Crispy Ground Beef Flautas Recipe

You’re just 30 minutes away from enjoying crispy ground beef flautas filled with melty cheese and served with a cool, creamy cilantro avocado sauce. These rolled, golden tortillas are an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.

What is a Flauta?

A flauta is a rolled tortilla filled with meat and cheese, then fried until crisp. Unlike a taquito, which is usually made with small corn tortillas, flautas are typically rolled in larger flour tortillas. The result is a crunchy exterior with a soft, savory center.

Instructions

This ground beef flautas recipe is quick and straightforward—perfect for busy evenings.

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced red onion with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.

2. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.

3. Add ground beef and brown, breaking it up with a spoon. Once cooked through, stir in cumin, diced chiles in adobo, chili powder and a splash of water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Stir in shredded Chihuahua cheese (or cheddar/mozzarella) so it melts into the meat mixture. Remove from heat.

5. To assemble, spread about 1/2 cup of the filling in a line across the bottom half of each flour tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly away from you so the seam is on the bottom.

6. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. The oil is ready when a tiny drop of water sizzles on contact.

7. Shallow-fry the flautas in batches of 2–3, seam side down, turning as needed. Fry each side 1–2 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy. Adjust heat if they brown too quickly.

8. While the flautas fry, make the cilantro avocado sauce: combine diced avocados, sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime juice and a splash of water in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. Thin with additional water or lime juice if needed.

9. Drain flautas briefly on a paper towel-lined plate, then serve drizzled with the cilantro avocado sauce or serve the sauce on the side for dipping. Finish with crumbled queso fresco, extra cilantro and diced red onion if desired.

Shallow Frying

Shallow frying uses a small amount of oil—enough to come partway up the sides of the flautas. This method keeps the seam pressed to the pan so the flautas hold together without unrolling. Avoid deep-frying here, as full submersion can cause the rolls to unravel and spill their filling.

You’ll Love These

• Easy alternative to tacos: Flautas offer the same favorite flavors in a satisfying, crunchy package.
• Ready in 30 minutes: From start to finish this recipe is fast enough for weeknights.
• Family-friendly: Kids can help with safe tasks like grating cheese and rolling tortillas, which encourages them to eat what they helped prepare.

Tips

• Don’t overfill: Use about 1/2 cup of filling per tortilla. Too much filling prevents even cooking and causes unraveling.
• Keep oil shallow: About 1/2 inch of oil allows the flauta seam to sit on the pan bottom while the oil crisps the sides. Excess oil will make the rolls bounce and unroll.
• If rolls unravel: The oil may be too deep. The flauta should rest on the bottom of the pan with oil coming up roughly halfway. You can also secure flautas with a toothpick before frying.
• Don’t skip the sauce: The creamy cilantro avocado sauce complements the crispy flautas and is quick to make in a blender or food processor.

Ground Beef Flautas — Recipe

This recipe was originally published in 2018 and has been updated with clearer steps and tips for reliably crispy flautas.