Easy and delicious, these carnitas flautas (flautas de carnitas) are full of flavour. They same process can be used to make carnitas taquitos.

Carnitas Flautas

Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas is perfect for filling both flautas and taquitos. Flautas are made with large flour tortillas, while taquitos are made with smaller corn tortillas.

I have to say, Carnitas Flautas are a favourite of mine. It’s just hard to beat all the flavours going on on this plate. Flautas (and taquitos) are simply fried in a shallow layer of oil in a skillet. They cook up quickly and have the added bonus of delivering some wonderful crispy carnitas bits at the end (so be sure to fill them right to the ends!).

Ingredients and substitutions

Carnitas – I posted the Slow-Cooked Mexican Carnitas recipe yesterday, separately. The carnitas will take about 2 hours to cook, so plan accordingly. I like to make it well ahead and refrigerate or freeze.

Tortillas – for flautas, use large flour tortillas and for taquitos, use small corn tortillas.

Cotija Cheese – Can’t find Mexican cotija cheese? I can’t either. I substitute crumbled feta, as I understand it is a reasonable substitute.

Recipe Tips

For garnishes, I love pickled onions, lettuce, cotija cheese, sliced jalapeno and Mexican crema, for drizzling. I’ve included recipes for the quick pickled onions and the quick Mexican crema below.

Tip Tip!

How to prevent corn tortillas from cracking: Steam corn tortillas in the microwave! Wrap a stack of tortillas in damp paper towels, then wrap them in plastic wrap. Microwave until warm and flexible, about 1 minute. Alternately, wrap in foil and pop into a 350F for 8-10 minutes, to soften.

Carnitas Flautas

Making ahead, storing and freezing

The carnitas filling can be made well ahead and refrigerated or frozen.

Flautas and taquitos are best enjoyed freshly cooked, though they can be cooked ahead and reheated in a 350 F. oven until just warm. Cooked flautas and taquitos can also be frozen for up to 2 months.

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carnitas flautas on plate

Get the Recipe: Carnitas Flautas or Taquitos

Delicious slow-cooked carnitas (Mexican pulled pork) filled flautas or taquitos. A great treat for game day or any day!
5 stars from 4 ratings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

  • Slow-Cooked Mexican Carnitas, (see instructions)

Quick Pickled Onions:

  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced

Mexican Crema:

  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the flautas or taquitos:

  • 10-inch flour tortillas (for flautas)
  • 6-inch corn tortillas (for taquitos)
  • Romaine or iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
  • Jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced in to rings
  • Mexican cotija cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
  • Cilantro or flat-leafed parsley, chopped, for garnish
  • Vegetable, canola or other neutral cooking oil for frying.

Instructions
 

  • Slow-Cooked Mexican Carnitas Recipe  Note that the carnitas cooking time is about 2 hours, so plan accordingly. The carnitas can be made well ahead and refrigerated or frozen. Re-warm before using.
  • For the Mexican Crema: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set it out at room temperature for 3 hours. Refrigerate if making well ahead, but bring to room temperature before serving.
  • For the Quick Pickled Onions: Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add sliced onion and stir to combine. Press onion below the surface of the vinegar as much as possible. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. If making well ahead, cover and refrigerate. Drain onions from liquid before using.
  • For the flautas or taquitos: Lay a stack of flour tortillas on a cutting board in front of you. Cut the curved sides off both sides of the circle (the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock edges), but about 1 inch at the widest point. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a line of carnitas down the tortilla, from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock, being sure to fill right to the ends. Take one side of the tortilla and roll it over the carnitas, tucking it around a bit, then continue rolling. Use a toothpick through the top to keep it from unraveling. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
  • Heat a thin layer of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add flautas or taquitos and cook until golden, rotating to ensure all sides are crispy. Remove to a cooling rack, then serve topped with sliced lettuce, cheese crumbles, Mexican crema drizzle. Top with pickled onions and garnish with jalapeño rings and chopped cilantro.

Notes

Be sure to read the information above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe.
Cuisine: Mexican
Course: Main Course
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 400kcal
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