Tacos dorados, or 'golden tacos,' have a taco shell that is so amazing that you will never buy hard taco shells again. Warm tortillas are loaded with meat filling and then pan-fried to perfection. They are so good that you won't have any leftovers!
Serve with refried black beans and restaurant-style Mexican rice, or enjoy a Tex-Mex salad with dressing.
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Crispy & Golden: Mastering the Art of Tacos
Do you have one of those meals that, when you make it again, you wonder why you aren't making it way more often? This is one of those recipes.
The process isn't that much longer than your standard taco night. The love you will get from your family for making these will solidify taco dorados as a family favorite, go-to meal.
Plus, they're A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!
🤔 What Are Tacos Dorados
Tacos Dorados are crispy tacos, usually made with corn tortillas. The tortillas are warmed, filled with a small amount of ground beef or shredded chicken filling, and then pan-fried.
The resulting taco shell is crispy, yet chewy, and pliable enough at the seam where folded that they can be opened like a book. This allows you to lift one side and add your favorite taco fillings with the beef or chicken layer.
🥘 Ingredients
- Ground Beef - 1½ pounds of ground beef (lean ground beef or strain off drippings).
- Garlic - ½ tablespoon of finely minced garlic.
- Onion - ½ cup of minced white onion.
- Taco Seasoning - 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix. Try my recipe or use your own.
- Cilantro (optional) - ½ cup of chopped cilantro.
- Cheddar - 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, divided into two 1-cup portions.
- Tortillas - 12 corn tortillas. You could also use flour tortillas if that is what you prefer.
- Oil - Your preferred cooking oil for pan-frying your tacos. I used coconut oil.
- Lettuce - 2 cups of shredded iceberg lettuce.
- Tomatoes - 2 tomatoes, diced.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Tacos Dorados
All you need for this recipe is to make the filling, assemble the tacos, and cook them! Grab a large skillet, a baking sheet, measuring utensils, and a wooden spoon.
This recipe is for 6 servings (with 2 tacos per serving), but it is easy to scale it up to feed more if needed.
Make the Filling
Step 1: Brown the meat. Brown 1½ pounds (680 grams) of ground beef, ½ cup (26 grams) of onion, and ½ tablespoon (4 grams) of garlic in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat until cooked through. Drain off excess fat, add 2 tablespoons (5.3 grams) of taco seasoning (and ½ cup of chopped cilantro, if desired).
Step 2: Add cheese. Add 1 cup (120 grams) of your shredded cheddar cheese to the browned, seasoned ground beef. Stir into the meat, allowing the cheese to melt. This will help to keep your meat filling together and prevent it from falling out of your taco dorados while pan-frying them.
Assemble & Cook Your Taco Dorados
Step 3: Preheat. Preheat your oven to 400ºF (205ºC/Gas Mark 6). Place 12 corn tortillas on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and use a pastry brush to coat both sides of each tortilla with a small amount of your cooking oil.
Step 4: Warm and fill. Warm the tortillas in your oven for about 3 minutes, and remove the baking sheet to a work surface. Fill each tortilla with a small amount of the meat filling (about 1½ tablespoons of filling for each warmed tortilla).
Step 5: Fold. Fold each tortilla over the ground beef filling and press firmly down to close the tortillas securely before frying them.
Step 6: Heat. Bring a large skillet or frying pan with a small amount of oil to medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Place 3 - 4 folded tacos in the pan. Adjust your frying pan temperature, as needed, until the oil is actively sizzling around the edges of your tortillas.
Step 7: Fry. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes on the first side. The tortilla should have a nicely browned coloring with crispy edges. Use a spatula or kitchen tongs to carefully turn the tacos and cook the opposite side for about 2 minutes or until browned.
Step 8: Drain. Remove fried tacos to a paper towel-lined plate and pat the oil from both sides.
Step 9: Repeat. Repeat as necessary until all of your tacos are cooked.
Step 10: Serve. Serve with 1 cup of shredded cheese, 2 cups of shredded lettuce, and 2 diced tomatoes. Top with your favorite toppings.
🍽️ What To Serve With Tacos
Top your tasty tacos with one of my salsas like pico de gallo, salsa Roja, or salsa verde, and some creamy guacamole for a super taco night!
Another great idea is to use my Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Cheeks as a filling. My picadillo Mexicano is another great, traditional taco, taquitos, and empanadas filling. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- I use this method when making a large batch of tacos dorados. To make smaller batches, you can heat your corn tortillas directly in the heated frying pan. Add the filling once the tortilla is heated, and fold over. Then, continue to cook as directed.
- When filling your tortillas, do not push the meat too close to the tortilla edges, as it will be more likely to fall out when cooking and/or flipping the tacos.
- Warming your tortillas before you fill them will help to prevent them from breaking when folded!
🥡 Storing & Reheating
The best way to store these tacos is by keeping everything separate from each other. Store your meat filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When ready, you can assemble and pan-fry your tacos as directed.
Reheating
If you do happen to have already-assembled tacos leftover, you can reheat them in the oven. Place them onto a baking sheet and warm them at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) until heated and crisp.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
The toppings that you love to stuff into your tacos are along the side of the meat filling rather than added to the top. You get all of those wonderful flavors in every bite!
