Easy Air Fried Crispy Potato Tacos
Crispy, flavorful, and crunchy, these air fried crispy potato tacos are made with less oil in an air fryer, but are extra crispy as the taco shell and the mashed potato inside are both air fried. Top with your favorite taco toppings for extra flavorful, extra delicious tacos. They make a great vegan taco option, that everyone will love and no one will complain about- a sure taco win. Great for dinner, a snack, or even an appetizer, these crispy potato tacos are going to change your mind about carbs on carbs- because really, it’s a good thing.
Skip the Post, Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
Let’s Taco-bout Tacos
Tacos- take a tortilla, and fold it in half. Add literally anything inside the tortilla shell- it’s like magic. And who doesn’t like tacos? The tortilla casing makes this finger food a favorite- I know I’m always happiest when I can eat with my hands. These days, tacos pepper the US landscape and are a favorite food here. In fact, Americans eat over 4.5 billion tacos a year, many of them much better than the iceberg lettuce topped, U-shaped, stale crunchy tacos of my childhood. The origin of the taco is a little hard to trace- some date tacos to the 19th century silver mines, where the tortilla shell made them a convenient lunch-box staple. Others show evidence of taco consumption that pre-dates Europeans in the Americas. Whatever their history, we can thank Mexico for the culinary delight that is the taco- simple, portable, and with room for all sorts of creativity.
I love Potatoes
Potatoes get such a bad wrap- I know, they’re not a super-food, vitamin-dense, all powerful vegetable like kale, but potatoes get more of a bad rap than they deserve. Potatoes contain vitamin C, fiber, protein, vitamin B6, potassium, and no fat. Yes they’re a carb, but (despite the current food-climate) carbs aren’t bad. And guess what- potatoes taste good, and eating potatoes isn’t hurting anyone. As a vegan, that’s all I need to know to enjoy potatoes. I don’t eat them for every meal, because variation is key to both delicious food and health. But don’t let french fries and chips ruin potatoes for you- in moderate amounts, and non-deep fried preparations, potatoes can be an excellent addition to a healthy diet.
Like Potatoes? Try one of these Potato Recipes
- Vegan Easter (or any occasion!) Deviled Potatoes
- Perfect Vegan Oven-Roasted Potatoes
- Avocado Mashed Potatoes with Porcini Gravy
- Miso Potato Salad
- Golden Beet & Kohlrabi Recipe: Root Vegetable Latkes
Making Crispy Potato Tacos
These tacos are made in the air fryer, in order to get the potatoes and the tortillas a little crispy. Start by boiling peeling and chopping the potatoes, and then adding them to a pot of boiling water. Once the potatoes are well cooked and easily pierced with a fork, drain the water, add the spices and mash well. Once the tacos are assembled (you may need to cut down your tortillas), it’s time to air fry them. If you are having trouble keeping your tacos standing up, you can try a toothpick method I experimented with- by piercing the top center of both sides of your taco, and skewering two or three tacos per toothpick, you can keep the tacos standing. Fry for about 8 minutes total, but make sure to check them near the end and make sure they don’t get too crispy!
Air Fried Crispy Potato Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 lb. potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- Vegetable oil spray
- 10-12 small flour tortillas
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the chopped and peeled potatoes, and boil until soft. Drain the water, and add the spices. Use a potato masher and mash until soft.
- Preheat your air fryer to 350°F (175°C). If necessary, cut down your tortillas so that they can fit, folded in half like a taco, standing in your air fryer drawer. Add a heaping tablespoon of mashed potato into each tortilla and spread across the length of the tortilla. Spray the inside and outside of each with aerosolized vegetable oil. Fold in half, and place standing in the air fryer, in batches if needed.
- Cook for a total of 8 minutes, taking out once in the middle to rotate the tortillas and making sure they haven’t fallen down. Top the crispy tacos with your favorite toppings, and serve warm.
Click for a Print-Friendly Recipe
Like this post? Pin it!
2 thoughts on “Easy Air Fried Crispy Potato Tacos”