Puffy Tacos.
I don’t know what I hate more: when I finish my taco or when I finish my margarita.
Both are equally depressing, which is why in this case I just went with a beer.
And an overload of tacos for… myself.
In true high maintenance millennial fashion, I find it imperative to have flavorful, easy and different dinners during the month of December or else everything starts tasting like brie cheese with cranberries chased by sliced salami and maybe a sugar cookie.
Which sounds horrific, honestly.
But I always want to have a few evenings where we just eat “regular” food (as Eddie would say) and aren’t consuming holiday party fare – and I also want those evenings of food to still be fun and perhaps new and exciting and not just my go-to kale salad or clean-out-the-fridge pasta.
So maybe this isn’t necessarily classified as REGULAR food but it certainly packs the right flavor punch, is easier than it seems and gives you an excellent excuse to have a margarita.
Wait. Who needs an excuse?
Um, timeout.
Remember time out? Saved By the Bell, Zack Morris and his gigantic phone? He timed out all the time and life just stopped. Real life, do it.
Let’s please talk about these delicious fluffy and puffy tortillas. Look at ’em! I don’t even know what to do with life. SO FLUFFY. We are talking about taco pillows. A cloud for my melted cheese and beef.
Time in.
Frankly, I also love this meal because it’s indulgent and delicious enough to serve to some friends (or, um, yourself) when you want comfort food. And just a different version of a taco, you know?
I don’t want a new version of a taco, said no one ever.
So. Puffy tacos are corn tortillas that are fried for a few seconds until they puff up and hold that shape. The texture is INCREDIBLE. Especially if you’re a texture person. I don’t know everything about authentic puffy tacos, but I think the best are made with masa flour and it’s usually suggested that you make your own, right there on the spot.
Managing a large pot of scalding hot oil was enough for me to deal with while having a clingy snuggabug at my toes, so I figured I’d give it a whirl and try some of my favorite store bought corn tortillas – and it totally worked! The key is checking out the ingredient list, looking for that masa and going from there. I used the la tortilla factory yellow corn tortillas because we are addicted. So I can assure you that those ones work. Buuuut I probably just bought them all from your store so there’s that.
I did a classic beef taco because it was exactly what I was craving. Used my go-to seasoned ground beef that I can make with my eyes closed – I probably make this with chicken, turkey or beef at least three or four times a month for everything from salads to enchiladas to nachos. It also freezes great too!
Here’s what other freaky things I did:
I made a little quick pico, simply some chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, torn cilantro, lime juice and salt. SO good. I like keeping this in the fridge for a day or two and using it on everything. Pico your life.
And I finely shredded some Monterey jack cheese. That’s IT. Three things is all your need: beef, pico, cheese. It’s getting stuffed right in the taco and shoved in your face. Nothing else needed right now. Except the beer.
Beef Puffy Tacos
Ingredients
- 8 yellow corn tortillas
- vegetable oil for frying, enough to reach about 3 inches deep in the pot
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup low-sodium beef stock
- 6 ounces monterey jack cheese, freshly grated
- lime wedges for spritzing
quick pico
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- a pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil to come up about 2 to 3 inches high. Heat until hot – I do not use a candy thermometer for this, but I test a piece or tortilla and when it starts to fry immediately, the oil is ready. I don’t heat it over high heat because it can burn quickly. To make the puffy tacos, take a pair of kitchen tongs and drop one tortilla into the oil. Take the tongs and press down into the center of the tortilla, creating a fold, and hold it there for 20 to 30 seconds, until the tortilla is puffed. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain – and repeat!
- While you’re waiting for the oil to heat up, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic, stirring well and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add in the beef, breaking it up with a large wooden spoon. Cook until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add it to the beef and stir well (continuing to break up the pieces of beef with the spoon) until combined, then stir in the stock. Toss well to combine. Cover and cook on low heat until the tortillas are finished. (note: if i ever find that the stock turns the mixture too watery, i will sprinkle in a spoonful or flour or cornstarch and stir stir stir, sometimes drizzling in a bit more stock.)
- Assemble the tacos by stuffing some beef inside a tortilla, topping it with cheese and adding the pico. You can add another spritz of lime if you’d like!
quick pico
- Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and mix. This can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for a few days.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
I would gladly eat this whole plate and not care about hating life.
71 Comments on “Puffy Tacos.”
Ok, I love your puffy taco’s. And afternoon the Chipotle Ecoli issues, we try to avoid there. Plus, my mother-in-law calls nearly every day to tell us we can’t eat there and how worried she is.blah blah blah. It is in our area. But I already got sick! It’s all good. Making Mexican at home now though. Not worth it!!!!
As a UK dweller we don’t come across tacos much. i have only ever come across the traditional taco shells, and tbh i find them very hard to eat as my filling spills everywhere. So I am liking the look of these soft shells!!!!
these look AMAZING. I normally don’t go for corn tortillas (I’m a flour lover at heart) but I HAVE to try this!
Well. . .um. . .after hearing your description of Christmas fair. . .I’m thinking I will skip eating for the entire month of December (slinky black dress. ..mama loves you). Is that what we really eat? Wouldn’t December be so much better if we ate these puffy tacos instead?
And I couldn’t agree with you more. . .everything tastes better when a heaping mound of pico is involved.
