until golden. Made with simple ingredients, these meatless tacos are an affordable meal that the whole family can enjoy.
Serve them with your favorite salsa, shredded lettuce, and your favorite Mexican sides.
You might also like Ground Beef Taquitos.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Simple ingredients: You only need potatoes, corn tortillas, salt, pepper, and oil.
- A satisfying meatless meal: These crispy potato tacos are an easy, budget-friendly option for lunch or dinner.
- Easy to make ahead: Freeze the cooked tacos for a quick meal later, then reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
-Maggie
📖 Family Story
As a kid, Tacos de Papa were one of my favorite things to eat. My mom would fry up a big batch for special occasions, and one day I grabbed one from the counter before it had cooled. I took a big bite and—ouch!—bit right into the toothpick.
I still love these crispy potato tacos, but now I always make sure to remove every toothpick before serving.
🥔 Ingredients
- Potatoes
- Corn Tortillas
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oil
You’ll also need: toothpicks and a potato masher.
This recipe doesn’t require too many ingredients. Yes, you can also make this recipe with flour tortillas.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes.
- Cover them with water. Boil until soft and fork tender.
- Drain water. Add salt and pepper.
- Mash until smooth.
Set the mashed potato aside until ready to use.
If it’s hard to mash the potatoes, add a splash of milk or cream for a creamier texture.
- Heat the tortillas in the microwave. About 1 minute.
- Lay flat on a surface. Add a 1 ½ tablespoons to one side of the tortilla.
- Fold the other side over. Close with a toothpick.
- Put a large container out to set the ready-to-fry tacos aside.
The best way to seal a tortilla is by using a toothpick. Don’t forget to remove it after it is fried and before serving.
How to Keep Corn Tortillas from Breaking
Corn tortillas can crack when they’re too cold or dry. Warm them in the microwave between damp paper towels for 30–60 seconds, or until they’re soft and flexible. Keep them covered while assembling the tacos so they don’t dry out.
- Heat the oil.
- Fry on each side for 2 minutes.
- Place on a paper towel to remove any excess oil.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Regular tacos are typically made with soft, pliable corn tortillas that are warmed but not fried. Tacos dorados (which translate to “golden tacos”), taquitos, and flautas are rolled or folded and then fried or baked until crispy and crunchy.
The secret is heat and moisture. Warming your corn tortillas in the microwave for about 30 to 60 seconds makes them pliable. If your tortillas still crack or fall apart, they may have too much moisture (often the ones closest to the package lining) or be a bit old. Pop them back in the microwave for another 30 seconds to release excess moisture, or discard any that are too dry.
Yes! If you want to skip the oil, preheat your oven to 400°F. Do NOT use toothpicks. Instead, lay the assembled tacos flat on a greased baking sheet in a taco shape. Bake for 15 minutes, flip carefully, and bake for an additional 5 minutes until crispy.
🔥 Storing & Reheating Instructions
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, flip halfway through. Or air fryer 400 degrees F. 5 minutes on each side. They do not get as crunchy if you reheat in the microwave.
- Frozen tacos dorados will last up to 3 months. Be sure to store them in an airtight, sealable bag.
🧊 How to Freeze Them
- Once fried, cool the tacos dorados. Place them in a sealable freezer bag.
- Remove as much air as possible.
- Thaw the tacos dorados overnight in the fridge.
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for 5 more minutes.
🌮 Tacos Dorados vs. Taquitos
Tacos dorados are corn tortillas filled with ingredients such as potatoes, chicken, or beef, then folded or rolled and fried until crispy. Taquitos are typically rolled into a tight cylinder before frying. The names and shapes can vary by region and family tradition.
Crispy and comforting, these Tacos de Papa are a timeless classic that brings authentic Mexican flavor straight to your table. They prove that simple ingredients can create the most memorable meals. Whip up a batch tonight, pair them with tomatillo habanero salsa, and enjoy a true family favorite!
Tacos de Papa (Potato Tacos Dorados)
Equipment
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium-sized Russet potatoes (or 5 small potatoes)
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup oil
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes.
- Place in a stockpot along with the water.
- Boil until tender.
- Drain the water.
- Using a potato masher, mash the cooked potato until smooth.
- If necessary, add a splash of water.
- Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Turn and heat for another 30 seconds.
- Place a tortilla flat on the counter.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons of the mashed potatoes to one half of the tortilla.
- Fold over the other half, creating a taco.
- Insert a toothpick to the top of the center of the tortillas, sealing the taco.
- Set aside and repeat until done with all the tortillas.
- Heat oil in a large skillet.
- Fry the taco in the oil for 2 minutes.
- Carefully turn the taco and fry on the other side for 2 more minutes.
- Fry two tacos at a time. Do not crowd the pan.
- Place fried taco on a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Repeat until done frying all the tacos.
Notes
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. DO NOT ASSEMBLE WITH TOOTHPICK. Instead, lie them flat on a greased cookie sheet in the shape of a taco. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for 5 more minutes. Air Fryer Instructions: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Lightly spray the assembled tacos (no toothpicks!) with oil. Air fry for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy. HOW LONG DO THEY LAST?
- In the fridge tacos dorados last up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven, or they won’t be as crunchy.
- Frozen tacos dorados will last up to 3 months. Be sure to store them in an airtight, sealable bag.
- Once fried, cool the tacos dorados. Place them in a sealable freezer bag.
- Remove as much air as possible.
- Thaw the tacos dorados overnight in the fridge.
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Turn and bake for 5 more minutes.
Hola yall. I make a glue with flour n water wet edges ford over a dress down with fork , seals great. who knew
Love that! Old school tricks are the best.
did add cooked crumbled chorizo with finely chopped jalapeno, finely chopped Sweet Vidalia Onion. Hubby had the potato ones, we had the rest. Was a big hit, no leftovers, They were asking for seconds and wanted more, but all gone, next time make thrice the amount. I am one of your “followers” I love the recipes you send me, so tasty, you prove you can make it fast, but delicious. Thanks for sharing
That’s awesome to hear. It sounds like you and your family thoroughly enjoyed the dish and were left wanting more. Don’t hesitate to make a larger batch next time to satisfy those cravings!
Maggie, I enjoy every recipe you post. I hope you have a recipe for breakfast potatoes. There is a restaurant in Santa Fe, NM, (The Pantry) we love to eat. It is not a fancy restaurant. They serve wonderful Mexican dishes. My husband loves the potatoes served with eggs. The waiter did mention they use paprika in the seasoning. I have searched but no luck. If you have such a recipe would you share. gracias
That sounds so yummy. I wonder what dish it is. I have no clue!
This is PERFECT! I have about a million pounds of potatoes from Costco, so I’m putting these on the list ASAP!
Awesome! You’re going to love this recipe.
What a great idea! I love potatoes and this sounds devine
They are! Hope you give this recipe a try.
This is the perfect recipe for Taco Tuesday! I love mixing things up with taco fillings, and your delicious potato tacos are an exciting change! Thank you so much for sharing your flavorful recipe.
Right! Perfect for Taco Tuesdays.
These sound so delicious! We love Mexican flavours so will definitely be giving these a try!
Great. Thanks for stopping by.
Enjoyed this for dinner last night; it was easy and delicious and exactly what I needed! Easily, a new family favorite dish!
That’s so awesome. Glad you liked it!
I haven’t had these in ages. The time has come!!
Gracias Maggie!
Para siempre,
Rick
Yes it has. Hope you like them, Rick!