If you like simple recipes, you’ll love these air fryer taquitos. They’re as simple as rolling a few ingredients up in corn tortillas and popping in the air fryer basket or in the oven.
And if you joined the air fryer squad for healthier recipes, you’ll be happy to hear these taquitos have just 80 calories each!
The recipe also includes a 2-ingredient, lower calorie guacamole dip that makes every bite creamy, crunchy, and loaded with flavor.
How to Make Air Fryer Taquitos
Okay, I promised simple so here’s everything you’ll need:
- corn tortillas
- fat free refried beans (how to make healthier refried black beans)
- fat free or reduced fat shredded cheddar
- taco sauce (or hot sauce, salsa, etc.)
That’s it!
How to roll tortillas without breaking them
If you’ve ever tried rolling tortillas, especially thin corn tortillas, straight out of the bag, you know the struggle is real. The secret to successful rolling without breaking is warming the tortillas up beforehand.
You can use a kitchen towel for best results, but I’ve found wrapping them in a paper towel or even directly on a plate for about a minute does the trick. (If you’re making a larger batch, you might want to do them in batches or flip them halfway through.)
And if you’re okay with a few extra calories, corn and flour blended tortillas like the ones I use in my air fryer quesadillas work great for taquitos.
Air Fryer Tips and Using an Oven Instead
For these air fryer taquitos, I used a 5.8qt air fryer. I also made my cheesy chicken air fryer taquitos in the 6.5-quart Ninja Foodi with a similar temp and cook time (375ºF for 10-12 minutes). If you’re using a smaller air fryer, you may have to cook your taquitos in multiple batches or try stacking them and rotating during cooking.
I sprayed the bottom of my air fryer’s basket with nonstick cooking spray and added a bit more cooking spray (for that golden brown color) on top of the taquitos once in the basket.
If you’re using an oven, I baked my baked beef taquitos on a large baking sheet for 30 minutes at 400ºF. That recipe makes 16 taquitos so a smaller batch may bake faster.
Final Notes
Feel free to serve your taquitos anyway you’d like. The guacamole and Greek yogurt combo could be swapped for salsa and Greek yogurt like I used in my baked beef tacos.
You could also add some additional spices to the bean mixture or fill your taquitos with other protein options. Here are a few of my favorites that would work great:
- air fryer jerk chicken and jalapeños
- Mexican style pulled rotisserie chicken
- pressure cooker shredded Mexican chicken
- crispy pork tenderloin carnitas
- air fryer roasted veggies
- Texas slow cooker chicken
- birria style ground beef
Just be careful with adding ingredients, as overfilling the tortillas will make them tough to roll and possibly ooze out during frying.
And I think that’s about it! If you make these air fryer taquitos, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @mason_woodruff. Or you can join my free Facebook group and share it with the Proton Party.
Air Fryer Taquitos
Quick and easy taquitos made in the air fryer with fat free refried beans, shredded cheddar, and served with a lower calorie guacamole dip.
Ingredients
- 6 Mission Extra Thin Corn Tortillas
- 3/4 C (188g) Fat Free Refried Beans
- 1/2 C (56g) Fat Free Shredded Cheddar, or reduced fat
- 2 Tbsp (30g) Taco Sauce
Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 C (56g) Fat Free Greek Yogurt
- 1 mini cup (57g) 100-Calorie Pack Guacamole, I used Wholly Guacamole
Instructions
- Mix the refried beans and taco sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Wrap the tortillas in a paper towel or on a paper plate for 60 seconds.
- Place a tortilla on a flat surface and add 2 tablespoons of the refried beans to one side of the tortilla. Top with a pinch of shredded cheese.
- Tightly roll the tortilla, starting with the side containing the beans and cheese. Place the rolled tortilla in the basket of an air fryer. Repeat this process for all 6 tortillas.
- Air fry at 400F for 8-10 minutes or until the taquitos are golden brown. If you're using an oven, bake the taquitos on a wire rack at the same time/temp (time may vary so keep an eye on them).
Dipping Sauce
- Mix the Greek yogurt and guacamole together in a small bowl. Serve with warm taquitos.
Notes
- Each taquito has 2 Smart Points.
- Macros are for 1 taquito without dip.
- Entire recipe with the dip: 609 calories, 39g protein, 83g carbs, and 14g fat
- Entire recipe with reduced fat cheddar and dip: 699 calories, 35g protein, 81g carbs, and 26g fat
- Entire recipe with reduced fat cheddar and no dip: 555 calories, 29g protein, 74g carbs, and 15g fat
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 taquitos Serving Size: 1 taquitoAmount Per Serving: Calories: 80Total Fat: 0.5gCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 6g
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Andrea
Tuesday 30th of November 2021
anything TACO just calls my name. This meal is a quick lifesaver when I dont know whta to make for dinner. They are best if you reheat in the airfryer also
Kristen Lopez
Tuesday 28th of January 2020
Amazing!! Even my 9yo loves them! Saves us so much $$ and macros by not going to our local taco shop every week! Great frozen and reheated in the air fryer for quick lunches and dinners!
Jennifer Goris
Tuesday 6th of August 2019
Do you know if these can be frozen, and if so, would you AF first then freeze or roll, freeze and then AF when ready to use?
Mason Woodruff
Wednesday 7th of August 2019
I feel like I've seen others air fry them first and freeze for later, but I haven't tried freezing them personally.
Vicki
Monday 22nd of July 2019
Question about the tortillas - are they supposed to be heated in the microwave to make them easier to roll or just left on a plate or wrapped in a paper towel. The instructions seem a little unclear, but I assumed the microwave was involved. Tasty, quick, and convenient, and I've taken to keeping the refried bean/taco sauce combo in the fridge to save time.
Mason Woodruff
Wednesday 24th of July 2019
Sounds like you got it figured out but yep, microwaved so they're easily rolled without tearing and hold their shape.