Homemade Taquitos Recipe (Air Fryer)

June 15, 2025

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These crispy homemade taquitos are packed with a creamy, cheesy chicken filling and cooked in the air fryer for a perfectly golden brown and crunchy crust. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce for a fun and easy-to-make dinner or appetizer.

Homemade taquitos on a platter made with an air fryer.

If you love crispy, cheesy taquitos, but want a lighter version that’s incredibly easy to throw together, you’ll love our homemade taquitos recipe made in the air fryer. Each taquito is loaded with a creamy, cheesy chicken and corn filling, rolled into corn tortillas, then air-fried until perfectly golden brown and crispy. The texture is similar to our traditionally fried shrimp taquitos, but without the need for frying in oil!

We love how the air fryer makes these taquitos so easy to make and reduces the oil needed to get an ultra-crispy crust. But if you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry! We’ve also included easy oven-baked and traditional oil-fried instructions so you can make these taquitos however you like.

What are Taquitos?

Taquitos are essentially rolled tacos that are fried to create a crunchy, crispy outer layer. This popular and traditional Mexican dish is made by filling corn tortillas with various meats, such as chicken, beef, or pork, plenty of cheese, and sometimes other additions like corn, chilies, or beans.

The name taquito means “little taco” in Spanish, and they can be eaten as the main course, an appetizer, or a fun snack. You can top them with your favorite taco toppings or dip them into your favorite sauce.

Taquitos stacked on a platter with toppings.

How to Make the BEST Taquitos?

Ingredients

Process

Place all filling ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Stir together.

Place 2 tablespoons of filling into each tortilla and tightly roll into a tube.
Secure each closed with a toothpick.

Spray the air fryer basket with avocado spray. Place taquitos into the air fryer basket, seam side down, and spray with avocado spray. Make sure to leave a little space between each taquito. Air fry at 400˚F for 12-14 minutes or until taquitos are crisp.
Carefully remove taquitos from the air fryer basket and remove toothpicks.

Pile taquitos onto a platter and drizzle with more mayo. Top with crumbled cotija, Tajin seasoning, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges. Serve.

Air fryer taquitos on a platter with toppings.

Why We Love Air Fryer Taquitos

Here are just a few reasons why you’ll want to make these air-fried taquitos ASAP!

They get ultra crispy without all the oil: You don’t have to sacrifice texture or flavor when you make these taquitos in the air fryer. Just a little avocado oil sprayed on the outside of the tortillas is enough to create a crispy, golden-brown crust.
Quick and easy to make: You only need a handful of ingredients and a few minutes of prep time to make the filling and roll the mini tacos. After that, just 15 minutes in the air fryer, and they’re ready to eat!
Easy cleanup: Instead of wiping oil splatters off your kitchen counters and oven and dealing with the leftover oil, cleanup involves just wiping down the inside of the air fryer.
Versatile: Chicken taquitos are perfect for a main course, as a party appetizer, or a game-day dish.

Oven Baked Taquitos Recipe Instructions

If you don’t have an air fryer and want to avoid frying, you can easily make these in the oven. Here’s how:

Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
Place the rolled taquitos seam side down on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, lightly spraying the tops of the tortillas with avocado oil spray.
Bake the taquitos for 15-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and the filling is heated through.

Fried Taquitos Recipe Instructions

The traditional method of making taquitos is to fry them in oil. Just follow these instructions for making the best fried taquitos:

Fill a tall pot with 3 inches of oil and preheat to 350˚F.
Place the taquitos into the oil, leaving space between each one.
Fry the taquitos on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the outer layer of the tortillas is crisp and golden brown. Transfer the fried taquitos to a plate lined with paper towels and serve immediately.

BEST Taquitos Recipe Tips

To help the tortillas roll easily and prevent them from tearing, warm them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before filling and rolling. (See tip below!)
If the taquitos are not staying rolled when you place them seam-side down in the air fryer basket, use toothpicks to hold them together.
While we all love a cheesy taquito, you’ll want to avoid using too much cheese, since it will melt out of the sides and leave you with a flat taquito that’s mostly hollow in the center.
To get a crispy, crunchy crust while air frying or baking these taquitos, you’ll want to be generous with the cooking spray. A good amount of oil coating the entire outside of the tortillas will help them crisp and brown up in the air fryer or oven.
Leave at least an inch of space between each taquito in the air fryer. This helps the air circulate, evenly cooking every side.
Serve immediately for the best texture. If you’re making them in batches, keep cooked taquitos in an oven that’s been preheated to 200˚F, so they stay warm and crispy.

Taquitos on a platter with plates in the background.

How to Warm Tortillas (for rolling)

If you try to fill and roll a cold or room temperature corn tortilla, it will most likely break apart, crack, or tear. To avoid this and keep all the filling inside the tortillas, you’ll want to warm them first, before filling and rolling. Here are a couple of easy and effective ways to warm your tortillas:

In the microwave: Stack 5 or 6 tortillas on a plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.
On a skillet: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and warm each tortilla individually for 15 to 20 seconds per side, until they are flexible.

Filling Variations for Our Taquitos Recipe

We love this classic cheesy chicken filling, but you can get creative and fill your taquitos with so many types of proteins, including vegetarian options. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Swap the chicken for ground beef, carne asada, pulled pork, or shredded beef brisket.
Use crumbled, cooked tofu, shredded jackfruit, black beans, or refried beans for a vegetarian option.
Make breakfast taquitos by filling each with scrambled eggs, bacon or crumbled breakfast sausage, and cheese.
Make them spicy by mixing your shredded chicken with buffalo sauce or chipotle sauce.

Dipping Sauce Options

If you’re serving taquitos, you’ll need a tasty sauce (or three) to dip them in! One of our favorite ways to serve this recipe as an appetizer is on a platter with a variety of sauces for dipping. Here are a few of our favorites:

Taquitos on a platter with one being eaten on a plate.

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