Tortilla Bowls Are A Breeze To Prep With Your Air Fryer

If you're looking for a fun way to enjoy tacos without the fillings falling all over you, how about giving tortilla bowls a try? These handy little saucers are the perfect portable way to indulge in a medley of ground meat, cheese, and veggies, and you can enjoy them in many other ways. Not to mention, of course, that you can eat the bowl afterward. It's an ice cream cone for Tex-Mex if you will. 

These bowls might look much more complicated to make than they actually are, but your air fryer is the easiest way to prepare one. You'll want to start by pressing a flour tortilla (these are bendier than the corn variety) into a soufflé dish (better known as a ramekin). It needs to be pliable enough to maneuver, so if you're working with stale tortillas, you may need to bring them up to temperature in the microwave or on the stovetop to perfectly shape them. The edges of the tortilla should be fluted upward; this will keep your fillings from spilling out. 

After a few minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit, your tortillas will be perfectly shaped. But, don't stop there. To cement the shape of these bowls, you'll need to carefully remove the ramekin and cook it upside down in the air fryer for a few more minutes. Once removed from the air fryer, you can easily stuff these tortilla bowls with your favorite fillings. 

There are almost as many filling options with a tortilla bowl as a classic taco. You'll just need to be aware of any sort of sauces or extra liquid that will make your bowl fall apart. For example, if you're opting for a saucy, slow-cooker barbacoa, you may want to layer some whole lettuce leaves down in the tortilla bowl to prevent it the saucy coating from soaking through. The same can be said if you're working with a watery store-bought salsa.

Tortilla bowls don't really have too much flavor, but there are always opportunities to spruce things up by adding a sprinkle of your favorite seasonings. For one, you can add a little bit of Tajín to the bowl while it's hot and watch how every bite is transformed by chili lime magic. Or, you could theoretically make a dessert tortilla bowl by adding a cinnamon sugar sprinkle to the vessel and spooning in fresh fruit, chocolate sauce, and ice cream. There are seemingly limitless possibilities when it comes to enjoying these tortilla bowls — and your air fryer is the tool that makes whipping up a batch painless.