Air Fryer frozen taquitos are one of the easiest ways you can make snacks for a hungry crowd! Serve them plain or dress them up with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, green onions, cilantro and more!
Whether for Taco Tuesday, Superbowl Sunday or a gathering of friends and family, appetizers are guaranteed to please. Some of my family’s favorites include nachos made with carnitas meat and chicken wings.
Sometimes I just don’t have the time to make appetizers from scratch. And that’s when I turn to frozen kid-favorites that can be cooked in the air fryer like TGI Friday’s potato skins, Totino’s pizza rolls, chicken nuggets, and these delimex taquitos.
Taquitos are corn tortillas rolled up with a filling of chicken, beef, or cheese and deep-fried to a golden brown. Frozen taquitos are already pre-cooked so they just have to be heated through.
I prefer using the air fryer rather than the oven to make taquitos because the air fryer does such a great job of crisping up frozen prepared foods. The other reason I like using the air fryer is the time savings. Foods cook much faster in the air fryer.
Tips for Success
Preheat the air fryer if yours doesn’t have a built-in preheat functionality. Some air fryers preheat before starting to count down. e.g. the Instant Pot Duo Crisp. My Cosori has a preheat button that lets me heat up the air fryer before putting the food in.
Keep the taquitos frozen until you’re ready to air fry them.
Don’t stack the frozen taquitos – lay them out in a single layer. I find that I can fit about a dozen in the Cosori air fryer basket, but it’s a bit of a squeeze. The more space there is between the taquitos, the crispier they get.
If you need to make a larger quantity, do it in multiple batches. You can reheat the prior batches for 1-2 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit if they cool down too much.
Serve the taquitos alone or with toppings such as
- salsa
- chopped fresh tomatoes
- guacamole
- sour cream
- green onions
- chopped fresh cilantro
- pico de gallo
- Sliced jalapenos
- Cotija cheese
Every air fryer will vary. The first time you make taquitos in the air fryer, monitor and check on them 2 minutes before the cooking time is up. Adjust the recipe as needed in the future.
FAQS
You shouldn’t need to use oil in this recipe. I haven’t had any issues with sticking.
Cook them for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, shaking them halfway through.
I flip the taquitos if they are fairly tightly squeezed in the basket. If I’m making a smaller quantity, there is usually no need to flip them.
Yes, you can use the same timing and temperature to make these taquitos using the Instant Pot air fryer lid, Duo Crisp or Pro Crisp.
I air fried Delimex taquitos but there are many brands available. The other popular ones are Jose Ole and El Monterey.
This recipe was tested using Cosori and Duo Crisp brands of air fryer.
Yes, they can be reheated by air frying them for 2 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you need to air fry double the quantity, you can do it in two batches. The second batch may take less time to cook because the air fryer is hot.
Frozen Taquitos Cooking Instructions
- Keep taquitos frozen until ready to use
- Place frozen taquitos in the air fryer basket
- Air fry taquitos
- Turn or shake them halfway through
- Transfer taquitos to serving platter
- Serve with toppings if desired
See recipe details below
Air Fryer Taquitos
Ingredients
- 12 frozen taquitos or as many as will fit in a row *
Instructions
Air Fryer Instructions
- Place the empty air fryer basket in the air fryer and preheat at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes. **
- Add the frozen taquitos to the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 8 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, turning them over with tongs or shaking the basket at the 4 minute mark.
- Transfer the taquitos to a serving platter and serve topped with salsa, guacamole, cilantro, jalapenos, green onions, sour cream, Mexican crema, or your choice of toppings.
Notes
- * Delimex taquitos were used in this recipe. Nutrition information is for Delimex chicken taquitos.
- Don’t thaw the frozen taquitos before air frying them.
- ** Preheat the air fryer if the air fryer doesn’t have a built-in preheat functionality.
- Every air fryer will vary. The first time you make this recipe, monitor the taquitos and adjust the air frying time as needed.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Bill
The taquitos were a bit soft so I added an extra 2 minutes.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for sharing, Bill.
Lana
Perfect timeing.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for the comment, Lana!