The biggest bonus is, hands down, that your delightfully crispy taco shell does NOT fall apart while you eat it! When I say they're better than any store-bought hard taco shells, it's still an understatement. The difference is miles apart.
Well, that depends. In some regions, the name is interchangeable. The consensus with my friends from Mexico is still in line with my way of thinking. Anything open (as pictured) is a taco. Corn tortillas rolled around a filling, then fried, is a taquito.
Taquitos are not to be confused with flautas (flutes) either. Taquitos are smaller, shorter, and made using a corn tortilla. Flautas are longer and are made with flour tortillas. Both have a filling; both are fried.
You'll want to ensure that your oil is properly preheated before adding your tacos to the pan. Once placed, they should sizzle around the edges. If the oil is not hot enough, the tortillas will absorb more oil (since it will take longer to cook), making them soggy.
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Tacos Dorados
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef (lean ground beef, or strain off drippings)
- ½ tablespoon garlic (finely minced)
- ½ cup onion (minced white onion)
- 2 tablespoon taco seasoning mix (see recipe)
- ½ cup cilantro (chopped, optional)
- 2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded, or use a mix of cheeses - 2 portions, 1 cup for the beef filling, reserve 1 cup for topping your cooked taco dorados)
- 12 corn tortillas
- cooking oil (I use coconut oil)
- 2 cups lettuce (iceberg, shredded)
- 2 tomatoes (diced)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Brown your 1 ½ lbs ground beef, ½ cup onion, and ½ tablespoon garlic in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat until cooked through. Drain off excess fat, add taco seasoning (and ½ cup cilantro, if desired).
- Add 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese to the browned, seasoned ground beef. Stir into the meat, allowing the cheese to melt. This will help keep your meat filling together and prevent it from falling out of your taco dorados while pan-frying them.
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (205°C). Place your corn tortillas on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and use a pastry brush to coat both sides of each tortilla with a small amount of your cooking oil.
- Warm the tortillas in your oven for about 3 minutes, and remove to a work surface. Fill each tortilla with a small amount of the meat filling ( about 1 ½ tablespoons of filling for each warmed tortilla ).
- Fold each tortilla over the ground beef filling and press firmly down to close the tortillas securely before frying them.
- Bring a large skillet or frying pan, with a small amount of oil, to medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Place 3 - 4 folded tacos in the pan. Adjust your frying pan temperature, as needed, until the oil is actively sizzling around the edges of your tortillas.
- Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes on the first side. The tortilla should have a nicely browned coloring with crispy edges. Use a spatula or kitchen tongs to carefully turn the tacos and cook the opposite side, about 2 minutes or until browned.
- Remove fried tacos to a paper towel lined plate and pat the oil from both sides.
- Repeat as necessary until all of your tacos are cooked.
- Serve with shredded cheese, 2 cups lettuce, and diced tomatoes. Top with your favorite toppings!
Tina D says
I love these tacos, so crunchy and easy to make as well! I added pico and shredded lettuce to the toppings, yum!!!
MrsHuf says
My late husband's mom taught me how to make tacos dorados years ago. She would never tell me the seasonings she used in her ground beef so I just used packaged taco seasoning (lesser amount of seasoning/water than the directions say as I don't want soupy meat in my fried taco).
We essentially make our tacos dorados identically! I introduced my new husband to these tacos years ago and he loves, loves, loves them.
I'm actually making some tonight but since I had a small chuck roast in the freezer - I'm making shredded beef tacos dorados which I've never made before.
Trisha says
They look amazing can’t wait to make them❤️
Carl says
Fantastic recipe, crunchy and delicious tacos!
Anonymous says
👌 Awesome! We are 75 and 76 and love these TACOS made with your recipe. Thank you from IOWA!
Anonymous says
Spot on with this write-up, I honestly think this site needs a lot
more attention. I'll probably be back again to read more, thanks for the info!
Kenneth Brown says
Very quick and easy recipe. The next time I make it, I will add more spices and make Pico de Gallo to go with it.
tom g. says
i live in southern pacific coast of mexico and hsve travelled throughout the country. it is my experience that where they serve tacos dorados they are always rolled with shredded chicken or shrimp. Fried and covered with a bean paste shredded lettuce and cotijo cheese. what you are describing is closer to empanadas, and they never use gr beef.
Amelia Ojeda Aguilera says
Das Rezept ist gut, nur eine kleine Bemerkung, In Mexico die Tacos dorados macht man mit gerrolten Tortillas. Ihre Tacos dorados sind Tex-Mex Küche
The recipe is good, just a little comment, in Mexico the tacos dorados are made with rolled tortillas. Their tacos dorados are Tex-Mex cuisine
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hallo, danke für den Kommentar. Ja, das ist eine Variante. Es ist auch einfacher für den Menschen, Füllungen zu machen und einzubringen.
Hi, thank you for the comment. Yes, this is a variation. It is also easier for people to make and easier to put fillings in.
Melinda Arnold says
Really good recipe, these crunchy homemade tacos were easy to make. I used picadillo instead of ground beef taco meat. Yummy!
Joe says
Wow, just wow. So simple, super crunchy taco shells with just the right chew, thank you for putting up this recipe.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Awesome to hear! So glad you enjoyed them Joe!
Stacy says
I made these golden delicious tacos last night and they were fantastic.