Air Fried Mini Tacos : vegan chicken and cheese
Tacos are one of the most perfect foods. They are satisfying, yet not too heavy, can be full of nutrients, and can be made with pretty much any filling you can dream of. And, oh yeah…tacos can be absolutely DELICIOUS!
Tacos are already a quick, simple and easy meal to make, but air fried mini tacos will make an already convenient meal even easier!
Air fried mini tacos, made with seasoned vegan chicken and cheese, topped with lettuce, tomato, and cilantro. This air fryer recipe has only 7 ingredients and can be prepped and on your dinner table in less than 15 minutes!
Make these air fried mini tacos for you next Taco Tuesday or serve them as an appetizer at your next party!
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRIED MINI TACOS
Making air fried mini tacos is incredibly simple! You can fill your tacos with many things…refried beans, veggies, sky is the limit. But for these air fried mini tacos, you will be filling your mini taco shells with seasoned vegan chicken and cheese. Then topping them with a simple combo of lettuce, tomato, and cilantro.
To begin, place thawed vegan chicken on a cutting board and dice into small pieces. Then place vegan chicken in a bowl and mix with vegan cheese and taco seasoning.
Next fill your soft, mini taco tortillas with the filling. Then fold each taco shell.
Now it’s time to air fry these babies! Prepare your air fryer by spraying it with a thin layer of oil or placing parchment paper at the bottom. This step will prevent your tacos from sticking. Place each taco in the air fryer. Do not over lap your tacos, lay them flat along the bottom of your air fryer for best results. If you have a small air fryer, you will have to cook your tacos in batches.
Air fry your mini tacos for 6 minutes at 375. Flip your tacos over at the 3 minute mark so they can cook evenly. When finished, tacos should have a slightly golden brown and crispy tortilla. The vegan chicken and cheese center should be hot. Adjust cooking time if needed.
Once your mini vegan tacos have been air fried to perfection, it’s time to top them off. Simply open each tortilla shell and top off your tacos with lettuce, tomato, and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Vegan chicken for air fried mini tacos
If you have not had the pleasure of eating Daring vegan chicken, today is the day! This plant based chicken alternative is fantastic, to say the least. It tastes so much like real chicken even your meat eating friends will be impressed. Not only is Daring vegan chicken delicious, it is a great source of vegan protein as well.
Not into vegan chicken? No problem! Substitute any protein you desire. Black beans would make a great, cheap, healthy alternative!
Vegan cheese for air fried mini tacos
Gone are the days of funky tasting vegan cheese options! Now there are so many incredible vegan cheese options on the store shelves. One of my go to’s has always been Daiya. For this recipe I went with Daiya’s shredded cheddar, but feel free to use any cheese of your choice!
Additional toppings for air fried mini tacos
Air fried mini tacos are delicious with just a simply medley of lettuce, tomato, and cilantro on top. But you can take many routes to make your mini air fried tacos even more flavorful! Here’s some additional toppings for air fried mini tacos. My personal favorite is vegan chipotle crema.
- vegan crema
- guacamole
- vegan sour cream
- salsa
- onions
- hot sauce
- jalapeños
- olives
Air fried mini tacos: vegan chicken and cheese
Equipment
- air fryer
- knife
- cutting board
- bowl
Ingredients
- 12 mini soft taco tortillas
- 1 bag of Daring vegan chicken
- 1/2 cup vegan cheese I used Daisy's shredded vegan cheddar
- 1 tsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup lettuce, shredded I like iceberg lettuce for more of a crunch
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Begin by chopping up one bag of thawed Daring vegan chicken into smaller pieces. If your vegan chicken is not already thawed, thaw in microwave for 1 minute.
- Place chopped vegan chicken in a bowl and add vegan cheese and taco seasoning
- Mix until evenly mixed
- Lay out mini taco tortillas, place vegan chicken and cheese blend on tortilla. Distribute filling evenly amongst the 12 mini tacos.
- Fold tacos in half
- Place tacos in air fryer, make sure they aren't overlapping for best results. Spray air fryer with thin coat of oil or use parchment paper to prevent sticking
- Air fry tacos for 6 minutes at 375 or until outside is slightly crisp and golden brown and inside is hot. Flip tacos at the 3 minute mark to cook evenly
- **If you have a small air fryer you may to cook mini tacos in batches
- Once mini tacos have finished cooking, remove from air fryer and top with lettuce, tomato, cilantro or other topping of your choice
- Serve and enjoy!
