These plant-based taquitos are a real crowd pleaser! Made with sautéed poblano peppers, sweet corn, and creamy queso fresco. Pan-fried, baked, or air-fried they are delicious anyway you cook them. Instructions for all three methods included.
Sometimes my family is fine with eating vegetables for dinner….and sometimes they’re not.
In particular, my 9-year-old son, who already eats like a teenage boy, can show little enthusiasm when it comes to a plant-based meal. Several burgers would be more his jam.
But one thing I can rely on is anything rolled up in a tortilla and fried is going to be devoured. Especially when served with a large bowl of Pico de Gallo.
That’s why it’s always taquitos for the win!
I’m especially fond of this combination because peppers and sweet corn are such natural partners. If sweet corn is fresh and abundant then absolutely use it, if not, frozen will certainly work.
Taquitos in the US are commonly filled with jack cheese or even cream cheese but I love using Mexican queso fresco. It is subtle and milky but stays soft and chewy even after being fried. Also, FYI, you could totally leave it out if you are vegan.
what are taquitos
Taquitos (aka, little tacos) take the idea of a taco (tortilla + filling) and instead of the tortilla being folded over the filling, you roll the tortillas with the filling instead.
Another thing that sets them apart from tacos is taquitos, or flautas (as they are also known) are always crispy, either by pan-frying them, baking them, or even using an Air fryer. I will go through all three methods below.
Personally, I think pan-frying makes the crispiest and best taquitos. If you are timid about frying things, don’t worry, there’s no vat of hot oil involved, but enough to create a little bath that the taquitos crisp up in.
However, if you are watching the calories, the other two methods also work.
These super adaptable friends can be filled with anything. A chicken taquito filled with shredded chicken and cheese is probably the most common. Other options would be shredded beef and zucchini or sliced pork. Ale from Brown Sugar and Vanilla also makes Crispy Potato Taquitos that are vegan and insanely delicious.
As far as the tortillas go, I think corn tortillas make the best taquitos. I don’t recommend using flour tortillas which are way to chewy for my tastes.
how to make taquitos
The first step in making taquitos is to make the filling.
For these poblano, corn, and queso taquitos you need to sauté the poblanos until they are nice and tender and even a little bit charred. This will take longer than you think, sauté them for about 10 whole minutes to get almost meltingly tender peppers.
The sweet corn and scallions however, are the opposite. Quickly sauté them just until they are tender. Especially if you are working with fresh corn. You don’t want to toughen those sugary starches. Stir in the queso and season with salt and pepper.
Next, warm the tortillas before rolling them. This prevents the tortillas from cracking as you roll them up.
Add about 2 tablespoons of the filling to each tortilla, roll them up tightly and secure closed with a toothpick if you plan on pan-frying them. If you are going to bake or air fry them you don’t need to use a toothpick.
To fry the taquitos, heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Add 2-3 taquitos at a time (don’t crowd the pan) and fry until golden brown on all sides.
Serve with Pico de Gallo and sour cream. Oh, and hot sauce too—yum!
how to bake them
If you want to bake them, heat the oven to 425°F.
Make the filling and roll them up as described above. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and lay the taquitos on the baking sheet seam side down. Generously spray the tops with more cooking spray.
Bake on the top shelf of the oven until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.
how to air fry them
You can also fry them in the Air Fryer!
This method is similar to baking them. Spray the Air Fryer tray with cooking spray, lay the taquitos seam-side-down in the tray and generously spray the top.
Air fry at 400°F for 6-8 minutes or until crispy and golden, turning halfway through.
what to serve with taquitos
I like to serve taquitos on a bed of shredded lettuce with homemade Pico de Gallo, sour cream, and hot sauce.
To satisfy the heartier eaters in my family (see my burger-devouring son mentioned above) I also will make Mexican red rice and a pot of pinto beans.
You can of course swap Pico de Gallo for guacamole if tomatoes aren’t in season.
more plant-based mexican recipes to try!
- Step-by-Step Huaraches Recipe
- Simple Cilantro Lime Rice
- How To Make A Mangonada
- Charred Poblano Guacamole Recipe
- Authentic Chile Relleno Recipe
- Mushroom and Cheese Vegetarian Enchiladas
- Rajas con Crema {Creamy Roasted Poblanos in Cream}
roll ’em up!
If you’ve decided you need to make these immediately, then you are on the right track. When you do, please snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Poblano, Corn and Queso Fresco Taquitos
These plant-based taquitos are a real crowd pleaser! Made with sautéed poblano peppers, sweet corn, and creamy queso fresco. Pan-fried, baked, or air-fried they are delicious anyway you cook them. Instructions for all three methods included.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces poblano peppers (about 2-3 small peppers), stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 ear sweet corn (about 1 cup), kernels removed from cob
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil, for frying
- Cooking spray, for baking or air frying
- Pico de Gallo, for serving
- Sour cream, for serving
- Hot Sauce, for serving
- Shredded lettuce, for serving
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Saute poblanos. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add poblanos and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add corn and scallions. Add corn and scallions and season again with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the corn is just tender, but still has a little crunch, about 3 minutes. Stir in queso fresco. Taste filling and add more salt if needed.
- Warm the tortillas. Heat a comal or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Warm tortillas one at a time then keep warm in a tortilla warmer or clean kitchen towel. This will prevent the tortillas from cracking when you roll them.
- Fill and roll the tortillas. Fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons of filling. Roll up tightly and secure with a toothpick if you are going to pan-fry them. If you are going to bake or airfry them you don't need to use the toothpick.
- To pan-fry the taquitos. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Check to see if the oil is hot enough by sticking a wooden chopstick or the edge of a tortilla in the oil. The chopstick (or tortilla) should immediately be covered in bubbles. If not, give it a minute more to heat up.
- Once the oil is hot enough, add 2-3 taquitos at a time (depending on the size of your pan, don't crowd) and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Remove and drain on paper towels then serve immediatley.
- To bake the taquitos. Heat the oven to 425°F and arrange a rack on the top shelf. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray then lay the taquitos, seam side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops with cooking spray and bake on the top shelf until crisp, about 15 minutes.
- To airfry the taquitos. Spray the airfry tray with cooking spray. Add the taquitos, seam-side down and spray the tops with cooking spray. Airfry at 400°F for 6-8 minutes, or until crisp and golden, turning halfway through.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 550Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 528mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 12g
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