Recipes Comfort Food 30 Taco Recipes to Put on Repeat By Food & Wine Editors Updated on January 9, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Greg Dupree Whether you prefer your tacos meaty, packed with seafood, or vegetarian, we have a wealth of recipes for you to try. Some of our favorites include Birria Tacos and Tacos al Pastor — we also love Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos and Fideos Secos Tacos. Read on for these and even more of our best taco recipes. 01 of 30 Birria Tacos A combination of two meats creates the best balance of tender texture (from the chuck roast) and succulence (from the short ribs). These birria tacos get slow-cooked flavor from the adobo sauce. Get the Recipe 02 of 30 Charred Chile–Marinated Grilled Chicken Tacos Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Nidia Cueva To help build deep layers of flavor in these tacos, chef Fermín Núñez begins his marinade by toasting and charring aromatics. Dried chiles, cinnamon, allspice, and onions all hit the heat before soaking with juicy chicken thighs for an hour, imparting smoky flavor before everything cooks quickly on the grill or in the oven. Get the Recipe 03 of 30 Charred Cauliflower Tacos with Romesco Salsa Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell A smoky, mildly spicy romesco salsa seeps into the filling of charred cauliflower florets in this well-balanced vegetarian taco. Pine nuts add crunch and richness to each bite. The recipe comes courtesy of 2020 F&W Best New Restaurant Nixta Taqueria in Austin. Get the Recipe 04 of 30 Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Apple-Cucumber Salsa © Joseph de Leo Spicy grilled salmon is cooled down with a tangy lime mayo, crunchy cabbage, mashed avocado, and a juicy apple-cucumber salsa. Get the Recipe 05 of 30 Texas Chile Short Rib Tacos John Kernick To round out the tang and heat from the tomatoes and chiles in the sauce for the short ribs, cookbook authors Matt and Ted Lee add a little semisweet chocolate. "It's mellow and sweet," says Ted. "The chocolate puts everything in balance." Get the Recipe 06 of 30 Chicken and Cabbage Tacos with Cilantro Cream © Raymond Hom Pickled jalapeño adds heat and bite to these crunchy slaw-covered chicken tacos. Get the Recipe 07 of 30 Al Pastor Fish Tacos Caitlin Bensel "You'd think the adobo would totally consume the flavor of the fish, but it doesn't," chef Marcela Valladolid writes. "It's a lighter, beachier version of a Mexican classic — perfect with an ice-cold beer. Topped with the traditional raw white onions, cilantro, and avocado (or guacamole!), it's heaven." Get the Recipe 08 of 30 Carnitas Jackfruit Tacos Photo by Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell For her jackfruit tacos recipe, Jocelyn Ramirez, cookbook author and chef at Todo Verde in Los Angeles, uses cumin, chile flakes, and salt to capitalize on the pulled-pork texture of jackfruit, transforming it into a plant-based taco filling that tastes like carnitas. Get the Recipe 09 of 30 Barbacoa Beef Tacos with Two Sauces © Con Poulos While most meat is put on the grill raw, these intensely flavorful Mexican beef short ribs from chef Roberto Santibañez are first braised with chiles and spices until meltingly tender. The cooked meat is then crisped on the grill, shredded, and served in corn tortillas with a sauce made from the braising liquid. Get the Recipe 10 of 30 Fresh Chorizo and Potato Tacos © Con Poulos In just under an hour, this recipe yields you 12 tacos, Serve them with a plummy, peppery Zinfandel. Get the Recipe 11 of 30 Chile-Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos © Con Poulos These carne asada tacos come together in just two steps and are ready in only 35 minutes. Serve with freshly made pico de gallo and avocado salsa for the ultimate taco meal. Get the Recipe 12 of 30 Chicken and Poblano Tacos with Crema © Lucas Allen You can replace the chicken strips with chorizo in these tacos; for a vegetarian taco, chef Justin Large recommends subbing in crumbled spiced tofu. Get the Recipe 13 of 30 Fried Yuba Tacos with Sweet Corn Relish Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Heather Claire Spollen In this recipe, chef Bryant Terry fries rolled yuba, or thin sheets of tofu skin, in avocado oil until crispy, yielding a hearty vegan taco filling. A spoonful of "green cream" — sautéed spinach stirred together with mashed avocado — holds all of the delicious components in place. Get the Recipe 14 of 30 Tacos al Pastor © Con Poulos These classic tacos are served with grilled pineapple, chopped red onion, and cilantro; we also recommend pairing them with a smoky bock beer. Get the Recipe 15 of 30 Breakfast Tacos © Abby Hocking For this take on