These crispy potato tacos (tacos de papa) are filled with potatoes and lightly fried to create the perfect crispy crunchy outside and creamy interior. Stuff or top them with salsa, sour cream, cheese, and more!
Table of Contents
What Are Potato Tacos?
If you’ve never had potato tacos (or “tacos de papa” in Spanish) before, you are missing out! These tacos are made from mashed potatoes seasoned with garlic, cumin, butter, and salt and then stuffed in corn tortillas and lightly fried until crispy. They’re pretty much the best fried tacos I’ve ever had, and I know you’re going to love them!
I grew up eating potato tacos in Mexico every summer when my family visited my grandparents and extended family. Every restaurant in my family’s hometown sells a version of potato tacos, which are all amazing. What’s not to love about potatoes stuffed in fried tortillas, am I right?
Ingredients Needed
- Potatoes: I used russet potatoes, but you could also use Yukon Gold or red potatoes.
- Butter: For mixing into the potatoes when mashing. It adds a wonderful flavor! You can omit and use a different fat instead if you’re wanting to make these tacos vegan friendly.
- Seasonings: Garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, and salt are mixed into the potato filling to make the potatoes as flavorful as possible.
- Oil: Any oil used for frying works great. Canola, avocado, and vegetable oil are all great options.
- Corn Tortillas: Corn tortillas that you can get just about at any grocery store are perfect!
- Toppings: Shredded lettuce or thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, diced onions, cotija cheese, Mexican crema, and your favorite hot sauce are all delicious topping options!
How to make Potato Tacos
Step 1: Make the potato filling. Start by cooking russet potatoes in boiling water until they’re tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Strain out the water and add some butter, garlic, cumin, and salt to give them a delicious yet subtle Mexican flavor. Mash them to your desired consistency, and it’s time to get frying!
Step 2: Assemble the tacos. Spread about 1/4 cup of the mashed potatoes onto one side of a corn tortilla.
Fold it over and press down lightly so that the tortilla “sticks” to the potatoes and stays closed.
Step 3: Fry. Lightly fry the potato tacos in a large skillet with oil for about 2 minutes per side until the tortilla is crispy and browned.
Step 4: Serve. Remove the tacos from the oil and place them on a plate or baking sheet covered with paper towels to soak up any excess oil.
Then stuff the tacos with shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, cilantro, and cotija cheese!
Helpful Tips
- The potato filling can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Warm up the corn tortillas before assembling the tacos to prevent them from cracking.
- To keep the tacos warm while you finish frying all of them, place them on a large baking sheet in 200°F oven.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve potato tacos is to stuff them with shredded lettuce or thinly shredded cabbage, cotija cheese, and some hot sauce. Here are some other suggestions:
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- cotija cheese, queso fresco, or shredded cheese
- diced onions
- cilantro
- salsa verde
- chile de arbol salsa
- guacamole salsa
- pico de gallo
Variations
- To give the potato filling a smoky flavor, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce along with the other spices and seasonings.
- Add some extra protein to the filling by mixing in some black beans, pinto beans, ground beef, or even shredded carnitas.
Ingredients
For the tacos
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- warm corn tortillas, as needed
For serving
- shredded lettuce or thinly shredded cabbage
- cotija cheese or queso fresco
- sour cream or Mexican crema
- chopped cilantro
- your favorite salsa or hot sauce
Instructions
- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and boil for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl.
- Melt the butter in the pot used for cooking the potatoes over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add the potatoes, cumin, chili powder, and salt and mash the potatoes until they are creamy and smooth. Taste and season with more salt as needed. Set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Spread about ¼ cup of the mashed potatoes on one side of the tortillas and fold them to create tacos.
- Fry each taco for about 2 minutes per side, or until the tortillas are golden and crispy, flipping the taco carefully with a small spatula.
- Place the tacos on a plate or baking sheet covered with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Continue frying the tacos in batches until complete.
- Stuff or top the tacos with shredded lettuce, cotija cheese, Mexican crema, and your favorite hot sauce.
Isabel’s Tips:
- The potato filling can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Warm up the corn tortillas before assembling the tacos to prevent them from cracking.
- To keep the tacos warm while you finish frying all of them, you can place them on a large baking sheet in a 200°F oven.
Nutrition Information
great recipe
Isabel, I just discovered you and can’t wait to try some of your recipes! Having grown up in an Arizona border town, potato tacos and burritos were a staple, almost as essential to the table as bean burritos and rolled tacos. Your potato taco recipe is very similar to mine so I know it’s going to be delicious! I look forward to my journey through your recipes. I think I’ll start with the street corn tostada!
We had these for dinner tonight and I loved them! The potato filling is so good. We do a meatless meal once a week and these were just perfect!
Just made these tonight and they are SO good.
Many thanks for sharing!
How much chili powder? It’s not listed on the ingredients. Thank you!!
Ooh, sorry about that! I just updated the recipe to include the amount. Thanks for catching that! 🙂