30 Taco Recipes to Put on Repeat (2024)

Whether you prefer your tacos meaty, packed with seafood, or vegetarian, we have a wealth of recipes for you to try. Some of our favorites include Birria Tacos and Tacos al Pastor — we also love Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos and Fideos Secos Tacos. Read on for these and even more of our best taco recipes.

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Birria Tacos

A combination of two meats creates the best balance of tender texture (from the chuck roast) and succulence (from the short ribs). These birria tacos get slow-cooked flavor from the adobo sauce.

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Charred Chile–Marinated Grilled Chicken Tacos

To help build deep layers of flavor in these tacos, chef Fermín Núñez begins his marinade by toasting and charring aromatics. Dried chiles, cinnamon, allspice, and onions all hit the heat before soaking with juicy chicken thighs for an hour, imparting smoky flavor before everything cooks quickly on the grill or in the oven.

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Charred Cauliflower Tacos with Romesco Salsa

A smoky, mildly spicy romesco salsa seeps into the filling of charred cauliflower florets in this well-balanced vegetarian taco. Pine nuts add crunch and richness to each bite. The recipe comes courtesy of 2020 F&W Best New Restaurant Nixta Taqueria in Austin.

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Al Pastor Fish Tacos

"You'd think the adobo would totally consume the flavor of the fish, but it doesn't," chef Marcela Valladolid writes. "It's a lighter, beachier version of a Mexican classic — perfect with an ice-cold beer. Topped with the traditional raw white onions, cilantro, and avocado (or guacamole!), it's heaven."

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Carnitas Jackfruit Tacos

For her jackfruit tacos recipe, Jocelyn Ramirez, cookbook author and chef at Todo Verde in Los Angeles, uses cumin, chile flakes, and salt to capitalize on the pulled-pork texture of jackfruit, transforming it into a plant-based taco filling that tastes like carnitas.

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Fried Yuba Tacos with Sweet Corn Relish

In this recipe, chefBryant Terry fries rolled yuba, or thin sheets of tofu skin, in avocado oil until crispy, yielding a hearty vegan taco filling.A spoonful of "green cream" — sautéed spinach stirred together with mashed avocado — holds all of the delicious components in place.

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Beer-Battered Fish Tacos

In this taco recipe, IPA adds depth to the crunchy coating on beer-battered cod fillets while the fish inside cooks to flaky and tender perfection. The tacos also feature bright homemade pickled red onions and a cabbage slaw that gets tart creaminess from lime crema and a hint of sweetness from honey.

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Steak and Carrot Tacos

Here, small (not baby!) carrots are roasted with fragrant cumin seeds, then served in warm homemade tortillas with juicy, meaty skirt steak. For a vegetarian version, swap out the steak for roasted mixed mushrooms.

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Tempeh Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

These satisfying vegan tacos are made with tempeh, a protein-packed fermented soy-based product that crumbles nicely, making it a great option when you don't want to use ground meat, like in this taco. Flavored with all the classic taco seasonings, plus some fresh bell pepper and onion for flavor and color, the filling is piled onto charred tortillas and topped with a red cabbage slaw.

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Crispy Pork Tacos with Red Chile Salsa

These hearty tacos, piled high with braised pork and topped with a shower of thinly sliced cabbage and cilantro, are a love letter to the Mexican cooking traditions that shape California cuisine. Fried in pork fat after cooking low and slow, the pork gets extra crispy without being dry. Dried chiles bring a mild, sweet heat to the salsa; their slight bitterness cuts through rich, fatty pork.

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Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos

This creamy, richly spiced vegetarian kidney bean curry is usually served over rice with roti or naan, but it also makes a surprisingly delicious filling for corn tortillas.

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Crispy Ricotta-Kale Tacos

These tacos are topped with an excellent tomatillo salsa studded with chopped roasted pistachios. Be sure to heat the tortillas in a hot skillet before stuffing them with the ricotta-kale mixture. Warming them up first makes them more pliable and less likely to break during the stuffing and cooking process.

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Fideos Secos Tacos

These griddled tacos are filled with fideos secos, a Mexican dish of thin spaghetti cooked in a chile-based tomato sauce until the pasta has absorbed the flavor and rich red color of the sauce.

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Texas Chile Short Rib Tacos

To round out the tang and heat from the tomatoes and chiles in the sauce for the short ribs, cookbook authors Matt and Ted Lee add a little semisweet chocolate. "It's mellow and sweet," says Ted. "The chocolate puts everything in balance."

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Steak Tacos with Pineapple

A quick marinade of soy sauce, garlic, and ginger flavors the skirt steak for these super-easy tacos.

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Chicken and Cabbage Tacos with Cilantro Cream

Pickled jalapeño adds heat and bite to these crunchy slaw-covered chicken tacos.

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Barbacoa Beef Tacos with Two Sauces

While most meat is put on the grill raw, these intensely flavorful Mexican beef short ribs from chef Roberto Santibañez are first braised with chiles and spices until meltingly tender. The cooked meat is then crisped on the grill, shredded, and served in corn tortillas with a sauce made from the braising liquid.

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Fresh Chorizo and Potato Tacos

In just under an hour, this recipe yields you 12 tacos, Serve them with a plummy, peppery Zinfandel.

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Chicken and Poblano Tacos with Crema

You can replace the chicken strips with chorizo in these tacos; for a vegetarian taco, chef Justin Large recommends subbing in crumbled spiced tofu.

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Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Apple-Cucumber Salsa

Spicy grilled salmon is cooled down with a tangy lime mayo, crunchy cabbage, mashed avocado, and a juicy apple-cucumber salsa.

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Breakfast Tacos

For this take on breakfast tacos, warm corn tortillas are loaded with scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and Monterey Jack cheese.

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Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Pico de Gallo

Chef Enrique Olvera stuffs tacos with crispy pork belly, confited in fat, and serves them with a tangy salsa spiked with Mexican beer.

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Chicken Tinga Tacos

F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple stews dark meat chicken with onion, tomatoes, and spices, then spoons it into crispy tortilla shells for the perfect taco.

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co*ke-Braised Pork Tacos

Coca-Cola is the secret to this super-simple braised pork recipe from chef and cookbook author Marcela Valladolid. "The cola both tenderizes the pork and gives it a dark, caramelized crust," she says. "I like to shred this pork and serve right in the casserole that it cooks in. I lay out bowls of toppings so everyone can build their own tacos."

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Brat and Pepper Tacos

These playful brat and pepper tacos are inspired by classic Italian sausage and pepper subs.

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Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

Chef Tim Byres' shrimp tacos are delicious with the tangy salsa, but the surprise here is the crunchy celery salad on top. Serve them with a spritzy, lime-scented Vinho Verde or a cooling lager like Dos Equis.

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Barbecue Chicken Tacos with Cabbage and Queso

Make the chicken for these tacos ahead of time for a quick and easy dinner later in the week. It can be refrigerated in the sauce for up to three days; reheat gently to serve.

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Spiced Crab Tacos

Chef Michael Psilakis' bright, fresh crab tacos incorporate traditional Latin ingredients and a hit of chile sauce. Cooked shrimp would be great here as well.

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Tacos al Pastor

These classic tacos are served with grilled pineapple, chopped red onion, and cilantro; we also recommend pairing them with a smoky bock beer.

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Chile-Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos

These carne asada tacos come together in just two steps and are ready in only 35 minutes. Serve with freshly made pico de gallo and avocado salsa for the ultimate taco meal.

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