These fried avocado tacos are easy to make and loaded with awesome flavor from crispy fried avocados, corn tortillas, beans, cotija cheese, tomatoes, cabbage, and a creamy cilantro pepper sauce.
I don’t need it to be Tuesday for an excuse to enjoy tacos. If you love these Sriracha and lime roasted cauliflower tostadas, blackened fish tacos, and my baja fish tacos, you’re going to love these fried avocado tacos—they are the BOMB. Avocados are a regular part of my diet. Not only are cool and creamy and totally delish, but they also boast a plenty of health benefits. They’re a great source of healthy fats, potassium, antioxidants, and vitamin B6. And while I do love a creamy avocado, sometimes I want a little crunch and this fried avocado taco recipe delivers it every time.
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Why You’ll Love Love it
- Dredging the avocado slices in panko then frying gives them a crunchy shell with an irresistibly creamy interior
- Frying the corn tortillas ensures these tacos have the ultimate crave-worthy crunch
- Beans bring the protein, while still keeping these tacos vegetarian-friendly
- My homemade cilantro pepper cream sauce adds just the right amount of heat so I know I’m still in taco land
Avocado Tacos Ingredients List
For these avocado tacos, you’ll need ingredients to make the breading, as well as veggie accouterments and sauce ingredients. Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Avocados—choose avocados that are ripe but firm
- Egg–essential for getting the breading to stick to the avocados
- Milk–also necessary for the dredging
- Flour–this gives the avocados a moisture barrier from the oil
- Panko breadcrumbs–give the breading texture and crunch
- Cayenne–just a kiss, for some subtle heat
- Chili powder–brings awesome flavor
- Kosher salt–crucial for a balanced flavor
- Sunflower or canola oil–the best oils for frying due to their high heat point
- Corn tortillas–these fry up better than flour tortillas
- Cotija cheese–or you could use feta or queso fresco
- Pinto beans or refried beans–for a nice punch of protein
- Cabbage–brings freshness (and even more crunch)
- Tomatoes or pico de gallo–ripe cherry or campari tomatoes if in season
Creamy Cilantro Pepper Sauce Ingredients List
This zesty sauce is the perfect blend of spice and tang and complements these fried avocado tacos perfectly. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Jalapeño or serrano chile pepper–for a little heat
- Cilantro–for that awesome green color and flavor
- Green onions–add some savory flavor to the sauce
- Sour cream–for creaminess and a bit of body
- Limes–for a punch of acidity, and to balance out the heat
- Water–to keep your sauce the perfect consistency (not too thick, not too thin)
- Garlic salt–for good flavor, without having to deal with peeling actual garlic
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Avocado Tacos
These fried avocado tacos are so simple and come together in no time.
Here’s how to make them:
- Make the breading. In a shallow bowl whisk flour with cayenne, chili powder, and salt. In another shallow bowl, mix egg with milk. Then, in a separate shallow bowl, add the panko.
- Prep the avocados. Cut the avocados in half, remove pits and slice halved avocados into 4 equal slices.
Fry The Tortillas
Frying both the avocados and the corn tortillas gives these avocado tacos the best crunch.
- Fry the tortillas. Fry the corn tortillas in sunflower or canola oil heated to 350ºF. Use a deep fry or candy thermometer attached to the side of the pan.
- Shape the tortillas into taco shells as they fry in the oil.
- Drain the tortillas slipped into a drying rack so they hold their shape.
Fry the Avocados
- Do a 1-2-3 step dredge. Dip avocado slices into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then toss gently in panko crumbs. Transfer to a baking sheet.
- Add the avocado slices to hot oil and fry in small batches until golden brown.
- Use a deep-fry thermometer or a candy thermometer to gauge the oil temperature. The oil should be 350-360ºF for best frying.
- Fry the avocado slices for 1-2 minutes, tossing in the oil as they cook.
- Use a spider strainer to transfer the fried avocados to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.
Assemble the Tacos
- Make the creamy cilantro pepper sauce. Place the pepper, cilantro, and green onions in a food processor or Nutribullet blender and pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Add kosher or more lime juice to taste.
