Crispy Avocado Tacos with Chipotle Crema
Recipe Snapshot Easy Vegetarian Tacos We eat a lot of avocados in California. That stereotype is true! This time, we turned them into the star of taco night. We’ve baked up crispy avocados and placed them in corn tortillas for a fresh, vegetarian taco that’s hearty and filling. Spoon on some chipotle crema and add…
Recipe Snapshot
- What You’re Making: Crispy panko-breaded baked avocado tacos.
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Time: 30 min prep + 20 min cook
- Main Method: Bread, bake, and assemble
- You’ll Need: Baking sheet, parchment paper, 2 shallow bowls, immersion blender/regular blender
- Might Look Tricky Because: Breading avocado slices sounds delicate
- Actually Easy Because: The avocado is sturdy enough to coat, and baking means no frying or messy oil to deal with
- Flexible Ingredients: Use corn or flour tortillas and switch up your toppings
- Don’t Skip: A generous spray of olive oil spray or cooking oil to help the avocados get crispy
- You’ll Know It’s Done When: The panko is golden brown and crispy
- Serve With: Mexican rice, slaw, black beans, roasted corn, homemade pico de gallo, mango salsa, or tortilla chips and guacamole
Easy Vegetarian Tacos
We eat a lot of avocados in California. That stereotype is true! This time, we turned them into the star of taco night. We’ve baked up crispy avocados and placed them in corn tortillas for a fresh, vegetarian taco that’s hearty and filling. Spoon on some chipotle crema and add homemade pico de gallo or our mango salsa for an extra hit of freshness, and you’ve got one of our favorite ways to use ripe avocados.
Pull Up A Chair
Rachel: Avocados in tacos may seem obvious, but usually as a topping. I love how the avocado stands out in these tacos and everything else is great with them, but the avocados are the star.
Emily: I love these on taco nights when I want something a little lighter. If you have ripe avocados, why not coat them in panko? They’re so good!
Why You’ll Love These Crispy Avocado Tacos
- No frying, but still crispy. Just a little olive oil spray and these bake up nice and crispy.
- Great vegetarian option. Whether you need it for Meatless Monday or Taco Tuesday, you won’t miss the meat with this one.
- Easy to customize with your favorite taco toppings. We like to top these with pico de gallo, purple cabbage, and chipotle crema, but you can switch it up. Top yours with salsa, fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, or whatever else you want.
- Great with homemade mango salsa or pico de gallo. We like to keep these simple and mix up a quick pico de gallo while the avocados are roasting. They’re great with classic pico de gallo or our mango version. Alternatively, you can use store bought.
- The chipotle crema ties everything together. If you like a little spice, this is really worth blending up. You can reduce the amount of chipotles if you want it less spicy.
How to Pick the Best Avocados
Since avocado is the star of this recipe, choosing the right ones makes a big difference. If you’re buying avocados a few days in advance, the best thing to do is to go for harder, brighter green ones and let them ripen on your counter or in a paper bag for 3 to 5 days. This way you’ll ensure you’re not getting avocados that will be overripe or bruised when you need them.
If you want to make the crispy avocado tacos right away, look for avocados that are darker in color, slightly soft when gently squeezed, and that don’t have sunken spots (suggesting bruises).
Ingredients In The Crispy Baked Avocado Tacos
To keep things simple, we like to break this recipe up into parts: the oven-fried crispy avocados, the chipotle crema, and additional taco toppings (see serving suggestions).
For the Crispy Avocados
- Hass avocados – we suggest using medium to large sized Hass avocados in this recipe.
- Eggs – dipping the avocado slices in beaten eggs first helps the panko stick to them better.
- Panko breadcrumbs – we like to use panko here instead of regular breadcrumbs because they make the exterior of the avocados extra crunchy.
- Spices – we flavor the panko with chili powder, onion powder, and salt.
- Olive oil spray or cooking spray – to help the avocado brown in the oven while it bakes.
For the Chipotle Crema
- Sour cream – use your favorite sour cream here. You could also use plain Greek yogurt instead.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo – not all brands are the same level of spicy, so you may want to start by adding less at first and then add more if you want it hotter.
- Lime juice – fresh lime juice adds a nice brightness to the crema.
- Water – Just a splash to thin it out and make it easier to drizzle over. If you end up using yogurt, you may not need this since it has a higher water content.
- Salt – be sure to taste the sauce for seasoning and salt it according to your preferences.
How to Make Crispy Avocado Tacos
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk the eggs in one shallow dish and mix the seasoned panko in a second shallow dish (we like to use cake or pie pans).
