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Frozen taquitos are already an elite snack. They’re quick, crunchy, and, in a pinch, tranformable into enchiladas. If you’re looking to take regular taquitos to the next level, there’s one simple upgrade that gets the job done: Toss them in a buttery hot sauce blend, just the way you would some Buffalo wings.
Taquitos already contain delicious meaty filling and have a crispy exterior. They’re just missing that extra flavor kick. Dunking them in melted butter and hot sauce after baking gives them that addictive, tangy coating typically reserved for wings, and it’s ridiculously good. Here’s what you do: Air-fry or bake your frozen taquitos just the same as you always do. While they’re crisping up, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter and add in your favorite hot sauce (Frank’s RedHot is a winner, but use whatever you prefer). Once your taquitos are crispy and hot, toss them in the sauce while they’re still warm, coating them evenly. You end up with elevated taquitos that are mildly spicy, mildly rich, and so much more flavorful. The butter absorbs the heat, and the hot sauce permeates the shell just enough to provide a zesty kick without getting mushy. It’s the kind of extra work that turns a freezer snack into something you’d welcome at a party, and the crunchy first bite is all the reward you need.
Extra tips to make frozen taquitos even better
After you’ve got the butter-and-hot-sauce trick down, you can adapt it to fit your favorite flavors or dips. For a little extra heat, use a spicier sauce or add a pinch of cayenne. If you’d like the opposite, add a sprinkle of honey or some garlic powder to mellow out the burn. Use this trick with chicken or beef taquitos, and it’s actually great with veggie ones too. Just monitor them closely when baking or air frying; you want them really crisp so they can stand up to the sauce.
You can also serve them up with the best store-bought Buffalo sauces. Similarly, ranch, blue cheese, sour cream, or even guacamole are all great options that are probably sitting in your pantry. If you’re feeding a crowd, plate them up with celery sticks or ribbons of carrot to complete the experience. The good thing is that this upgrade doesn’t require extra prep, ingredients you don’t already have in your fridge, or turning your kitchen upside down. It’s just a savvy add-on that unleashes the full potential in a bag of frozen taquitos.
