These crispy baked beef taquitos are made with ground beef, taco seasoning, and lots of cheese! With just a few simple ingredients, they are easy to meal prep and so tasty for a weeknight meal served with salsa, fresh veggies, and avocado slices.
Taquitos are fun, easy, and versatile- from crispy air fryer chicken taquitos to frozen breakfast taquitos, and these baked beef taquitos - there are so many flavor options!
Perfectly crispy, and oozing with cheese and taco seasoned ground beef... these baked beef taquitos are the ultimate easy meal prep recipe. Not only are they simple to assemble, but they also freeze well - so get ready to stock up your freezer!
Packed with wholesome ingredients, baked beef taquitos are a fun alternative to switch things up on Taco Tuesday.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- they are crispy on the outside, and packed with delicious taco seasoned ground beef and melted cheese
- it's so easy to prepare and don't require any frying
- they freeze well and last in the fridge for up to 4 days
- kids love them!
Ingredient Notes
- Taco seasoning - we used store bought taco seasoning to keep things really simple, but you could also whip up a batch of our homemade taco seasoning if you have time!
- Ground beef - we used lean ground beef. You could swap for ground turkey or even ground chicken if you prefer.
- Cheese - Montery Jack, or mozzarella
- Tortillas - we used small 6-inch wheat tortillas, but if you prefer corn tortillas (a more traditional taquito option) feel free to swap!
Step by step directions
Cook beef
Cook beef in a non-stick pan over medium heat until no pink remains. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, drain before proceeding.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over the beef. Add ⅓ cup of water. Cook, stirring continuously for another 2-3 minutes, until the water reduces and beef is well mixed with seasoning. Set beef aside to cool before rolling taquitos.
Assemble
Heat oven to 425°F. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of ground beef into the middle of a tortilla. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese.
Roll tightly, and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
Bake
Brush each taquito with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 or so minutes, until edges are brown. Remove from oven and serve with suggested toppings.
FAQ
YES! These baked beef taquitos freeze and thaw really well. We recommend storing them in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw completely, and bake at 350°F until heated through (20 minutes or so)
Absolutely! Try these black bean baked taquitos for a vegetarian option.
We haven’t tried it with this recipe, but our crispy air fryer chicken taquitos are delicious! It should work to use the same method for these baked beef taquitos: heat air fryer to 400°F for at least 5 minutes. Carefully add the taquitos to the basket, placing them seam side down. Spray tops of tortillas with spray oil and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crispy.
Toppings
These baked beef taquitos are all about the toppings! Here are some of our favorite toppings for these taquitos:
- Salsa - regular salsa, salsa verde, or pico de gallo
- Guacamole - or fresh avocado. See how to cut an avocado (and not your hand!)
- Herbs - cilantro is our fave
- Jalapenos - sliced or pickled
- Plain yogurt - drizzled or dolloped on top
- Veggies - Fresh tomatoes, lettuce, arugula, shredded cabbage, chopped bell peppers and cucumber
- Cheese - more cheese is never a bad idea!
Variations
This recipe is so flexible! We've kept things pretty simple with the base of this recipe, but feel free to add in any of the following for more options:
- Ground turkey instead of beef
- Swap Monterey Jack for mozzarella or cheddar cheese
- Black beans
- Refried beans
- Jalapeno pepper - diced
- Swap wheat tortillas for corn tortillas
Storage + Meal Prep
Storage
- Fridge - Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Freezer - Let cool completely. Lay flat, then store in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.
- Reheat - To reheat from frozen thaw completely, and bake at 350°F (20 minutes or so) or reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Meal Prep
- Ingredient Prep - Filling may be prepared ahead and stored in an air tight container for up to 4 days. Roll taquitos and bake as directed above.
- Meal Prep Taquitos - Taquitos may be baked ahead and stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Baked Beef Taquitos
Ingredients
Beef filling
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup taco seasoning
Beef Taquitos
- 10 tortillas small; 6 inch
- 1 ¼ cup cheese shredded; I used Monterey Jack
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing
Instructions
- Cook beef - Cook beef in a non-stick pan over medium heat until no pink remains. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan, drain before proceeding.Sprinkle taco seasoning over the beef. Add ⅓ cup of water. Cook, stirring continuously for another 2-3 minutes, until the water reduces and beef is well mixed with seasoning. Set beef aside to cool before rolling taquitos.
- Assemble - Heat oven to 425°F. Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of ground beef into the middle of a tortilla. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese.Roll tightly, and place seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Bake - Brush each taquito with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 15 or so minutes, until edges are brown. Remove from oven and serve with suggested toppings.
Tips:
- Fridge - Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Freezer - Let cool completely. Lay flat, then store in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 1 month.
- Reheat - To reheat from frozen thaw completely, and bake at 350°F (20 minutes or so) or reheat in the microwave until heated through.
- Ingredient Prep - Filling may be prepared ahead and stored in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. Roll taquitos and bake as directed above.
- Meal Prep Taquitos - Taquitos may be baked ahead and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
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Dawna says
Do you freeze these AFTER baking, or before?
Denise says
Hi Dawna, sorry if it was unclear. These are frozen after baking as this helps them stay rolled up.
Brenda G Skaggs says
These look really good. I think I might try with ground turkey and the Ole Wellness Wrap (to lower kcal). I'll let you know!
Denise says
I hope you enjoy!
Marian says
Are the tortillas corn, flour or does it not matter?
Denise says
I used flour because our corn tortillas are not great here in Canada. You could use either 🙂