How to Air Fry Frozen Taquitos

Ahh air fryers. They make life so much easier. So do taquitos, so let's put the two together! You'll have a beautifully crisp and warm snack by cooking frozen taquitos in an air fryer. It's the best way to add a quick side dish to a meal, or a packed lunch for tomorrow, or even an appetizer for a get-together.

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Perfectly crisp Taquitos in Air Fryer

Some people aren't aware of air fryers and their diamonds in the rough qualities. When I first bought mine, I was AMAZED at how efficient they are and the fact that they keep the flavor in. There seem to be endless amounts of recipes so I had to include yummy taquitos. My family loves them!

So what are taquitos?

Taquitos are a Mexican food consisting of small, rolled up tortillas with a filling of beef, chicken, or cheese (a little variety for dieters). After it's filled, it's then deep-fried to perfection. If you aren't sure what the difference between taquitos or flautas are, taquitos are made with flour tortillas whereas air fryer flautas would be made with corn tortillas.

A fairly simple recipe to make yourself, but with frozen taquitos in an air fryer, it makes things easier.

Trader Joes and Whole Foods brands have no artificial ingredients if you're looking for something a little healthier. Feel Good Foods is a brand with healthier ingredients and offers gluten-free taquitos.

Why you'll love Air Fryer Taquitos

• One of the BEST and FASTEST ways to cook frozen taquitos is in an air fryer.
• An air fryer doesn't lose flavor as a frying pan or microwave does.
• With a cook time of just 8 minutes, your air fryer chicken frozen taquitos are ready faster than you can order take out and much faster than cooking in the oven.
• The whole recipe requires one frozen bag of taquitos and it's basically made for you!

Taquitos work great by themselves or you can make a full meal if you're feeling hungry. There's a taco salad, roasted corn esquites, or low carb egg drop soup that keeps the Mexican flare goin' and your taste buds rollin'!

Jump to:

• Perfectly crisp Taquitos in Air Fryer
• So what are taquitos?
• Why you'll love Air Fryer Taquitos
• Taquitos Air Fryer ingredients
• How to make Air Fryer Taquitos
• Frozen Taquitos in Air Fryer recipe tips
• How to store Air Fryer Taquitos
• Frozen Taquitos in Air Fryer FAQs
• More Air Fryer Frozen Recipes

 

Taquitos Air Fryer ingredients

We used Trader Joes black bean taquitos, but any grocery store brand will work depending on your preference of beef, chicken, or cheese filling. Chicken taquitos are another family favorite of ours.

These air fryer frozen taquitos will surprise you with how easy they are, and it requires just one main ingredient. And sometimes cooking frozen foods in an air fryer makes getting dinner or a snack on the table quicker than homemade, but with less guilt! Air fried taquitos or flautas give you that fried frozen taquitos taste but without actually making them deep fried.

• 1 pkg of frozen taquitos - any kind works, chicken, beef, or vegetarian
• Optional sauces/sides - salsa, sour cream, guacamole *buy at the same time as the frozen taquitos if you don't already have a side

Needed Supplies 

An Air Fryer- We have an Omni Plus oven style air fryer and a small 3.2L Farberware basket style air fryer. The cooking method will be the same regardless of the air fryer oven model that you have.

Be sure to read our post and download our cheat sheet on air fryer cook times for the 50 most popular air fryer foods.

How to make Air Fryer Taquitos

Making frozen taquitos in an air fryer is as easy as uno, dos, tres.  Here are the steps to easy living!

Preheating the Air Fryer

Preheat air fryer to 400F. You might have to manually turn your model on and let it preheat for 3-5 minutes.

It’s ok to add oil or cooking spray if you have an aluminum air fryer basket, but if it’s non-stick do NOT use cooking spray. Cooking sprays ruin the finish and will make the food in the non-stick basket STICK.

Lay the frozen taquitos in the air fryer in a single layer, leaving space around them for the best results. Do not stack them on top of each other, as they won't turn out as crisp.

Taquitos Air Fryer Cooking Time

Set the air fryer to a cook time of 8 minutes, check them after 5 minutes to make sure they're cooking evenly. You can flip them over if needed.

Our air fryer frozen taquitos took 8 minutes to cook, but feel free to add more time to get them to your preferred degree of crispness.

Frozen Taquitos in Air Fryer recipe tips

• Flipping the taquitos is not necessary for even cooking, but we found the result was better to check them and move them around after 5 minutes.
• Be sure not to overcrowd your fryer, as the taquitos won't cook as evenly.
• Adding a dipping sauce or side adds variety to each bite and makes it more fun eat!
• If you have a non-stick air fryer basket, don't use cooking spray. You CAN add a spritz if you have an aluminum air frying tray.

How to store Air Fryer Taquitos

Store your cooked taquitos in the fridge for up to 4 days, or put in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.

How to reheat Frozen Taquitos in Air Fryer

If you have leftover air fryer taquitos and want to reheat them, simply preheat the air fryer oven to 400F and cook for 1-2 minutes until heated through. There's no need to flip them!

Frozen Taquitos in Air Fryer FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Cook Frozen Taquitos in an Air Fryer?

It takes about 8 minutes to cook frozen taquitos or flautas in an air fryer but all air fryer models vary slightly, so it depends on your model, what temperature you're cooking them on (we suggest 400 degrees), and the preferred degree of doneness.

Do You Have to Preheat an Air Fryer?

Some air fryer recipes are written with instructions to heat an air fryer first, others do not have you preheat. We believe preheating helps get consistent cooking times and makes sure the food is cooked evenly, just like with an oven. Make sure to follow the recipe instructions and defer to whether it started with a preheat or not.

More Air Fryer Frozen Recipes

• Air fryer frozen corn dogs
• Frozen chicken tenders in air fryer
• Frozen fish sticks in air fryer
• Air fryer frozen egg rolls 

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