Tender stewed beef marinated for hours then cooked to perfection and wrapped in warm soft corn tortillas to create the perfect Beef Street Tacos. Dinner is made easy when you can make these Street Tacos in the Air Fryer! This easy Beef Street Taco Air Fryer recipe is gluten free and dairy free too- but, you wouldn't even know that these Carne Asada Street Tacos lacked dairy or gluten.
Add these Air Fryer Street Tacos to your meal plan this week. They're so simple make and incredibly flavorful- perfect for Taco Tuesday!!!! You can't beat the carne asada beef that's been infused with so much flavor and is cooked until it's tender and melts in your mouth.
Served with just the right amount of onion, jalapeno, lime, and cilantro, you can't go wrong with these Air Fryer Tacos.
Why You'll Love These Tacos
- This recipe makes 4 servings in about a half hour (post marinade time)
- The Air Fryer does the hard work
- You can easily double or triple this recipe to make more tacos (great for cinco de mayo celebrations or taco night)
- Perfect for anytime you're craving some Tasty Tacos
- A great way to use up beef stew meat
- Easy to customize with your favorite taco toppings
Ingredients Needed
Street Tacos aren't supposed to be complicated. They're supposed to be quick, easy, and simple to eat soft tacos. You can see how simple they are with these common ingredients. Get more info in the recipe card below.
- Beef stew meat-- always check your meat to make sure there is no hidden dairy or gluten preservatives
- Beef broth-- we like to use our own beef broth, but you can use storebought. Always check the lables
- Olive oil-- you can trade this out for avocado oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil, if desired
- Carne asada seasoning -- seasonings are a place that manufacturer's like to hide preservatives that contain dairy or gluten, so be sure yours is safe. We have friends who are gettting ready to share their homemade version, we will share the recipe link once it goes live.
- Garlic powder
- Corn tortillas -- we used these because they're naturally gluten and dairy free. If you prefer flour tortillas, we prefer to use these here.
- Purple onion-- we like red onion for the flavor it provides, but you can use a different onion variety if needed
- Jalapeño -- if you don't want heat, you can omit these or use less of them
- Lime juice -- you can use lemon juice or even orange juice if you need other great options
- Fresh cilantro
- Pickled jalapeños-- again, feel free to omit these according to personal preference
Helpful Kitchen Equipment
Here are a few things from the kitchen that will help make making this dish easier.
Shallow Dish
[amazon box="B07SRXSFJP" template="horizontal" description_items=1]
Measuring Cups and Spoons
[amazon box="B0747VKPSY" template="horizontal" description_items=1]
Pan for the Air Fryer
[amazon box="B0B3R9PT9W" template="horizontal" description_items=1]
Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
[amazon box="B01BN5GVY4" template="horizontal" description_items=1]
Tongs
[amazon box="B07MQ2CT98" template="horizontal" description_items=1]
How to Make Beef Street Tacos in the Air Fryer
- In a shallow small bowl, add your beef, beef stock, oil, and spices. Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- When ready to add the beef to the Instant Pot, remove it from the fridge and place it in a pan that fits in your Air Fryer Basket.
- Cook for 15 minutes at 400F. Halfway through, stir the beef in the pan. When finished cooking, remove the beef from the pan and put in on a cutting board
- Chop the beef into small bite sized pieces and add it back to the juices.
- Warm your corn tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds or on the stovetop.
- Add chopped beef to your warm tortillas and garnish with onion, cilantro, jalapenos, etc. Add pickled jalapeños, if using. Enjoy.
Storage
Any leftover Beef Street Tacos should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We prefer to store the corn tortillas separately from the meat.
You can store the meat in the juices and then just make sure you remove it from the juices before eating it again. Leftovers are great the next day as they've had even more time to soak up all the flavors of the marinade.
You can reheat leftovers in the microwave. But, we prefer to reheat the beef and it's juices in the Air Fryer, just like how you made it the first time.
Freezing
You can freeze the leftovers in a freezer safe container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. I suggest freezing with the juices to keep the meat nice and moist.
