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Make these delicious and easy chorizo tacos in 20 minutes or less! The Mexican chorizo is spicy and smoky, and we’re crisping it up in a pan quickly to stuff inside a tacos shell. Top them with authentic street taco toppings like cilantro and onion.
This chorizo tacos recipe is a Mexican recipe you could find among many other street tacos while you visit the country.
They’re full of smoky, spicy flavor and simple to make, with minimal ingredients. In Mexico they’re referred to as Tacos de Chorizo and often include street taco toppings like cilantro and onion.
Why You’ll Love These Chorizo Tacos
- Made with 5 simple ingredients.
- Full of smoky flavor and spices.
- They’re naturally gluten and dairy free.
- Easy to customize with your favorite Mexican toppings.
- Done in under 20 minutes (perfect for taco tuesday!).
- Just like a classic street taco.
Need another taco recipe? Try pork tenderloin tacos, quesabirria tacos, carne asada tacos, or ground pork tacos.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the simple ingredients for these tacos de chorizo. Skip down to the recipe card for the full instructions and printable recipe.
- Mexican chorizo: this will likely come loose in a package (like ground beef) or in casings (like brats). If they come in casings, make sure to remove the casings prior to cooking so you can create a ground chorizo texture.
- Onion: softened onion helps develop the flavor and adds more dimension to these chorizo street tacos. We’ll be using this ingredient in the chorizo taco filling as well as a topping when they’re done.
- Corn tortillas: this is the traditional way to serve chorizo tacos. They’re often charred or warmed to be more pliable and doubled to make sure they don’t break on you. You could also use flour tortillas, grain free tortillas or gluten free taco shells.
Mexican vs. Spanish Chorizo
There are two types of chorizo sausage: Spanish and Mexican. We’re going to be using Mexican chorizo for this recipe for a classic Mexican street taco. Here’s the difference between Mexican chorizo and Spanish chorizo:
- Spanish chorizo: this type of chorizo is dried and cured in casings and is typically found in the ready-to-eat cured sausages. It’s typically made with paprika (for the red color), garlic and pork and can be sweet or spicy.
- Mexican chorizo: this is uncooked, ground, spicy, and you can find it with the other ground meat like beef and pork. You can also make your own homemade chorizo.
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.
- Cook the chorizo: Crumble the chorizo in the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. My trick for extra flavorful chorizo tacos is to let the chorizo cook for a few minutes without touching it to crisp and char the outsides.
- Heat the tortillas: Place the tortillas in the dry skillet over medium heat and cook them 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. You could also add avocado, jalapeno ranch, Mexican pickled onions, or chopped pineapple.
Toppings and Variations
- Authentic street taco toppings: cilantro, white onion, and lime juice.
- Jalapeno ranch: we make this dairy free creamy jalapeno ranch dressing all the time and it’s a great sauce to drizzle on top!
- Crema: an avocado crema of blended mayo, avocado and lime juice would be a nice, cooling topping. Or use your favorite sour cream.
- Queso fresco: this is a soft and delicious Mexican cheese.
- Salsas: try salsa verde or top them with pineapple mango salsa or Chipotle corn salsa.
- Chorizo breakfast tacos: scramble some eggs and them to your tacos!
- Refried beans or black beans
Quick Tips
- Let the chorizo cook, without stirring: once the chorizo is no longer pink in the middle, allow it to sit over medium-high heat for a few minutes at a time without stirring. This make it crisp and char around the edges. Color equals flavor in cooking!
- Warm the tortillas: authentic chorizo tacos are made with corn tortillas. Double up your tortillas and warm them in the microwave or throw them on the grill for a few minutes to make them more pliable.
FAQs
Chorizo is most often made from a mix of pork and fat. However, Mexican chorizo is ground and can be made with other protein like beef, chicken or turkey.
Mexican chorizo takes 5-6 minutes to cook in a skillet over medium-high heat. However, we like to crisp and char it about 5 minutes longer (10 minutes total).
Everyone’s spice tolerance is different, however, Mexican chorizo is in the mild to medium category, for me. I don’t typically like very spicy food and this recipe is easy and delicious to eat.
Chorizo is most often made out of ground pork, but if you grab a beef chorizo you can follow the same recipe directions to make beef chorizo tacos.
Chorizo is a mouthful of fat, flavor and spice! The ground pork is mixed with fat, to create a fatty, filling flavor, while the bold spices give it a kick and smoky flavor.
Storing Leftovers
Meal prep: make the chorizo filling in advance and store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the chorizo and tortillas separately and assemble the tacos when you’re ready to eat.
Storage: place any leftover chorizo meat in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Freezer: allow the meat to cool completely then store it in a plastic bag or reusable storage bag and remove as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in a skillet or the microwave until heated through.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Chorizo Taco Recipe
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Ingredients
Chorizo Tacos
- 1-2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil
- 1 lb Mexican chorizo (casings removed) *see notes for making your own
- 1 diced white onion separated
- 24 street corn tortillas (this is enough to double the tacos)
Toppings
- Cilantro
- Optional: pineapple avocado, avocado crema, salsa
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- While the chorizo is cooking, 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, with grill marks if desired. Wrap them with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.
- 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. For less traditional toppings, add avocado, jalepeno ranch or chopped pineapple.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Large skillet
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!