A few months ago I fried up some taco shells at home by dipping corn tortillas in a skillet full of hot oil.
Then I tried baking them instead of frying them, and I haven’t gone back to the frying pan since.
You’ve got lots of options on how to bake a batch, so here are some of the key details to keep in mind if you want a healthier version of the classic hard taco shell.
Baked Taco Shells Recipe
Older tortillas tend to crisp up more readily. If using newer tortillas, let them dry out on the counter for a bit before putting them in the oven.
Then the idea is to give them a light coating of oil and use the oven rungs to give them shape as they crisp up.
For the oil, you can either use cooking spray or you can brush on some neutral vegetable oil. I brushed on some canola oil for this batch.
These tortillas then get draped over two rungs in the oven.
They’ll bow awkwardly at first but over time the sides will drop.
10 minutes later at 375F they’ll look like this:
See the light browning on the edges? That’s probably when you want to take out your first batch.
10 minutes at 375F will give you a shell that has crispy edges but is still pliable in the middle.
12-13 minutes at 375F will give you a shell that is crispier but at the expense of being a little drier.
I like the crispy but slightly pliable version best and usually default to that, but your taco shell mileage may vary.
It’s also easy to give them a hint of flavoring if you want.
A shake of chipotle powder (or regular chili powder) along with a dash of salt is a good option to liven them up a little.
Put the flavored side up when baking as that will be the outside of the final product.
And for the Chili-Lime addicts out there, I had the same impulse and thought that a Chili-Lime coating would be the perfect hint of flavor on these shells.
After spreading some lime juice and chili powder on them and baking for 10 minutes they were absolutely……disappointing. The lime juice combined with oil gave them an odd flavor and they didn’t really crisp up. Bummer!
OK, a couple more things to keep in mind…..
The crispy yet pliable version is best eaten as soon as possible. If they sit on the table for awhile they’ll get chewy. Luckily you can always pop them back in the oven for 30-60 seconds and this brings them back to life.
If you are making a big batch it’s probably best to put a roasting pan or sheet underneath them in the oven as they will drip a bit.
And to answer a last possible question…Will this work on flour tortillas?
While it may look appetizing, the flour tortilla tasted a bit pastry-like after baking and didn’t really crisp up. No bueno.
OK, got your freshly baked batch of hard taco shells handy?
Now the best part…..deciding what to put in them. We made Classic Ground Beef Tacos out of this batch. Yum!
Buen Provecho.
Baked Taco Shells Are Just as Good as Fried
Ingredients
- 6-8 corn tortillas
- oil (or cooking spray)
- chili powder (optional)
- salt (optional)
Instructions
- Brush a light coating of oil onto the tortillas (or use cooking spray).
- If you want to give them some flavoring, gives them dashes of chili powder and salt
- Place each tortilla over two oven rungs
- Bake for 10 minutes at 375F for a crispy but pliable version
- Bake for 12-13 minutes for a crispier version
- Serve immediately
Notes
You can use a similar technique to make a batch of Baked Tortilla Chips.
Carmella
Gosh, that’s a really ingenious idea! I love how the rungs shape the tortillas, it’s a pretty much hands free operation.
Patrick
Thanks Carmella! Much healthier too 🙂
Jeff
Too bad it doesn’t work with flour tortillas, because I like them best – and crispy/chewy would be awesome. I love the idea of having them a bit less oil-laden.
Patrick
I’m with you on that one, I was pretty disappointed when the flour tortilla test was a dud. Maybe it needs to be brushed with lard 🙂
Paula manzetti
Just made these for dinner and they came out fantastic never going to fry again!
Patrick
Awesome Paula thanks for the feedback — I’m a huge fan of these too!!
Cathy
This is a super helpful post. Great information and pictures. I tried this and it worked perfectly. So clever. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Patrick
Thanks Cathy, so glad you enjoyed them!
Meredith Viator
See if you can find a spice mix called tajin. Its perfect for the chili lime flavor
June
But what about the smoke alarm going off! The oil drips to the oven bottom and vurns!
Patrick
Hey June! Yeah if you are making a bunch of them you can put some foil or a sheetpan underneath them to catch any drippings, but it also depends a little on how much oil you’re using Cheers.
Kathie Donahue
I appreciate your research and suggestions. Very helpful! Thank you. More than just a recipe!
Patrick
Hey thanks much!
Glen
Thank you for the recipe ideas when I use the masika I put a little lime and salt pepper onion garlic Mexican oregano and cumin in it and I also put just a little bit of liquid Mesquite flavoring because it just I like a smoky flavor to my food thank you very much for the recipes they were very helpful you take care and keep on cooking
Patrick
Thanks for your notes Glen — I will try a similar flavoring in the future. Cheers.
Jessica
Amazing!! Thanks for the idea!! Can’t wait to try it tonight! What a simple way to make hard shell tacos, MUCH healthier and Easier clean up 🙂 Thanks to everyone else on here for the other suggestions as well. Salud!
Traci Welsh
Absolutely LOVED. Super easy and turned out fantastic! I used Hungarian sweet paprika and sea salt for seasoning. Husband loved it and I SO LOVE no grease mess, absolutely the bomb!
Donald D Cogger
!0 minutes at 375 was way to crunchy for me. Finally got a good one at 4 minutes and no cracking 🙂
Tess
Ingenious. Just think that for years I’ve been trying to AVOID them hanging over the rungs. Try Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Seasoning Blend. (I see there’s a Trader Joe’s in Vancouver).
Patrick
Ha thanks Tess!
Patrick Q Devaney
I forgot that ovens may vary. Doy! Mine were closer to 6 min. but worth it.