Flautas vs. Taquitos: How the Dishes Compare

Flautas and taquitos are crispy dishes usually consisting of a savory filling of meat and cheese wrapped in a tortilla and then fried or baked. Both dishes are widely associated with Mexican cuisine due to the similarities they share with Mexican entrées and appetizers in terms of preparation and flavor profile. A distinguishing characteristic between flautas—Spanish for “flutes”—and taquitos is that flautas are usually larger.

You may easily confuse flautas and taquitos because of the similarities in their preparation and taste. Here are some points of consideration when you are trying to distinguish how the two foods compare to each other:

• Cooking methods: You can deep-fry both flautas and taquitos. Both dishes taste best when they are crispy and golden brown. To achieve this, a cook usually uses a deep fryer or bakes the filled tortillas in the oven. To cook either dish in the oven, secure each rolled tortilla with a toothpick to ensure it remains closed, then spray the tortillas with cooking spray to encourage crispiness. Remember to flip the flautas or taquitos at least once during the baking process.
• Fillings: You can fill flautas and taquitos with the same kinds of ingredients, such as shredded beef or ground beef. Shredded chicken flautas and chicken taquitos are popular versions, but you can customize either dish to your liking.
• Origins: Parts of Mexico recognize flautas as a signature dish, but the origins of the dish are unknown. Taquitos possibly originated in the San Diego area of California. In Mexico, you might see people referring to crispy fried taquitos as flautas or tacos dorados. In some areas bordering the United States and Mexico, patrons enjoy taquitos as a street food (a dish served by street vendors), where a taquito is a fried, small taco, rather than a rolled taco.
• Tortillas: Flautas and taquitos might use different tortillas. Traditionally, flautas use flour tortillas while taquitos use corn tortillas. Classic Mexican foods typically use corn tortillas, although tortilla choice can depend on the cook and the region. Additionally, tortillas for flautas are typically larger than those for taquitos. A flauta consists of a large, burrito-size or quesadilla-size flour tortilla, whereas a taquito consists of a corn tortilla sized for fajitas or small quesadillas.

You can serve flautas or taquitos as full meals or appetizers depending on what you serve alongside or on top of them, in addition to what you include as filling. Here are some ideas for how to serve flautas and taquitos.

• As appetizers: For an appetizer version of a taquito or a flauta, fill them with refried beans or fried corn. Keep the filling light so that you still have room for your main meal.
• As main dishes: To load up a taquito or flauta for a main dish, fill them with shredded chicken or beef and serve them alongside Mexican dishes like guacamole, Mexican rice, or any other side dishes you would usually pair with enchiladas, burritos, or quesadillas.
• As snacks: A flauta or taquito can be a unique snack. Experiment with toppings to vary the dish—for example, you can try a combination of shredded lettuce; pico de gallo or salsa; sour cream or Mexican crema; jalapenos or other chiles; queso fresco or cotija cheese; and hot sauce or other condiments.

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