How to Prepare Tacos at Home for Taco Tuesday or Any Day You Crave Them

As long as you're stuffing or topping a tortilla, you're creating a taco. But which filling should you choose? And what’s the ideal tortilla? This guide walks you through crafting delicious tacos at home, from picking the perfect shell to assembling the fillings. And of course, we’ll dive into the toppings that truly make the taco experience.

Selecting the Best Taco Shell

While crunchy, pre-formed shells are a staple thanks to fast food, there are plenty of other tasty choices for the taco shell. Soft corn or flour tortillas are great alternatives, and for a lighter twist, lettuce makes a fantastic shell, too.

This copycat recipe for Double Decker Tacos combines crispy taco shells and soft flour tortillas. Check out the video to see just how simple it is to make them yourself:

Heating Your Tortillas: Regardless of which type of tortilla you prefer, warming it up before assembling your taco is key. You can crisp it in a skillet, heat it briefly over a gas burner (using tongs for safety), microwave it under a damp paper towel, or wrap it in foil and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Crispy Corn Taco Shells

These are perfect for ground meats and can easily handle hearty, moist fillings. Give these homemade taco shells a try:

Crunchy Taco Shells: Here's a step-by-step guide to making your own crispy U-shaped corn tortillas that everyone loves.

Puffy Taco Shells: Learn how to create crispy, puffed-up corn tortilla taco shells from scratch when you fry them.

Soft Corn Tortilla Taco Shells

In many regions of Mexico, a corn tortilla roughly the size of a small plate is the go-to choice. Sometimes, two tortillas are used to ensure toppings stay in place if the top one tears. For the best results, buy fresh tortillas from local bakeries or markets, as large grocery stores typically carry a selection of regional corn tortillas in both yellow and white varieties.

Corn tortillas are the classic choice for fish tacos and street-style tacos, complementing grilled meats perfectly. Plus, they're naturally gluten-free!

Fish Tacos: Begin by making crispy, beer-battered cod fillets. Serve these tasty fish tacos with all the classic toppings, like vibrant pico de gallo and a fresh squeeze of lime.

Equally delicious when served on soft corn tortillas:

• Ranch Chicken Tacos
• Street Tacos

Soft Flour Tortilla Taco Shells

Flour tortillas may be seen as less traditional, but in Sonora, they are the tortilla of choice. The softer texture and more subtle flavor of flour tortillas can be a great complement depending on your taco filling.

Steve's Roasted Chicken Soft Tacos: Turn leftover rotisserie chicken into a quick and tasty soft taco filling with this simple recipe.

Low-Carb Taco Shell

Creative veggie-based taco shells let you skip the carbs while still enjoying all the taco flavor. Here are two popular options:

Lettuce Leaf Tacos: This dish is the perfect balance between a lettuce wrap and a taco, offering a low-carb twist without beans for a lighter taco experience.

For even more veggie goodness, try Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats as a fun and healthy alternative to taco shells.

Taco Meat

At a classic taqueria, the meat selection often includes slow-cooked pork, grilled beef, chicken or sausage, and tender beef cheeks. And let's not forget about fish, shrimp, or even plant-based taco options. But when cooking at home, you're not limited to tradition: as long as your filling and tortilla complement each other, almost any meat (or plant-based option) and cooking method will work.

Pork/Carnitas Tacos

To make traditional shredded pork, you'll need to slow-cook it for hours, but the wait is well worth it with these highly-rated classic roast pork recipes.

• Dee's Roast Pork for Tacos
• Slow Cooker Carnitas

Beef Tacos — Carne Asada

Flank steak marinated in lime, soy sauce, cumin, cilantro, and a blend of other spices delivers that classic taqueria flavor. Try one of these highly-rated recipes to recreate it at home.

• Taqueria Style Tacos Carne Asada
• Lisa's favorite Carne Asada Marinade
• Simple Slow Cooked Korean Beef Soft Tacos
• Dozens of beef taco recipes

Beef Tacos — Tacos de Lengua

Beef tongue becomes incredibly tender when slow-cooked overnight. You can find it at most Mexican markets or ask your butcher to special order it for you.

• Delicious Beef Tongue Tacos
• Slow Cooker Lengua Beef Tongue

Chicken Tacos

Chicken is a versatile choice that shines in many forms, whether ground, roasted, or grilled. Explore our wide variety of chicken taco recipes for inspiration.

Fish Tacos

Wrap tortillas around shrimp, tilapia, cod, halibut, mahi mahi, salmon, or any other flaky white fish, either fried or grilled. These tacos are traditionally topped with cabbage slaw and a creamy sauce. Check out all of our fish taco recipes for more ideas.

Vegetarian Tacos

Stuff your tacos with these delicious, plant-based alternatives:

• Tasty Lentil Tacos
• Black Bean Tacos
• Eggplant Tacos
• Mushroom and Onion Vegetarian Tacos
• Crumbled Tofu Tacos

Taco Garnishes

Don't forget to add some crunchy toppings like diced onions, sliced radishes, chopped cabbage, or tangy pickled vegetables.

For a burst of color and texture, sprinkle your tacos with finely chopped veggies and fresh cilantro. Then add a generous amount of crumbled or shredded cheese such as pepperjack, cojita, queso fresco, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack.

Finish your tacos with a big spoonful of guacamole, creamy crema (Mexican sour cream), or regular sour cream. For an extra kick, add a dash of one of these fiery toppings:

• Glenn's Jalapeno Sauce
• Lick the Spoon Cilantro Jalapeno Aioli
• Amy's Cilantro Cream Sauce

Salsa

Salsa is the heart of a great taco, always bringing a bit of heat to unify the ingredients. While cooked tomato salsa is a classic, fresh pico de gallo, salsa verde, and fruit salsas (like peach or mango) are all fantastic alternatives.

Salsas come in many varieties, but the most popular types include:

• Salsa roja (red sauce), is the most common variety, usually made with cooked tomatoes, onion, garlic, and other herbs like cilantro.
• Pico de gallo (also called salsa fresca) is made with raw tomatoes, lime juice, and other raw ingredients such as chilies, onions.
• Salsa verde (green sauce) is usually made with cooked tomatillos.

Explore our extensive collection of salsa recipes for more options and ideas.

Taco Side Dishes

Classic side dishes for tacos include rice and beans. Check out our Mexican bean recipes and Mexican rice recipes for a variety of ideas, perfect for both filling your tacos and serving on the side.

Mexican Rice: This highly-rated recipe can be ready in just 30 minutes.

Refried Beans Without the Refry: Let your slow cooker handle the hard work while you simply mash the beans at the end.