Mexican Street Tacos with Carne Asada

Juicy San Diego-style carne asada is stuffed inside two soft corn tortillas and topped with onions and cilantro to create an authentic Mexican street tacos recipe. Carne Asada street tacos can be made outdoors on the grill or inside on a grill pan. 

If you like taco recipes check out our other popular Taco Tuesday treats: Birria Tacos, Pollo Asado Tacos, Fully Loaded Carne Asada Tacos, Steak Picado tacos or Flank Steak Tacos.

Steak Street Tacos

The base of this carne asada street tacos recipe is our authentic San Diego-Style Carne Asada. It tastes exactly like the carne asada meat you’d find at local taquerias. It’s unparalleled. Getting the meat right is 99% of street tacos. Don’t pick a recipe just because it only has 3-4 ingredients. The meat itself needs FLAVOR. The flavor shouldn’t come from the toppings themselves.

Other popular San Diego-style carne asada recipes: Fully Loaded Carne Asada Tacos, Carne Asada Fries, and Carne Asada Nachos.

What Are Street Tacos

A Mexican street taco is basically a smaller, paired down taco. It’s served on two small corn tortillas topped with only meat, onions and cilantro. Maybe a hit of lime juice. 

Authentic Mexican street taco recipes don’t have tomatoes, lettuce, cheese or guacamole. Although, due to popularity, some taquerias do serve them with guacamole. 

Costco street tacos and Buffalo Wild Wings street tacos are a far cry from authentic, so do yourself a favor and skip them next go around. Homemade street taco recipes really are superior.

Taco Toppings

Here are some taco topping ideas we love using on carne asada street tacos when we’re looking to mix it up.

4 Ingredient Guacamole
Sour Cream
Cheese – Monterey Jack, Cotija Cheese, Queso Fresco or Oaxaca
Pickled Red Onions
Pickled Banana Peppers or Pickled Peppers
Homemade Salsa – Pico de Gallo, Mango Pico de Gallo or Smoked Salsa
Shredded Lettuce
Lime Juice

• To keep the authenticity, heat up a cast iron skillet and brown the carne asada chunks on all sides. You can skip this step if you like. It’s not required, but this is how San Diego taco shops finish their meat. We do this step right before heating up the tortillas.
• Cut meat into 1/4″ squares for the best ratio per bite and texture.
• Plan on using about 2 oz of steak per taco.
• To cut down on prep time (even though it’s already minimal), cut the onions and cilantro while the carne asada is resting.

Drink Ideas

Anything Mexican themed –  Mexican Mule, Mango Michelada, Michelada rimmed with Chamoy, Corona Sunrise, Madras Drink, Beermosa, or Margarita.

Mexican Street Tacos with Carne Asada

Juicy carne asada stuffed inside two soft corn tortillas and topped with onions and cilantro for an authentic Mexican street taco recipe. Carne Asada street tacos, made with Carne Asada Seasoning, are the pinnacle of Mexican recipes, along with Tacos al Carbon. This steak street tacos recipe is perfect for taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo parties!

5 from 60 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Carne Asada Meat (Marinating & Cooking): 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Carne Asada Recipes, Cinco De Mayo Recipes, Taco Recipes

Servings: 8 tacos

Calories: 176kcal

Author: Darcey Olson

Cost: $25

Equipment

• Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Lb Carne Asada (*Note 1)
• ▢ 16 Corn Tortillas, Street Taco Size (*Note 2)
• ▢ ½ cup Chopped Cilantro
• ▢ 1 cup Diced White Onion

Instructions

 

Carne Asada Meat:

• Prepare a half batch of the carne asada steak recipe. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before dicing.

Carne Asada Street Tacos:

• Heat up a comal, cast iron skillet or non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
• OPTIONAL STEP: Dice the meat into 1/4" pieces. Add the chunks of carne asada to the skillet and brown on all sides. Remove to a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel to keep in the heat.
• Wipe the skillet with a paper towel if you used it to brown the meat. Heat the tortillas, 2 at a time. Heat for approx. 20 seconds on side one, flip and cook for 15 seconds on side two. Transfer to a plate and cover with a kitchen towel until all the tortillas are warmed.
• Build the tacos: Place two tortillas on top of each other and add steak, diced onions and cilantro. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

Note 1 - Preparing the Steak

OPTIONAL:

To keep the authenticity, heat up a cast iron skillet and brown the chunks of carne asada on all sides. You can skip this step if you like. It's not required, but this is how San Diego taco shops finish their meat. 

COOKING TEMP:

We recommend cooking the meat to medium to medium-well as this makes for the best texture and firmness. You'll see medium-rare quoted elsewhere, but check out the next carne asada tacos you grub down on. I guarantee you won't see tons of pink. 

Note 2- Keep an eye on the tortillas as they cook. They cook quickly and timing may vary depending on the skillet and stove used. They will be super soft and pliable when done.

Nutrition

Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 69IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!