97% of the time, I prefer soft tortillas, but occasionally, I will have a strong craving for a crispy hard taco and when I do, I must have one (or three).
Last week, I whipped up a beautiful batch of soft, pliable corn tortillas and these 3 ingredient wonders can be easily transformed into crispy taco shells that have both amazing texture and great flavor.
Now, if you aren’t interested in making your own corn tortillas from scratch (although I would highly suggest that you do!), you can make your own hard taco shells from your favorite store bought corn tortillas.
I usually make a full batch of my corn tortillas and keep half of them soft and transform the other half into crispy taco shells, so we can have the best of both worlds. If you are interested in making your own corn tortillas, they are really easy! Check out my corn tortillas recipe here…
Now that you have some corn tortillas, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- If you have just made a batch of corn tortillas, keep them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel so they remain warm until you are ready to crisp them up.
- If you are using store bought corn tortillas, wrap a few of them up in a damp paper towel and place them in the microwave for 15 seconds to warm and soften them up.
The tortillas need to be warm and pliable in order to prevent cracking during the initial crisping process.
Once the tortillas are soft and your oven is preheated, use an oven mitt to pull one of your oven racks out a bit. You have several options on shape when it comes to crisping up your taco shells…
- If you prefer your shells to be narrow and similar to how they come from the store or Taco Bell, then you will fold them loosely in half and set them bottom side down in between to bars on your oven rack (photo below).
- If you prefer your shells to be a little wider, then you can lay them over one of the bars on your oven rack and once they become a little crisp, turn them side ways so they open up a bit as they continue to harden (photo above).
- If you want big, wide “boat” shaped taco shells that you can fit a whole bunch of filling into, then lay your tortillas over two bars on your oven rack, so they harden in a bit of a “U” shape.
Bake the shells for 6-7 minutes or until they are as crisp as you prefer and then carefully transfer them onto a plate or cutting board to cool.
Easy, right? And the crispy taco shells made using scratch made corn tortillas have a great texture that is a bit more hearty than the store bought shells. They can hold up to a lot of filling and don’t shatter quite as easy when you bite into them.
I love them and so will you! Happy taco Tuesday everyone!
Crispy Taco Shells
Ingredients
- corn tortillas (softened)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Warm your corn tortillas so they are soft and pliable
- Lay the warmed tortillas in between or over the bars on your oven rack
- Bake for 6-7 minutes or until they are as crisp as you prefer
- Fill and enjoy!
