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Air Fryer Tacos – skip the store bought crispy shells and make your own in the air fryer. Super easy and so much better!
I will admit it, I love a good crispy taco. I know they aren’t authentic, I know if you are from Mexico you cringe at the thought of the crispy taco shells sold in the grocery store. But I grew up with them, and they are definitely an American staple.
But I found that making them in the air fryer with just regular corn tortillas is so much better! You get the crispy shell, but can still actually taste the real corn tortilla. And you can still fill them with whatever you like!
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Corn Tortillas – you can use flour or corn, I used white corn tortillas for these.
- Ground Beef
- Taco Seasoning
- Cheese
- Olive Oil
You really can fill these with whatever you like. If you want to do vegetarian you could fill them with beans and cheese. Or you can use my favorite Instant Pot Salsa Chicken to fill them with. Whatever you have and like for your taco filling is what you can use. Just use the recipe as a guide for cooking the taco part.
How To Make Air Fryer Tacos
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Get all of your fillings and toppings ready to go. Cook your ground beef and use taco seasoning to make traditional taco meat. Or use beans, chicken etc.
- Wrap corn tortillas in a towel and microwave for about a minute, until they are very warm. This will ensure they don’t crack.
- Fill each tortilla with meat and cheese, and then fold over to form a taco.
- Brush the outside with olive oil and place in the air fryer.
- Cook at 400º for about 8 minutes, flipping half way though.
- Carefully remove from the air fryer and top with whatever toppings you desire!
Best Taco Toppings
You really can go crazy here, use as much or as little as you like!
- Shredded Lettuce
- Diced Tomatoes
- Black Olives
- Avocado
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Jalapeno
- Roasted Corn Salsa
Why Do My Shells Crack
If you are using corn tortillas you have to heat them well or they will crack. You can do this by wrapping them in a towel and microwaving them. Or you can heat them in a dry skillet for about 20-30 seconds on each side, until they are very pliable and soft.
If they start cracking as you are working with them, just reheat them for a few seconds and they should be fine.
What Goes With Tacos
Can I Reheat Air Fried Tacos
Yes, if you have leftovers let them cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To reheat them, you can use the oven or the air fryer. Set it at 300º F and heat until warm, about 5 minutes.
Can I Use Flour Tortillas To Make Tacos
Absolutely yes, they will work great. You will still want to warm the tortillas so they are soft and pliable, but they will get nice and crispy in the air fryer just like corn tortillas.
More Mexican Dinner Recipes
- Chipotle Chicken Bowls
- Mexican Pizza
- Wet Burrito
- Air Fryer Chimichanga
- Chile Relleno Casserole
- Potato Tacos
Air Fryer Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Taco Toppings
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Black Olives
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add ground beef, breaking apart, and cook for 5-6 minutes until browned. Drain any grease away. Add taco seasoning and water called for on the packet. Simmer for a few minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.1 pound ground beef, 1 package taco seasoning
- Wrap corn tortillas in a towel and microwave for 1 minute.8 corn tortillas
- Working in batches, fill 4 of the tortillas with ground beef and cheese.1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Fold in half to form a taco and brush the outside with olive oil.1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Place in the air fryer basket in a single layer. You can use a toothpick to hold them closed, or if you have an Instant Pot, the trivet works well to place on top to stop them from opening up.Cook at 400º F for 8 minutes, flipping half way.
- Remove the cooked ones and repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
- Top the cooked tacos with whatever your favorite taco toppings are.Lettuce, Tomatoes, Black Olives, Sour Cream
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So crunchy and yummy. I’ll never go back to store bought.
This is a dinner idea that my whole family will love! It looks amazingly delicious!
What size corn tortillas do you use?
Just the standard ones, all of my stores only have one size – I think it is like 5 inches?
Could you use flour tortillas?
Yes you can, the time might be just slightly different
We loved these! I used flour tortillas which took a tad longer… but totally worth it!
I don’t see pictures of the recipe with corn tortillas. Did the flour just work better?
I am not sure what you mean, all of the pictures are with corn tortillas, it is the way I make it 99% of the time. You can use whatever you want, they both work. I just like corn better, so it is what I use.
@Erin S, I agree with Cam. The pictures look like flour tortillas.
Ok, but it isn’t. The picture in the air fryer of them shows a cracked on, that looks like a corn tortilla. I don’t know why it matters, and why you would question the person who made them and photographed them. I have also said you can use whatever tortilla you like, so what I used doesn’t even matter.
@Carm, There are multiple types of corn. The tortillas you see are made with white corn, not yellow.
Can you flour tortillas or is it just not the same?
You can absolutely use flour, either works. It is just a matter of preference. The hard shell tacos at the store are corn, which is what I was trying to make this be a swap for. But they will still be crispy as flour tortillas.
Love this and these recipes are all great! Thanks
This recipe made nothing but a mess.
1. It’s a royal pain when trying to transfer the tacos to the air fryer. everything falls out (or wants to) which makes a mess in the basket. Also, I got small burns while trying to refill the shells
2. Didn’t see the “Note” until too late, which was 1/2 way through the 8 minutes. This was good and bad. GOOD- because it was at about the 3.5 minute mark. BAD_ because the tops did indeed fly up do to the fan.
3. Opening the basket at the 3.5 minute mark not only found the shell tops had blown up but they were fairly burnt in that position as well. The 8 minute cook time is WAY too much time as well as the 400 temperature!.
When getting the taco out of the HOT basket, one has to be very careful. Some were stuck so I had to use tongs along with a fork to free a couple of them.
So on my second group turned out much better. I turned the temp down the 360, placed tooth picks around the tops, and set timer for 4 minutes. I turned them after 2mins and that did it.
Next time I’m going to try to place just the shells in at 360 for 3.5-4 minutes and then stuff them. Or I’m going back to the usual way.