Air Fryer Shredded Tofu Flautas (Tofu Taquitos)
You’re going to love these crispy air fried tofu flautas (aka tofu taquitos) that are filled with a flavorful shredded tofu mix that’s based on the traditional meat-based taquitos. This easy vegan taquitos recipe is budget friendly, easy to make, and perfect for your next taco night!
Is it Flauta or Taquitos or Tacos Dorados?
There’s always a debate about what constitutes as a flauta and taquitos. I’ll do my best to explain.
Flauta is the Spanish word for flute, as in the instrument. But when speaking in food terms it referrers to a deep fried taco that’s rolled and long.
Taquitos means small tacos, and tacos dorados translates to “golden taco” as in the color and texture they turn after being fried.
But so, flautas and taquitos are both types of tacos that are made with rolled tortillas filled with ingredients like meat, beans or potatoes and fried until crispy, but the main difference lies in the size and type of tortilla used.
Flautas are typically made with larger tortillas – and in some Mexican regions flour tortillas are preferred over corn tortillas. So the larger tortilla makes them longer than taquitos.
Taquitos, on the other hand, are made with regular corn tortillas, resulting in a shorter taco.
So while a flauta may technically mean a larger tortilla, Mexican home cooks use regular sized corn tortillas to make them…and will referred to rolled up, crispy, golden tacos as either flautas or taquitos. Generally speaking in Mexican food, the two are interchangeable for home cooks.
Now, tacos dorados are the crispy fried tacos where the corn tortilla is folded in half.
Phew, I hope I didn’t confuse anyone. Hehe!
Tofu Flautas
One of the most fantastic things about authentic Mexican cuisine is that it’s made with fresh and seasonal ingredients – and with whatever you have at home.
Growing up my mom would make us shredded chicken, shredded beef, and shredded pork flautas. But often times she also made us meat-free flautas and taquitos that were filled with mashed potatoes or refried beans. Even back then the meatless tacos were my favorite instead of the meat ones.
So I’ve previously shared my potato tacos and refried bean tacos dorados recipes, which you all have loved, so thank you!
In addition to these two crispy vegan taquitos recipes I often cook tofu flautas and over the past year instead of crumbling the tofu, I’ve been using shredded tofu.
Shredding the tofu is not only fun but it also gives the flautas a fun new look and texture.
💡Now if you aren’t a fan of tofu, these crispy tacos could totally change your mind! I’ve had meat-eaters who didn’t care for tofu, gobble these up.
Why You’ll Love Tofu Taquitos
• Tofu is a good source of plant-based protein.
• The flavorful fillings are all budget friendly.
• If you have tortillas that need using up, flautas are a delicious way to use them.
• Have dinner on the table in under an hour!
• Air fryer tacos use a ton less oil, or none at tall, so are healthier and lower in calories than deep fried ones.
Ingredients
Tofu: Use extra firm or high protein tofu which is denser and easier to shred.
White Onion: You can also use yellow or brown onion, or even spring onion or cebollitas works well.
Garlic Cloves: Or you can substitute with garlic powder.
Roma Tomatoes: You can use whatever type of tomato you have.
Jalapeno or Serrano Pepper: You can remove the seeds and pith to make it milder if desired.
Salt and Ground Black Pepper
Corn Tortillas: Day old work best because they are dryer so will give you a crispier taco. You can use either store-bought or your own homemade tortillas. I used store-bought yellow corn tortillas.
Oil: You all know that I prefer to use olive oil or avocado oil, but feel free to use your favorite oil.
Toppings: You can use your favorite toppings like vegan sour cream, shredded white cabbage or lettuce, sliced tomatoes, radishes, avocado, your favorite homemade salsa or hot sauce, a drizzle of lime juice, and your favorite cheese like my dairy-free cotija cheese.
Alternative Ingredients
The above is what I like to use with my shredded tofu tacos, but you can totally get creative and add other ingredients for a different take.
To give the tofu a spicy touch you can mix in chipotle peppers and some of the adobo sauce, or sprinkle in some chili powder.
For the salsa you can go as easy as making a quick pico de gallo to cut down the time – use your veggie chopper too!
Instead of plain crema you can make an avocado crema.
How to Make Tofu Flautas
Step 1:
Chop up the onion, tomatoes, and mince the garlic cloves. Then use a gently squeeze the tofu to remove any excess water. Use a cheese grater to shred your block of tofu. It will resemble thin strips of mock meat.
Step 2:
Heat the oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan. Once hot add the onion and cook until soft, mix in the minced garlic and cook another minute. Add the shredded tofu and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until it begins to crisp up a little bit.
Mix in the chopped tomato and chile pepper and cook another few minutes. Remove the filling from the heat and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
Step 3:
Wrap your tortillas in a tortilla napkin or regular paper towels and microwave for one minute or just until you have soft corn tortillas that bend easily without cracking.
Step 4:
Preheat the air fryer to 375F or 200C. If your air fryer is like a mini oven model, line the baking sheet with parchment paper or brush with a little bit of oil and set it on the counter. If yours has an air fryer basket you can leave it in the air fryer until ready to cook.
