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Crispy and crunchy flavorful flautas are a delicious dinner for everyone! They’re filled with beef and fried to perfection.
This flauta recipe is filled with beef (we like to use leftover Pot Roast for the filling), but we also have a Chicken Flautas recipe we love just as much!
A Crunchy Roll to Love!
Flautas (which translates to “flutes”) is a Mexican dish made from tortillas filled with meat or poultry, cheese, and other fillings. It is then fried for a crispy finish!
My mom and grandma have made these my entire life, and they’ve always been a favorite. Honestly, I could eat 5 of these flautas for dinner if I’m not careful. 😉
Why we love them:
- For any meal. Flautas are perfect to serve as an appetizer, lunch, or dinner dish!
- Alternative fillings. They can be filled with any fillings you prefer but this recipe calls for shredded beef.
- Crunchy and addictive. This recipe hits it out of the park. The crunch from the fried tortilla and the creamy melted cheese mixed in with the beef makes it one of our FAVORITE Mexican dinner ideas.
Ingredients
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
- shredded beef – or use Shredded Chicken or Shredded Pork.
- shredded Mexican blend cheese – or another favorite like pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or Monterey jack cheese
- salsa – store-bought or homemade
- diced chiles – adds a lot of flavor. For added flavor include diced onions or jalapenos.
- garlic salt with parsley flakes, salt, and black pepper to taste – or add red pepper flakes, paprika, garlic powder, chili powder, or cumin for added spice.
- tortillas – make using Flour or corn tortillas (we used corn). Sometimes corn tortillas can crack when rolling. Warm them in a pan, on a griddle, or heat them for about 20 seconds in the microwave. If it cracks the tortilla is too cold or it is stale.
Toppings + Sides
- Toppings.
- Guacamole, Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Cafe Rio’s Ranch Dressing, Avocado Cream Sauce, Salsa Verde, or sour cream
- chopped tomatoes, a squeeze of lime juice, or cotija cheese
- Side dishes. Try Mexican Rice, Canned Refried Beans, Homemade Salsa, and Guacamole. Be sure to check out all of our Mexican Side Dishes!
How to Make Flautas
- PREP. Preheat the oven to the warm setting or about 200°F. Fill a large saucepan with about ¾ inch oil. Heat over medium heat to 375°F.
- FILL. In a medium bowl, combine the filling ingredients.
- ROLL. Working with 4 tortillas at a time, spread a heaping spoonful of chicken filling along the middle of each tortilla. Roll the tortillas tightly around the filling and secure each one with a toothpick.
- FRY. Using tongs, hold each flauta in hot oil until firm, then release to continue cooking. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then remove to a paper towel–lined plate and immediately season with salt.
- SERVE. Transfer flautas to a foil-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while assembling and cooking the remaining tortillas. Serve warm with toppings.
Air Fryer Directions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° F.
- Roll the flautas as directed in the recipe.
- Lightly spray the flautas with cooking spray or brush them with a little bit of oil.
- Place the flautas in the air fryer basket, making sure not to overcrowd them. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.
- Repeat with the other batches.
Storing Info
- Make ahead of time. Flautas are best served warm. Keep them covered with foil until ready to serve and eat.
- STORE. Wrap leftovers in foil and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. Heat them in the microwave, over the stove for a few minutes, or in the oven on low heat.
Serve these with flautas:
Flautas
These crispy beef flautas have been enjoyed for generations – they're fried to perfection and ready to eat in under 30 minutes!
Equipment
Ingredients
- vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- 3 cups shredded beef, or shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- ½ cup salsa, store-bought or homemade
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced chiles
- garlic salt with parsley flakes, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, (or flour tortillas)
- salt, to taste
Toppings
- shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, green salsa, guacamole, Cilantro Ranch dressing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to the warm setting or about 200°F.
- Fill a large saucepan with about ¾ inch oil. Heat over medium heat to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine shredded beef, cheese, salsa, diced chiles, garlic salt, and pepper.
- Working with 4 tortillas at a time, spread a heaping spoonful of filling along the middle of each tortilla. Roll the tortillas tightly around the filling and secure each one with a toothpick.
- Using tongs, hold each flauta in hot oil until firm, then release to continue cooking. Cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then remove to a paper towel–lined plate and immediately season with salt.
- Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while assembling and cooking the remaining tortillas. Serve warm with toppings.
Video
Notes
Airfryer. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F. Lightly spray the flautas with cooking spray. Working in batches cook for about 8-10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, flipping them halfway through the cooking time.
Prep ahead. Prepare the shredded beef filling up to 48 hours in advance store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to fill and fry.
Store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for 1-2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1flauta, Calories: 116kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 141mg, Potassium: 187mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 97IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 60mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So simple and delicious. Made a few slight modifications based on what I did and did not have in the house. I used cooked ground beef rather than shredded, and I didn’t have the chiles so I just added a little bit more salsa. Otherwise, made them as instructed in the air fryer and they were a huge hit with my family. We topped them with light sour cream, shredded lettuce, and tomato. The teens have already requested that I make them again. I think this would also be a really easy recipe to modify for other flavors– e.g. buffalo chicken, Korean BBQ, etc.
Loved this since the first time I made it. My boyfriend did as well. I make this at least once a week and there are never any left-overs.
YUMMY.
I love how it turned out! So crispy and delicious. I’m addicted to these 😍
YUM! I had leftover shredded chicken and decided to make these and I am so happy I did. Everyone loved them- I just wish I made more!
This was SO delicious and the most perfect weeknight dinner!
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Crispy and delicious, and SO easy to make. These were a big hit with my family.