These delicious Air Fryer Taquitos are packed with tons of flavor. Baked, not fried, they are perfect for fast dinners and cook in only 9 minutes! No air fryer? You’ll also find oven-baking methods in the post.
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Ready for a fast dinner, snack, or appetizer? Of course, you are!
You’re going to love these delicious air fryer taquitos for a tasty family-friendly meal.
I’m not claiming this is an authentic recipe in any way shape or form. This would definitely fit into the “Tex-Mex” or “Cali-Mex” category of cuisines.
If you have a family recipe for the filling that you’d like to use, please feel free! The air fryer cooking time will remain the same.
You can also use your homemade taquitos in this taquito bake for a fun one-pot meal.
Ingredients
This recipe has:
- Tortillas – I used corn
- Leftover cooked chicken breast
- Cream cheese
- Canned chipotle in adobo
- Cheese – I used Monterey Jack
- Garlic powder
- Olive oil
How to Make Homemade Air Fryer Taquitos
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
We’re going to be using the microwave a few times in this recipe for the prep work. It’s going to make your life a lot easier!
In a microwave-safe bowl, soften the cream cheese for 20 seconds. You don’t want to melt it, just soften it enough to make it easy to mix with the other ingredients.
Chop your leftover cooked chicken into small pieces. I use leftovers from a dry brine chicken or air fryer no breading chicken tenders.
Mix the chicken with the cream cheese, garlic powder, Monterey Jack, and some of the sauce from a can of chipotle in adobo. Mix well.
Back to the microwave! This time we’re going to soften the corn tortillas so that they don’t tear or rip when we’re working with them. Take a clean damp kitchen towel or a damp paper towel and loosely wrap 5-10 of the corn tortillas inside. Microwave for 1 minute.
Place 2 tbsp of filling in one-third of the tortilla. Starting from one end, roll tightly. Secure the taquito at the seam with a toothpick.
Brush the basket of your air fryer with olive oil or use air fryer parchment. Place taquitos seam side down in the basket, and brush the tops with olive oil.
Bake at 350˚F for 6 minutes, and then flip and bake for 3 more minutes.
Variations
- If you choose to use flour tortillas, you can skip the process of softening the tortillas.
- You could use your favorite salsa instead of the chipotle in adobo sauce.
- Add canned diced green chilies for a mild spice level.
- Try using homemade taco seasoning instead of chipotle.
- This recipe uses cooked shredded or diced chicken. You can also use a grocery store rotisserie chicken for a wicked-fast meal.
- Save any extra filling and use it in Air Fryer Quesadillas.
Make ahead and meal prep tips
These homemade taquitos freeze like a dream!
I like to place uncooked taquitos on a baking sheet lined with parchment and freeze for 2 hours. I then transfer to freezer storage (these are our favorite reusable freezer bags). They’ll store for 2-4 months and are perfect for quick meals.
How to Make Frozen Taquitos in an Air Fryer
If you have your favorite frozen storebought or homemade taquitos, they’re so easy to cook in the air fryer.
Place the frozen taquitos in the air fryer without defrosting. Cook at 370˚ for 10-11 minutes. Depending on the size of the taquitos, you may need to add 1-5 minutes until they’re fully cooked through.
I typically flip them about halfway through for even cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on how comfortable you are with the rolling process. If you’re new to making homemade taquitos, look for fajitas-size tortillas.
If you’re a taquito-rolling pro, you can use a smaller size such as street taco tortillas.
If you wrap 5-10 corn tortillas in a clean damp kitchen towel or paper towel and then microwave them for 1 minute, the tortillas will become soft and pliable.
I encourage you to not skip this step when making your taquitos in the air fryer!
You bet!
Place the rolled taquitos on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake at 425˚F for 15-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Flip them halfway through for even cooking.
What to serve with taquitos
Need ideas to make this a complete meal? Serve these taquitos in the air fryer alongside Instant Pot Mexican Rice, Instant Pot jasmine rice, reheated frozen corn on the cob, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans, or place on top of Chopped Cabbage Salad, or Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli.
Top your air fryer taquitos with Chipotle Sauce, pickled shallots, sour cream, plain homemade Greek yogurt, salsa, or Avocado Yogurt Dip. We also love to serve it on a bed of shredded cabbage with queso fresco, pickled vegetables, and fresh cilantro.
HOW TO STORE AND REHEAT
Storing Leftovers: Allow the taquitos to cool and store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheating Leftovers: To reheat leftover taquitos in the air fryer, place them in the basket and cook for 2-3 minutes at 350˚F.
To use the microwave, cover, and microwave for 35-60 seconds.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Instead of using a Misto or olive oil cooking spray, I recommend you brush the oil over the top of the taquitos with a pastry brush. I find that prevents the tortillas from bubbling up while cooking.
- Canned chipotles in adobo can usually be found with canned salsa and chilis in the grocery store. You can freeze leftovers in 4 oz canning jars. Or use leftovers in Chipotle Instant Pot Turkey Chili.
- If you skip the toothpicks, make sure you place the taquitos “seam side down” in the air fryer basket to keep them sealed.
More Delicious Air Fryer Recipes
- See all our Air Fryer Appetizers here!
- Loaded Air Fryer Potato Skins
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
- Air Fryer Fish Tacos
- Air Fryer Calzones
- Salmon Patties in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Fish Sticks
- Air Fryer Cheese Curds
- Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken
- Air Fryer Meatballs
- Crispy Teriyaki Cauliflower Bites
- Fried Artichoke Hearts
- Air Fryer Pretzel Bites
- Air Fryer Potstickers
Air Fryer Taquitos
Ingredients
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups cooked chicken {shredded/chopped}
- 2 tsp adobo sauce {from a can of chipotle in adobo}
- 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese {shredded}
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 16 corn tortillas {fajita or street taco size}
- 2 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, soften cream cheese for 20 seconds.2 oz cream cheese
- Add chicken, adobo sauce, Monterey Jack, and garlic powder. Mix until well combined.2 cups cooked chicken, 2 tsp adobo sauce, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Wrap 5-10 tortillas at a time in a clean damp kitchen towel. Microwave for 1 minute to soften.16 corn tortillas
- Place 2 tbsp of filling in one-third of the tortilla. Starting from one end, roll tightly. Secure taquito at the seam with a toothpick.
- Brush air fryer with olive oil or use air fryer parchment.
- Place taquitos seam side down in the basket, and brush the tops with olive oil.2 tsp olive oil
- Bake at 350˚F for 6 minutes, and then flip and bake for 3 more minutes.
Notes
- This recipe uses cooked shredded or diced chicken. You can also use a grocery store rotisserie chicken for a wicked-fast meal.
- If you prefer mild flavors, start with 1 tsp of adobo sauce and then taste for preference.
- If you choose to use flour tortillas, you can skip the process of softening the tortillas.
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Great recipe – thanks so much for sharing. I cooked these in my Power Pro XL Air Fryer Grill. However, I changed the recipe because I didn’t have any chicken so used what I had and that was ground beef. I sauted the ground beef with a small onion grated into it and 2 tablespoons of McCormick taco seasoning. They turned out fantastic. I served them on a bed of lettuce and grape tomatoes diced. Yum!!! Thank you again for posting this recipe.
I love how you adapted the recipe to what you had! So glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Do you know of a brand of Pre-made tortillas that aren’t made with a lot of junk ingredients?
Our grocery store brand Simple Truth (organics) has a great tortilla! It’s from the Kroger brand of stores.