These baked flautas are filled with a flavorful bean and cheese filling! Similar to taquitos, they can be made with flour or corn tortillas.
Are you a taquitos fan? Here’s a homemade baked flautas recipe that’s an easy version of this delicious Mexican tortilla wrap! This version is less authentic than a simple way for a tasty snack. The filling is vegetarian, a mix of beans, cheese, salsa and spices. It’s a very tasty snack (and the kids love them). They are also perfect for parties. Serve with your favorite salsa, guacamole, or sour cream for dipping. Ready to cook?
Taquitos vs Flautas: What’s the Difference?
Taquitos and flautas are so similar that the words are often used interchangeably. In fact, it’s the same entry on Wikipedia. (How’s that official?) There’s no official definition, but here are the key differences:
- tacos are often made with corn tortillas and can be smaller than flautas
- Whistle are usually larger than taquitos: they can be made with flour or corn tortillas, but flour is common
This Baked Flautas recipe: a healthy twist!
Traditionally, taquitos and flautas are fried until crisp. They are often filled with meat such as chicken or carnitas. This recipe is for baked flautas, so instead of frying them, they’re baked in a hot oven until crispy. Since we often make vegetarian recipes, we decided on a vegetarian filling made from beans and some cheese. Spring onions, salsa, and chilli powder bring great flavor and make for a very satisfying interior.
Main take-aways: If you’re looking for authentic Mexican flautas or taquitos, search the internet for another recipe! But if you’re looking for an easy and healthy version, you’ve come to the right place.
Use corn or flour tortillas
The accepted definition is that baked taquitos with corn tortillas would be smaller and baked flautas would use flour tortillas. But really, anything goes! You can call them whatever you want and use either type of tortilla depending on your taste and food preferences. Use corn tortillas to make them gluten-free.
Regarding size, we used 6-inch tortillas for the baked flautas pictured. If you can find smaller tortillas, you can make taquitos out of them: just be careful not to overstuff them. Because… read on.
The filling will spill when baking, so use parchment paper!
The most important thing about this Baked Flautas recipe is this Some of the filling will spill out as it bakes. And that’s perfectly fine! Because the filling is sticky, refried beans, it tends to run out as it cooks. (Of course, if you fry the flautas, they stay in… so if you like fried, be our guest!)
As part of the filling spills out, For this recipe, it is important to use parchment paper on your baking sheet. This makes cleaning child’s play! If you don’t have parchment paper, you can line the baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Serve up baked flautas!
Everyone loves baked flautas! Seriously. Our 2 year old son worship her. What’s better than dipping rolled tortillas? They’re great as a game day snack (e.g. at football) or as a perfect appetizer for parties. They are also served as a main course in Mexican restaurants. Here are different ways to serve them:
- With guacamole! Try our easy guacamole for a delicious dip.
- With spicy sour cream! Or, of course, regular sour cream. But try mixing up some hot sauce shakes (our favorite is cholula).
- With salsa! Use your favorite high-quality store-bought version or roasted tomato salsa or salsa verde.
- As main dish! Serve them restaurant style: Lay 4 to 5 on a bed of shredded iceberg lettuce, with sauces on the side.
Can you freeze flautas?
You can! You can make these flautas ahead of time and freeze them for later. It’s especially great for kids dinner parties! Cool the flautas to room temperature, then freeze them in an airtight container. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until heated through.
This Baked Flautas (or Taquitos!) recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free (with corn tortillas).
The description
These baked flautas are filled with a flavorful bean and cheese filling! Similar to taquitos, they can be made with flour or corn tortillas.
- 2 Green Onions
- 1½ cups Bean puree, homemade bean puree or vegetarian bean puree from the can
- ¼ cup Salsa and more to serve
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar or blended Mexican cheese
- 14 6-inch flour or corn tortillas*
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil, for brushing
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, for sprinkling
- For dipping: plain guacamole, salsa, or sour cream (or hot sour cream mixed with hot sauce)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (needed for cleanup!).
- Cut the spring onions into thin slices.
- If you’re using canned refried beans, taste them and see if they’re flavorful. Otherwise, add a few pinches of kosher salt and cumin. If you use our homemade refried beans, they’ll be seasoned to perfection and you can skip this step.
- In a large bowl, combine scallions, refried beans, salsa, chili powder, and shredded cheese.
- Optional step: If you’re using 100% corn tortillas, you can fry them in a pan with a little olive oil (or without in a dry pan) so they don’t tear and are easier to work with. Every tortilla brand is different. If your tortillas seem brittle, it helps to heat them before rolling. You can do this with corn tortillas too!
- Place a tortilla on a work surface. Place about 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture in a spoon on the bottom half of the tortilla. Be careful not to use too much! Tightly roll up the tortilla from the bottom (the filling spreads out and holds the tortilla together). Place the flauta on the baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
- When the flautas are done, brush them with oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and golden. Some of the beans will come out of the ends of the buns, which is to be expected (enough filling is left over to flavor them perfectly!). Serve with salsa, guacamole or sour cream. Freezing Instructions: Cool the flautas to room temperature, then freeze them in an airtight container. To reheat, bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes until heated through.
Remarks
* Homemade refried beans have the best taste! You can also try our chilled black beans. Canning is a great shortcut: see if you can find pre-seasoned vegetarian refried beans.
- Category: The taste
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Mexican
Keywords: Flautas in the oven, taquitos in the oven
Related Recipes:
If you love those flautas and taquitos, here are some easier Mexican recipes you might enjoy:
