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These crispy potato tacos (or tacos de papa) are one of my favorite vegetarian tacos to make! Crispy corn tortillas are wrapped around a decadent, creamy mashed potato filling for a perfectly satisfying taco in terms of both flavor and texture. Family friendly and great for an easy lunch or dinner!
Mexican potato tacos are one of our favorite simple recipes to make on busy weeknights. Also known as tacos de papas or tacos de papa dorados (which simply means potato tacos, or golden potato tacos), these are a total crowd pleaser that requires just 35 minutes to make!
The best part about these tacos is that, while they're full of flavor from a handful of spices, they're also a great base for all of your favorite taco toppings. You can sprinkle on some cheese, add a dollop of guacamole, or spoon on some sour cream.
And since you can make the potatoes ahead of time, they're a great meal prep recipe. Just fry up this mashed potato tacos recipe on the fly when you're ready to eat. They're such a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
The next time you're looking for a simple meal (or easy appetizer) for the whole family, try this fried potato taco recipe that everyone will love!
👩🏽🍳 Why You'll Love Fried Potato Tacos
- Super Delicious: These Mexican tacos with potatoes are full of flavor, from tangy sour cream and sweet paprika to earthy cumin, aromatic onion, and garlic powder. They also have an incredible textural combination, with crispy, fried tortillas folded around the creamy potato filling.
- Easy Recipe: There are no fancy techniques here! Just mash the potatoes, spread the filling, and fry them up.
- Make-Ahead Option: You can make the filling ahead of time and store it for up to 4 days, which makes this a great meal prep option.
- Great For Any Meal: This tacos dorados de papa recipe can play a role in any meal. Serve them with scrambled eggs in the morning, have them as a simple lunch, or make them the star of the show on taco night with your favorite toppings and some simple sides. It really is the best potato taco recipe you'll find!
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🥘 Ingredients
No fancy ingredients are needed for this tacos de papa recipe! Here's what you need:
- Corn Tortillas: Using corn tortillas gives this papas tacos recipe the most authentic flavor.
- Oil: Use any neutral flavored oil, including olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil.
- Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold Potatoes: Using one of these types of potatoes will give you the most fluffy mashed potatoes for the taco filling.
- Sour Cream: You can use either a low-fat or full-fat version.
- Cumin: Cumin gives the potatoes warm earthiness.
- Paprika: Made from dried red bell peppers, paprika lends a subtly sweet flavor to the potatoes.
- Onion Powder: Onion also has a subtle sweetness that works well with the other ingredients.
- Garlic Powder: The pungent flavor of garlic pairs well with the other spices in this tacos con papas recipe.
- Dried Oregano: This aromatic herb balances out the flavor profile of the mashed potatoes.
- Salt: Salt enhances all of the other flavors while minimizing any bitter qualities of any of the herbs.
- To Serve: Shredded cheese (any cheese you like will work - from cheddar or pepper jack to Monterey jack or cotija), red onion, shredded lettuce (romaine or iceberg lettuce work well), and chopped cilantro.
🍲 Substitutions
- Different Potatoes: Instead of white potatoes, try using sweet potatoes for a different flavor profile. You can also try using red potatoes if you don't have russet yukon gold. You can try these tacos papas with pre-made or leftover mashed potatoes (like those in the frozen section or the boxed version), but they might be a little runny so you may need to thicken them up more.
- Fresh Herbs: Instead of cilantro, substitute Thai basil or parsley, or omit the cilantro altogether if you're not a fan!
- Tortillas: Use flour tortillas if you prefer for the taco shells.
🔪 How To Make Potato Tacos
Here's how to make this easy potato tacos recipe. For more detailed instructions and nutrition facts, see the recipe card below.
Boil & Drain Potatoes: After peeling and dicing the potatoes into small pieces, place them in a pot and cover them with water. Then, boil until the potatoes are soft and fork tender. Using a colander, drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.
Make Sour Cream Mixture: Add the sour cream, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt to a separate bowl and mix until completely combined.
Mash Potatoes: Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes.
Add Sour Cream: Stir in the sour cream mixture to the mashed potatoes.
Prepare The Tacos: Spread the potato mixture over half of the tortilla, then fold it closed.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas, and place the tacos with potatoes in an even layer on a sheet pan to keep them together before pan frying them.
Fry The Tacos: Cook the tacos in a preheated large skillet or frying pan that has been drizzled with oil, until golden brown and crispy. Flip the tacos and cook on the other side until golden brown as well.
Serve Tacos: Serve immediately with toppings.
💭 Expert Tips
- Choose Potatoes Carefully: For the perfect texture, use russet or Yukon gold potatoes for your potato taco filling.
- Check Texture. Be sure to boil the potatoes until they're very soft.
- Leave Chunks In The Mashed Potatoes: When mashing the potatoes, leave them slightly chunky - they don't need to be smooth.
- Don't Add Too Much Filling: Avoid overfilling the tortillas or the filling will spill out when you cook them!
- Use Your Oven: To keep tacos warm while you are pan-frying, place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in an oven preheated to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Microwave Tortillas: Warm the tortillas in the microwave before filling, so that they are soft and fold easily without breaking. If you don't warm the trotillas enough, you'll end up with cracked tortillas that don't hold the filling well!
- Use A Paper Towel: For super soft tortillas, cover the tortillas with a damp paper towel to keep them soft when microwaving.
- Avoid Soggy Tacos: Make sure the oil is hot before you pan fry your tacos. If your oil isn't hot enough, the tortillas will soak up the oil and will become soggy.
📖 Variations
Put your own twist on these potato-filled tacos!
- Spicy Potato Taco Recipe: Kick up the spice in these easy tacos by adding a ½ tsp of chili powder to the filling. You can also add crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, or a dash of hot sauce - or just some ground black pepper for a gentle heat. Feel free to use smoked paprika to impart a smoky flavor as well.
- Diced Potatoes: For a different version of these authentic potato tacos, season the potatoes and roast them instead of mashing them! Then you'll end up with crispy potatoes as your taco filling which will also taste great!
- Soft Tacos: Instead of pan frying your tacos, stuff them with the potato mixture and leave them soft for a soft taco version of this recipe!
- Potato Rolled Tacos: Once you've added the filling to the tortillas, roll them up like a burrito vs. just folding them in half. Then pan fry these rolled tacos and they'll be more like taquitos!
- Potato And Cheese Tacos: Add more cheesy flavor by incorporating cheddar or pepper jack into the potato filling.
- Add Protein: Try spreading refried beans in the tortilla or add whole black beans to the potato mixture for some extra protein.
- Method: Bake these crispy tacos in the oven or a toaster oven instead of frying, or cook them in an air fryer.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
We love these potato fried tacos all by themselves, but there are a number of other ways to serve them!
- Toppings: In addition to the suggested toppings, you can also add diced tomatoes, a spoonful of this healthy guacamole, sour cream, avocado crema, smoky red pepper crema, and / or salsa. For a twist on regular salsa, try this pineapple pico de gallo or roasted chili corn salsa. For a spicier topping, drizzle on some spicy chipotle sauce, adobo sauce, or chipotle crema.
- Side Dishes: Serve these tasty tacos with vegan Mexican rice, Mexican corn soup, corn fries, roasted pumpkin salad, or Mexican fruit salad.
🙌 Dietary Adaptations
This tacos de papas recipe is already gluten free (as long as you're using gluten free certified corn tortillas)! For vegan tacos, substitute vegan sour cream and vegan cheese for the dairy.
🫙 Storage Directions
- To Refrigerate: Once leftover tacos have cooled to room temperature, they can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat: Reheat tacos in the oven so the tortillas remain crispy.
- To Freeze: Freeze tacos for up to 3 months in a resealable freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
❓Recipe FAQs
What are tacos de papa? What are potato tacos made of?
Tacos de papas dorados are a classic Mexican recipe, typically made of a creamy, seasoned mashed potato filling stuffed into corn tortillas. The tortillas either are made into a deep fried tortilla shell, or are pan-fried in oil and garnished with traditional toppings like cojita cheese or shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.
Where did potato tacos come from?
This recipe for potato tacos originates from Mexico. They are a traditional street food, often served with a variety of toppings.
how many calories in a crispy potato taco?
Typically, one potato taco has about 200 calories per taco. If you use more oil for frying, the tacos will have slightly more calories, less oil and the tacos will have less calories per serving.
Are potato tacos unhealthy?
It depends on how they're made! If you deep fry your potato tacos, they will be more of an indulgent food than a healthy option. But our recipe for tacos de papa, which is pan fried in just the right amount of oil, tastes just like traditional deep fried tacos but is lower in calories and much healthier for you!
