In preparation for Super Bowl Sunday on February 8 (or maybe Taco Tuesday!), today we have Tacos Dorados, or Crispy Tacos. This is a great recipe to make for a group, or you can do what I did and make half a batch and save the rest of the filling for either something else or another batch of tacos. I found this recipe on America’s Test Kitchen; it’s not only easy, but these are amazingly good tacos! Different than street tacos, these are shallow-fried (with the meat filling inside) to create a deliciously crunchy shell. Let’s get to the recipe!
🌮 What You’ll Find in Today’s Post
Tacos Dorados Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. Water
- 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
- 12 oz. 90 Percent Lean Ground Beef
- 7 tbsp. Vegetable Oil, divided
- 1 Small-Medium Onion, chopped fine
- 1 ½ tbsp. Chili Powder (for extra spice, swap the 1/2 tbsp. with Chipotle Powder)
- 1 ½ tbsp. Paprika
- 1 ½ tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- Kosher Salt
- 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 2 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
- 12 (6-inch) Corn Tortillas (or make 6, and save the remaining filling for something else)
- Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
- Chopped Tomato
- Sour Cream
- Pickled jalapeño slices
- Hot sauce
How to Prepare Tacos Dorados
Step 1
Before we get going on the filling, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and adjust the rack to the middle position. Now, the preparation of the meat filling has a really cool trick for keeping the ground meat tender. We will start by tossing the 90% ground beef with a baking soda slurry. It’s the baking soda that keeps the ground beef moist and tender. Let the meat mixed with the slurry sit while we sauté the onions.
Step 2: Taco Filling
Heat one tablespoon of vegetable or grapeseed oil in a large, 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it is shimmering. Add the onions and, stirring occasionally, cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt to the onions and stir to coat the onions in the spices.
Cook while stirring until the spices are fragrant, about one minute. Then add the tomato paste. Stir to incorporate and cook the tomato paste until it darkens to a rust color, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Then, add the ground beef. Break the ground beef up into small 1/4-inch pieces as it cooks. Cook meat until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 4
When the meat is no longer pink, transfer the whole mixture into a large bowl and mix with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Stir to melt and fully combine the cheese, and set aside. Wipe out the empty skillet with a paper towel.
Step 5: Tortillas
We will need two rimmed sheet pans for this; one of them will hold the tortillas in the oven. For the other, place a wire rack in the rimmed sheet tray and lay a double layer of paper towels on the wire rack; set this aside, we will use it to catch the tacos when they come out of the shallow fry.
Step 6
Lay 6 or 12 corn tortillas on a rimmed sheet tray. If you go with 12, it’s ok to overlap the tortillas so that they will fit in two rows. Then, thoroughly brush both sides of the tortillas with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Place the sheet tray with tortillas in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the tortillas are pliable. If you are doing 12 tacos, reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees. If you’re stopping at 6 tacos, you can shut off the oven.
Baking the oil-brushed tortillas before we fill and fry them will give the tortillas a “waterproofing,” and they will be less likely to break or rip when filled.
Step 7
Spread two tablespoons of filling on one side of the tortilla and fold the other side over and press to close. The edges will be open, but the tortilla will be folded. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
Shallow Fry
Step 8
Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the same large skillet. When the oil is shimmery and hot, carefully lay each taco in the oil, with the open side away from you. Fit six tacos in the skillet at a time. You want the oil around the edges of each taco to be actively sizzling; adjust the burner temperature accordingly to keep a consistent sizzle around the edges.
Check the undersides after about 1-2 minutes, flip them over when they have a nice deep golden brown color (about 2 minutes). To flip, use tongs to grab the taco from the open side, turn the taco so the open side is up, and use a thin spatula in your other hand to help you lay the other side into the pan, release the tongs, and proceed flipping the other 5 tacos.
Step 9
When the other side is golden brown, transfer tacos to the paper towel-lined wire rack in the sheet tray. Blot the tops of the tacos with another double layer of paper towels. If you are doing 12 tacos, place this batch in the 200 degree oven to keep warm while you fry the rest of the tacos.
Finishing Touches
Step 10
You can fill these with your favorite taco toppings; I have sour cream, more shredded cheddar cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, and quartered grape tomatoes. Gently open the tacos like a book to fill with your favorite toppings.
The filling is so flavorful and savory, I found that minimal toppings really struck a good balance. This method for Tacos Dorados makes such a crispy, crunchy taco that isn’t oily or greasy. The meat filling is hearty, moist, and tender. And, I was surprised to discover that even after a night in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, the leftover assembled tacos held up super well! Still crunchy and crispy.
