Air Fryer Mini Beef Tacos in the Ninja Foodi
If you love Mexican food, these air fryer mini beef tacos in the Ninja Foodi need to start being on your Taco Tuesday rotation. If you love the frozen mini tacos for appetizers or dinner, then you have to try these homemade mini beef tacos. These fried mini tacos are super easy to make with cooked ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning, quesadilla cheese, and flour or corn tortilla shells. Our favorite easy appetizer, afterschool snacks, or easy dinner recipe.
Don’t have an air fryer yet? I love my Ninja Foodi that has pressure cooking, baking, and air crisping all in one. From tater tots to chicken legs, I am always using the air fryer. These mini tacos might be reason enough to get one. Ninja Foodi air fryer mini beef tacos are made with street taco flour tortillas, ground beef and cheese then air fried until crisp. So easy to make and so good.
Ingredients for Mini Beef Tacos
The ingredients for these mini beef tacos are simple.
- Street Taco Tortillas – Corn or Flour tortillas will work. I think the flour work better for this recipe because they do not break as easily.
- Ground Beef – If I am being honest, I mix ground pork with ground beef. But not everyone has to do that. I just love the flavor of pork and beef together for any Mexican recipe that calls for ground beef or hamburger.
- Taco Seasoning – Try this homemade version of a taco seasoning. I also love Penzeys Bold Taco seasoning. To shake it up, also add some ranch seasoning to the meat.
- Queso Quesadilla Cheese – This cheese is my favorite cheese for these tacos because of how it melts. I get the block of this cheese and grate it myself. You will not regret splurging on this cheese. Honestly, it isn’t even that expensive.
- Cojita Cheese – This is the white powdery cheese. It is great on top of the tacos and toppings but completely optional.
- Taco Toppings – lettuce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream and anything else you like. We actually put all the toppings on the side of the tacos and dip the tacos into the toppings.
Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Mini Beef Tacos
The simplicity of these tacos is why I think they will be a regular rotation at our house. I love street tacos. Then my girlfriend brought over mini chicken tacos from Sam’s Club to make in the Foodi. While they were great, I knew the beef version would be a big hit for my family.
The beef base was made from ground beef cooked in the microwave in my microcooker. Feel free to brown on the stovetop. When the hamburger is about cooked, add taco seasoning. I am obsessed with the bulk homemade taco seasoning recipe from Mama in Midst.
When the beef is cooked, mix shredded queso quesadilla cheese with the beef. The cheese should melt. Stuff the street taco with the cheese and beef mixture. Then top off with a bit more shredded cheese.
Fill the shells and get the Ninja Foodi preheated as you continue to fill the tacos. One pound of meat will quickly fill ten street taco shells.
Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray and then lay the tacos in the basket in a single layer. Spray the top of the tacos with cooking spray as well.
Air fry at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. When you first put them into the air fryer, they may flip open. Flip them if you want about halfway through. Even if you don’t flip them, they will cook crisp on both sides. The mini beef tacos are done once the cheese is melted and the shell is crispy.
I prepped our plates with shredded lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream while the mini tacos were in the air fryer. Serve with your favorite taco toppings. You can also peel them open to put toppings inside.
Just keep filling the air fryer with tacos until the family is entirely filled. Trust me, it will take a few rounds of tacos to fill the family. Serve these ground beef tacos with refried beans, Mexican rice, or even chips and restaurant-style salsa. Your family will definitely want to dip these air fryer mini tacos in sour cream, taco sauce, or even guacamole.
Variations and Substitutions
These mini air fryer beef tacos can definitely be changed up to accommodate your diet and taste preferences. Here are some ways you can make variations.
- Meat – Change the ground beef for ground turkey or shredded chicken for a white meat version of these mini tacos.
- Tortillas – Corn tortillas can be used instead of flour for an even crunchier mini taco.
- Cheese—You can use your favorite cheese in place of the queso quesadilla cheese. Feel free to use shredded cheddar, colby, or Monterey jack cheese, too.
Leftovers
If for some crazy reason you have leftover mini tacos, save those tacos! Reheat them the next day in the air fryer on a lower heat to make sure you don’t burn them.
You can store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Freezing the mini tacos is also an option. Place the mini tacos in a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to three months. Heat the frozen mini tacos in the air fryer for 10 minutes on 350 degrees.
Taco Recipes
If your family loves tacos, then you will want to put some of these recipes into your taco night rotation.
Ninja Foodi Recipes
Looking for more amazing recipes to make in the Ninja Foodi? Look no further, I have my favorite recipes here for you to make.
Air Fryer Mini Beef Tacos in the Ninja Foodi
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 10 Street Taco Shells
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 8 ounces Queso Quesadilla Cheese, Shredded
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Mix the seasoning into the meat with a half a cup of water. Cook until water is evaporated.
- Mix half the cheese with the ground beef taco meat. Begin heating up the air fryer on 400°.
- Spoon the meat and cheese combination into the street tacos. Top off with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray. Place the mini tacos in the basket. Spray the tops of the tacos with cooking spray.
- Cook for 10 minutes on 400° or until cheese is melted and the shells are crisp.
Nutrition
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Did you turn them at 5 minutes?
Yes. Sometimes, I turn them sooner depending on how crunchy my kids want them.
Wow, these look really, really good. Thanks for sharing the recipe!