Did you know you can enjoy a restaurant-quality dinner in just 20 minutes by making these deliciously crispy sheet pan tacos? Serve with creamy cilantro lime sauce or a chipotle crema.
.These tacos are so quick and easy to make, and the crispy crunch in each bite is so, so satisfying! You can breathe new life into leftovers by baking them in fresh corn tortillas and dressing them up with a few fresh ingredients like cilantro and lime. Don't forget to pair with all your favorite sauces for extra flavor! My favorite is salsa ranchera.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe is ready in minutes with minimal cleanup!
- Simple, affordable ingredients are all you need to make delicious tacos.
- This recipe is great for making use of leftover meat!
- This sheet pan taco recipe is gluten-free and can be made vegetarian by substituting the meat with beans, seasoned tofu, mushrooms, or your preferred meat substitute.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meat: I use Traeger carne asada, but you can also use ground beef, pollo asada, adobada, or your preferred taco meat.
- Tortillas: I like to use large corn tortillas, but you can also use flour tortillas, or even sourdough discard tortillas.
- Cheese: Queso quesadilla or asadero cheese are my go-tos, but you can use cotija, queso fresco, cheddar, Mexican cheese, or whatever cheese you'd usually serve with tacos.
- To garnish: Fresh cilantro, lime wedges, pink pickled onions.
- Sauces: Guacamole, chipotle crema (store-bought or homemade), cilantro lime sauce.
- Optional ingredients: Sour cream, pico de gallo, refried beans, diced onions, tomato, lettuce, cabbage, hot sauce, avocado, or your favorite taco toppings.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card.
🌮 How To Make Sheet Pan Tacos
Preheat oven to 400°F
Step 1: Lightly oil tortillas on both sides with Pam or olive oil, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle cheese and meat over ½ of each tortilla, then fold the other half over and sprinkle the top with additional cheese.
Pro Tip: To keep corn tortillas from tearing, wrap them between a damp paper towel and microwave them for 30-45 seconds. The damp heat will soften them, making them more pliable. I also recommend placing a fermenting weight or a small plate on top of each taco for about 30 seconds after folding the tortilla in order to encourage them to hold their shape.
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Step 2: Bake for 15 minutes or until tacos are crispy and golden brown. Top with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges, guacamole, chipotle crema, and cilantro lime sauce.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Sheet pan tacos are great with sides like Mexican Spanish rice, Mexican black beans, and Mexican pickled carrots.
Serve alongside mango habanero salsa, tomatillo green chili salsa, fire roasted salsa, or this salsa macha recipe.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
To keep sheet pan tacos from getting soggy, the most important thing is to drain as much liquid as possible from the meat. Save fresh ingredients like diced tomatoes until after they've baked. You can also create a barrier between the meat filling and the tortilla with shredded cheese, which will form a waterproof seal as it bakes. It's also important to bake them correctly - 15 minutes at 400°F should do it!
Make sure you start by warming the tortillas, either in a warm skillet over medium heat or in the microwave wrapped in a damp towel. After heating, keep the tortillas wrapped up to trap the heat, which should keep them pliant for up to 30 minutes. Once the tortillas are soft and flexible, you should be able to fold them without them tearing. To hold their shape, you may need to gently rest a small plate or fermenting weight on top for 30 seconds or so.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- This recipe calls for fully cooked meat. Do not use raw meat, as there's no way to ensure that 15 minutes in the oven will be enough to fully cook it.
- The best way to store leftover tacos is to place the individual ingredients (meat, cheese, tortillas, etc.) in separate airtight containers and store them in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- To store leftovers that have already been assembled, wrap individual tacos in parchment paper or foil to prevent them from sticking together, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- To reheat tacos, bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 10-15 minutes at 350°F.
🌶️ More Taco Recipes
📖 Recipe
20 Minute Sheet Pan Tacos
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Lightly oil tortillas on both sides with Pam or olive oil, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle cheese and meat over ½ each tortilla, then fold the other half over and sprinkle the top with additional cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until tacos are crispy and golden brown. Top with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges, guacamole, chipotle crema, and cilantro lime sauce.
Nutrition
Notes
- To keep corn tortillas from tearing, wrap them between a damp paper towel and microwave them for 30-45 seconds. The damp heat will soften them, making them more pliable. I also recommend placing a fermenting weight or a small plate on top of each taco for about 30 seconds after folding the tortilla in order to encourage them to hold their shape.
- This recipe calls for fully cooked meat. Do not use raw meat, as there's no way to ensure that 15 minutes in the oven will be enough to fully cook it.
- The best way to store leftover tacos is to place the individual ingredients (meat, cheese, tortillas, etc.) in separate airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
- To store leftovers that have already been assembled, wrap individual tacos in parchment paper or foil to prevent them from sticking together, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
- To reheat tacos, bake on a parchment-lined sheet pan for 10-15 minutes at 350°F.
Kelly Methey says
Love this! No frying, no fuss, no muss, just delicious tacos! Yum!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kelly, appreciate your comment! 🥰
Greg & Kathy Fisher says
Heaven...
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kathy, I'm in total agreement!
Nena Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe!
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe!