Homemade Tacos – The BEST Homemade Taco Shell Recipe!

I love tacos.  As a matter of fact, I love them so much that I drive my husband crazy.  It’s never a surprise when my husband asks where I want to eat. 

My answer is 99% of the time the same…. a little taco restaurant inside a local gas station!  I know, I know.  That doesn’t SOUND that appealing. 

I promise, it’s actually pretty nice.  They have a couple of different mini restaurant set-ups inside with seating and the food is great!  

Tacos Are Life – At Least For Me!

Back when I was pregnant with our oldest, my husband had to make dozens of runs to Taco Johns for me.  My pregnancy cravings wouldn’t allow for any substitute! 

I just couldn’t get enough of their Sierra Taco!  Do you remember that one?  It had a deep-fried shell and some amazing sauce mixture inside. 

I legit almost cried when they discontinued it.  Because my beloved taco was no longer an option, I decided I needed to find a replacement. 

Every restaurant I tried let me down so I started making homemade tacos at home instead.  Guess what?  It’s not as hard as you may think! 

I was given a secret recipe from a local place that used to serve this homemade taco shell recipe on their little island.  They were super popular and it’s easy to see why.  They’re DELICIOUS!

Recipe Ingredients

As I mentioned, making this homemade taco shell recipe really isn’t hard; it just takes a little time.  But trust me, it’s worth it! 

Just grab these simple ingredients to get started:

• Flour
• Cornmeal
• Eggs
• Salt
• Water
• Vegetable Oil

Recipe Instructions

COMBINE:  In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, egg(s), salt, vegetable oil, and 2 cups cold water.

PERFECT THE BATTER:  Once mixed well, slowly add additional water until the taco shell batter resembles a slightly runny pancake batter. (You will need the batter to be spreadable once you’re frying it but not too runny.)

SELECT A PAN SIZE:  Decide on what size shells you want to make and select your frying pan accordingly. We prefer medium.

COAT PAN:  Spray your frying pan with a non-stick cooking spray and heat pan on medium till hot.

BEGIN FRYING BATTER:  Once your pan is hot, ladle a scoop of batter into the frying pan and spread into a thin circle with a small metal spoon. (Like a cereal spoon.)

COOK SHELLS:  Once the top of your shell has heated and is no longer runny, flip over and cook that side as well.

COOL SHELLS:  Place on a sheet of parchment paper to cool. (I like to cool on one side for a few minutes and then flip over to finish cooling. Once cool, stack them up.)

REPEAT WITH THE REST OF THE BATTER:  Continue frying batter until all your shells are made, cooled, and stacked.

PREP:  Place a paper towel on a large plate and set aside.

PREP SKILLET FOR DEEP FRYING:  In a large skillet, heat your additional vegetable oil for deep frying. I usually fill about half way so most of my shell will be covered as I fry.

DEEP FRY SHELLS:  Once the oil is hot, using tongs and a pancake turner, shape the shell and place in the oil. Fry on one side for 10-15 seconds (keeping your pancake turner between to hold the shape) and then flip and finish frying the other side.

FINISH:  Remove shell from oil and place on the prepared plate so the extra oil can drip off.

ENJOY!:  Serve immediately filled with your favorite taco fixings.

Homemade Tacos – PRINT The BEST Homemade Taco Shell Recipe!

Homemade Tacos – The BEST Homemade Taco Shell Recipe!

These homemade taco shells are sure to make Taco Tuesday the best EVER! They are full of flavor and taste like restaurant-quality!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 353kcal

Author: Miranda Welle

Ingredients

• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Cornmeal
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Eggs small or 1 large
• 2 cups Water start with 2 cups and then add more as needed
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil plus additional for frying

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, egg(s), salt, vegetable oil, and 2 cups cold water.
• Once mixed well, slowly add additional water until the taco shell batter resembles a slightly runny pancake batter. (You will need the batter to be spreadable once you’re frying it but not too runny.)
• Decide on what size shells you want to make and select your frying pan accordingly. We prefer medium.
• Spray your frying pan with a non-stick cooking spray and heat pan on medium till hot.
• Once your pan is hot, ladle a scoop of batter into the frying pan and spread into a thin circle with a small metal spoon. (Like a cereal spoon.)
• Once the top of your shell has heated and is no longer runny, flip over and cook that side as well.
• Place on a sheet of parchment paper to cool. (I like to cool on one side for a few minutes and then flip over to finish cooling. Once cool, stack them up.)
• Continue frying batter until all your shells are made, cooled, and stacked.
• Place a paper towel on a large plate and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat your additional vegetable oil for deep frying. I usually fill about half way so most of my shell will be covered as I fry.
• Once the oil is hot, using a tongs and pancake turner, shape shell and place in the oil. Fry on one side for 10-15 seconds (keeping your pancake turner between to hold the shape) and then flip and finish frying the other side.
• Remove shell from oil and place on the prepared plate so the extra oil can drip off.
• Serve immediately filled with your favorite taco fixings.

Nutrition

Serving: 3taco shells | Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 96IU | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 4mg

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Tacos are a popular food but if you’ve never tried making your own shells, you don’t know what you’re missing! 

Whip up a batch of these and serve with some rice and a Yogurt Fruit Salad.  Don’t forget, Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies always make for a great dessert too!

Taco fans will also love this Taco Lasagna recipe. I often make it for dinner the following night with leftover taco meat.

If you have any questions, just leave them below and I’ll be happy to answer.  Don’t forget to come back and let us know what you think after you try this recipe too!