Whether you’re hosting a taco night for your family or just looking for an easy way to make delicious taco shells, air frying is one of the quickest and most convenient methods.
Air fryers are great for making crispy, crunchy tacos with minimal effort.
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How to Prepare Taco Shells in an Air Fryer?
Here’s how to prepare taco shells in an air fryer.
1. Preheat the Air Fryer
The first step is to preheat the air fryer. This will ensure that the taco shells cook evenly and get nice and crispy.
Depending on your model of air fryer, preheating can take anywhere from 3-5 minutes.
If your model doesn’t have a preheat setting, simply set it to 350°F (176°C) and let it run for 5 minutes before adding the taco shells.
2. Prepare the Taco Shells
Once the air fryer has finished preheating, you can begin preparing the taco shells.
- Start by taking out a package of corn tortillas and lightly brush both sides with olive oil using a pastry brush or paper towel. You can also spray them with cooking spray if desired.
- Next, place four tortillas at a time in the basket of your air fryer and cook them at 350°F (176°C) for 3-4 minutes until they are golden brown and crispy. Repeat this process until all of your tortillas are cooked.
3. Add Toppings
Once all of your tortillas are cooked, you can add whatever toppings you like!
Popular options include ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, and salsa—the possibilities are really endless here!
When assembling tacos using an air-fried shell; use a fork or tongs to help transfer them from the basket to a plate or bowl as they can be quite fragile when freshly cooked out of the fryer. Serve immediately while hot! Enjoy!
Can You Make Taco Shells in an Air Fryer From Scratch?
Here’s the step-by-step guide on how to make taco shells in an air fryer from scratch.
Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients
The ingredients needed for making taco shells in an air fryer from scratch are very simple.
All you will need is all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, water, and oil.
You can use any type of oil that you prefer, but it is best to avoid using olive oil as it has a strong flavor that won’t work well with tacos.
Step 2: Mix the Dough
Once you have gathered all of your ingredients, you will need to mix them together to create a dough.
- Start by adding the flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and mix them together until they are combined.
- Then add the water and oil and mix until everything is thoroughly combined and there are no lumps left in the dough.
- The consistency should be similar to that of cookie dough so that it can easily be rolled out into circles for the taco shells.
Step 3: Roll Out Dough & Form Taco Shells
Now it’s time to roll out your dough into small circles so that you can form them into taco shells.
- Take a small handful of dough and roll it out using a rolling pin until it forms a circle about 4 inches in diameter (or whatever size you prefer).
- Place each circle on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper and then carefully press each circle into an inverted cup shape using your fingers or a spoon so that it forms a shell-like shape when cooked.
- Make sure not to press too hard as this could cause your tacos to break when cooking!
Step 4: Air Fry & Enjoy!
Once your tacos are formed, place them onto the air fryer basket with enough room between each one so that they don’t touch each other while cooking.
Set your air fryer temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 6 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy your freshly made taco shells right away or store them in an airtight container for later use!
How to Store Air Fryer Taco Shells?
Let’s take a look at some easy tips for maximizing the shelf life of your air fryer taco shells.
1. Cool It Down:
Before storing your taco shells, let them cool down completely.
This is especially important if you have extra-crispy shells.
If you place hot taco shells in an airtight container, the steam will create condensation on the inside of the container, which will cause soggy shells.
Allow your taco shells to cool off on a plate or cutting board until they reach room temperature before placing them in storage.
2. Air Tight is Best:
Storing your air fryer taco shells in an airtight container is essential for keeping them fresh and crispy.
Airtight containers help prevent moisture from getting into the container and make your taco shells moist or soggy.
Investing in quality food storage containers can make all the difference when it comes to preserving that crispy texture!
How to Reheat Taco Shells in an Air Fryer?
If you’ve stored your taco shells in the fridge or freezer, you’ll want to reheat them before serving. Reheating your taco shells in an air fryer is a great way to get them back to their original crispy texture without having to worry about sogginess. Here’s how:
- Step 1: Preheat your air fryer to 350°F.
- Step 2: Place the taco shells into the air fryer basket, making sure they’re spread out in a single layer so that they cook evenly.
- Step 3: Cook for 4-5 minutes or until heated through and crispy.
- Step 4: Enjoy your crispy, warm taco shells!
How Do You Make Air Fryer Taco Shells Crispy Again?
If your air fryer taco shells aren’t as crispy as you would like them to be, don’t worry – there are a few simple ways to make them crunchy again. Here’s how:
- Step 1: Preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Step 2: Place the taco shells in a single layer onto the air fryer basket.
- Step 3: Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until crisp.
Why Are My Air Fryer Taco Shells Soggy?
If your taco shells are soggy after air frying, it likely means that there was too much moisture in the shells before they were cooked.
This can be caused by using too much filling or not allowing your shells to cool completely before storing them away.
To prevent this issue in the future, make sure to let your taco shells cool to room temperature before storing them in an airtight container.
How Do You Heat up Hard Taco Shells in an Air Fryer Without Closing Them?
If you’re looking for a way to heat up your taco shells without closing them, air frying is the perfect method.
To do this, simply preheat your air fryer to 350°F and spread the taco shells out in a single layer on the basket.
Cook for 4-5 minutes or until crisp and enjoy!
How Do You Refresh Hard Air Fryer Taco Shells?
We’ll discuss how to refresh hard air fryer taco shells so that you can enjoy tacos with perfectly crispy shells.
1. Reheating in the Air Fryer
The easiest way to refresh hard air fryer taco shells is by reheating them in the air fryer.
- Depending on your air fryer model, preheat it to 375°F.
- Place the desired number of taco shells in your air fryer basket—make sure they don’t overlap each other—and cook for 2-3 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
- Once the shells are done cooking, let them cool before adding your favorite fillings.
2. Reheating on the Stovetop
Another option for refreshing hard taco shells is by reheating them on a stovetop.
- Start by heating up a frying pan over medium heat with a tablespoon of vegetable oil or butter.
- Once the pan is hot, add as many taco shells as you’d like and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until they’ve become crispy and golden brown.
- Make sure to flip them occasionally while they’re cooking so that they get evenly heated.
When they’re done cooking, remove them from the pan and let them cool before adding your favorite fillings.
3. Reheating in The Microwave
If you don’t have access to an air fryer or stovetop, you can also revive hard taco shells using your microwave.
- To do this, lay out two pieces of paper towels onto a plate—this will prevent any grease from splattering all over the inside of your microwave when it’s heating up—and place as many taco shells as you’d like onto it.
- Then cover them with two more pieces of paper towel and put the plate into your microwave for 10-15 seconds until crisp and golden brown; however, keep an eye on them because microwaves vary in strength and cook times can vary based on how many tacos you’re reheating at once.
- Once they’re done cooking, let them cool before adding your favorite fillings.
Conclusion:
Making crunchy taco shells in an air fryer couldn’t be easier!
With just a few simple steps you’ll have perfectly cooked tacos ready for topping in no time at all – perfect for feeding your family on busy weeknights or creating delicious appetizers for weekend parties!
With these simple tips, storing your leftover air fryer taco shells has never been easier!
Whether it’s short-term storage like refrigeration or long-term storage like freezing, having an effective storage plan will ensure that your tacos remain as crisp and tasty as when they were first made!
So go ahead – enjoy those delicious tacos without worrying about leftovers going bad! Your future self will thank you!
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