How to Make Air Fryer Tacos -- Quick Weeknight Dinner

  

I am sharing a quick and easy recipe for Air Fryer Tacos today, using ground turkey and soft flour tortillas!  I often make tacos in my oven or on top of the stove, but this was the first time I tried making them in the air fryer and I have to say I was really impressed with the end results!

They may not look like much, but they were fabulous.  The filling is made ahead of time in a skillet. You can do this the day ahead if you wish, making them super quick.  I used ground turkey, but you could use ground beef or any other ground meat you enjoy.

I am not a huge fan of hard corn taco shells. I broke a tooth on one once and since then I have avoided them like the plague!  I prefer soft flour tortillas. Doing them in the air fryer really crisps up the soft flour tortillas in a very appealing way. (Not tooth breaking!)  They almost bubble up in places which is really nice!

In any case, today was an experiment in cooking them in the air fryer and it was an experiment that both my daughter and I heartily approve of! I just might be making my tacos in the air fryer from now on!  Quick, easy and delicious!

 

ALL ABOUT

MY AIR FRYER

 There are a multitude of air fryers available out there today.  I wanted to tell you a bit about my Air Fryer as so many people had asked.  Mine is a Kuraidori Multi Function Air Cooker/Fryer.  

It does much more than just air fry, you can also bake in it, although so far, to be honest, I have not tried baking anything in mine!  I basically just use the air fry function!  It works very much like a small convection oven.

Mine also has a rotisserie in it, which I have used once or twice. My sister uses hers all the time. We got ours at our Local Home Hardware store. I've been using mine for about 4 years now without any problems whatsoever.

I wasn't sure if I would really get a lot of use from an air fryer, but the longer I have one, the more use I get from it!  I don't think I would want to be without an air fryer now. 

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED 

TO MAKE AIR FRYER TACOS

Aside from an air fryer, not a lot is needed to make the tacos themselves. You get to play fancy with the toppings.

For the turkey mixture:

• 1 TBS oil or butter
• 1/2 pound (227g) ground turkey
• 1/2 packet of taco seasoning
• the juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup of chopped mixed peppers and onions
• 6 taco sized flour tortillas
• 1 cup (90g) of shredded cheddar cheese
• oil or oil spray to brush the outside of the tortillas with

To serve:

• shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, chopped spring onions, chopped olives, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, etc.

 

You may not need all of the oil or butter. I all depends on how lean your turkey is. Mine was quite lean.

You can easily make your own Taco seasoning from scratch if you wish:  Mix together 1 TBS mild chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano and 1/2 tsp of onion powder, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.  (This will make enough for two or three recipes of tacos depending on how spicy  you enjoy them.)

It is not necessary to add the chopped peppers and onions. I happened to have some leftover from the weekend and so I threw them in with excellent results.

I like to grate my own cheese.  They add things like cellulose (wood fiber) to pre-grated cheese to help it flow better. Let's just say that I am not a fan!

I used spray oil.

 

HOW TO

MAKE

AIR FRYER TACOS

These really go together very quickly. You can make the meat filling up ahead of time and it goes even faster. These make a great midweek supper!  

1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Crumble in the turkey, add the peppers, and cook until the turkey is cooked through and the peppers and onions have softened. (You can use oil if you wish. How much depends on the fat content of your ground turkey.)
2. Stir in the taco seasoning and the juice of the lime. If the mixture seems a bit dry you can add a bit of water. (You can also add the finely grated zest of the lime if you wish.)
3. Lay out your tortillas. Cover each one with 1/6 of the cheese, making sure it covers the tortilla. (This will help to hold the meat in the tortillas and prevent it from falling out.)
4. Spoon 1/6 of the turkey mixture onto one half of each tortilla and fold the other half over top, pressing firmly to close. (As I said the cheese will help to glue these together.)
5. Spritz the tacos with some oil spray or brush with oil. Lay in a single layer in the air fryer basket. (You may need to work in batches.)
6. Air fry at 400*F/200*C for 6 minutes. (Note tortillas will crisp further when they are removed from the air fryer.) (There is no need to flip them halfway through the cook time.)
7. Serve hot and fill each taco with your desired toppings! Delicious!

