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Lets get Bizzy in the Kitchen!
All Recipes Beef
- January 29, 2013
- 13.9K
- by Biz
This Jack in the Box Taco Recipe will be your go to taco recipe. So good!
This recipe first published in 2013 and has now finally been updated 10 years later!
My late husband loved Jack in the Box tacos, but sadly they closed all of their Illinois locations long ago.
These tacos ARE THE REAL DEAL! Not sure I would know if the difference and part of me wants to sell them out of my house on the weekends!
How do you make Jack in the Box taco meat?
There are two things you need to do for the Jack in the Box taco meat. First, brown the beef. Add remaining ingredients and boil for 5 minutes. Let cool.
Second, puree the beef mixture. I know it seems weird, but it mimics the beef found in Jack in the Box tacos.
Can you air fry Jack in the Box tacos?
Yep! We deep fried, air fried and pan fried. Obviously the deep fried version is the best, but the air fried version was almost as tasty. We have cooking instructions in the notes section of the recipe card.
Also note: we tried adding the American cheese to the tacos before cooking, and that didn’t work with any cooking method.
Ingredients you’ll need to make Jack in the Box Tacos:
- ground beef (I used 85% lean)
- seasonings mentioned in the recipe card (most of these are pantry staples)
- corn tortillas – while I prefer El Milagro corn tortillas, these are only readily available in the Chicago area. For this recipe, I used Mission Extra Thin Corn Tortillas which can be found nationwide.
Equipment needed to make Jack in the Box Tacos:
- deep fryer
- air fryer
- skillet
We decided to try all three methods, because not everyone has a deep fryer or an air fryer. Hopefully everyone has a stove and a skillet!
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This is what happened when we tried adding the cheese to the tacos before cooking. No matter which method we chose, the result was awful, so we suggest adding the cheese to the hot taco as soon as it is done cooking.
The deep fried version is by far the preferred method. I thought the pan fried version came in second, and air fried version last. My daughter Hannah chose: deep fryer, air fryer and pan fried last.
Jack in the Box Tacos
Yield: 20
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
These taste like the real deal Jack in the Box Tacos! My husband found a copycat recipe in 2013 the first time we made them, but the link to our inspiration is no longer available in 2023. I adapted the beef ingredients too from the original recipe, and while it may seem weird to grind up the beef in a food processor, it totally makes these tacos.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon masa corn flour
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 20 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Brown ground beef. Drain any excess fat.
- Add remaining ingredients to a large stock pot and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.
- Place beef mixture in a food processor and pulse the beef mixture. Don't worry, it will look like paste!
- Making 5 tacos at a time, microwave the corn tortillas for 30 seconds, or until pliable.
- Quickly add 3 tablespoons beef paste to half of each tortilla, fold over in half, set on a baking sheet, and repeat until all tacos are filled.
- Place baking sheet in freezer for 30 minutes. Store tortillas in a ziplock bag and cook from frozen.
- Don't skip the freezing on the baking sheet step - it will ensure that the tacos won't stick together and you can cook however many you want.
- See notes with different cooking instructions.
- Optional but delicious: add 1/2 slice of American cheese, sliced lettuce and taco sauce. This addition isn't included in the WW points or nutrition, so adjust accordingly.
Notes
TO DEEP FRY: Heat deep fryer to 350. Deep fry from frozen for 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
TO AIR FRY: Air fry at 360 for 7-9 minutes, or until desired doneness. Spray the frozen tacos with avocado oil spray prior to cooking.
TO PAN FRY: Heat a skillet over medium heat with avocado oil spray. Cook for 5 minutes a side from frozen.
If you are on the WW plan, click here for the WW link. As of 2023, these tacos are 3 WW points each. For the deep fry method, I add 1 more point for the oil.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 20Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 141Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 218mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 8g
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram
For those of you who made this recipe based on the photos I published in 2013 – I appreciate your support!
My memory is that I placed that dinner plate on top of our microwave near the under the counter mounted fluorescent light – ha!
Are you looking for side dishes for these tacos?
Try:
Stovetop Refried Beans
Ancho Chile Salsa
Black Bean Dip
Let us know if you give these tacos a try. Be sure to tag us on Instagram and TikTok! @mybizzykitchen on IG and @mybizzykitchen_ on TikTok
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62 Comments
Paul Desrosiers November 4, 2023
I’m a retired 74 year old man living down here in Texas. I love to spend my time cooking and baking.
My wife, son and I all love Jack In The Box tacos. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
I was wondering if it would work pan frying the taco in about a quarter inch of oil; flipping them over to crisp the other side. That might work too.
