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Easy to make Beef Taquitos are here just in time for your Cinco de Mayo fiesta! Seasoned ground beef is mixed with an array of ingredients like cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, and flavorful pepper jack cheese, then rolled up in a soft flour tortilla before being baked to perfection.
What’s in This Beef Taquitos Recipe?
I really can’t think of a better party food. These taquitos are perfectly portioned cheesy and beefy goodness all rolled up in a soft flour tortilla!
- Ground Beef: I like to use 85% lean ground beef for my taquitos, but you could opt for leaner beef. You could also use leftover shredded beef or beef carnitas for a different texture. Ground chicken or pork would also work well!
- Taco Seasoning: Chili, cumin, garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, and crushed red pepper create the rich, zesty flavor of taco seasoning. It’s easy to buy a packet at the store, or you can make your own!
- Cream Cheese: Rich, tangy cream cheese helps to bring the filling together.
- Sour Cream: Tangy sour cream adds a delicious flavor and creates a creamy filling.
- Salsa: Adds fresh, tomatoey flavor to these taquitos. Use your favorite brand of store-bought salsa, or make your own salsa to customize the heat level.
- Cheese: Shredded pepper jack cheese is mild and buttery with a spicy kick from habañeros and jalapeños! For less spicy taquitos, opt for Monterey jack or Mexican cheese blend.
- Tortillas: Classic taquitos are made with corn tortillas, while flautas are made with flour tortillas. You could use either in this recipe, but I prefer flour tortillas because they are less prone to breaking.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
- We like flour tortillas better than corn because they tear less easily. This technically makes this dish into flautas!
- It’s fun to create a taquito bar by leaving the toppings out in individual bowls.
- Check the taquitos often; you don’t want to burn them or dry them out.
Variations on Ground Beef Taquitos
These beef taquitos have a pretty good kick from the pepper jack cheese, but to up the spice level even more, try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper in with the taco seasoning, opt for a spicy salsa, and look for ghost pepper jack cheese!
Beef Taquitos Recipe
Equipment
- 9×13 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 ounce taco seasoning store-bought or homemade (1 packet)
- 4 ounces cream cheese (½ brick)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup salsa store-bought or homemade
- 1 cup freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
- 8 tortillas corn or flour
Optional Toppings
- Salsa
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Shredded Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan or jellyroll pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large pan set over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink.1 pound ground beef
- Add the taco seasoning and stir to combine.1 ounce taco seasoning
- Mix in the cream cheese until melted and hot.4 ounces cream cheese
- Stir in the sour cream and salsa.½ cup salsa, ½ cup sour cream
- Remove the pan from the stove. Add the cheese and mix until melted and well combined.1 cup freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
- Microwave the tortillas for 10 seconds to soften.8 tortillas
- Assemble the taquitos. Place a tortilla on a clean work surface. Add a scoop of the beef filling on one side of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down in the pan. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and assembled.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until crispy. Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cheese.Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Shredded Cheese
Becky’s Tips
- While they technically turn this dish into flautas, flour tortillas tend to tear less easily than corn.
- If you’re serving these at a party, offer all of the toppings in bowls! That way, everyone can pick and choose how they’d like to enjoy their taquitos.
- Keep an eye on your taquitos. Once it’s been 15 minutes, they should be ready to go. You don’t want to burn them or let them dry out!
- Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
Serving Suggestions
Cheesy, beefy, warm, and flavorful beef taquitos are worth celebrating. This Cinco de Mayo, pair these taquitos with a tall Margarita to really get the party started! Top your taquitos with fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and shredded cheese, and serve them with a side of cilantro lime rice and refried beans!
How to Make Beef Taquitos Step by Step
Cook the Beef: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan or jellyroll pan with nonstick spray and set aside. In a large pan set over medium-high heat, cook 1 pound of ground beef until no longer pink.
Season the Beef: Add 1 ounce of taco seasoning and stir to combine.
Add the Cream Cheese: Mix in 4 ounces of cream cheese until melted and hot.
Add the Sour Cream and Salsa: Stir in ½ cup of sour cream and ½ cup of salsa.
Melt in the Cheese: Remove the pan from the stove. Add 1 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese and mix until melted and well combined.
Assemble the Taquitos: Microwave 8 flour tortillas for 10 seconds to soften. Place a tortilla on a clean work surface. Add a scoop of the beef filling on one side of the tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place seam-side down in the pan. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and assembled.
Bake the Taquitos: Bake for about 15 minutes until crispy. Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover beef taquitos in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or until warmed through.
How to Freeze
Freeze beef taquitos individually wrapped in 2 layers of plastic wrap and 1 layer of aluminum foil for up to 2 months. Reheat directly from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time.
Instead of ground beef, use ground chicken, turkey, pork, or a combination.
I used medium flour tortillas for this taquito recipe, but any kind will work! If your tortillas are smaller, you’ll get more taquitos out of this recipe – they won’t need as much filling.
Yes! Use 3-4 tablespoons of my favorite recipe for homemade taco seasoning.
Use your favorite store-bought or homemade red salsa for these taquitos. If you’re looking for a homemade salsa to try, I love this blender salsa.
Make sure the taquitos are placed seam-side down on the baking sheet. This will keep the tortilla wrapped up and the filling inside while they bake.
For best results, reheat these taquitos in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. This helps them stay crispy instead of soggy.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and my family loves it! I saw the instructions for freezing, however I’m curious about just
freezing the filling (making tonight and used up all the tortillas we had). I was thinking of freezing the remainder of the filling in freezer ziploc bags, and then letting it defrost in the fridge for a quick weeknight meal at a later date. Thoughts on this? How long do you think it would keep in the freezer? Thanks in advance for any input and for a fabulous recipe.
The filling should keep for up to 3 months in the freezer!
Please change the ingredients to flour tortillas only. I used corn and they split while baking in the oven. We ate them with a knife and fork and they tasted great. They just would have been better if they stayed intact.
Hi Reoma, corn tortillas are the traditional choice, but they do require a bit more prep! Try warming them in the microwave or in a hot pan for a few seconds to make them more pliable!
Great recipe! Made it for dinner tonight and my husband and son loved it.
I used leftover beef pot roast for this recipe (instead of ground beef) and it was absolutely DELICIOUS. Family all raved. Great as an appetizer, dinner (pair with some beans and rice!) or just a snack. Thanks so much!
This was really easy and really good! Quick Friday night meal by the fire. First time making these.
I like spicy so I added hot salsa- that was good. I bought a jalapeño but forgot to put it in. Next time. Still had a nice kick. The filling was easy to make. Great texture — that’s key for something like this. Will make again for sure
Looks delicious! Thanks so much for sharing, Brian!
Easy weeknight meal for our family. We fully enjoyed it
Thanks for sharing, Leslie!
My husband loved these. Thank you so much
Thanks for stopping by!
My
I was wondering if I could make these in the air fryer? I live in Arizona and try not to use the oven unless I absolutely have to. If it’s possible, what temperature and time would you reccomend?
I imagine you could, I haven’t tested it that way yet though!