Air Fryer Frozen Taquitos: Quick, Easy, And Delicious!

Frozen taquitos are a quick and easy snack that can be made in an air fryer in under 15 minutes. They can be served as a snack, appetiser, or even a meal. This recipe works for any brand, type, filling, or tortilla. You can use corn or flour tortillas, and fill them with beef, chicken, or cheese. The air fryer makes the taquitos crispy, and they can be served with toppings such as salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and cheese.

Preheat the air fryer

Preheating your air fryer is an important step in making frozen taquitos. It ensures that your taquitos will be as crispy as possible. The ideal temperature to preheat your air fryer to is between 375 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the model of your air fryer, preheating can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. For example, the Instant Pot Duo Crisp preheats before starting to count down, while the Cosori model has a preheat button that you can use to heat up the air fryer before adding your food. If your air fryer does not have a built-in preheat functionality, you can simply place the empty basket inside and heat it up for about 5 minutes.

Once your air fryer is preheated, you can prepare the basket by spraying it with a non-stick cooking spray if needed. However, some sources mention that this step is not necessary as most frozen foods already contain oil, and the taquitos won't stick to the basket.

Arrange the taquitos in the air fryer

When arranging the taquitos in your air fryer, it's important to ensure they are in a single layer with a little space between each one. This allows the hot air to circulate properly and ensures that your taquitos will be crispy all over. You can fit about a dozen taquitos in a Cosori air fryer basket, but it can be a bit of a squeeze, so you may need to cook them in multiple batches. If you need to cook a larger quantity, you can reheat the previous batches for 1-2 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit if they cool down too much.

It's also worth noting that you shouldn't stack the frozen taquitos before cooking them. Keep them frozen until you're ready to cook, then lay them out in a single layer in your air fryer basket.

Air fry the taquitos

Air-frying the taquitos is simple and quick. First, preheat your air fryer to 375-400°F. If your air fryer does not require preheating, skip this step. Next, place the frozen taquitos in the air fryer basket, ensuring they are in a single layer with space between each one. You can spray the taquitos with cooking oil for extra crispness, but this is not necessary.

Air-fry the taquitos for 7-11 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy. If you want them to be extra crispy, you can flip them halfway through cooking and spray them with cooking oil again. The taquitos are ready when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Remove the taquitos from the air fryer using tongs and let them cool for a few minutes before serving. You can serve them as they are, or with a variety of toppings and dips, such as salsa, sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, or shredded lettuce.

Remove the taquitos from the air fryer

Once the taquitos are cooked, it's time to remove them from the air fryer. Use tongs to take them out—they'll be hot! Leave them to cool for a few minutes before serving.

If you're cooking a large batch, you can keep the first batch warm by returning them to the air fryer basket and closing the lid. Alternatively, you could keep them warm in the oven at a low temperature.

If you're serving the taquitos as a main course, you could cook a frozen chicken breast in the air fryer to go with them.

Serve the taquitos

Taquitos are best served hot and crispy, straight out of the air fryer. You can serve them as they are, or with a variety of toppings and dips.

For toppings, you can add shredded lettuce, green chilies, salsa, salsa verde, sour cream, shredded Mexican blend cheddar cheese, or sliced jalapenos. You can also sprinkle extra cheese on top of the taquitos as soon as they come out of the air fryer, or drizzle sour cream on top. For a spicy kick, sprinkle cayenne pepper on the taquitos.

For dips, you can serve salsa, guacamole, or sour cream on the side. You can also make your own avocado salsa by blending avocado, jalapeño, white vinegar, salt, cilantro, and onions.

If you want to make a meal out of this dish, you can serve air fryer flautas or taquitos with sides such as refried beans, black beans, and Spanish rice.

Frequently asked questions