Flautas

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Tortillas filled with meat and cheese and fried to perfection! Crispy, flavorful flautas are a delicious dinner for everyone!

Flautas are a rolled taco (aka taquito), and a recipe we love to make for dinner or as an appetizer. For Mexican fiestas, we also love to serve them with quesadillas and mini chimis.

What is a flauta?

A flauta is a tortilla that is filled with meat or poultry, cheese, and other fillings. Then it’s fried in a little bit of oil over the stove! It’s perfect to serve as an appetizer, lunch, or dinner dish! It can be filled with any fillings you prefer but this recipe calls for shredded beef.

It’s SO good. This recipe hits it out of the park with anyone who tries it. The crunch from the fried tortilla and the creamy melted cheese mixed in with the beef is just SO YUMMY! I could eat 10 of these flautas if I’m not careful. These don’t last long around my family.

Feel free to switch up the ingredients and add shredded chicken or pulled pork instead of beef, or use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. You could even use different cheeses or toppings—the possibilities are endless!

How to Make Flautas

FILLING. You’ll need about 2 cups of shredded beef and 1 cup of shredded cheese for this recipe. This is the perfect time to use up the leftover pot roast (or shredded chicken) you made the other day! Have about 12 corn tortillas on hand too.

Start by heating up the oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the shredded beef, cheese, salt & pepper to a bowl and mix everything together.

TORTILLAS. Before preparing the flautas, heat up the tortillas in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel, for about 20 seconds. This will prevent them from cracking or tearing when you roll them up.

FRY. Add the meat mixture to heated tortillas and roll. Use tongs to hold each flauta and place in oil, seam side down and hold there for a few seconds. Fry the flautas until golden on all sides and repeat until meat is gone. Place each flauta on a paper-towel lined plate.

Cover with foil to keep them warm until ready to serve.

Tips, Tricks + Storing

Can you make them ahead? Flautas are definitely best served warm. I suggest making these right before you’re ready to serve them. Keep them covered with foil until ready to serve and eat.

Storing: Store your leftover flautas wrapped in foil and in an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge for a few days. You can heat them up in the microwave or over the stove for a few minutes. You could even heat them up in the oven on low heat.

Serve flautas with all your favorite Mexican toppings!

Here are some of our favorites:

• guacamole
• salsa
• pico de gallo
• Cafe Rio’s Ranch Dressing 
• sour cream
• cilantro dressing
• salsa verde
• chopped tomatoes

Wondering what to serve with flautas?

Here are some of our favorite sides to go with them:

• Homemade Spanish Rice 
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Cucumber Salsa
• Corn Salsa
• Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Flautas Recipe

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5 from 12 votes

Tortillas filled with meat and cheese and fried to perfection! Crispy, flavorful flautas are a delicious dinner for everyone!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 flautas

Calories 172 kcal

Author Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

• 1/2 - 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups shredded beef
• 1 cup cheese shredded
• salt and pepper
• 12 corn tortillas

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan on medium heat.

2. Add shredded beef, cheese, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well.

3. Add meat mixture to heated tortillas and roll. Use tongs to hold flauta and place in oil, seam side down and hold there for a few seconds.

4. Fry until golden on all sides and repeat until meat is gone.

5. Place on paper-towel lined plate and cover with foil until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

I like to start with leftover pot roast, but if you don't have any on hand, it will take additional time to cook beef and shred it.

Nutrition Facts

Flautas Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 172 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 9g56%

Cholesterol 9mg3%

Sodium 70mg3%

Potassium 57mg2%

Carbohydrates 11g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 95IU2%

Calcium 89mg9%

Iron 0.4mg2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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