- Assemble the tacos. Spread 1 to 2 spoonfuls of refried beans to the bottom of a taco shell, top with slivered cabbage, then stuff the shells with 2-3 fried avocado slices. Top with tomatoes, cotija cheese, and cilantro cream sauce, then top with cilantro.
Tips for Cooking with the Perfect Avocados
These are a few basic rules I go by to ensure I’ll be cooking with a perfectly ripe avocado:
- Buy them firm. I usually buy my avocados while still quite firm and allow 2-3 days of ripening power on the countertop before it’s time to eat or use for cooking.
- I never refrigerate a not-yet-ripened avocado, unless I want to stave off the ripening process.
- A hack for quick ripening: If I need to expedite my ripening time I’ll place the avocado in a paper bag with a banana. A plant hormone called ethylene speeds up the ripening process and within 12 to 24 hours I’ll have a ready-to-slice and devour avocado. With a touch of kosher salt, please.
- I don’t peel my avocados, but instead cut them in half from stem to stern, twist the halves in opposite directions, and pull the sides apart resulting in one half with the pit and one pitless. From there it’s all about slicing, then using a spoon to spoon out the slivered sections.
- To prevent your avocado halves from browning, I’ve found the best way to store them is to set the unused section of the pitless half back onto the pitted side and pop it in my refrigerator. They stay firm and ready to eat for several days afterward with no discoloration.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Change out your protein. Try black beans for black refried beans. Or use grilled or roasted chicken instead, or beef or chorizo. Shrimp would also be tasty.
- Don’t fry twice. If you want to limit your calories or frying, skip frying the tortillas (though I love the extra crunch they bring)
- Add even more color and crunch. Sliced radishes would be a tasty addition.
Storage Tips
These tacos don’t hold up well for leftovers and are best eaten fresh. The fried avocado loses its snap when refrigerated. However, the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.
What to Serve with Avocado Tacos
- Pico de Gallo
- Mexican Corn Dip
- Easy Mexican Coleslaw
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad
- THE BEST Spanish Rice (Mexican Rice)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Fried Avocado Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
For the Avocado Tacos
- 2 ripe but firm avocados
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- 4 cups canola oil
- 8 4-inch corn tortillas
- ¼ cup cotija cheese , or other dry white cheese
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans , heated through
- 1 ½ cups slivered cabbage leaves
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- creamy cilantro pepper sauce , (recipe follows)
- cilantro leaves for garnish
For the Serrano Cream Sauce
- 1 jalapeño or serrano chile pepper , seeded and ribs removed
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 2 green onions , roughly chopped
- 1 cup sour cream
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, whisk the flour with cayenne, chili powder, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. In another shallow bowl, mix the egg with milk. In another shallow bowl add the panko.
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and slice the halved avocados into 4 equal slices. With a large spoon, scoop out whole slices from the avocado peel. Set slices aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, bring the oil to 350ºF according to a deep fry or candy thermometer attached to the side of the pan. Prepare a baking rack over a baking sheet lined with paper towels for draining taco shells. One at a time, add the corn tortillas to the oil. Form the tortillas into the shape of wide-bottomed shells and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, rotating the shell to fry on all sides. Remove from the oil and transfer to the baking sheet so the shells are inverted on the racks to hold their shape and drain to cool. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until all shells are fried.
- Line another baking sheet with paper towels. One by one, dip avocado slices into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, then toss gently in the panko crumbs. Add the avocado slices to hot oil and fry in small batches until golden brown, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Use a slotted spoon or a spider strainer to transfer the fried avocados to the llined baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- To assemble the tacos, add a few spoonfuls of beans to the bottom of a taco shell, top with slivered cabbage, then stuff the shells with 2-3 fried avocado slices. Top with pico de gallo, cotija cheese, and creamy cilantro pepper sauce. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve immediately.
For the Creamy Ciliantro Pepper Sauce
- Add the pepper, cilantro, and green onions to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and blend. Add kosher salt or more lime juice to taste.
Nutrition
More Taco Recipes You’ll Love
- Breakfast Tacos
- Grilled Steak Tacos
- The Best Carnitas
- Just Like Taco Bell Tacos
- Taco Stuffed Avocados with Chipotle Cream
- Slow Cooker Smoky Pulled Pork Tacos
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