Oven Baked Taco Shells

There’s always a toss-up at my home between crunchy and soft tacos for taco nights. My daughters are usually on Team Crunchy Taco, but I hate having to buy both tortillas and hard taco shells. I mean, aren’t they really the same thing? This thought sent me on a mission to figure out how to use my tortillas to make my own Baked Crunchy Taco Shells.

After some trial and error, I did it. I have finally figured out how to make the best baked taco shells at home! The trick is to microwave your tortillas first to get them nice and pliable, then spray them with your cooking spray and drape them over the oven rack.

From there, let the oven take over and do its thing. Soon enough, you’ve got perfectly crispy baked taco shells. It’s beyond easy and way more budget-friendly than investing in two types of taco vessels every week! Fill them up with chicken, steak, fish, ground turkey, or beans. It's all delish!

I see plenty of taco-filled days ahead of me, so excuse me while I start preparing bulk batches of my homemade taco seasoning. Use these baked taco shells for any of your favorite tacos. The results will be so good that you’ll never be returning to the store-bought versions again.

Key Ingredients

These baked taco shells come together so easily that I almost feel guilty (almost) about calling this a recipe. You’ll need just two key ingredients for this one:

• Corn tortillas: Ask any true taco connoisseur and they’ll tell you that corn tortillas are the way to go. In addition to being incredibly flavorful, they have lots of fiber and provide an excellent sturdy base for your taco fillings.
• Cooking spray: A quick spritz of cooking spray helps to crisp up the taco shells and prevents them from sticking to the oven racks. 
• Seasoning: Spice this up with some fresh lime juice, seasoning, salt, and pepper to make a crispy taco shell that's packed with flavor.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Here are some of my favorite tips and substitution ideas to help you get the best baked taco shells every time:

• Use larger tortillas. Using larger tortillas is key to getting the perfect taco shell. When they’re bigger, they’re easier to handle and can fit more taco fillings without breaking.
• Create taco bowls. Taco bowls are a fun spin on the usual taco shells and don’t even require much effort. Just shape the heated tortillas into bowls using a flipped cupcake pan and pop them into the oven until they’re golden brown and crispy.
• Drape them evenly. I prefer draping my tortillas over two bars each. Not only does this create more room for fillings, but it also makes them all uniform in size and shape, which comes in handy when stacking them together.
• Aluminum foil. I wish someone had told me about this tip when I was starting out. Place a sheet of aluminum foil across the bottom rack of the oven and save yourself the time and effort of cleaning out a potential mess!

• Add a hint of flavor. Just a dash of your favorite seasoning is more than enough to give these taco shells a kick of their own. Great options include kosher salt, smoked paprika, and cumin.
• Cooking spray. Don’t have cooking spray? Just lightly brush some oil onto the tortillas before baking them. I’ve used both vegetable neutral oil and corn oil without seeing much of a difference, so use whatever you have at hand.
• Tortilla chips. I've saved my favorite tip for last! If you've got any leftover tortillas, you can slice them into triangles and bake them to create some crispy chips that pair well with everything from salsa to guacamole.

How to Store Baked Taco Shells

I love prepping up a batch of these baked taco shells right before taco nights, or any other occasion that calls for tacos. If you wind up with extras, allow them to cool before packing them carefully into an airtight container and store in a cool, dry environment.

Taco shells tend to absorb moisture pretty quickly and can turn soggy, so try not to store them in the fridge or freezer if you can help it.