breakfast tacos, warm corn tortillas are loaded with scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and Monterey Jack cheese. Get the Recipe 16 of 30 Steak and Carrot Tacos Greg DuPree Here, small (not baby!) carrots are roasted with fragrant cumin seeds, then served in warm homemade tortillas with juicy, meaty skirt steak. For a vegetarian version, swap out the steak for roasted mixed mushrooms. Get the Recipe 17 of 30 Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Pico de Gallo © Con Poulos Chef Enrique Olvera stuffs tacos with crispy pork belly, confited in fat, and serves them with a tangy salsa spiked with Mexican beer. Get the Recipe 18 of 30 Tempeh Tacos with Cabbage Slaw Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Ali Ramee These satisfying vegan tacos are made with tempeh, a protein-packed fermented soy-based product that crumbles nicely, making it a great option when you don't want to use ground meat, like in this taco. Flavored with all the classic taco seasonings, plus some fresh bell pepper and onion for flavor and color, the filling is piled onto charred tortillas and topped with a red cabbage slaw. Get the Recipe 19 of 30 Chicken Tinga Tacos JOHN KERNICK F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple stews dark meat chicken with onion, tomatoes, and spices, then spoons it into crispy tortilla shells for the perfect taco. Get the Recipe 20 of 30 Coke-Braised Pork Tacos Coral Von Zumvalt Coca-Cola is the secret to this super-simple braised pork recipe from chef and cookbook author Marcela Valladolid. "The cola both tenderizes the pork and gives it a dark, caramelized crust," she says. "I like to shred this pork and serve right in the casserole that it cooks in. I lay out bowls of toppings so everyone can build their own tacos." Get the Recipe 21 of 30 Brat and Pepper Tacos © Con Poulos These playful brat and pepper tacos are inspired by classic Italian sausage and pepper subs. Get the Recipe 22 of 30 Crispy Pork Tacos with Red Chile Salsa David Malosh These hearty tacos, piled high with braised pork and topped with a shower of thinly sliced cabbage and cilantro, are a love letter to the Mexican cooking traditions that shape California cuisine. Fried in pork fat after cooking low and slow, the pork gets extra crispy without being dry. Dried chiles bring a mild, sweet heat to the salsa; their slight bitterness cuts through rich, fatty pork. Get the Recipe 23 of 30 Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos Photo by Rachel Vanni / Food Styling by Judy Haubert This creamy, richly spiced vegetarian kidney bean curry is usually served over rice with roti or naan, but it also makes a surprisingly delicious filling for corn tortillas. Get the Recipe 24 of 30 Steak Tacos with Pineapple © Eva Kolenko A quick marinade of soy sauce, garlic, and ginger flavors the skirt steak for these super-easy tacos. Get the Recipe 25 of 30 Fideos Secos Tacos Greg Dupree These griddled tacos are filled with fideos secos, a Mexican dish of thin spaghetti cooked in a chile-based tomato sauce until the pasta has absorbed the flavor and rich red color of the sauce. Get the Recipe 26 of 30 Beer-Battered Fish Tacos Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood In this taco recipe, IPA adds depth to the crunchy coating on beer-battered cod fillets while the fish inside cooks to flaky and tender perfection. The tacos also feature bright homemade pickled red onions and a cabbage slaw that gets tart creaminess from lime crema and a hint of sweetness from honey. Get the Recipe 27 of 30 Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa © Marcus Nilsson Chef Tim Byres' shrimp tacos are delicious with the tangy salsa, but the surprise here is the crunchy celery salad on top. Serve them with a spritzy, lime-scented Vinho Verde or a cooling lager like Dos Equis. Get the Recipe 28 of 30 Crispy Ricotta-Kale Tacos Victor Protasio These tacos are topped with an excellent tomatillo salsa studded with chopped roasted pistachios. Be sure to heat the tortillas in a hot skillet before stuffing them with the ricotta-kale mixture. Warming them up first makes them more pliable and less likely to break during the stuffing and cooking process. Get the Recipe 29 of 30 Barbecue Chicken Tacos with Cabbage and Queso © Phoebe Lapine Make the chicken for these tacos ahead of time for a quick and easy dinner later in the week. It can be refrigerated in the sauce for up to three days; reheat gently to serve. Get the Recipe 30 of 30 Spiced Crab Tacos © Tina Rupp Chef Michael Psilakis' bright, fresh crab tacos incorporate traditional Latin ingredients and a hit of chile sauce. Cooked shrimp would be great here as well. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit