Home made crunchy taco shells are excellent! Use home made tortillas, or corn tortillas from the store.

Hard Taco Shells

vegetable oil

(12 corn tortillas

salt

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a heavy skillet over medium to medium-high heat to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C).


Use tongs to place one tortilla at a time into the oil. It should start to sizzle right away. Cook for about 15 seconds, then flip over and fold the shell in half, holding in place with the tongs until crispy, about 15 seconds. You may need a little practice at first. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with salt while still hot. Use for tacos right away, or they may become chewy. Leftovers may be heated in the oven for crisping.


There is a way to make them crispy without added all the fat from frying. Spray them with coooking spray and drape them over the rack in your oven. Bake until crispy. 

Other posts were right, make sure your oil is hot. It doesn't take much.  I take them out of the oil with the handle of a wooden spoon then feed each end over a wire on a cooling rack placed above the sink. Leave a wire or two in between. This makes them in a U shape so that it can hold the goodies in there without falling over. ;&gt; )

if yours are chewy, it means the oil wasn't hot enough!

Actually I think the mistake is that you use too much oil at once. You only put as much as you would to cook an egg then as you make more and more shells you add a little oil each time that way they aren't as oily nor chewy.Hope this helps and I explained to your understanding!

This is a great recipe.  Once you master it, you never go back to store shells.  I've been frying hard taco shells like this for years, like my mom and grandma.  We love taco night, and it's not so hard, once you get the hang of it.  I use a bigger pan, cook 3 shells at once, and reuse my oil.  I have special "tortilla oil" that I keep in a container.  As you continue to use it and add oil to the pan, the flavor continues to season beautifully.

This is really neat. I tried making the shells using both flour and corn tortillas. In my honest opinion... GO WITH THE FLOUR. I cooked mine on my cast iron griddle with just a dribble of oil and they turned out wonderful. Thanks!

Tastes a lot better than the ones you buy pre-cooked in a package. I don't think you need to add salt if you're using them for tacos.

Taco shells cooked at home give your tacos a very authentic taste, and make a meal that is restaurant quality!  I followed this recipe and had wonderful cruchy, flavorful tacos.  I sprinkled mine with seasoned salt right after removing from the oil.  Put down your packaged taco shells and give this recipe a try - you don't know what you've been missing!

I love tacos made this way.  I use a small cast iron skillet just large enough for 1 tortilla with ~ 1/4" oil.  Fry on one side 15 to 20 seconds, flip and fold in half.  Fry maybe 10 seconds and flip for 10 seconds more.  I sometimes put a spoon in the middle when I fold to keep it open.  I sprinkle with a combination of 50% salt and 50% Gebhardts Chili powder that I keep in a glass shaker jar for use on homemade tortilla chips.  Hanging over a roaster pan rack or cookie cooling rack works as well.

It is probably my fault, but these turned out really greasy and chewy even when served 2 minutes after cooking.....maybe I should bake them after cooking them in the oil?? Suggestions???

These had great flavor, and were much better than store bought.  While I did get my shells nice and crunchy, I had a hard time getting all the oil off, so they were a little more greasy than I would have liked.  I had trouble with the tongs tearing the shells (or not getting a good shape), and found it easier to just use two butter knives to fold the shells over.

Fantastic crispy shells! This was a really easy process with a short and fast learning curve. The first couple of shells I followed the directions to a T and the shells were too crisp to fold over, so then I tried using a wooden spoon and folding them over it as soon as they hit the oil, cooking for about 15 seconds then turning the folded taco shell over to cook the other side and that worked out much better for me. I used the metal tongs to help hold the bottom fold open while cooking. I didn't measure the temp of my oil, I used the wooden spoon method. (When you put the end of the spoon handle into the oil, if it starts to bubble around the spoon, then the oil is hot and ready for use.) These turned out perfectly and were far tastier than the store bought premade shells that you crisp in the oven. Once the oil was hot, this was a very fast process overall and to make a dozen only takes a few minutes. This same recipe will also make tostada shells, crispy taco bowls, or if you cut the tortillas into strips or quarters you can make homemade restaurant style chips just as easily.

