Air Fryer Taco Salad Bowls
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Make homemade taco salad bowls right in your air fryer in minutes using flour tortillas. Healthier than fried and so simple to make!
Who doesn’t love a good taco salad? Especially when you can eat the bowl it’s in?! This technique for Air Fryer Taco Salad Bowls will blow your mind. They are so easy!
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My Love Affair with the Taco Salad
I have long been a fan of taco salads. (heck — tacos in general!!) Ever since the days of old where I started my first job at Wendy’s when I wasn’t even 15. I used to love their taco salads. Now, they didn’t have an edible taco salad bowl like this, but they were still so good, I actually posted a copy cat recipe here on my blog. The Copy Cat Wendy’s Taco Salad is made with chili and tortilla chips.
( Sidebar — if you used to frequent the Wendy’s on 120th and Center in Omaha – that was where I worked. I drove by yesterday and saw that they closed it. So many memories of that place. Sigh. )
Another recipe that is always a giant hit in our family is my sister in law’s taco salad. “Aunt Sue’s Taco Salad” as it’s named is full of beans, ground beef, lettuce, cheese and tomatoes then it’s finished off with Italian Dressing and nacho cheese Doritos.
Are you looking for a vegetarian option? My friend Debi makes this Vegetarian Lentil Taco Salad in her slow cooker!
Today though, we aren’t talking about the salad itself, more like the vessel in which it’s transported.
Let’s dust off that air fryer, and give it another way to make your life easier and lower in calories by cutting out some of the fat you would get if you made these tortilla bowls by frying them in oil. I loved how they had those little puffy spots where it made an air bubble. They were perfectly imperfect, each one was just a little different.
When I set out to make these, I did some experimenting. It took me a couple of tries to get the right timing and temperature – but once I mastered them, they were awesome! The thought process I used was similar to how I pre-bake a pie crust. Covering the tortilla with foil helps it to bake/fry without getting burnt, then uncovering it for a shorter time to finish it off will crisp it up.
What do I need to make Air Fryer Taco Salad Bowls?
- Burrito Sized Flour Tortilla
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray
- Air Fryer
These homemade Taco Salad Bowls are just minutes away in your air fryer with only two ingredients!
Spray a burrito sized flour tortilla with non-stick cooking spray on both sides.
Double over a piece of foil, just slightly larger than the tortilla itself. Place over the top.
Carefully, press it into the air fryer basket using the foil to shape it into a “bowl,” and place a ramekin (or something oven safe and similar in size) to the middle to weigh it down and keep the tortilla from growing one large air bubble in the middle.
After cooking for approximately 5 minutes, carefully remove ramekin, (It’s HOT!) and the foil. Replace ramekin and fry for 2 minutes more to get the bowl crispy. Take care to watch that the edges aren’t getting too brown, all air fryers are different.
*Note – My air fryer basket is round. So I was able to make my bowls the same size as the basket. If your air fryer basket isn’t round, and I know that many of them aren’t, the foil part of this process is a little different.
For shaping a bowl to make in a square air fryer, place the doubled over, heavy duty foil under the tortilla, form it into a circle that is a bit larger than the tortilla itself. Form the foil and the tortilla into the shape of a bowl, add the ramekin to the center, take that extra bit of foil and fold it over the edge of the tortilla slightly. It will help it keep its shape, and also aid in it getting too brown.
The recipe video you see here will show this technique, the photos show the technique for the round air fryer basket.
Fill them with your favorites! Ground beef, shredded beef, chicken, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. They are so versatile, and you can switch them up so many ways. I made them with wheat tortillas and they were yummy that way, too! Want smaller bowls? Use smaller tortillas and adjust the cooking time.
Before I go, I wanted to share another cool way to eat a salad! These Parmesan Cheese Salad Bowls are super fun, and so tasty, too!
Who’s ready to learn how to make a flour tortilla into a homemade taco salad bowl in your air fryer?
Let’s do it! 
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Air Fryer Taco Salad Bowls
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 burrito sized flour tortilla
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray both sides of tortilla with cooking spray.
- Fold a piece of foil double thickness the size of the tortilla.
- Fold into the basket of your air fryer.
- Place a larger ramekin (or something similar) into the middle of the shell.
- Air fry for 5 minutes on 400 degrees.
- Carefully remove ramekin (it's HOT!!) and foil. Place ramekin back into the center, air fry 2 minutes more.
What a great recipe! Such a nice way to spruce up a taco salad!
This is such a game changer! I just got an air fryer but I never even considered this!
I want my guest to feel special and so this is my next plan. Individual fillings of Taco Bowls. I love the idea.
I really need to try this out! My family is into the Tex-Mex bowls big time right not and these will take those up to the next level!
Such a great way to serve salad! Perfect for dinner parties!
I’m loving your Air Fryer recipes! I was just gifted one by my mother and can’t wait to try this one. We love Mexican foods and I love the salads in taco bowls!
Another reason I love my Air Fryer! These are so light and crispy! Yum!
I love taco salad, and I love that you have found a way to make it a little healthier by making the taco salad bowls in the air fryer!
This is so clever, made without oil! Makes me wanna buy an air fryer, haha!
I saw these on Facebook this week and thought this was such a smart and easy way to make a taco salad bowl!
I made these today and they were awesome! Thank you!
Fantastic!! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed them! Thank you for coming back to share!
I took this idea and ran with it. I have taco bowl forms. They came in a 4 pack. I sprayed tortilla with EEOO. Then put it in one mold, with a second on top. Cooked the 2 together for a couple of minutes, I then removed the top one and air crisped until it started looking golden and was stiff. I then turned it upside down and cooked the bottom without the mold until the bottom was crisp. Turned out wonderful. Thank you for the idea.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
Tried it without the foil, didn’t burn but got very dark brown. Second one with foil was better, third time, I folded the foil over the edges to cover the inside of the top edges almost a half-inch. That kept them from burning, then uncovered edges for the second fry, worked very well. Ramekin needs to be base down, which isn’t clear in photos. My wife has been pining for these. Latino markets here used to sell them, but not more. This is a great discovery. Couldn’t come at a better time.
I am happy you liked them and made them your own!
I have metal taco bowl molds that you drape a flour tortilla over and bake it in the oven. I’m new to air frying so wondering if I could use these molds in the air fryer?
I don’t see why not? I would go for it! Just think of your air fryer as a miniature convection oven. 🙂