- Cut each avocado into 8 wedges. You can do this by cutting the avocado in half, twisting the halves apart. Then cut each half in half lengthwise, making 4 quarters total. Then cut each of the quarters in half lengthwise, making 8 total wedges per avocado. The wedges should be big enough to handle but not so big that they won’t fit easily in a tortilla.
- Coat each avocado slice in egg, then dip into the seasoned panko and gently toss to coat the avocado wedge in the panko mixture.
- Line the avocados up on the baking sheet and spray with olive oil spray (we have one similar to this oil sprayer from Cuisinart).
- Bake the avocados for 10 minutes, then flip each avocado piece over and spray them again. Bake them for another 10 minutes until both sides of each avocado wedge are golden and crispy.
- While the avocados are baking, add the chipotle crema ingredients to a high sided container and use an immersion blender to blend them up.
- Warm up the tortillas and get your other toppings ready now too.
- Place 2 avocado wedges into each tortilla and top with chipotle crema and your favorite taco toppings.
Our Tips for Making Crispy Avocado Tacos
What to Serve With Crispy Avocado Tacos
A great taco has multiple components. It needs toppings that have varying textures and flavors, and it also benefits from excellent sides too.
Taco Toppings Suggestions
We start with a tortilla and build up from there. Here are some optional taco toppings we like on these Crispy Avocado Tacos:
- Warmed tortillas (corn or flour)
- Shredded purple cabbage
- Cilantro
- Classic Pico de Gallo or Mango Pico de Gallo
Serving Suggestions
When we’re serving these for a crowd, we like to set everything out buffet-style so everyone can build their own. Serve these Crispy Avocado Tacos with:
- Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice
- Black beans or pinto beans
- Street corn
- Chips and guacamole
How To Store The Crispy Avocados
These oven-fried avocados are best eaten fresh since the avocados soften as they sit, but you can store crispy avocados in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Reheat leftover crispy avocados in a 350F oven or air fryer. Leftover chipotle crema will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so and is great on tacos, burrito bowls, sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce.
Add the chipotle crema ingredients to a high sided container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternatively, you could use a regular blender or even a food processor, but the latter won’t get the sauce as smooth.
FAQ: Oven-Fried Crispy Avocado Tacos
Crispy Avocado Tacos with Chipotle Crema
Ingredients
Crispy Avocados
- 2 large Hass avocados each cut into 8 wedges
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- Olive oil spray or cooking spray
Chipotle Crema
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo
- ½ tbsp lime juice
- ½ tbsp water use more for a thinner sauce
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Additional Taco Toppings
- 8 Tortillas warmed or lightly toasted
- Shredded purple cabbage optional
- Pico de gallo optional
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
Crispy Avocados
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the eggs to a shallow dish or pie tin and whisk.2 eggs
- In a second shallow dish or pie tin, mix panko with the spices.1 cup panko breadcrumbs, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt
- Dip each wedge of avocado in the egg, then coat in panko mixture.2 large Hass avocados
- Place each breaded avocado wedge on the baking sheet.
- Spray the avocado wedges with olive oil spray or cooking spray.Olive oil spray or cooking spray
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and use tongs to turn each avocado over. Spray them again and bake for another 10-15 minutes, then remove from oven.Olive oil spray or cooking spray
Chipotle Crema
- Add the chipotle crema ingredients to a high sided container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste for seasoning (add more salt if desired). Note: you can also use a regular blender or a food processer to blend up the sauce.½ cup sour cream, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, ½ tbsp lime juice, ½ tbsp water, ¼ tsp sea salt
Assembly
- If using, place some shredded purple cabbage on top of a tortilla.8 Tortillas, Shredded purple cabbage
- Place 2 avocado wedges on top of the cabbage.
- Top with pico de gallo or salsa and a generous spoonful of chipotle crema.Pico de gallo
- Sprinkle with cilantro, if using.Cilantro
Notes
- Spray the breaded avocado generously before baking. This will help them bake up crispy.
- Flip them over halfway through baking and spray them again. This will make sure both sides of the avocado pieces will be crispy and toasted.
- Warm your tortillas before assembling the tacos. Stick them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds in a tortilla warmer (or place them on a plate wrapped in a damp paper towel), or toast them in a pan for a minute or 2 on each side.
- Top with your favorite toppings, like classic pico de gallo or mango pico de gallo, shredded cabbage, and cilantro.
Taco Night Is Better With These Avocado Tacos
If you’re in a taco rut, these crispy avocado tacos will definitely shake things up. They’re crunchy, creamy, fresh, and a lot of fun to eat. Serve them up for Taco Tuesday and pile on your favorite toppings to make them your own. And if you’re looking for more recipes to make dinner interesting, check out some of our other easy, fresh favorites while you’re here!