Excellent.  I made them in the deep fryer with a pair of scissor-like tongs.  I let them fry flat for 20 sec, then flipped over and held open.  They kinda take a while to get the hang of and they are still a little awkward to make.  Afetr frying, I hung them upside down through the rungs of the oven rack over the sink.

This is excellent!  You can also make taco shell "bowls" for taco salad using a similar technique.  Get the burrito sized tortillas and heat enough oil to be about 3-4 inches deep in a large pot (or use a large fry daddy).  When the oil is hot, carefully float the tortilla on top of the oil and then take a large heat-proof ladle and gently push down in the middle until you are holding the entire tortilla under the oil.  the sides will pull up around the spoon forming a bowl.  Remove and drain on paper towels when it's a crispy golden brown.  Soo Yummy!!

Excellent - I will NEVER buy packaged ones again.  This was a huge hit that made a easy weeknight meal into a favorite among the family! 

These aren't something you want to prepare for a big group. You have to use very hot oil but not too much at a time so it can take quite a while to allow the oil to heat as you go. I like to make these, fill them with meat and cheese, then keep them warm in the oven at 200 degrees. I set shredded lettuce, toms, sour cream, black olives, etc on a platter on the table for individuals to prepare their own tacos themselves. (I used to have bowls for all the ingredients but the platter requires less clean up).

I took a coffee can lid and bent it half to place the taco shell around and with tongs put in oil and when done fliped it over to cook other side...comes out just like the store bought ones about 1/2 inch wide to put in taco mixture.

After reading a lot of the reviews I'm so impressed at everyone's creative methods and certainly will try them. I started frying my taco shells like this a year ago and prefer it. I used to fry the old way which was filling a tortilla with meat then frying. Those are really good but a lot heavier and more fattening being they carry more oil in the meat. This new method the tacos fry up very light, very crunchy, and very addictive. If you over fry them and get them real crunchy, the bottoms crack and everything falls out of the taco so fry but not super hard. A real bonus is that they don't pop oil because there is no meat inside to cause oil to pop-I used to hate that. Get your oil hot but not too hot since the tortillas will fry really fast and burn. Sometimes when I don't feel like fussing with the details of tacos, I throw everything in a bowl, fry up some tortillas that I cut in squares, and have a taco salad-same taste but less work. The downside to frying the shells only is that they are so good you'll want lots of them and so will your family-that means a long time at the stove.

Great for tacos (i also make chips by cutting up the corn tortillas into small triangles and frying them).  I've never used that much oil though, a quarter of an inch in the pan has always worked well with me.

I had the chewy problem with some tortillas i made. I just put them back in the deep fryer for a little longer, and they were very crispy. DELICIOUS with flour tortillas. went over well at the superbowl party!

These turned out great.  Everyone seemed to enjoy them and prefer them over boxed shells.  I did forget the salt, but no biggie.  Thanks for sharing.

kinda greasy, but great way to use up the rest of the tortillas

This is really the only way to make a taco shell. It's shameful how many Americans think shells out of a box are Mexican - they are not! ;)

this is how I always cook my taco shells. It tastes so much better than the store bought. I would recommend everyone to sprinkle Parmesan cheese instead if salt it tastes sooo good that way!

I was surprised at how easy these were!  I used low carb flour tortillas and the seasoned salt like another reviewer suggested.  They were great!  They weren't "traditional" taco shells b/c of the tortillas we used but we loved them.