 

WHAT ARE THE BEST TOPPINGS FOR TACOS? 

We all have our favorites, and you can by all means use whatever it is that you enjoy on tacos. I am sharing the things that we enjoy because I think you might also enjoy them!

We love fresh lettuce that is shredded coarsely. This adds a bit of crunch and freshness. We also enjoy chopped spring onions.  Sometimes if we don't have any spring onions we will opt for chopped red or white onions, but spring onions are a favorite.

We really do enjoy salsa, guacamole and sour cream on our tacos. These are always a must. I, personally, don't like the salsa or guacamole to be too spicy, but the coolness of the sour cream does help to cool down any extra spice.

There is already cheese in the tacos, but we always like to add a bit more.

If I have black olives in the house, I adore adding a sprinkle of them as well.  Green olives also work, but I like the flavor of ripe black olives better.

Pica de Gallo, chopped ripe tomatoes, Taco sauce.  All add a bit of extra interest and flavor if you are so inclined.

What is really fun is to lay out all of these toppings in bowls on the table and let people help themselves!  Kind of like a Taco Buffet!

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I MAKE THESE AHEAD OF TIME?

You can certainly make the meat filling ahead of time, but I do not recommend filling and air frying the tacos until you are just about ready to eat.

DO I NEED TO USE GROUND TURKEY?

Feel free to use any kind of ground meat that you enjoy. All will work well.

ARE SOFT FLOUR TORTILLAS NECESSARY?

Not at all. Feel free to use soft corn tortillas if you wish. You may need to soften them first to prevent them from cracking. Follow the package directions. I don't recommend using hard taco shells in the air fryer.

CAN THESE BE DONE IN THE OVEN?

They sure can, although I don't think they come out as crisp or as golden brown in the oven. Preheat your oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6.  Fill as per the recipe. Spritz or brush them with a bit of oil and place onto a baking sheet.  Bake for about 10 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cook time.

 

MORE TACO 

RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY

We are huge fans of tacos, or at least our version of tacos in my family. Here are a few others that we enjoy! 

CHIPOTLE LIME CHICKEN FLATBREAD TACOS - A wonderfully spicy chicken taco filling tucked inside some Deli Kitchen Corn Folded Flat Breads and baked. Deliciously served with a Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce, Guacamole and Salsa. 

BEEF BARBACOA TACOS WITH SWEET PICKLED ONIONS - These tasty tacos are actually an excellent way to use up leftover roast beef.  If you don't have any leftover roast beef you can certainly brown up and use ground beef in its place. The pickled onions can easily be made the day before.  These are really delicious!

 

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Yield: Two servings (3 tacos each)

Author: Marie Rayner

Air Fryer Turkey Tacos for two

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 6 MinTotal time: 26 Min

Crispy shelled flour tacos with a spicy ground turkey and cheese filling. Delicious served with all of your favorite taco toppings!

Ingredients

For the turkey mixture:

• 1 TBS oil or butter
• 1/2 pound (227g) ground turkey
• 1/2 packet of taco seasoning
• the juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup of chopped mixed peppers and onions
• 6 taco sized flour tortillas
• 1 cup (90g) of shredded cheddar cheese
• oil or oil spray to brush the outside of the tortillas with

To serve:

• shredded lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, chopped spring onions, chopped olives, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, etc.

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Crumble in the turkey, add the peppers, and cook until the turkey is cooked through and the peppers and onions have softened.
2. Stir in the taco seasoning and the juice of the lime. If the mixture seems a bit dry you can add a bit of water.
3. Lay out your tortillas. Cover each one with 1/6 of the cheese, making sure it covers the tortilla.
4. Spoon 1/6 of the turkey mixture onto one half of each tortilla and fold the other half over top, pressing firmly to close.
5. Spritz the tacos with some oil spray or brush with oil. Lay in a single layer in the air fryer basket. (You may need to work in batches.)
6. Air fry at 400*F/200*C for 6 minutes. (Note tortillas will crisp further when they are removed from the air fryer.)
7. Serve hot and fill each taco with your desired toppings! Delicious!

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