Anyway, thank you for sharing this recipe!Reply ↓
Biz November 4, 2023
Hey Paul! You can absolutely shallow fry these tacos. Let me know what you think!
Reply ↓
Paul Desrosiers November 6, 2023
Hi again, My son and I made your Copycat “Jack In The Box” taco recipe last night. My wife, son and I all agreed that your version was even BETTER than that of this fast food chain! My son even commented that he couldn’t think of one thing that would make this recipe better.
We only made two minor tweaks in its preparation. We pulsed the meat in the food processor to the point that it still had a little texture left to it. The frozen meat/taco shell combo was then pan fried in a shallow layer of oil. This made the sides of the taco shell crispy while leaving the bottom of the shell less so. As a result, the taco shell was less likely to break in half when we added the American cheese and shredded lettuce toppings.
All in all, we thought your recipe was delicious. This one is a “keeper” for us. Thank you once again for sharing.
robin August 11, 2023
they taste pretty good. I’ve been craving Jack-in-the-Box tacos and we don’t have one near us. I don’t know if I missed this but I’m a little confused as to what you do with the sauce that you bring to a boil in a pan do you add your meat back to that or do you just add it on separately?
Reply ↓
Biz August 14, 2023
Hey! Once you brown the beef in the stock pot, drain any excess fat if you like, then add remaining ingredients and boil for 5 additional minutes. That’s the meat that you then add to the food processor to make a paste. Check out our youtube video if you like https://youtu.be/iROTU73dnxY
Reply ↓
Tara August 10, 2023
Just for everyone’s knowledge the Jack in the box tacos are made with vegetarian “meat”. It is a soy protein. I know🤯 that was me when I first found out.
Reply ↓
Biz August 10, 2023
Hey! Actually there is beef in them! According to their website: Beef, Water, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color), Defatted Soy Grits, Seasoning [Chili Pepper, Corn Maltodextrin, Spices, Bleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Contains Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid), Salt, Garlic Powder are the ingredients.
I have a vegan friend who thought they used vegetable protein ONLY and ate them for a year before he realized he’d been eating meat all that time – so crazy!
Reply ↓
Elaine August 4, 2023
There is one in Litchfield Illinois we had some they were so good I can’t wait to make these, Thank you
Reply ↓
Biz August 7, 2023
Lucky! Maybe I’ll have to road trip down there!
Reply ↓
Mickie March 8, 2021
Hi,
I saved this email because when I had time I would attempt to make them.
We all love the JACK TACOS, especially after a co*cktail or two, and we have the munchies.
I’ll see how it goes!Reply ↓
Biz March 8, 2021
Let me know! 😁
Reply ↓
Mary-Elizabeth Bonnell April 17, 2023
Biz,
Just lucked on to this site. I know what you are going through. Lost my husband long ago but cared for my mother. Now it is just me. I hate to cook for one,however, found saving leftovers in one serving containers in freezerBiz April 18, 2023
So sorry for your losses. It’s sometimes hard to cook for one. Hugs.
Amanda Gotcher September 7, 2020
I love Jack in the Box taco’s so yes I will be making them, I am so excited. Someone made the comment to use an AirFryer, I will try that. This year my brother wanted to take me out for dinner, all I wanted was Jack in the Box taco’s and their Egg Rolls – Yum. Thanks for taking the time to figure this out.
Reply ↓
Cindy S Coffman April 27, 2020
use an air fryer for these I will say there was no way to print this recipe you should have a place on here to do that I never could find it
Reply ↓
Biz April 27, 2020
Hi! Sorry, I am in the process of updating my blog – that post is from a long time ago and hasn’t been updated yet – thanks for the info – and at the time I wrote this, air fryers weren’t available.
Reply ↓
Valerie February 3, 2013
Just made these – they were delicious! I made them in the oven instead (400 for about 12 mins, brushed with oil). I also mixed in some refried beans to the meat mixture (after pureeing it) cause I felt like it 🙂 These are definitely going in the meal rotation. THANK YOU for posting this! This is the only thing I would ever order from JITB – I haven’t had them in years & they taste just like the real thing!
Reply ↓
Wendy Hampton August 10, 2023
What a great idea to add beans to the filling! In High School we used to cross the street to a fast food place where we would get bean tacos! I’m going to give your suggestion a try. Thanks.
Reply ↓
Biz August 10, 2023
Yeah! Let me know what you think. 😁
Thekitchwitch January 30, 2013
I’m going to try that soup! I’d kill for 57 degrees–it’s 5 here! Brr.
Reply ↓
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