These Air Fryer Tacos are so incredibly crispy, you’ll swear they were deep fried! These tacos are perfect for serving at parties and holidays, or just for an every day meal!
Serve these air fryer tacos with our Homemade Guacamole and some fresh Pico de Gallo, a dinner that’s sure to get the party started!
Incredibly Crispy Air Fryer Tacos!
If you don’t have an air fryer by now, this taco recipe is going to be the one to make you go get one. These chicken tacos are so crispy, crunchy and satisfying you won’t believe that they aren’t fried in oil.
And that just means we can make them and eat them as much as we want, am I right? So get out and grab yourself an air fryer, or pull your air fryer off the shelf for these tacos because I promise you, they’re going to be a hit.
What Ingredients Do You Need For This Air Fryer Taco Recipe?
Just a few ingredients that are really interchangeable, but we’ll get to that a little later. These mini chicken tacos can be on the table in just 15 minutes if you start off with leftover cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken!
- Cooked, shredded chicken: Grab a rotisserie chicken (you’ll use the whole thing, skin removed) or any leftover chicken or turkey that you have in the refrigerator. If you need to bake, poach or pan fry your chicken, no worries, we’ll wait.
- Refried beans: You can use fat free or full fat, whichever you choose.
- Salsa: Grab your favorite brand, spicy or mild. We prefer a homestyle type salsa with chunks, not a smooth restaurant style salsa, but again it’s up to you.
- Mexican blend cheese: Again, this is our go to ingredient but if you have cheddar, great. Pepper jack or Colby will work too.
- Sour cream: Sour cream adds a delicious tangy flavor to this chicken filling!
- Taco seasoning, Garlic powder and salt: Taco seasoning gives these mini tacos that beloved taco flavor. We kicked that up with some garlic powder and salt and pepper.
How Do You Make Air Fryer Tacos?
- After the filling is done, we like to char the tortillas as you see here. Our gas range allows us to do that right over an open flame but if you have an electric cooktop, just heat the tortillas up in a skillet with a touch of oil.
- Next, lay the tortilla on a board and add about 1/4 heaping cup of the filling to one side. Fold the tortilla over to close and set aside. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the filling is gone.
- We’re using a small, 6 inch tortilla for these air fryer tacos so you should end up with about 16 mini tacos. Give the tacos a thin layer of oil, either with a cooking spray, an oil mister or brush them lightly with oil. Now it’s time to air fry!
Cook the tacos in your air fryer at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. We have a rack type air fryer so we don’t have to flip ours but if your air fryer is the basket type then flip the tacos over halfway through the cooking time.
What you end up with is these adorably crunchy, crispy mini tacos that are super party ready! Dip them in guacamole, sour cream, salsa and all your favorite taco toppings! The slightly spicy, fresh crunch of red onion is a must…in our humble opinion.
Can You Make This Taco Recipe In The Oven?
The oven is also a great way to make these chicken tacos if you don’t have an air fryer. But I’m telling you guys, using an air fryer will result in a crispier, crunchier tortilla, so if you can get your hands on one you should try it!
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (if you have a convection oven option, that’s the best bet). Place the tacos on parchment paper and oil the top side of the taco either with cooking spray or by brushing a thin layer of oil on top.
Bake for 5 minutes, flip, brush with oil and bake another 5 minutes on the other side. Give the tacos a few more minutes if they aren’t crisping up as much as you would like them to be.
What Other Types Of Filling Can I Use For This Taco Recipe Besides Chicken?
Of course you can swap out turkey for these tacos, too. But if poultry isn’t your thing then there are other options!
- Ground Beef: Brown 1 pound of ground beef, drain and return to the skillet. Follow the recipe as written. This will also work with ground pork, chicken or turkey.
- Leftover steak: If you have leftover steak hanging around, chop it up and add it to the skillet!
- Shrimp: Seafood your thing? Sear some shrimp in the skillet first, then remove them and give them a rough chop. If you’re on the side of people that say seafood doesn’t mix with cheese then just omit the cheese from the filling, but we think it’s totally fine.
What Other Ingredients Can I Add To The Taco Filling?
We’ve got so many ideas for you! These air fryer tacos can definitely be a clean out the fridge type recipe. There are tons of vegetables and spices that are going to be super delicious in these mini tacos!
- Diced green chilis: You know that little can you have in your pantry? Diced green chilis will add a little bit of spice to the filling, but not too much.
- Pickled or fresh jalapeños: Pickled jalapeños will be less spicy than fresh jalapeños, so do what works best for your heat level!
- Pickled red onions: Literally one of my most favorite ingredients, add them to the filling or on top.
- Cooked vegetables: Get some more veggies into these taco by adding cooked vegetables like zucchini, corn, cabbage or mushrooms.
Looking For More Air Fryer Recipes?
- Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets
- Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Shrimp
- Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Chinese Boneless Spare Ribs
- Air Fryer Donuts
Air Fryer Tacos
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThese Air Fryer Tacos are a 15 minute dinner recipe! So crispy, you won’t believe they aren’t fried in oil. Dip ’em in sour cream, guacamole, salsa and all your favorite taco toppings!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado, vegetable or canola oil (can also use non-stick cooking spray)
- 4 heaping cups of cooked, shredded chicken (1 rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup refried beans (fat free or regular)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream (regular or reduced fat)
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh black pepper to taste
- 16 small, 6 inch flour tortillas
Toppings:
- Chopped red onion
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium heat, swirling to coat the pan. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken gets slightly brown. Stir in the refried beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, taco seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook the filling until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
- After the filling is done, we like to char the tortillas on both sides. Our gas range allows us to do that right over an open flame but if you have an electric cooktop, just heat the tortillas up in a skillet with a little bit of oil.
- Next lay a tortilla on a board and add approximately 1/4 heaping cup of the filling to one side. Fold the tortilla over to close and set aside. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until the filling is gone. We’re using a small, 6 inch tortilla for these air fryer tacos, so you should end up with about 16 mini tacos.
- Give the tacos a thin layer of oil, either with a cooking spray, an oil mister or brush them lightly with oil. Preheat your air fryer if necessary to 400 degrees. Add the tacos in a single layer if possible and cook for 8 minutes, flipping over in between if needed. We have a rack based air fryer so we don’t have to flip our food when we cook, but if you have a basket type air fryer, you’ll have to flip over the tacos in between the cooking time.
- Serve immediately with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, red onion and all your favorite taco toppings!
Recipe Notes
To reheat the tacos in the air fryer: Brush the outside of the taco lightly with oil or use an oil cooking spray. Air fry at 400 for 5 minutes until brown and crispy!
To reheat the tacos in the oven: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Brush the outside of the taco lightly with oil or use an oil cooking spray. Place the tacos on a baking sheet that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake for 7-8 minutes, flipping over if needed, until brown and crispy.
Oven instructions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (if you have a convection oven option, that’s the best bet, but the regular oven will work, too). Place the tacos on parchment paper and oil the top side of the taco either with cooking spray or by brushing a thin layer of oil on top.
Bake for 5 minutes, flip, brush with oil and bake another 5 minutes on the other side. Give the tacos a few more minutes if they aren’t crisping up as much as you would like.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American / Tex-Mex
Just made these over the weekend, everyone loved them!