Air-Fried Flautas: Quick, Easy, And Delicious!

Flautas are a Mexican-style street food that can be made in an air fryer. They are versatile, simple to make, and a perfect snack. The process involves preparing the filling, warming the tortillas, assembling the flautas, and then air-frying them to perfection. The filling can be made with shredded meat or chicken, mixed with cheese, and various seasonings. The flautas are then rolled up in tortillas, sealed with water, and air-fried until golden brown and crispy. This recipe is a great way to use up leftover meat and can be customised with various toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

Choosing your ingredients

Flautas are a versatile dish that can be made with a variety of ingredients. Here are some tips for choosing your ingredients when making flautas in an air fryer:

Meat: You can use shredded chicken, pork, beef, or ground beef for the filling. If you're short on time, you can use leftover meat or rotisserie chicken, or cook the meat specifically for your flautas. You can also use cooked shrimp.

Tortillas: The type of tortilla you use will determine whether your dish is considered a flauta or a taquito. Flautas are typically made with 10-inch or 12-inch flour tortillas, while taquitos are made with 6-inch or 8-inch corn tortillas. Corn tortillas will give your flautas a crispier texture, but flour tortillas are less likely to rip. If you're making taquitos, make sure to get small taco-sized tortillas, as larger tortillas may not fit in your air fryer.

Cheese: Shredded cheese is a key ingredient in flautas. You can use a Mexican blend, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Asadero cheese. If you can't find shredded Asadero, you can buy a block and shred it yourself.

Salsa: Chunky salsa, especially with beans and corn, adds texture and flavour to your flautas. You can use any type of salsa you like, including thicker options like Trader Joe's Cowboy Caviar.

Cream Cheese: This ingredient helps bring the filling together and gives the flautas a creamy texture. You can omit it and add more regular cheese if you prefer.

Other Ingredients: You can also add sour cream, jalapenos, lime juice, and taco seasoning to your filling. For toppings, try guacamole, sour cream, shredded lettuce, hot sauce, salsa, or queso.

Preparing the filling

The filling is the star of the flautas, and you can get creative with it. The most common base is shredded meat – chicken, beef, or pork. You can use leftover meat or cook it specifically for the flautas. If you're using cooked chicken, shred it and place it in a large bowl. You can also use ground beef or cooked shrimp.

Now, it's time to add the flavour! You can add salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, lime juice, and taco seasoning to the bowl with the shredded meat. If you want a creamy filling, add some cream cheese and shredded cheese – cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend. You can also add refried beans if you're looking for a vegetarian option. Mix all the ingredients until they are well combined.

For a spicier kick, add some extra hot sauce to the protein. You can also add some spice by applying adobo seasoning liberally.

Rolling the flautas

First, prepare your filling of choice. Flauta fillings can be made with shredded meat, such as chicken, beef, or pork, or vegetarian options like mashed potato or refried beans. Combine the filling with shredded cheese and mix until fully incorporated.

Next, warm your tortillas. For corn tortillas, this can be done by warming them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, wrapped in a damp paper towel. This step helps prevent the tortillas from cracking when rolled. If you are using flour tortillas, you can wrap them loosely in a wet paper towel and microwave for 30-40 seconds until soft and pliable.

Now it's time to roll the flautas! Place one tortilla on a flat surface and spoon about 2-4 tablespoons of the filling mixture horizontally across the bottom third of the tortilla. Be careful not to overfill, as this can make it difficult to seal and may cause the flauta to open up during cooking. Starting from the bottom, tightly roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down on a plate. Repeat this process until all your flautas are formed.

To help seal the flautas, you can place some water on the end of the tortilla before rolling. Additionally, if you are finding it difficult to work with the tortillas, you can put them back in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel for another 10-30 seconds to make them pliable again.

Once all your flautas are rolled, they are ready to be placed in the air fryer and cooked to golden perfection!

Cooking the flautas

Now that you've assembled your flautas, it's time to cook them to perfection in the air fryer. Here's a step-by-step guide:

• Preheat your air fryer: Set your air fryer to the desired temperature. Most recipes recommend preheating to around 375-400°F.
• Prepare the flautas for cooking: Place the assembled flautas in the air fryer basket, ensuring they are in a single layer and not overcrowded. Spray the tops of the flautas with cooking spray or brush them with oil. This will help them achieve that golden, crispy texture.
• Cook the flautas: Depending on the recipe you're following, cook the flautas for 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on them to ensure they don't burn. For corn tortillas, be extra vigilant as they can burn more quickly.
• Flip the flautas: After a few minutes, carefully flip the flautas so that the seam side is facing up. This will ensure even cooking and browning.
• Continue cooking: Cook the flautas for an additional few minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. The total cooking time will vary depending on your air fryer and the type of tortillas used, but it should be around 7-10 minutes.
• Remove and serve: Once the flautas are cooked to your desired level of doneness, remove them from the air fryer and place them on a serving plate. Garnish with your favorite toppings, such as hot sauce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or shredded lettuce.

By following these steps, you'll be able to cook delicious, crispy flautas in your air fryer. Remember to work in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the air fryer basket, as this will ensure even cooking and the best results. Enjoy your homemade flautas!

Serving suggestions

Flautas are a versatile dish, and you can serve them with a variety of toppings and sides. For toppings, you can add salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, guacamole, shredded lettuce, hot sauce, or queso.

If you want to serve flautas as a snack, you can dip them in your favourite salsa. You can also serve them with sides like avocado fries, bell peppers, tortilla chips, mango habanero salsa, or Mexican-style sweet potatoes.

Flautas are a great way to use up leftover chicken, but you can also use other types of meat, such as ground beef, pulled pork, or shrimp. You can even make vegetarian flautas with mashed potato or refried beans.

To make your flautas spicy, add some extra hot sauce to the protein filling.

Frequently asked questions