Air Fryer Flautas
These Air Fryer Flautas are crispy and tender without any excess oil and cook up in just 10 minutes or less! A great way to use up leftover chicken or beef!
We love a quick and easy snack, appetizer, or dinner and these air fryer flautas definitely fit that bill! You can have them on the table in no time at all and they are just as good as traditional fried flautas, but without all the oil.
What is a flauta?
A flauta (pronounced [flo̞ˈta̞]) is a Mexican dish traditionally consisting of a rolled-up tortilla that is deep-fried. Flautas can be made with corn or flour tortillas, and are typically filled with chicken, cheese, potato, refried beans, and/or vegetables.
They can also be referred to as taquitos, and while the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a slight difference. Taquitos are generally smaller than flautas and are made with corn tortillas, while flautas can be either corn or flour tortillas.
Serve them with a simple salsa or guacamole for dipping, but you could also top them with some sour cream, cheese, pico de Gallo, shredded lettuce, and/or diced avocado.
🫓Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tortillas – We like flour tortillas for this recipe, but you could also use corn tortillas if you’d like them a bit smaller.
- Fillings – Use shredded chicken, taco meat, ground turkey, or even use beans for a vegetarian flauta. Also make sure you have some shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese on hand to get the perfect cheesy texture.
- Cooking Spray – A light coating of cooking spray helps to get that nice crispy exterior.
📖How To Make Homemade Flautas In The Air Fryer
For air fryer beef flautas:
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until browned; drain fat.
- Stir in taco seasoning (salt, cumin, onion powder, chili powder) and water; simmer for about five minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
For air fryer chicken flautas:
- In a large skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned; remove from pan and shred with a fork.
- Stir in salsa and cream cheese until well combined.
Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of filling and a sprinkling of cheese in a straight line at one edge of the tortilla being careful not to overfill.
- Roll each tortilla up tightly.
- Spray each flauta lightly with cooking spray or brush with avocado oil.
- Air fry at 400F for 8-10, flipping halfway through.
- Remove with tongs.
- Serve immediately with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.
👩🏼🍳Air Fryer Cooking Tips
- You can use store-bought rotisserie chicken or cook and shred your own shredded chicken breasts ahead of time to save time.
- Try not to overfill the tortillas so they roll up easily without tearing.
- If you find your flautas are tearing, try using toothpicks to secure them before air frying.
- For extra crispy flautas, air fry for a minute or two longer.
- Place the flautas in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Overcrowding can cause them to steam and not get crispy. Cook in batches if needed.
- The time it takes to cook flautas in air fryer depends on how full you make them as well as the size of your air fryer. Our air fryer is a small/medium size and it took about ten minutes to cook 6 flautas.
🧀Variations and Substitutions
- Try using different types of shredded cheese such as cheddar, Monterey Jack, or even queso blanco to roll up inside the flautas.
- Add in some chopped onions, peppers, or other vegetables to the filling.
- Swap out the chicken or beef for shredded pork.
- Try using different sauces in place of salsa such as enchilada sauce, Alfredo sauce, or even BBQ sauce.
- Make them gluten-free by using gluten-free tortillas.
❔FAQ
Can I make air fryer flautas ahead of time?
Yes! You can assemble the flautas and store them in the fridge for up to a day before cooking. When you’re ready to eat, simply air fry according to the instructions.
How do you cook Costco flautas in the Airfryer?
If you’re using store-bought flautas, like the ones from Costco, cook them according to the package instructions. They usually only need to be air fried for a few minutes (6-8) until they’re heated through.
What can I serve air fryer chicken taquitos with?
Serve air fryer flautas with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and/or diced avocado. You could also serve them with a side of rice and beans or a simple salad.
Air Fryer Flautas
Ingredients
Chicken Flautas:
- 1.5 cups Chicken Breast cooked and shredded
- ½ cup Salsa
- 2 tbsp Sour Cream or cream cheese
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
Beef Flautas:
- 1 pound Ground Beef cooked
- 1 packet Taco Seasoning
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
For air fryer beef flautas:
- In a large skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat until browned; drain fat.
- Stir in taco seasoning (salt, cumin, onion powder, chili powder) and water; simmer for about five minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
For air fryer chicken flautas:
- In a large skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat until browned; remove from pan and shred with a fork.
- Stir in salsa and cream cheese until well combined.
Instructions:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of cooled filling (about 1/4 cup) and a sprinkling of cheese in a straight line at one edge of the tortilla being careful not to overfill.
- Roll each tortilla up tightly.
- Spray each flauta lightly with cooking spray or brush with avocado oil.
- Air fry at 400F for 8-10, flipping halfway through.
- Remove with tongs.
- Serve immediately with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.
