This is how to make homemade taco shells in air fryer or Ninja Foodi! Filled with ground beef or cook shrimp inside they make the best air fryer tacos for dinner and are easy to do with small corn tortillas.
I have got to show you how to make homemade taco shells quick! If you like to cook from scratch this couldn’t be easier. You can fill them with all sorts of things for dinner and kids just love them. Just one of our easy air fryer recipe for beginners even my teens can make.
You literally just need small corn tortillas to make these. Hot air does all the work for you inside the forms. If you want homemade tostadas this will work too, just leave them flat inside the basket.
If you’re looking for a few of the best air fryer Mexican recipes, this one tops the list. New to this way? Don’t worry, we will walk you thru it step by step as well as making air fryer ground beef to fill them with.
Tips: My Favorite models are the Cosori or making Ninja Foodi recipes with the lid that is attached.
It is best practice to put food into a hot basket. This is how to preheat air fryer first before adding your food so it becomes as crispy as possible. For best results, here’s a printable free air fryer cooking time chart here for your fridge.
Ninja Foodi Taco Shells
It doesn’t matter what brand you might have at home. With the Ninja Foodi air fryer you would use the air crisp setting and the lid that is attached. You can make your own flour versions of these and make air fryer tortillas yourself too. Those are great for soft tacos. Cut these corn versions into smaller pieces to make homemade chips too.
Ingredient Notes
We typically just make 2-4 of these at a time but you can do as many as you like with a package of small corn tortillas. I think these work better with this thicker type but have made flour at times.
Olive oil spray can crisp them more if you want them really hard. You just need a light bit and I recommend that you buy the 4 taco rack linked below. If you wanted to make tostadas you wouldn’t need the racks, nor would you for tortilla chips in air fryer.
What can you use other than a rack?
What if you don’t want to buy any other accessories? You could use aluminum foil wadded up into a wide piece to form these too. You just need to keep the two sides open enough to stuff the meat and cabbage inside. Just lay it in the basket on it’s side with the foil “bar” in the middle to shape.
Ready for an awesome taco Tuesday this week? Skip the store bought package that always has at least one broken inside and make homemade air fryer shells this way. You will taste and feel the difference. It only takes a few extra minutes to make so well worth it to eat from scratch.
It is best to do these one at a time. Just leave on the parchment as each cools and place another piece in with your next shell. This is how to make shrimp tacos after you have these made.
How to Make Taco Shells with Cheese
If you wanted keto shells instead you could do that. You will need a piece of parchment paper for this one. Shred about 2 cups of cheddar cheese and preheat machine to 380 F for 5 minutes. Place parchment paper inside basket
Spread about 1/2 cup of cheese on to the paper and spread out so it’s in a circular shape without a lot of bare spots in between. Air fry for about 1-2 minutes or until it is melted and lightly brown
Remove basket and allow to cool about 1 minute or enough where it is slightly hardening but soft enough to bend into shape Bend into a taco shape and hold until it hardens or set a piece of foil in the middle until it’s hard.
Then fill with meat as you wish. Drizzle cilantro lime sauce for fish tacos over the top for added YUM. I have other options too using just this machine like
Can you cook with meat inside?
Now you can do this another way. If you already have the meat you want to fill these with already cooked you can fill, fold tortilla over and set into your machine that way. As it heats the shell will get hard and reheat the ingredients inside at the same time. The shell will somewhat curl around and hold everything in this way.
You can jump to recipe and print recipe below and get started. Let us know what your favorite fillings are!
Taco Shells in Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
- 1 air fryer
Ingredients
- 4 small corn tortillas, corn or flour small taco size
- 1 spray olive oil, only use in last minute if you want really crunchy
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 320 degrees F for 5 minutes. Secure corn tortilla inside the taco mold and set inside. Air fry for 5-6 minutes or until they are as crispy as you'd like.
- To make very crispy you can spray with olive oil the last minute.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other easy air fryer recipes you’ll love
If you want a breaded option, air fry fried shrimp will probably be your favorite. If you want to wrap it all up tight and crisp the outside like a air fryer chimichanga, follow these directions instead.
How to save leftovers
If you made too many but hate to throw them away, no problem. Just remember that air is the enemy when it comes to keeping them crispy and fresh. Think of them as tortilla chips. You want to suck as much air out of the bag you place them in or they’ll start to get stale fast.
What can you make with leftover taco shells?
You can reuse as is with filling the next day or break into pieces and use as chips with dip as a snack later on. I hate wasting any food so if you’re like me you’ll appreciate this tip. I like small freezer bags personally because they are a lot thicker than sandwich bags and things stay fresh longer to me.
