The BEST Carne Asada Tacos you’ll ever eat. Classic thinly sliced skirt steak marinated in an easy 7-ingredient marinade and cooked in a hot skillet. These Carne Asada Tacos are served in a warm corn tortilla and topped with traditional ingredients like cilantro, diced onions, freshly squeezed lime juice, and spicy hot sauce.
Pair these beef tacos with a side of Mexican Street Corn and Restaurant-Style Queso Dip for an at home authentic meal made from scratch! If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to share a pitcher of Margaritas and tacos with your friends, especially for Cinco de Mayo.
My favorite restaurant-style carne asada recipe. A quick fix lunch or dinner recipe when I’m craving Mexican food. A truly simple recipe that’s a weeknight staple in our home. Made with fresh ingredients for an authentic taste that cannot be beaten.
If you find yourself frequenting taco trucks or Mexican restaurants in search of real, authentic and homemade tacos, you’ll fall in love with this insanely tasty and delicious carne asada recipe.
It wasn’t until I moved to New Orleans, the food capital of the United States, that acquired a taste for these simple and regional tacos. With no shortage of locally owned restaurants in the city, I’ve became accustomed to authentic homemade dishes typically found in Mexico. The best part is that you won’t have to travel far to enjoy the same great taste.
How to Make Carne Asada Tacos
- Combine oil, orange juice, garlic, seasoning, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and cilantro in a large ziplock bag or bowl.
- Add skirt steak that’s cut into 1-inch wide by 4-inch stripes.
- Marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours or overnight.
- Heat skillet to medium-high.
- Sear meat on both sides until golden brown; about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes then chop.
- Place meat in warm tortilla with chopped cilantro, diced onions, red salsa, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Carne Asada Meat
Typically, skirt steak is used. The best place to buy this is at a local Mexican grocery store behind the counter. Flank steak is another option. I highly recommend cutting the meat very thinly so the marinade seasons the meat well. It can then be grilled or seared.
Carne Asada Taco Ingredients
- BEEF: I recommend buying skirt steak from a Mexican grocery store. While other stores do carry this type of beef, it’s sliced very thinly and cooks in just a matter of minutes.
- SEASONING: To keep it simple, I use asada seasoning. This can also be found in a Mexican grocery store.
- MARINADE: Oil, orange juice, garlic, seasoning, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and cilantro. Marinate with skirt steak in a bag or a bowl for several hours or over night. The longer it has to marinate, the more flavorful the steak and you’ll want that when making tacos at home.
- CILANTRO: You either love it or hate it but I exclusively make my carne asada tacos with cilantro and onions.
- ONIONS: Very thinly diced white onions.
- TACO SHELLS: White or yellow corn tortillas. I prefer white corn tortillas. Heat them in the oven, microwave or on the stovetop. Flour tortillas or hard shells may be substituted in addition to lettuce wraps.
Taco Toppings
Flavorful ingredient additions: While I traditionally serve carne asada tacos with cilantro and onions, you may enjoy these other varieties of toppings.
- cilantro
- onions
- queso cheese dip
- Mexican cheeses like queso fresco, cotija, ranchero, oaxaca, manchego, queso quesadilla, and asadero.
- sour cream, or Mexican crema.
- avocado
- tableside guacamole
- lime juice
- lemon juice
- pico de gallo
■ For more taco recipes, try these other flavorful dishes made with a variety of meats that include ground beef, fish, and chicken.
- Ground Beef Ranch Tacos
- Instant Pot Burrito Bowls
- Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Grilled Chicken Tacos with Avocado Cream
Carne Asada Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 lb skirt steak, thinly sliced (see notes)
- 1½ tbsp asada seasoning
- 1 orange (juiced)
- ½ lemon (juiced)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 1 cup oil
- 10 small corn tortillas
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Combine oil, orange juice, garlic, seasoning, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and cilantro in a large ziplock bag or bowl.
- Cut skirt steak into 1-inch wide by 4-inch long stripes. Place into marinade.NOTE: Use skirt steak that is very very thinly sliced, almost shaved. If it is not, prepare the meat by thinly slicing it.
- Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. TIP: The longer it marinates, the deeper the flavor.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.
- Remove meat from marinade and place beef in skillet and sear until golden brown; about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Rest carne asada for 5 minutes then chop.
- Serve in a warm tortilla with cilantro, onions, lime juice, and hot sauce.
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