Mexican Chorizo Tacos in 15 Minutes
Looking for a quick weeknight dinner that doesn’t lack flavor? These chorizo tacos are ready in 15 minutes, with juicy, spicy Mexican chorizo tucked into warm corn tortillas and finished with the authentic street corn trio of onion, cilantro, and lime.
They’re my family’s go-to when we want something different from ground beef tacos. The chorizo cooks up with so much flavor, and my trick for crisping the edges gives the filling irresistible texture. We usually keep the toppings authentic, but sometimes we pile on sour cream, cheese, or avocado to cool things down.
Recipe highlights:
- Fast: On the table in under 20 minutes.
- Authentic: Classic Mexican flavors of chorizo, cilantro, onion, and lime.
- Flexible: Dress them up with toppings like jalapeno ranch or pickled onions.
- Family-friendly: Spicy and bold, but easy to mellow with cooling add-ons.
- Texture: My crisping tip makes the chorizo flavorful and slightly crunchy.
Need another taco recipe? Try pork tenderloin tacos, quesabirria tacos, carne asada tacos, or ground pork tacos.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Avocado oil or olive oil: Neutral oil to cook the onion and chorizo.
- White onion: Half goes in the skillet, half raw for topping.
- Mexican chorizo: Raw bulk chorizo or sausage with casing removed. Don’t use Spanish chorizo — it’s cured and won’t crumble the same way.
- Corn tortillas – Street taco style is best. Warm or char them for flavor.
- Toppings – Cilantro, lime juice, and extra options like sour cream, cheese, avocado, or pineapple.
Mexican Chorizo vs. Spanish Chorizo
There are two types of chorizo sausage: Spanish and Mexican. Here’s the difference!
- Mexican chorizo (what we’re using): it’s uncooked, ground, spicy, and you can find it with the other ground meat. You can also make your own homemade chorizo.
- Spanish chorizo: it’s dried and cured in casings and is typically found in the ready-to-eat cured sausages. Think Kielbasa or cooked chicken sausage.
Need another Mexican recipe? try fiesta shrimp bowls, healthy chicken enchiladas, steak nachos, or salmon with mango salsa next!
How to Make Chorizo Tacos
- Cook the onions: Cook the onion with olive oil in a medium-high skillet to sweat and soften.
- Brown and crisp chorizo: Cook chorizo for about 10 minutes. My trick for extra flavorful chorizo tacos is to let it cook without touching it to crisp and caramelize.
- Heat the tortillas: Place the tortillas over an open flame for 15-20 seconds. Alternately, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds on each side. Wrap them with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.
- Serve and enjoy! Divide the chorizo mixture into the warm tortillas then top with authentic toppings including chopped onion, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Toppings and Variations
- Sauces: try creamy jalapeno ranch, cilantro chimichurri, avocado crema or classic guacamole.
- Cheese: queso fresco, shredded Mexican cheese,
- Onion: red onion or Mexican pickled onion (my favorite!).
- Sweet & Spicy: top with pineapple mango salsa or Chipotle corn salsa.
- Beans: Refried beans or black beans
- Chorizo breakfast tacos: Add scrambled eggs.
- Cheesy tacos: Melt cheese onto tortillas before filling or finish with cottage cheese queso or dairy free cashew queso.
Tested Tips & Tricks
- Get crispy chorizo: Resist stirring too much! Letting the chorizo sit helps it caramelize.
- Keep tortillas warm: Stack and wrap them in a clean towel until ready to serve.
- Tone down the heat: Balance the spice with sour cream, cheese, or avocado.
Easy Chorizo Tacos
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Ingredients
Chorizo Tacos
- 1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 medium white onion diced and divided
- 1 lb Mexican chorizo bulk raw chorizo or chorizo sausages with casings removed
- 12 corn tortillas
- Street Taco Toppings: cilantro, fresh limes, and white onion
Instructions
- Cook the onion (3 min): Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add half of the diced onion and cook to sweat for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil, 1 medium white onion
- Crisp the chorizo (8 min): Crumble the chorizo on top and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until no pink remains. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, only stirring 2-3 more times to let the outsides of the chorizo crisp and char.1 lb Mexican chorizo
- Warm the tortillas (2 min): Heat a griddle or separate dry skillet over medium heat to warm the tortillas. Cook them for 30-60 seconds on each side, or until warmed through. Alternately, cook them over an open gas flame for 15-20 seconds on each side, until charred.12 corn tortillas
- Serve: Spoon the chorizo mixture into the warmed corn tortillas then top with the remaining chopped onion, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Or add your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Chorizo Tacos FAQ
Yes, Mexican chorizo has a bold, spicy flavor. However, I don’t love a ton of spice (I like things mild), and I don’t find them too spicy for me. Use cooling toppings like sour cream, cheese, or avocado to mellow it out.
Mexican chorizo is best because it’s raw, seasoned pork that crumbles when cooked (similar to ground beef). While Spanish chorizo is cured and doesn’t work the same way.
Yes, you can cook the filling up to 3 days in advance. Reheat it in a skillet until hot and crispy.
For sure! It’s a great protein to freeze for later. Store the cooked filling in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet!
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My husband even commented that this recipe tastes SO much better than Chipotle! I made my own chorizo blend following your recipe directions. It’s so simple & easy to make and it packs a BIG flavor punch. I paired it with homemade sourdough tortillas = perfection! Molly you knocked it out of the park yet again.
Wow! What a high compliment. Thanks so much for sharing, Bri!
So simple and so delicious. Great recipe!
I’d like to know how to make hard tacos with chorizo
Just use hard tacos instead of soft!
Perfect. I needed details on how to cook chorizo correctly – so it gets crispy but doesn’t burn. This took guesswork out of it and made it an easy meal. Thank you
I love reading a post that can make people think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!
So simple and delicious
Thank you!