🥩🌮💃 My Easy Carne Asada Tacos recipe rivals your favorite restaurant! Tender juicy beef is seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa, making these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!
Easy Carne Asada Tacos…at Home!
If you’re craving bold, juicy carne asada tacos, this easy recipe is for you. I served the tender, flavorful steak in lightly charred Ortega® Whole Wheat Tortillas. All you need is just a few seconds over the gas burner for that extra touch.
Topped with pico de gallo and a quick homemade salsa (blended in 30 seconds with Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños, cilantro, and lime), these tacos pack just the right amount of heat. My family loves a little kick, and this salsa delivers! Bonus: The leftovers are perfect for dipping tortilla chips.
These were absolutely fabulous and I really love the marinade for the meat! It had a ton of great flavor.
Paula
What’s in Carne Asada Tacos?
To make the carne asada marinade, tacos, and optional blender (or food processor) salsa, you’ll need:
- Flank or skirt steak – You’ll want to use flank or skirt steak. Your grocery store may even label the these cuts of beef as ‘carne asada steak.’ Flank steak, which is what I used, is best cooked medium-rare, while skirt steak can be cooked more well done
- Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix – Taco seasoning works perfectly as a shortcut since traditional steak taco seasoning would include cumin, garlic powder, and oregano, which are all found in taco seasoning. For spicier Mexican steak tacos, use a spicy taco seasoning. Or, add a dash of chili powdre or paprika
- Lime juice – Fresh lime juice is best, but bottled lime juice is also fine. Or, use lemon juice or orange juice for a slightly different taste
- Olive oil – Feel free to substitute avocado oil if that’s what you have on hand
- Ortega® Whole Wheat Tortillas – I use taco-sized tortillas, but smaller options make for fun carne asada street tacos if you want a crowd-pleasing appetizer. Flour tortillas are best for toasting, but you can warm corn tortillas if you prefer a little extra crunch
- Fresh cilantro – Substitute fresh parsley, or omit it completely if you aren’t a fan
- Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños – Add more or less to taste, depending on how well you tolerate heat
- Granulated sugar – Trust me on this! Just a touch of sweetness enhances all the flavors and balances the heat
- Taco toppings of choice – I love shredded cotija cheese, queso fresco, diced red onions, guacamole or avocado, diced tomatoes, hot sauce, salsa, and sour cream or crema
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Carne Asada Tacos
- Coat the steak with the marinade ingredients, including lime juice, olive oil, and one packet of Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix.
- Allow the steak to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours before grilling it. I used my outdoor grill, but you can use an indoor grill pan or even cook it in a cast-iron skillet if that’s what you have. Cook over medium-high heat on the stove-top.
- Make sure to allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it into bite-sized pieces so the natural juices stay in the meat and not on your cutting board. Slice against the grain for tender meat!
- You can marinate the meat before work (longer marination), or if all you have is 30 minutes before grilling, that’s fine. Since the meat is so thin, it grills in minutes. While the meat rests, whip up the blender salsa like I do, or use one of Ortega’s handy and flavorful sauces, and dinner is served.
- Assemble your tacos in warm tortilla shells, and enjoy with a side of rice or Mexican street corn!
What to Serve with this Taco Steak Recipe
Can I Prep Mexican Steak Tacos in Advance?
Yes! The steak can rest in the easy carne asada marinade up to 8 hours. You can prep the meat before heading to work and quickly assemble the grilled steak tacos when you get home.
Carne Asada Tacos
Equipment
- 1 Grill or Grill Pan
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
Marinade and Tacos
- 1 pound flank or skirt steak
- 1 (1.25 ounce) packet Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix
- ½ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Ortega® Whole Wheat Tortillas, as necessary
Salsa
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 (4 ounce) can Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños, Ortega® Diced Green Chiles may be substituted
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ to ⅓ cup lime juice, or as necessary for consistency
- salt, if desired
- sugar, if desired
Optional Toppings
- Ortega® Mild Taco Sauce, Ortega® Flavor Craver Chipotle Taco Sauce, or Ortega® Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce may be substituted or used in addition to the blender salsa
- pico de gallo
- avocado
- lime wedges
Instructions
Marinade and Tacos:
- To a large zip top plastic bag, add the steak, taco seasoning, lime juice, olive oil, seal bag, squish contents around, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours.
- Preheat outdoor grill to medium high (alternatively, use an indoor grill pan or cast iron skillet to cook the steak), add the steak, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until as done as desired.
- Allow meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
- Divide beef among tortillas as desired.
Salsa:
- To the canister of a blender, add the cilantro, jalapeños, olive oil, enough lime juice to get the blender going, and process on high speed until smooth.
- Taste the salsa and if desired, add a pinch of salt and/or sugar until desired flavor balance is achieved.
- Add as much blender salsa, Ortega prepared salsa(s), pico de gallo, and optional serving items to the tacos as desired and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Mexican Recipes:
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Cheesy Beef Taco Dip – EASY, ready in 15 minutes, and tastes like an awesome beef taco that’s extra CHEESY in dip form and so good! The Bakeable Tortilla Bowls are so fun! PERFECT for game day parties and get-togethers!
Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef – Learn how to make authentic-tasting barbacoa beef in your Instant Pot or slow cooker! EASY, tastes BETTER than a restaurant, and is a dinnertime WINNER!
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Post is brought to you by Ortega®. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
great
great
These were absolutely fabulous and I really love the marinade for the meat! It had a ton of great flavor. We got the deck finished but didn’t get the grill put back together before the rain hit so I ended up cooking the steak in my cast iron skillet. Crazy weather!
These were absolutely fabulous and I really love the marinade for the meat! It had a ton of great flavor. We got the deck finished but didn’t get the grill put back together before the rain hit so I ended up cooking the steak in my cast iron skillet. Crazy weather!
Thanks for the five star review Paula and I’m glad this had a ton of flavor! Sorry you didn’t get your deck done and couldn’t grill but sounds like it was no worse for the wear in your cast iron skillet.
I like this carne asada shortcut and recipe, every time I’ve made a more complicated version (oranges, etc, etc,) it tastes strange, so thank you for this version since I enjoy it even straight-up sans tortillas!
These (and fish tacos) are high on our list of favorites! We have a deck staining project going on this weekend so a Margarita and some of these already sound good for Saturday when we are all done (ok–hopefully all done)!
Oh my gosh what an undertaking!! I know how deck projects in the midwest are super important because very soon the weather could be bad and you need to get it done before that! Enjoy tacos and margaritas on the deck before the weather changes :) These were so good!