Thaw your meat in the refrigerator overnight, the night before you want to make tacos again. Then reheat them using the instructions shared above.
Tips
- If you don't have a pan that fits in your Air Fryer basket, you can create one with aluminum foil. Make sure the sides are high enough to hold the beef in.
- Make sure you have a nice sharp knife for chopping the meat.
- You can use a vegetable chopper to chop up your onion- no onion eyes needed! This chopper is a personal favorite kitchen gadget.
- Adjust your cooking time as you see fit according to your meat choice.
- Because of the marinade, there is no need to spray with cooking spray.
- Feel free to add hot sauce, green onion, salt and black pepper as you see fit.
Variations
- You can add anything you want to these Street Tacos. Pico de gallo, lettuce, or plain tomato would also be great additions. Add your favorite toppings, if not dairy free, you can use classic sour cream, cotija cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese. If dairy free, use dairy free sour cream and vegan cheese.
- Don't want to eat these as tacos? That's okay! Serve the marinated meat over a bed of cilantro rice or in a buritto bowl.
- We totally suggest serving these Street Tacos with some Spanish rice.
- You can use larger tortillas if needed. Just make sure you're grabbing a safe version. These almond flour tortillas may be another safe alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of meat are street tacos made from?
These Beef Street Tacos are made with Beef Stew Meat, but you can certainly trade it out for other options. Just make sure your meat is cut into street taco size.
What makes a street taco a street taco?
Street Tacos were typically sold at food trucks. Now, when people ordered food from the food truck, they typically were on the go and wanted to be able to easily eat them without needing two hands or creating a mess as they enjoyed their tacos.
So, in return, vendors made sure to serve their Beef Tacos on smaller tortillas that were easier to handle, especially when eaten with one hand on the go.
Regular tacos may use other tortillas and commonly use larger tortillas. That's really the only difference between them and traditional tacos. Other than with Street Tacos, what you get on the taco is it, they typically don't serve it with a side of rice or beans as they require two hands to eat and way more space.
What are the different types of street tacos?
You can make Street Tacos with any meat that you prefer. If beef stew meat isn't your thing, try flank steak, skirt steak, or shredded chicken.
What do Mexicans call street tacos?
Street tacos are like the epic center of street food in the Mexican culture. They're a Mexican food go-to that is very common. Mexicans call street tacos antojitos.
If you're excited to make these Air Fryer Street Tacos, you're in for a real treat. This easy recipe is bursting with flavor and you'll love how simple they are to make.
Can I make Blackstone Street Tacos?
Sure, if you want to give your Air Fryer a rest, marinade your meat like you would in the original recipe, then instead of making them in the Air Fryer, turn on your Blackstone and cook the meat that way. Then assemble as you would your classic crispy Air Fryer tacos!
Grab the cookbook
In need of more easy recipes? Then you must check out this cookbook!
This Cookbook, The Classics: Safe Versions of Your Favorite Recipes is just what you need to snag while it's on sale. Get all your favorite recipes right at your fingertips!
Air Fryer Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef stew meat
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons carne asada seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup purple onion diced
- 1 jalapeño
- 1-2 lime
- ½ cup fresh cilantro diced
- 4 oz can of pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, add your beef, beef stock, oil, and spices. Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
- When ready to add the beef to the Instant Pot, remove it from the fridge and place it in a pan that fits in your Air Fryer Basket.
- Cook for 15 minutes at 400F. Halfway through, stir the beef in the pan. When finished cooking, remove the beef from the pan and put in on a cutting board
- Chop the beef into small bite sized pieces and add it back to the juices.
- Warm your corn tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds or on the stovetop.
- Add chopped beef to your corn tortillas and garnish with onion, cilantro, jalapenos, etc. Add pickled jalapeños, if using. Enjoy.
Nutritional Disclaimer
These Nutritional Facts are ESTIMATED. Your actual nutritional info with this recipe may vary depending on the brands you choose. “Eating Gluten and Dairy Free” is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. The provided nutritional info above is based on a generic calculator, if you want more accurate info, use your nutritional calculator of choice where you can choose brands and get more info that way.