These tacos are so cute! Like chubby little taco babies. Lol! I agree so much about having to eat something other than holiday foods. These will be on my wish list for Christmas!
chubby little taco babies. best thing i’ve heard all week.
Mmmm sooo sooo sooo good!! Definitely on my NYE menu!
I wonder……can I make these taco shells the day before? I have a party coming up and wouldnt want to be standing around in front of a pot of oil cooking. If so how could i store them so they dont get soggy? Ziplock? Tupperware??
unfortunately i really don’t think they can :( they most likely would get soggy or depuff. you can probably make them an hour or so before and keep them in a low temp oven, but not much earlier.
Stick them up your *$!£% they stay fresh and crisp for days
Puffy taco shells are such a fun change of pace! These look soooo good! :)
Dani | http://www.styledvariety.com
So I was wondering what I should make for dinner tonight. I have ground turkey defrosting in the fridge and a bag of corn tortillas in the pantry – and a million other things to do tonight. But these might be quick, right? Except for the frying part… I suck at frying stuff. I want these and I want them now. That’s not a bad thing.
they truly are easy!! i know the oil thing freaks people out but it’s just a bit of oil, not a gallon pot to fry and just takes a few minutes! you can totally do it.
Annnnnnnd I’m dead.
Those puffy tortillas!! They’re like a next level version of those crunchy taco shells I used to love as a kid. Totally want to try this out!
I puffy heart puffy tacos!
Those tacos look to die for, I love tacos I eat them all the time this is a fabulous twist!!
http://xoxobella.com
Oh my goodness… Puffy is where it’s at! I wonder if the Puffy Shirt will come back in style? This totally takes me back yeeeaarrrs, to my favorite Tex Mex restaurant in Texas. They served THESE! Now I can make em’ at home! Just love these Jessica! Thank you for bringing them back into my world! I’m like gimmme all the puffy tacos… nomnomnom… <3
umm and how about PUFFY PAINT.
Ahhhh these look so good, I’m totally jonesing for some Mexican food now (particularly these puffy tacos). Gimme, gimme!
Seriously you make the best tacos here!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
You always post the best tacos! I need to branch out. Dying for one of these puffy taco pillows. :)
Those puffy shells look delicious! Would cheddar cheese work on this recipe too or is jack the best?
yep!
I❤️puffy tacos! These look absolutely fab. Thanks for the recipe!
These taco are genious! Love the puffy shell idea! Also totally agree with the sadness that comes with finishing a margarita haha!
HashtagFabLife
But that magic moment when you run out margarita chasing your last bite of taco, and you’re ready for a second round.?? That’s GOLD, baby.
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So yummy!
Jabeen x
http://www.spilling-the-beans.co.uk/
Oh my God. These tacos. They stole my heart! Pretty please, can I have a bite (or five?) They look absolutely PERFECT!
These tacos look incredible! I need them in my life asap!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
These look simply amazing!! Especially the Pico.
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Puffy tacos! those sound amazing! I’ve never heard of such a thing but I want to put them in my face NOW!
These look great! A lot like Bon Appetit’s tacos in the October issue – http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/beef-picadillo-puffy-tacos. Very cool technique!
Just made these for dinner tonight. AMAZING. We loved this recipe – super easy and SO much flavor! I love these tacos!
So I made these last night. And ate them all. Well, I halved the recipe but still ate them all …
Anyway, I was a nervous fryer, but this really was easy. My oil wasn’t quite hot enough at first, but once I raised the heat a tiny bit, they puffed and crisped like magic! I also salted them after I took them out of the oil because salt is life. Thanks for telling me it would be easy–you were right and I definitely wouldn’t have tried otherwise!!
http://www.corrchloch.com
This is an awesome giveaway.
http://www.corrchloch.com
Wow amazing pictures, you are adorable and super stylish!
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Admittedly I made these and expected them to be decent…but wow!!! Couldn’t get enough!!! Truly excellent and easy to prep!
We always flash fry our corn tortillas, but we’re gonna have to make them puffy next time! We always do a quick cabbage and jicama slaw with a touch of mayonnaise and lots of lime, esp. for the fish tacos, which are our fave. I spent part of my childhood in southern California, and this is like three x a week fare. The best.
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You seriously crack me up every time I stop by! And make me drool. Definitely the drool part. These are no exception. I love love love this recipe and I can’t wait to eat eat eat all of these tacos. YUM!
Yummy. I am making this for dinner
I was searching for a different kind of puffy taco when I found this but I’d enjoy eating either or.
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Coming from Montana we have a restaurant there called Taco Treat and this is how they make their tacos. I loved them but never came across the recipe. Thank you!
Puffy tacos shouldn’t be too crisp like a hard taco – they are not a puffed hard taco. As a son of San Antonio and lifelong puffy taco lover, I consider myself an expert at eating them. The fresh masa lets you get them just crispy enough to hold air but still soft internally.
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They look devine! By chance will small white flour and or white corn tacos fry puffy as well?
I eat tacos several times a week. But I’m from New Mexico where we have breakfast tacos even. My only suggestion is – gotta add chopped jalapeño to the Pico. Here it’s just not Pico without it. Cilantro is optional though. I like mine both ways.
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