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 Chicken Tinga Tacos — we also love Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos and Fideos Secos Tacos. Read on for these and even more of our best taco recipes.
Birria Tacos
A combination of tender chuck roast and succulent short ribs is marinated and then slow-cooked in adobo for lots of smoky flavor. Serve the tacos with onions and cilantro, lime wedges, and adobo broth.
Charred Chile–Marinated Grilled Chicken Tacos
Paired with homemade tortillas and fresh tomatillo salsa cruda, these tacos are the recipe for a next-level taco night. 2021 F&W Best New Chef Fermín Núñez builds layers of deep flavor by toasting and charring dried chile, cinnamon, allspice, and onions for his smoky marinade.
Charred Cauliflower Tacos with Romesco Salsa
Sara Mardanbigi makes a smoky, mildly spicy romesco salsa from roasted red peppers and tomato, balancing charred cauliflower florets in this vegetarian taco filling. Pine nuts add crunch and richness to each bite in this dish from 2020 F&W Best New Restaurant Nixta Taqueria in Austin.
Masa-Battered Fish Tacos with Citrus-Pickled Onions
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
2023 F&W Best New Chef Isabel Coss uses masa in the warm corn tortilla and the batter for tender, flaky cod. To fill the taco, she tops a habanero-tinged orange aïoli with the tempura fish, sliced avocado, citrus-pickled onions, and chopped cilantro, then serves with lime wedges and recommends salsa.
Al Pastor Fish Tacos
Chef Marcela Valladolid trades pork for white fish fillets, like red snapper, and serves these light, beachy al pastor tacos with the traditional raw white onions, cilantro, and avocado or guacamole.
Cheesy Breakfast Tacos
With a crisp, golden skirt made from pepper Jack, cilantro, and sliced jalapeño, these tacos are stuffed with a chorizo scramble for a festive morning dish that’ll become an instant hit at your table.
Carnitas Jackfruit Tacos
Chef and cookbook author Jocelyn Ramirez 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.
Fried Yuba Tacos with Sweet Corn Relish
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.
Beer-Battered Fish Tacos
Here, 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.
Crispy Fish Tacos on Achiote Corn Tortillas
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne
Chef Brooke Williamson serves battered and fried cod with a tart remoulade and crunchy kohlrabi slaw on homemade achiote tortillas.
Chicken Tinga Tacos
Diana Chistruga
These smoky tinga tacos from chef Jenn Lewis are especially easy to make. The recipe calls for only a few simple ingredients, and you can braise the meat in the oven, in a casserole on the stove, or in a slow cooker.
Steak and Carrot Tacos
Cumin-tinged carrots are served in warm homemade tortillas with juicy, meaty skirt steak. Swap out the beef for roasted mixed mushrooms for a meat-free option.
Chile-Spiced Skirt Steak Tacos
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
Jesse Vendley’s carne asada tacos from Calexico 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.
Tempeh Tacos with Cabbage Slaw
Tempeh, a protein-rich fermented soy product that crumbles beautifully, is a wonderful ground meat alternative for vegan tacos. Enhance the filling with fresh bell pepper and onion, season with traditional taco spices, and finish with a refreshing red cabbage slaw.
Crispy Pork Tacos with Red Chile Salsa
Maria Sinskey cooks pork low and slow then fries it in pork fat for crispiness without dryness. She uses three types of dried chiles for a salsa with mild, sweet heat, and tops her tacos with thinly sliced cabbage and cilantro in this love letter to the Mexican cooking traditions that shape California cuisine.
Rajma (Kidney Bean Curry) Tacos
Creamy, richly spiced vegetarian kidney bean curry makes a surprisingly delicious filling for corn tortillas. These tacos from Chitra Agrawal are table-ready in less than an hour.
Crispy Ricotta-Kale Tacos
Paola Briseño González and Javier Cabral heat tortillas in a hot skillet before stuffing them with a ricotta-kale mixture so they’re more pliable and less likely to break. Top the tacos with this excellent tomatillo salsa studded with chopped roasted pistachios.
Duck Tacos
Grace Parisi pairs roasted duck with a cilantro-lime sauce that gets a kick of heat from pickled jalapeño. Shredded carrot, sliced scallion, and radish sprouts round these tacos out.
Fideos Secos Tacos
Claudette Zepeda cooks thin spaghetti in a chile-based tomato sauce to fill these griddled tacos. Feel free to use soy chorizo for a vegetarian version.
Texas Chile Short Rib Tacos
Cookbook authors Matt and Ted Lee add a little semisweet chocolate to the sauce for these short ribs to round out the tang and heat from tomatoes and chiles.
Coke-Braised Pork Tacos
A cup of Mexican Coca-Cola is key to the rich flavor in this simple braised pork recipe from chef and cookbook author Marcela Valladolid.
Steak Tacos with Pineapple
Soy sauce, garlic, and ginger make up the marinade for these super-easy skirt steak tacos.
Chipotle-Rubbed Salmon Tacos with Apple-Cucumber Salsa
© Joseph de Leo
Cool down zingy grilled salmon with tangy lime mayo, crunchy cabbage, mashed avocado, and a juicy apple-cucumber salsa for these summery tacos.
Barbacoa Beef Tacos with Two Sauces
© Con Poulos
Intensely flavorful Mexican beef short ribs are first braised with chiles and spices until meltingly tender before they’re crisped on the grill, shredded, and served in corn tortillas with a sauce made from the braising liquid.
Shrimp Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa
The celery salad that tops these seafood tacos from chef Tim Byres adds a refreshing crunch, while the tangy green tomatillo-jalapeño salsa provides a bright complement to the shrimp.
Chicken and Poblano Tacos with Crema
© Lucas Allen
Grilled chicken is at the center of these tasty tacos, but chorizo makes an excellent alternative. For a vegetarian version, chef Justin Large recommends subbing in crumbled spiced tofu.
Fresh Chorizo and Potato Tacos
© Con Poulos
This recipe from San Francisco’s Tacolicious yields 12 tacos in under an hour. Serve them on corn tortillas with tomato salsa, white onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Crispy Pork Belly Tacos with Pico de Gallo
Chef Enrique Olvera confits crispy pork belly in fat for this taco filling. Serve with a tangy salsa spiked with Mexican beer.
Brat and Pepper Tacos
Classic Italian sausage and a mix of tender roasted peppers fill these playful sub-inspired tacos. Garnish them with pickled red cabbage and freshly grated horseradish.
Barbecue Chicken Tacos with Cabbage and Queso
The beauty of these tacos? You can make the chicken ahead of time for a quick and easy dinner later in the week. Refrigerate it in the sauce for up to three days; reheat gently to serve.
Spiced Crab Tacos
Chef Michael Psilakis incorporates crabmeat with grilled jalapeño, red and yellow bell peppers, olive oil, lime juice, mint, and cilantro for these bright, fresh seafood tacos with a hit of chile sauce. You could use cooked shrimp in the filling, alternatively.
Chicken and Cabbage Tacos with Cilantro Cream
© Raymond Hom
Pickled jalapeño adds heat and bite to Melissa Rubel Jacobson’s crunchy slaw-covered chicken tacos.