We love making homemade Air Fryer Taquitos and we know you will too! With a crisp and crunchy outside, this will become a new family staple. Make this quick and easy meal for a snack or a delicious family dinner.
This air fryer recipe, is perfect for a summer lunch when the kids are home from school, a quick and easy meal, or a party appetizer. Whether eaten plain, or dipped in salsa, queso, or hot sauce, this recipe is great! You get that delicious crisp and crunchy taste in half the time as cooking them in the oven or frying them in oil.
Be sure to check out our other air fryer sides and snacks like our air fryer mozzarella sticks, Frozen Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer, Air fryer Quesadillas, Air Fryer Salmon Bites, and air fryer asparagus. Try it with our Roasted Chili Corn Salsa.
For more air fryer recipes and tips be sure to check out our How To Use an Air Fryer guide.
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Frozen Taquitos in Air Fryer
When life gets busy and we need a quick summer lunch for the kids, or party appetizer, buying frozen taquitos to make in the air fryer is a great solution. Whether you use Trader Joe's, Costco, El Monterey, Jose Ole, Delimex, or another brand, they all cook about the same.
Ingredients
These are better than frozen taquitos made with fresh ingredients. Check out the ingredients list below for more helpful hints.
- Shredded Chicken- You can use a shredded chicken breast or shredded leftover rotisserie chicken. Shredding chicken can be tricky sometimes, here are 4 easy ways to shred chicken.
- Yellow Corn Tortillas- We used yellow corn tortillas for this recipe but you can also use white corn tortillas or flour tortillas. I like how the corn tortillas give that restaurant style taste.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese- Cheddar cheese gives this recipe a great taste but other cheeses like mozzarella or Colby jack can be used.
- Garlic Powder- While we often used minced garlic, garlic powder is used to help season the chicken. It's a pantry staple that most have on hand.
- Coarse sea salt- This is a great addition to the outside of the tortilla. It helps enhance the taste of the crispy tortilla.
- Unsalted Butter- Because of the salt in the chicken and the outside of the tortilla unsalted butter works great. But salted butter can easily be substituted.
See recipe card for quantities.
Directions for Air Fryer Taquitos
Follow these step-by-step process photos for the best results. The pictures can help get the recipe just right.
1. On a corn tortilla, add shredded chicken and cheese down the center. Warm corn tortillas before handling, this prevents them from breaking.
3. Tightly roll the chicken and cheese in the corn tortilla. Place the rolled corn tortilla seam down on a plate or baking sheet and continue rolling the remaining taquitos.
4. Transfer the rolled taquitos to the bottom of the air fryer basket, seam down. The can be touching slightly, but not overlapping. For best results, have the taquitos barely spaced apart.
5. Rub melted butter over the top of each individual taquito. Lightly salt the tops of the buttered taquitos with coarse sea salt. This step can be skipped if desired but gives this air fryer recipe a great taste.
8. Bake for 6-8 minutes in the air fryer. Check at 4 minutes to make sure you don't burn them.
Hint: Every air fryer is different! The time may need to be adjusted based on what type of air fryer you use. This recipe was originally used with the Ninja Foodi XL grill.
Substitutions
Here are a list of substitutions to help make this meal easy to make with what you have on hand.
- Flour Tortillas - instead of using corn tortillas, use flour tortillas to make a flauta style dish.
- White Corn Tortillas- While we used yellow corn tortillas for this meal, you can easily use white corn tortillas for similar results.
- Bean and Cheese- For a vegetarian option, use black beans seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic pepper.
Looking for other Mexican-inspired meals? Check our air fryer chicken tacos, or Arepa Con Queso recipe!
Try a new twist with these tasty Air Fryer Breakfast Taquitos or air fryer burrito.
How To Serve
This is one of our family's favorite easy dinners. Everyone can enjoy them. What's awesome about this recipe is that these taquitos from scratch are can be served with our Fresh Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Pico De Gallo, and our Cilantro Lime Guacamole. Or dip it in our Avocado Crema or Smoky Red pepper Crema.
Storing Air Fryer Taquitos
Store any leftover taquitos in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They also freeze well for up to 4 months.
To reheat, simply place in the air fryer for 5-8 minutes. This will keep them crispy. Make sure the air fryer is preheated beforehand and the center of the taquito is fully reheated.
Top Tip
Don't over stuff the taquitos with chicken and cheese, you don't want the corn tortillas to break, or for them to roll back open.
Enjoy this delightfully easy meal to make! A winner air fryer recipe for any quick dinner, lunch, or snack.
Recipe
Homemade Taquitos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken - you can use a shredded chicken breast or shredded leftover rotisserie chicken.
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt for sprinkling
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 8 small corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400*F
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix shredded chicken with garlic powder and salt.
- Warm the corn tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds. If the tortillas aren't warmed, they break when handled. With the warmed tortilla laying flat, put about 2 tablespoons of shredded chicken, and 1 tablespoon of cheddar cheese down the center of the tortilla. Make sure not to overstuff the tortilla, or it will break.
- Roll the tortilla tightly. Continue until you have 8 rolled uncooked taquitos.
- Place the rolled tortillas at the bottom of the air fryer basket. The can be touching, but not overlapping.
- Brush the tops of the tortillas with melted butter and sprinkle the tops with the coarse sea salt.
- Cook for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
Notes
- This makes a great meal prep meal. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer to maintain a crispy outside.
- Not all air fryers are made the same and the cook time and temperature may need to be adjusted depending on the style that you have.
- Vegetarian -roast cauliflower and black beans to add as the center of the taquitos instead of chicken. Check out our Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos to use as the taquito filling.
- Beef- Instead of chicken, use shredded beef. Use at a 1:1 ratio.
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- Make them bean and cheese for a vegetarian option.
- Instead of corn tortillas, use flour tortillas.
Tara says
Oh yum! I love the texture of these taquitos from the air fryer. They were absolutely incredible.
Toni says
Everyone at my house really loved it! I love this air fryer recipe, thank you so much!