A breakfast burrito is a commitment. Depending on where you buy it from or how you make it, you could end up consuming eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, hash browns, cheese, beans, and/or rice, all wrapped up in a giant flour tortilla. It’s a perfect hungover weekend brunch, but a bit ambitious for a workday morning. A breakfast taco, however, is a bit more manageable, especially when it takes all of six minutes to prepare in your air fryer
I first saw the air fryer breakfast taco when Michelle Belfrey posted her version on Instagram. Belfrey uses a giant tortilla and two eggs, along with some pepperoncinis and cheese. She cooks the whole thing in her air fryer at 360℉ for five minutes, then breaks the yolk and mixes everything together before chowing down. Easy enough.
After a quick scroll from through the comments, I noticed two common complaints: The white didn’t always cook all the way through, and the outside of the tortilla was “too soft.”
I take issue with the second point, mainly because I consider the softness of the tortilla to be a feature, not a bug. If it was completely crisp on both sides, it would not bend, and you would not be able to fold it into a taco. I also found the textural contrast to be delightful; after biting through soft tortilla, your teeth are met with the crunch of fried tortilla and crispy cheese, before finally encountering a soft, yolky egg and stringy, melted cheese.
As far as the egg white goes, there’s an easy solution: Reduce the amount of white and cook it longer. I cracked the egg into a little wire strainer and let the watery portion drain away, and added two minutes to the original cook time. The yolk came out runny in the center, with no goopy white bits ruining the egg-eating experience. (Although, if you break the egg and mix it up before eating, as Belfrey does in her video, the residual heat in the egg effectively scrambles any goop, but some people cannot handle the mere sight of undercooked white.)
In addition to those changes, I also used a much smaller tortilla—to allow for greater air flow—and brushed the the inside of it with a little bacon grease, to help it crisp up even further, and to give it a bit of greasy diner flair. I was pleased with the results.
Photo: Claire Lower
I went with a classic bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast taco, but you are welcome to add any meats, cheeses, or vegetables your mouth desires. Just make sure you cook the meat and vegetables first, unless you like soggy tacos with partially cooked meat and tough, undercooked vegetables.
Photo: Claire Lower
Other than that, it’s simply a matter of placing a tortilla on the floor of your air fryer basket (remove the little slotted tray), and making a bacon and cheese nest for your egg. Slide the egg into its nest, season it with salt and pepper, then air fry at 360℉ for 7 minutes. Remove from the air fryer basket, season with hot sauce, and enjoy immediately.
Photo: Claire Lower
Air Fried Breakfast Taco (Makes 1)
Ingredients:
1 taco-sized flour tortilla1/4 teaspoon bacon grease1 egg3 tablespoons shredded cheese2 tablespoons pre-cooked bacon pieces (Look for the ones that say “real bacon.”)Salt and pepperHot sauce (optional)Finely chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)Remove the tray from your air fryer basket and heat your air fryer to 360℉. Brush the tortilla with bacon grease and set it on the floor of the basket. Crack the egg into a small strainer and let the watery portion of the white drain away. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon in a ring around the periphery of the tortilla, with a hole in the center for the egg. Place the egg in its nest and season with salt and pepper.
Cook for 7 minutes, then remove from the air fryer and break the yolk, stirring it and distributing it throughout the taco. Finish with hot sauce and parsley or cilantro, fold, and enjoy.
