Carne Asada

These street tacos at home are easy to make, packed with bold, authentic flavor, and perfect for recreating the classic street-style tacos you love using simple ingredients you may already have right in your own kitchen. Whether you’re cooking for a busy weeknight or a relaxed weekend taco night, this recipe delivers big flavor with minimal effort.

Are Street Tacos Easy to Make?

Yes—street tacos are surprisingly easy to make at home, which is exactly why they’re such a favorite for busy cooks. With simple ingredients, quick-cooking meat like carne asada, and minimal prep, you can have flavorful, authentic street-style tacos on the table in under 30 minutes. There’s no complicated technique involved—just season, cook, warm your tortillas, and add fresh toppings—making street tacos perfect for weeknights, casual gatherings, or anytime you’re craving big flavor without a lot of effort.

How Are Street Tacos Different From Regular Tacos?

Street tacos are smaller, simpler, and more traditional than regular tacos, focusing on bold flavors rather than heavy toppings. They’re typically served on soft, small corn tortillas and filled with just one protein—such as carne asada, al pastor, or chicken—then finished with fresh onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Regular tacos, especially Tex-Mex–style, are often larger, may use flour or hard shells, and are loaded with extras like shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and sauces. Street tacos highlight the quality of the meat and seasoning, creating a more authentic, grab-and-go experience inspired by Mexican street food culture.

What Else Can I Serve With Street Tacos?

Street tacos pair beautifully with a few classic sides that turn them into a complete, festive meal. Tamales add a hearty, comforting element with their soft corn masa and savory fillings, making them perfect for rounding out the table. Mexican street corn (elote) brings bold flavor with its smoky char, creamy coating, and salty bite, balancing the simplicity of the tacos. Fresh salsa—whether bright and tomato-based or spicy and green—adds freshness and heat, while guacamole offers a rich, creamy contrast that cools everything down. Together, these sides create a vibrant, street-food-style spread that feels abundant, colorful, and irresistibly satisfying.

What Do I Need To Make Street Tacos?

One of the best things about street tacos is that many of the ingredients are likely already in your kitchen. Flank steak is a popular choice for its rich flavor and quick cooking time, and it pairs perfectly with a simple marinade made from pantry staples like cumin, garlic, oil, and a splash of citrus. Fresh onions and peppers add color, crunch, and natural sweetness, while herbs and spices bring everything together without needing anything fancy. With just a handful of everyday ingredients and a short marinating time, you can create bold, street-style taco flavors right at home.

Can I Make Variations?

Of course you can! You can use shredded chicken to make pollo asado which uses a very similar, vibrant citrus and spice marinade to the one used for beef carne asada. The marinade typically includes a blend of citrus juices, garlic, and spices that impart a distinct, flavorful, and often reddish color to the chicken. Similarly, for a vegetarian variation, you can use spicy asada beans in place of meat to create a flavorful and satisfying plant-based alternative. The key is to use a robust blend of spices and ingredients typically found in a carne asada marinade to achieve a rich, savory, and spicy flavor. I have added links to several recipes for spicy black beans, tamales guacamole and Pico De gallo below.

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Carne Asada Street Tacos

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Prep Time 40

Cook Time 20

Servings: 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

2-4 tbsp Olive oil or vegetable oil of your choice
3 lb Flank steak or you can use skirt steak
1 medium Onion halved and chopped, you can use sweet, yellow or even red onion. Whatever you prefer or have on hand.
2 halved limes plus more for topping the tacos.
2 bundles Cilantro, 1 chopped for steak mixture and one for topping the tacos or you can just use one bunch halved if you prefer less cilantro, it is up to your preference, or if you don't like cilantro, you can leave it out.
1 tsp Cumin
Salt & pepper
1 package Soft corn street taco tortillas

Equipment

1 large skillet, cast iron if you have it otherwise, a non stick

Method

Thinly slice the flank steak. Then chop it into bite size pieces.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, begin to brown the steak in the oil.
Add half the chopped onions to the skillet and cook with the steak until soft.
Season the mixture with salt, pepper and cumin, then add the juice of two limes to the mixture along with the chopped cilantro. Continue cooking until the meat is cooked through.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet with a thin layer of olive oil or oil of your choice. Fry the mini tortillas on both sides to soften.
Drain tortillas on a paper towel.
Top the tortillas with the carne asada, then add other topping of your choice, like the chopped onion, avocados or pico de gallo. You can find a recipe for home made pico de gallo below or you can buy some pre-made from your market. You can slice avocado or refer to the Guacamole recipe below. If you want an American, tex-mex version, you can add shredded cheese.

Notes

Easy Guacamole Recipe