Potato Taquitos

Potato Taquitos are the perfect way to turn simple ingredients into something crispy and irresistible. Rolled in corn tortillas, the creamy potato filling gets golden and crunchy after frying. Top them with shredded cabbage, a squeeze of lime, and your favorite Mexican salsa for an easy appetizer or snack everyone will love.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These potato taquitos put any frozen appetizer to shame with their fresh, homemade flavor. The crispy, golden shells give you that perfect crunch while the creamy potato filling is comforting and full of flavor. They’re so good even picky eaters can’t resist—and don’t be surprised if friends or neighbors ask for the recipe after just one bite!

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Ingredient List

For the Potato Filling:

• 1 pound red potatoes
• ½ cup cooked bacon bits OR corn kernels
• ¼ cup small-diced onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

For Assembly & Cooking:

• 8 corn tortillas
• Oil for frying (about 1 cup)
• Toothpicks
• Green salsa for serving

Why These Ingredients Work

Red potatoes hold together when you mash them. Russets turn into soup – learned that one the hard way when I tried to be cheap and use what I had. Total disaster. The bacon gives you these salty little pops that make your mouth happy. My sister uses corn and swears it tastes better but she’s weird about meat.

Oregano is what makes these taste like real food instead of just fried mashed potatoes. Without it they’re boring. With it they taste like something from a good Mexican restaurant. Corn tortillas get crispy when you fry them. Flour ones get chewy and gross.

Essential Tools and Equipment

Nothing fancy needed:

• Big pot for boiling
• Potato masher
• Kitchen towels
• Deep pan for frying
• Tongs
• Paper towels
• Toothpicks
• Regular plate

How To Make Potato Taquitos

Step 1: Cook the Potatoes

Cut your potatoes in half so they cook faster. Throw them in a pot with enough water to cover them plus a little extra. My mom taught me this – if you don’t use enough water they cook weird.

Boil them hard for about 10 minutes until you can stick a fork through them easy. Mine always take closer to 12 minutes because I cut them bigger. Drain all the water out.

Step 2: Create the Filling

Mash the potatoes right in the hot pot with the skins on. Don’t get all fancy with a mixer – just use a regular masher and leave some chunks. Smooth mashed potatoes are actually worse for this because you want texture.

Mix in the onion, bacon or corn, butter, salt, pepper, and oregano. Taste it now – if it’s bland add more salt. If you can’t taste the oregano add more. It needs to taste really good by itself.

Step 3: Soften the Tortillas

This is where people mess up. Stack your tortillas and wrap them in a wet paper towel. Cover every edge or they’ll dry out and crack on you.

Microwave 1 minute, flip the stack, microwave 30 more seconds. They should feel warm and bendy. If they’re still stiff give them another 15 seconds. Skip this and you’ll be cleaning tortilla pieces out of your filling.

Step 4: Roll ‘Em Up

Work fast while they’re warm. Take about half a cup of filling and put it along one edge of the tortilla. Not in the middle – along the edge so you can roll it tight.

Roll them like burritos but tighter. Don’t squeeze so hard you rip them but make them snug. Stick a toothpick through each one and put them seam-down on a plate. Cover with a damp towel.

Step 5: Fry to Golden Perfection

Heat about half an inch of oil in your biggest pan over medium-high. When you stick a wooden spoon in it and bubbles form around the handle, it’s ready.

Put them in seam-side first so they seal shut. Don’t crowd them – I do 3 or 4 at a time. Fry about a minute per side until they’re golden brown. They should be sizzling loud the whole time.

Step 6: Drain and Serve

Pull them out with tongs and put them on paper towels. Let them sit for maybe 30 seconds to drain, then eat them while they’re hot. Cold taquitos are sad taquitos.

You Must Know

Warm those tortillas or I swear you’ll hate me. Cold tortillas crack and break and you’ll waste half a package trying to roll them. I’ve done this too many times when I’m rushing.

Season the filling good because the tortillas don’t add much flavor. Under-seasoned filling makes boring taquitos that nobody gets excited about.

Personal Secret: I add garlic powder even though it’s not in the recipe. Just a pinch but it makes them taste like restaurant food. Don’t tell my mom I mess with recipes.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Test one first before you fry the whole batch. Too hot oil burns the outside before the inside heats up. Too cold oil makes them greasy. You want them sizzling good but not screaming.

Don’t put too many in at once. They need room to get crispy. My grandma always said food needs space to breathe and she was right about most things.

Keep the rolled ones covered with a damp towel while you work or they’ll dry out and split open in the oil.

Flavor Variations

I’ve tried probably ten different versions:

With cheese: Add shredded Mexican cheese to the filling. My kids go crazy for these.

Spicy: Dice up a jalapeño with the onion. Take the seeds out unless you want to clear sinuses.

Breakfast style: Use breakfast sausage instead of bacon and add scrambled eggs. Serve with hot sauce.

Fresh herbs: Mix in cilantro and lime juice. Good for summer when I have herbs growing.

Make-Ahead Options

The filling keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Sometimes tastes better after sitting. You can roll them up and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then bag them up. Fry straight from frozen – just takes longer.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

If tortillas keep cracking even after warming, they’re too old. Old tortillas are stubborn and will fight you. Worth buying fresh ones.

Don’t skip the paper towel drain. Extra grease makes them heavy and less crispy. Nobody wants greasy hands.

Use toothpicks. I thought I could roll them tight enough to stay closed by myself. Wrong. Ended up fishing potato filling out of oil with a spoon.

Serving Suggestions

Green salsa is classic for a reason – cuts through the rich potato. But try:

• Sour cream with lime and salt
• Store-bought guac
• Pico de gallo from the deli
• Whatever hot sauce you like
• Fried egg on top for breakfast

How to Store Your Potato Taquitos

There aren’t usually leftovers but if you have some, put them in the fridge for 3 days in a container. Reheat in the oven at 375 for 5-7 minutes to get them crispy again. Don’t microwave them – they’ll get soggy and gross.

Allergy Information

Pretty clean ingredients. Check your bacon bits though – some brands put weird stuff in them. Skip bacon and butter for vegan, use olive oil instead. Still taste good.

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I bake instead of fry?

Yeah, brush with oil and bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, flip halfway. Not as crispy but still good.

Only have russet potatoes?

They work but get mushier. Don’t mash them too much or you’ll get paste that’s hard to roll.

Why do they fall apart cooking?

Tortillas aren’t warm enough, not rolled tight enough, or you didn’t put them seam-down first. I’ve messed up all three ways.

How do I know oil temperature?

Stick wooden spoon handle in. If bubbles form around it right away, you’re good. No bubbles means not hot enough. Crazy bubbles means too hot.

💬 Made these? Tell me what your kids thought! Bacon or corn team?