If you've been looking for a quick and easy recipe to shake things up at dinner time? These air fryer tostadas are versatile and delicious.
They can also be made to suit a gluten-free or vegan diet.
Table of Contents
Recipe Video
Why This Recipe Works
This air fryer tostada recipe is great because it takes absolutely no prep time at all.
Make tostada in air fryer in only 6 minutes, for a tasty snack, a tantalizing appetizer, or a delicious Mexican feast.
Ingredients
Tortillas:
To make these super simple air fry tostada shells even easier, pick up a package of your favorite tortilla shells from the store. Both flour and corn tortilla work when making homemade tostada shells.
If you have the time, you can also make your own flour tortillas to use as taco and tostada shells!
Mix 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of baking powder together until combined. Create a well and add ¾ cup of olive oil and 1 cup of water to the center and combine until you've got a shaggy-looking dough ball. Then, on a well-floured surface, knead your dough for another minute or 2. Divide your dough into 16 portions, rolled into balls, then flatten with the palm of your hand. Cover raw tortillas with a clean towel and allow them to rest for 15 minutes up to 2 hours. Cook them individually in a large pan over medium heat for about 45 seconds on each side.
Making your own is a nice option because you can freeze them once they are cooked. Take your tortillas out as needed and air fry them to use for tostadas or keep them soft to use for tacos.
Cooking Spray:
Cooking spray will prevent your tortilla from sticking to the air fryer basket. I recommend using an avocado oil-based cooking spray as it's healthier and lighter tasting.
How to Make Air Fryer Tostada
Step One: Spray flour or corn tortillas with cooking spray before placing them in the air fryer basket.
If you can, place a small cup or dish on top of the tortilla to avoid air pockets rising during the air frying process.
Step Two: Air Fry for 6 minutes at 300 °F. Remove your crispy tortilla from the air fryer.
Step Three: Top with a variety of your favorite toppings or alongside some salsa and guacamole. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Tips
- Ensure you air fry your tostadas one tortilla at a time otherwise, they won't crisp up properly.
- You can use either flour or corn tortilla shells to make these air fryer tostada shells.
- Tostada shells can be used in a variety of ways. You can break them into pieces to dip in salsa or guacamole, like tortilla chips. You can use them to create your own version of a Taco Bell crunch wrap. You can even top them with your favorite toppings like cheddar cheese, salsa, shredded lettuce, lime juice, diced tomatoes, sour cream, or hot sauce. Add hot ingredients like homemade refried beans or taco meat like shredded chicken breasts, ground turkey, or ground beef cooked with taco seasoning. Even make vegan tostadas with vegan cheese and tofu.
What to Serve With Air Fryer Tostada
There are so many different and delicious ways to serve a golden-brown tostada shell.
You can serve them as tortilla chips to use with your favorite dips like tomato salsa, guacamole, or cheese dip.
You can also serve them up with your favorite Mexican-inspired side dishes like this Instant Pot black beans and rice, homemade refried beans using pinto beans, or topped with this delicious tasty shredded chicken.
For a fulfilling and hearty meal, you can also serve tostadas with these beef enchiladas or this tasty black bean soup.
You can even use them to create your own Taco Bell-style crunch wrap. Add your tostada shell, taco meat, and favorite toppings like shredded lettuce, melty cheese, black beans, pico de Gallo, homemade refried beans, diced tomatoes, and more to a large burrito wrap. Wrap it and heat in a large pan over medium heat until golden brown.
Looking for more ideas? Check out What To Serve With Tostadas for 16 delicious recipes.
FAQs
How long can air fryer tostadas be stored as leftovers?
When making tostadas, they are best when you serve immediately out of the air fryer.
If you do want to store leftover tostada shells, keep them in a dark, dry spot like a pantry or cupboard in an airtight container. This will keep them from getting soft, which will happen if you choose to store tostada shells in the fridge instead.
If stored properly, they will keep for about 5 days.
What is the difference between tacos and tostadas?
Not much. Both are derived from soft tortilla shells. The word "tostada" means toasted, so basically, it's just a taco shell that has been toasted and made crispy. However, the term "tostada" can refer to the tostada shells or the dish itself, which involves topping a flat crunchy shell with taco meat, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and diced tomatoes. The same toppings can be found on tacos as well.
Is air fryer tostada healthy?
I wouldn't say that there is great nutritional value in air fryer tostadas, however, making them in the air fryer is far healthier than deep frying them. The air fry process eliminates the excess saturated fat and trans fat that comes with deep frying.
More Mexican Recipes
When you need more recipes that will bring your Mexican fiesta to life, check out this collection of my favorite Mexican recipes.
More Air Fryer Recipes
If you are looking for more recipes that the entire family will love, check out some of my favorite air fryer concoctions.
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Air Fryer Gobi Manchurian
- Air Fryer Frozen Lumpia
- Air Fryer Crispy Green Beans
Air Fryer Tostada
Ingredients
- 1 tortilla flour and corn tortillas
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Spray tortillas with cooking spray before placing them in the air fryer basket.
- Place a small cup or dish on top of the tortilla to avoid air pockets rising during the air frying process.
- Air Fry for 6 minutes at 300F and remove your crispy, golden-brown tostada from the air fryer.
- Serve and enjoy 🙂
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Ensure you air fry your tostadas one tortilla at a time otherwise, they won't crisp up properly.
- You can use either flour or corn tortilla shells to make these air fryer tostadas.
- You can break them into pieces to dip in salsa or guacamole, like tortilla chips. You can use them to create your own version of a Taco Bell crunch wrap. You can even top them with your favorite toppings like cheddar cheese, salsa, shredded lettuce, lime juice, diced tomatoes, sour cream, or hot sauce.
We don't have a real air fryer, just a wannabe setting on our toaster. We needed to set the temperature higher to accommodate the difference.
I enjoyed the recipe all the same and I am glad my search landed me on your site. You did the research or brought experience or both and I appreciate your perspective. I agree with your answer that a tostada shell has little nutritional value on its own. That isn't why we love them. The toppings can be nutritious. We put a lot more lettuce on our tostadas than we do on our tacos, for one example.