I have never bought these pre-made  This is exactly how I have made them all of my life. (I'm 65)  My mother was raised in Mexico with her parents leasing oil fields, She had a native maid and cook. I just wish I'd learned more from her. (My mother.) She was such  good cook. But I was young and didn't listen,like every one else.  We never added salt though

I have never used purchased taco shells...I've always made my own. This is the exact method I use, only I don't salt the taco shells.  Probably personal preference.  I have long scissor-type tongs for this purpose and they work great (not the kind you push on the end to open).  And yes, if your shells are soggy your oil was either not hot enough, or your tortillas were old.  We've gotten to like slightly LESS crunchy taco shells lately, but that just means I fry them for a shorter amount of time.  I place the tortilla in hot oil (test with a tiny sliver of tortilla....if the oil is hot enough, it will sizzle when you drop it in).  Leave it flat for about 5 seconds, turn it over and fold it in half.  Grab the shell by the top, and just keep frying until it reaches the desired crispness.  I drain them, upside down, on layers of paper towels.  BTW, you can make awesome homemake tortilla chips the same way by simply cutting the tortillas in triangles.  I usually stack 4-5 up and cut with my pizza cutter.  I fry the tortilla chips first, before I make my taco shells.  I *do* sprinkle the chips with salt when they're first out of the oil (otherwise it won't stick).  Oh!  And my son prefers the flour shells, which are amazingly good too.  They just take a little practice as they puff up quickly and it can be hard to crease them once they're puffy. Turn down the heat a tad for flour

I gave 2 stars just because of the effort to write this recipe. First of all, the reviewer who suggested less oil is absolutely right! With that much oil you could make a tone more but I suggest not. I've made shells both in oil AND baking... Personally, I feel oil fried shells taste much better (what doesn't that is fried) BUT BUT BUT... you forgot the most crucial step in the whole process even before making sure the oil is hot enough. One must WARM the tortilla first! The old way is over the flame on a gas stove, but too many people would hurt themselves turning it if they don't know what they're doing. So my next suggestion that is "hopefully" a safer way is to warm the tortilla on a DRY pan until it has become somewhat cooked. I have a tortilla pan, some people use a pancake griddle or even an electric griddle. No matter the type of meal it is made of, white corn or yellow the tortilla will have a wrinkle-type look either way. So once this step has happened THEN one drops the tortilla in the oil sufficient enough to barely cover one side, probably 2-3 tbsp. and as it fries to a slight limpness turn it over and then fold (I use a spatula). I keep the spatula inserted upside- down to hold the tortilla in place and to keep from flattening too much and then flip to the other half and continue frying. If the tortilla bubbles, I use a potato masher to break it. I add a tbsp of oil as I go to keep the level needed. I sincerely DO NOT recommend putting all the oil in at once. It

This is how I've made hard tacos for years.  I've never used a rack or anything.  I usually put a folded paper towel on a paper plate, fry the taco and then place in the plate.  I flip it after a bit so the oil is soaked up on the both sides.  Season with some salt and we're good to go!

This was my first time trying these this way and it was very good!! I'll do it this way from now on. I tried it with the corn tortillas as well as the flour tortillas. I prefer the corn. The flour tortillas taste similar to the taco bell "chalupa" shells.

These turned out great!  I was afraid that they'd be oily.  But, after reading a few reviews, I cooked them in a cast iron skillet with just enough oil to coat the bottom and they were perfect.  Shaping them while they cook took a little practice.  However, it gets easier.  I also lined a bowl with paper towels and hung them inverted over the bowl on a cooling rack.  I think cooling over the rack maintained the integrity of the "U" shape.  Sprinkled a little salt on them while still warm.  Excellent! (Took 1 star away b/c 2 Cups of vege oil is definitely not needed.)

So good, the only problem is I make a huge pig of myself every time we have these.  

LOVE these.  Way better than warming pre-packaged shells in the oven.  I like to season with Lawry's seasoning salt.

This came in handy as I needed to fry up some yellow corn tortillas for, "Taco Salad I," also from this website. I used an entire bag of small corn tortillas. Frying them up was easy. I drained them on a baking sheet lined with lots of paper towels and sprinkled them with hawaiian sea salt. Instead of using these shells to fill up with meat, I broke them up into tortilla chips for the salad. These are much tastier than the store bought taco shells! Next time I might take another reviewers tip and spray it with cooking spray and bake them in the oven to cut back on the amount of fat and cholesterol.

I made them into tostadas instead. They came out yummy with nothing added!