Step 5:
Take one warm corn tortilla and brush it with a little oil on either side of the tortilla. Then spoon a large spoonful of the tofu filling onto on lower end of the tortilla (watch the video for a visual).
Use your fingers to roll and tuck the tortilla over the filling making a tight roll and continue rolling until you have your small taco. Use a toothpick to pin close or simply place the taco onto the baking sheet with this side down and make sure to only do a single layer of the tacos.
If your air fryer is the basket type then spray some oil spray in it or place an air fryer liner inside it. Then carefully arrange the vegan flautas in a single layer inside of it.
If using the basket models you may want to pin the tacos with toothpicks to help them stay tightly rolled.
Repeat until all ingredients have been used up. I ended it with 12 taquitos.
Step 6:
Air fry the tacos for 8 minutes – keeping a close eye on them, and once golden brown flip over and air fry for another 4-7 minutes or just until you see this side begin to turn lightly golden. You can use tongs to feel the texture and see if it’s crispy enough for you.
Carefully remove from the air fryer and place on a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Step 7:
Serve 3 crispy flautas per plate and top with your favorite taco toppings or those listed in the ingredients section.
How to Serve Tofu Taquitos
You can serve these flautas as an appetizer or as a main dish. Some people like to place crispy taquitos in sopa aguada and you can totally do that with these tofu tacos.
A great side dish for these tacos is refried beans, but you could of course serve them by themselves if you’d like or just like you would any other regular tacos.
Taste
This simple rolled taco recipe is crispy without being greasy, the savory flavors of the veggies compliment the meaty texture of the shredded tofu. Combined with the savory, creamy, spicy, and zesty flavors of the toppings, it makes for a delectable taco treat.
These are really so delicious and so perfect for the whole family, the best part too is that you’ll also get the meat-eaters in your family to devour these tacos.
How to Store and Reheat
Allow leftovers to come to room temperature then place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days before they begin to get a bit soggy.
To reheat you can pop them back in the air fryer under low temperature for a few minutes. Or if you don’t mind that they aren’t crispy you can also microwave to reheat.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
More Vegan Tacos Recipes to Try
- BEST Vegan Birria Tacos
- Cochinita Pibil Tacos Made Vegan
- Vegan Chorizo Tacos
- Flautas de Winnie
- Easy Tacos de Bistec
Air Fryer Tofu Flautas (Tofu Taquitos)
Ingredients
Tofu Taquitos Ingredients
- 12 oz tofu extra firm or high protein
- ½ cup white onion finely chopped and adjust to taste
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced adjust to taste
- 2 medium-small Roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 large Jalapeno or Serrano Pepper chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil separated
Suggested Toppings
- 1 cup vegan sour cream
- 2 cups shredded white cabbage or lettuce
- 1 medium roma tomato sliced tomatoes
- 2 large radishes sliced
- 1 large avocado sliced
- 1 cup homemade salsa
- ½ cup vegan cheese like my dairy-free cotija cheese
Instructions
- Gently squeeze the tofu to remove any excess water. Use a cheese grater to shred the tofu into thin strips.
- Heat 1 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan. Once hot add the onion and cook until soft, mix in the minced garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the shredded tofu and season with salt and pepper. Sauté until it begins to crisp up a little bit.
- Mix in the chopped tomato and chile pepper and cook another few minutes. Remove the filling from the heat and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
- Wrap your tortillas in a tortilla napkin or regular paper towels and microwave for one minute or just until you have soft corn tortillas that bend easily without cracking.
- Preheat the air fryer to 375F or 200C. If your air fryer is like a mini oven model, line the baking sheet with parchment paper or brush with a little bit of oil and set it on the counter. If yours has an air fryer basket you can leave it in the air fryer until ready to cook.
- Take one warm corn tortilla and brush it with a little oil on both sides. Then add a large spoonful of the tofu filling onto on lower end of the tortilla (watch the video for a visual). Use your fingers to roll and tuck the tortilla over the filling making a tight roll and continue rolling until you have your small taco. Use a toothpick to pin close or simply place the taco onto the baking sheet with this side down.*
- Repeat until all ingredients have been used up. I ended it with 12 taquitos. Place them on the baking sheet or a lined air fryer basket, making only one layer of tacos.
- Air fry for 8 minutes – keeping a close eye on them, and once golden brown flip over and air fry for another 4-7 minutes or just until you see this side begin to turn lightly golden.
- Carefully remove from the air fryer and place on a cooling rack to cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Serve 3 crispy flautas per plate and top with your favorite taco toppings or those listed in the ingredients section. You can serve with refried beans on the side if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
(Please notice that this article contains Amazon affiliate links, which may earn us a small commission if you make a purchase through them. Your support helps us continue to provide valuable content.)
Looking for a Salsa Bowl Like Mine
Amigos so many of you ask me where I get my beautiful Mexican pottery from. The answer is Mexico. I know many of you can’t travel so I’ve put together a gorgeous collection from Amazon. Click the image below to go check it out.
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
