40 Taco Recipes That'll Have Your Friends Telling You To Open A Food Truck (2024)

This preparation of Mexico’s slow-cooked pulled pork is classic and a bit time consuming, but worth every single second: It’s the ultimate example of the delicious results you can accomplish with low-and-slow cooking. Once made, these crispy, flavorful carnitas will be key to upgrading every taco night, or practically any weeknight dinner.

Get the Carnitas recipe.

Looking to spice up taco night? Call in the roasted cauliflower. Loaded with crisp cabbage slaw and drizzled with a tangy lime crema, these richly spiced cauliflower tacos promise to shake up your weeknight dinner routine for good.

Get the Cauliflower Tacos recipe.

Nothing beats a street taco—super-juicy, tender grilled meat in a quick grab-and-go format, typically made possible by doubling up two smaller corn tortillas. This makes them easier to eat on the side of the street, in the car, anywhere!

Get the Grilled Chicken Street Tacos recipe.

Mushroom lovers alert: Summer taco nights just got upgraded. Featuring portobello mushrooms marinated in taco spices and grilled to perfection, these vegetarian tacos will delight meat-lovers and vegans alike.

Get the Grilled Portobello Tacos recipe.

Shrimp tacos are easy, fast, and the perfect canvas for showcasing all the best parts of the handheld favorite. Pan-seared shrimp get seasoned with homemade taco seasoning and drizzled with lime juice, then piled into a charred corn tortilla with crisp cabbage slaw and topped with jalapeno-garlic crema (a game changer).

Get the Shrimp Tacos recipe.

Extra crispy on the outside and cheesy on the inside, these tacos are so much fun to make and eat. Putting cheese directly in your skillet might sound wrong, but it works! Once off heat, the cheese starts to harden and crisps up, giving the texture of a crunchy taco shell, but extra delicious.

Get the Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos recipe.

We say the more toppings the merrier. We like our chicken tacos topped with red onion (pickled onions would be great too), avocado, cilantro, and cheese. Pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, or some crushed corn chips would also be delicious, so have fun with it!

Get the Chicken Tacos recipe.

The fish—we use cod, but any flaky variety, like tilapia, works—marinates in a mixture of lime juice, chili powder, and cumin that will become your standard. But the real gem of this recipe is the bright red cabbage slaw—don't skip it!

Get the Perfect Fish Tacos recipe.

These vegan tacos are loaded with bright flavors and a variety of textures—just like any good taco should be! Serve them up with some frozen margaritas and homemade guacamole for the full Taco Tuesday experience.

Get the Vegan Chipotle Lentil Tacos recipe.

Featuring refried black beans stuffed inside a crunchy corn tortilla, this irresistible cross between a taco and a sheet-pan quesadilla will make any weeknight feel like a celebration. Oh—and did we mention you only need 5 ingredients to get the party started?

Get the Crispy Sheet-Pan Black Bean Tacos recipe.

Put squash, hummus, and pickled shallots in front of us, and we'll make one mean taco. These vegetarian tacos have layers of tender summer squash (imagine them picked right from the garden), whipped garlicky hummus, smoky tahini sauce, and za’atar pickled shallots layered in warm corn tortillas.

Get the Summer Squash Sheet Pan Tacos recipe.

Although birria can be served in countless ways, we love making quesatacos stained red with the fat of the birria and seared until almost crispy. This helps melt the queso oaxaca and create what is essentially a mini quesadilla. What's not to love?

Get the Birria Quesatacos recipe.

Never heard of tacos de Soto? The taco de Soto is a fried, crispy taco filled with a sliced hot dog and cheese. While on the surface it seems humble enough, this taco has a cultural significance that is deeply personal for some; for others, it’s a snack with nostalgic memories attached.

Get the Hot Dog Tacos (Tacos De Soto) recipe.

A good breakfast taco is a thing of beauty. Not only will these keep you full until lunch, they've also been known to cure a mean hangover. (Hair of the dog, à la a Michelada, anyone?) Pickled red onions aren't necessary, but they do add a nice crunch.

Get the Breakfast Tacos recipe.

Any firm white fish like tilapia, catfish, cod, or flounder all work beautifully here, so save your $$$ and don't spring for an expensive one. The combination of flour, cornstarch, and cornmeal in the batter results in a crisp but sturdy crust no matter which fish you choose.

Get the Fried Fish Tacos recipe.

This flavorful handheld food has it all—tender marinated skirt steak, an aromatic corn tortilla, and all of the classic street taco toppings. Served for lunch or dinner, these are delicious with a hearty side of refried beans and rice, or you can keep it light with corn salad.

Get the Carne Asada Tacos recipe.

In this recipe, the duck legs are cooked low and slow in duck fat, similar to duck confit. A mix of duck fat, aromatic chiles, oranges, and Mexican co*ke flavors the meat. Throw together a michelada or margarita to really round out this meal, and enjoy!

Get the Duck Carnitas Tacos With Salsa Macha recipe.

Being a meaty, tender fish, mahi mahi stands up well to the grill and is even better when marinated. Throw the fish on a tortilla with some spicy pineapple-jalapeño salsa, and you'll have an amazing summer taco night.

Get the Mahi Mahi Tacos recipe.

Corned beef has taken on new challenges beyond the Reuben. We’ve taken the classic Reuben and repurposed it in nacho and casserole form. Next challenge: a taco, with a melted layer of Swiss and a lightly creamy, acidic, and caraway-forward slaw.

Get the Corned Beef Tacos recipe.

To get extra crispy "fried" cauliflower, you gotta use your air fryer. This recipe is basically the vegan version of our favorite fish tacos. The finishing touch? A quick and easy pickled slaw for a bite of freshness and a spicy mayo for a touch of heat.

Get the Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos recipe.