Even if your Super Bowl plans involve just a couple of people, these tacos are easy to scale down. As I mentioned at the top, even if you halve the number of tacos, make the full recipe of filling because you will want to have some for leftovers. It goes great with eggs for breakfast tacos, or as dip for tortilla chips! This is a great recipe, so be sure to pin this one to keep on file! Take care and be well, xo Kelly
FAQS- Tacos Dorados
Tacos dorados are crispy, shallow-fried tacos. Unlike street tacos, the tortillas are filled with meat and cheese, folded, and then fried until golden and crunchy.
Brushing the tortillas with oil and baking them briefly before filling makes them pliable and less likely to crack when folded and fried.
Yes! You can assemble the filled tacos and refrigerate them for up to 12 hours before frying. They also hold up surprisingly well overnight after being fried.
Tossing the ground beef with a baking soda slurry before cooking helps it stay moist and tender, preventing it from drying out or becoming tough and squeaky.
Corn tortillas are traditional and give the best crunch, but flour tortillas will work in a pinch—just expect a slightly different texture.
More Game Day Recipes From Kelly’s Kitchen
- Instant Pot Chili
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Easy French-Style Potato Salad
- Classic Chicago-Style Hot Dogs
- Easy Balsamic Chicken Salad
- Easy Skillet Taco Dip
- Sheet Pan Sesame Glazed Meatballs
Are you a Member of Style at a Certain Age? If not, consider becoming a member to enjoy exclusive content like my new monthly column, Kelly’s Table. This month, I share more Game Day recipes, tips, and tricks for hosting, along with my recommended kitchen utensils and equipment – exclusive for our members only!
Key Equipment Used in This Recipe
Tacos Dorados Recipe Card
Tacos Dorados
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp. Water
- 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
- 12 oz. 90 Percent Lean Ground Beef
- 7 tbsp. Vegetable Oil divided
- 1 Small-Medium Onion chopped fine
- 1 ½ tbsp. Chili Powder for extra spice, swap the 1/2 tbsp. with Chipotle Powder
- 1 ½ tbsp. Paprika
- 1 ½ tsp. Ground Cumin
- 1 ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
- Kosher Salt
- 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
- 2 oz. Cheddar Cheese shredded (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
- 12 6-inch Corn Tortillas (or make 6, and save the remaining filling for something else)
- Shredded Iceberg Lettuce
- Chopped Tomato
- Sour Cream
- Pickled jalapeño slices
- Hot sauce
- Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in the now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Arrange 6 tacos in a skillet with open sides facing away from you. Cook adjusting heat so oil actively sizzles and bubbles appear around edges of tacos, until tacos are crispy and deeply browned on 1 side, about 2 minutes.
- Using tongs and a thin spatula carefully flip tacos. Cook until deeply browned on the second side, about 2 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary.
- Transfer shallow-fried tacos to a paper towel-lined rack and blot tops with paper towels.
- To serve open tacos like a book and add toppings.
Instructions:
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine water and baking soda in a large bowl. Add beef and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste and cook until paste is rust-colored, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add beef mixture and cook, using a wooden spoon to break meat into ¼ inch pieces, until beef is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Transfer beef mixture to bowl; stir in cheddar until cheese has melted and mixed in well. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
- Thoroughly brush both sides of the tortillas with 2 tablespoons of oil.
- Arrange tortillas, overlapping (if doing 12), on a rimmed baking sheet in 2 rows. Bake until tortillas are warm and pliable, about 5 minutes.
- Remove tortillas from oven and reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees if making 12 tacos, otherwise turn off oven.
- Place 2 tablespoons of filling on 1 side of 1 tortilla. Fold and press to close the tortilla (edges will be open, but the tortilla will remain folded).
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and remaining filling. (At this point, filled tortillas can be covered and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.)
- Set a wire rack in the second rimmed baking sheet and line the rack with a double layer of paper towels.
- Heat the remaining ¼ cup of oil in the now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Arrange 6 tacos in a skillet with open sides facing away from you. Cook, adjusting heat so oil actively sizzles and bubbles appear around edges of tacos, until tacos are crispy and deeply browned on 1 side, about 2 minutes.
- Using tongs and a thin spatula, carefully flip tacos. Cook until deeply browned on the second side, about 2 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary.
- Transfer shallow-fried tacos to a paper towel-lined rack and blot tops with paper towels.
- To serve, open tacos like a book and add toppings.
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