I've always cooked my tortillas this way (w/o salt though for health reasons), but have one little trick to have a flat bottom, so I can add lots of goodies!  I put the tortilla in hot oil &amp; using tongs, fold in half.  I then put two wine corks (original type corks, not the new kind) in the center, still holding the half way open with the tongs &amp; fry on each side until crisp.

Everyone loved these! i sprinkled garlic powder and black pepper on them and did not use salt. i will be using these again! thanks!

These were really really good.  Much better than the boxed shells you buy at the grocery store.  Much fresher taste.  With that said, I am rating 4 stars because they are alittle greasy, but still well worth the very little effort!

Hard taco shells were created in the USA by chain restaurants who could not rely on their 17 year old cooks to properly prepare an authentic soft fried corn tortilla.  I have known many people of Mexican heritage who refuse to eat them.  If you have ever had properly soft fried corn tortillas, as I grew up with, you would always prefer them over hard fried tortillas in which the flavor of the masa has been cooked away.

These turned out great! When we have tacos I am the only one that eats the hard shells, so I end up throwing quite a few away. This recipe is great since my family can have their own soft tacos and I can make me just a couple hard shell ones without the waste. Only thing I changed was the amount of oil. I didn't use an inch, maybe a 1/4". Thanks for sharing. 

Takes some practice to get it right but these are so much better than the ones you get in the box.

To keep the shape, I put a toothpick through the top of the shell until it cools.  (I don't have any racks to hang the shells like others.) Thanks!  Great taste!  I am picky about homeade shells and these are delicious!  I prefer corn.

This is the way I was taught how to make taco shells long before the hard ones were available in stores. This is the most authentic way.

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!  I just cook the tortillas on each side for a few seconds each in hot oil, then fold on the plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.   They are so quick to make and so good!  Just don't forget to add the salt, it makes quite a difference to the taste.  Yummy!

This is the way my mexican inlaws make their shells and how they taught me  to make them--takes a bit of practice to do it right and beware of the grease splattering. Make sure you dain well over the pan of grease and then place on paper toweling to soak up any more extra grease .

An excellent way to make fresh crispy taco shells.

very simple. just have to experiment to get the technique down. i used store bought raw corn tortillas, so the frying time was a little longer. didn't add salt as that would be for chips, not taco shells.

Fast and easy way to make crispy taco shells.  Like many other reviews have said, MAKE SURE OIL IS HOT when you place them in the oil, or the tortillas will end up absorbing the oil and they'll be soggy.

Was raised on 100% authentic to my moms way Mexican food. You can’t compare the flavor of a fried tortilla shell. I didn’t use much oil and don’t sprinkle salt on them,(personal preference) @wholewheatbaker absolutely, pam and the oven are a healthier option, but sometimes you need the real deal.

These were awesome and like another viewer started only little oil is need

I have friend who makes these and I e tried to no avail. I could never get the timing down and they would turn out greasy. The 15 seconds on the first side was spot on. And these are delicious!

This is exactly how my mother taught me, and I have taught my husband and sons to make our crispy taco shells.  Takes a little practice but worth the effort!

This is how I make mine. Very easy, but messy due to frying in oil. You really can't beat a homemade taco shell!!

This is the same way I've been doing my taco shells for over 20 years.

This is the best way to have hard shell tacos! My mom did for years and I finally just started, I don't want the pre-packaged taco shells ever again! And it's easy too!

I've been doing this for years only in a deep fryer with taco tongs purchased at World Market, they make perfect shells with no effort. Then cut up tortillas and make a whole batch of chips at once. I like the idea of baking them though!

I tried to bake these and drape them over the cooking rack like another user suggested but they kept falling off XD  So I just went for frying and, I really liked them.  And they're so much cheaper than the hard shell ones you buy at the store.

If they aren't as crispy as you want after you fry them, then go ahead and put them in the oven for a bit.  But not too long, you don't want to burn them.

hard taco shells

Servings: 15

Cost: $0.51 /serving

Author : TINKERBELL4

Ingredients

Instructions

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