Carne Asada Tacos

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Easy Carne Asada Tacos — EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that’s seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!

overhead view of a carne asada taco

Easy Carne Asada Tacos

If you’re craving carne asada tacos, look no further than this easy recipe for carne asada. The meat is tender, juicy, full of authentic flavor, and finger-licking good.

I served the carne asada in Ortega® Whole Wheat Tortillas that I lightly charred in a couple of seconds each over my indoor gas stove burner. Optional but a nice touch. The tortillas are perfect for tacos, burritos, fajitas, wraps, and quesadillas.

In addition to pico de gallo, I topped the tacos with a 30-second homemade blender salsa made with Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños, cilantro, and lime juice. You can substitute the jalapeños with Ortega® Diced Green Chiles if you prefer.

The salsa has plenty of kick, which we love. A little dab will do you. Extra salsa is great with tortilla chips.

carne asada taco surrounded by various toppings and taco seasoning mix

Other salsa serving suggestions include Ortega® Mild Taco Sauce, Ortega® Flavor Craver Chipotle Taco Sauce, or Ortega® Flavor Craver Taco Ranch Taco Sauce. These taco sauces come in three delicious flavors — Taco Ranch, Jalapeño Lime and Chipotle — and offer a bold and creamy twist to any dish and complement an array of meal occasions including tacos, taco salads, dips and burgers.

For more than 100 years, Ortega has been committed to family mealtime by providing a wide range of authentic, high-quality products to make Mexican meals at home including salsas, dips, and refried beans. Not to mention America’s #1 Taco Sauce and Diced Green Chiles.

If you’re feeling like some extra lime flavor, serve the tacos with lime wedges and of course, avocado is always welcome.

Taco Tuesday will never go out of style, but with this easy carne asada recipe you can whip up these tacos even on busy weeknights. Now that the school season is upon us, getting delicious food on the table without hassle or fuss is the name of the game.

overhead view of two carne asada tacos with a dish of blender salsa

What’s in Carne Asada Tacos? 

To make the carne asada marinade, tacos, and optional blender salsa, you’ll need: 

two Mexican steak tacos surrounded by various toppings, tortillas, and salsa

How to Make Carne Asada Tacos

Marinate the steak in lime juice, olive oil, and one packet of Ortega® Taco Seasoning Mix. Taco seasoning works perfectly as a shortcut since traditional steak taco seasoning would include cumin, garlic powder, and oregano, which is all found in taco seasoning.

Ortega offers high quality, great tasting Mexican food products designed to create an eating experience the whole family can enjoy together. Ortega transforms the ordinary meal into a festive, fun, and memorable occasion.

Allow the steak to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, 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. 

Make sure to allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it so the natural juices stay in the meat and not on your cutting board.

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.

close up view of a grilled steak taco

What’s the Best Meat for Carne Asada Tacos? 

You’ll want to use flank or skirt steak. Your grocery store may even label the 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.

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 - EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that's seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!

Tips for the Best Carne Asada Tacos

Don’t let the steak rest in the marinade for longer than 8 hours. Because the carne asada marinade contains lime juice (an acid), it will begin breaking down the meat too much after 8 hours and you’d wind up with tough grilled steak tacos. 

When making the salsa, add a pinch of salt and / or sugar to balance out the flavors, if needed. 

For spicier Mexican steak tacos, use a spicy taco seasoning. 

Easy Carne Asada Tacos — EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that's seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!

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5 from 7 votes

Carne Asada Tacos

By Averie Sunshine
EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that's seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients  

Marinade and Tacos

Salsa

  • 1 bunch cilantro
  • one 4-ounce can Ortega® Hot Diced Jalapeños, Ortega® Diced Green Chiles may be substituted
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ to â…“ 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

Serving: 1, Calories: 657kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 45g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 30g, Cholesterol: 76mg, Sodium: 1508mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Post is brought to you by Ortega®. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

  2. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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)!

    1. 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!