Cheesy Taco Pockets are so easy to make and are the best for those busy weeknights.
Soft tortillas are filled with cream cheese, salsa, seasoned ground beef, and melted cheddar cheese and then baked for a delicious dinner or lunch. Served with some guacamole, sour cream, or a sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro with sides of refried beans or corn salad, it’s the best for feeding a hungry crowd fast.
Cheesy Taco Pockets
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Best Snack or Appetizer
- Looking for a new idea to cook up that ground beef? Then this cheesy taco pockets recipe is just what is needed. This is such a simple and easy meal that will keep everyone happy.
- What’s even better is that these homemade taco wraps are as good as store-bought hot pockets and better than a pizza.
- A little bit of cream cheese goes a long way in this recipe. Its addition makes the filling so creamy, smooth, and flavorful. A quick bake in the oven will turn the cheddar cheese so gooey good, while the tortilla crust will become golden crispy brown.
- Double the batch and have them ready for a quick pack-and-go lunch too.
Ingredients and Variations
GROUND BEEF Use lean or extra lean ground beef for this recipe. Remember to drain off the extra fat. Shredded chicken, could also be used as a replacement for the ground beef.
SALSA Varying the salsa from mild to hot will affect the final spicy-ness and flavor of the pockets. Control your spice and ingredients, and try making homemade salsa and adding it to the wraps!
TORTILLAS Nothing beats warm and soft flour tortillas. They are easily found at the supermarket. Or better yet, find a local Mexican restaurant that makes fresh tortillas. Nothing beats a fresh, handmade tortilla.
VARIATIONS Instead of tortillas wrap, make stuffed Pillsbury biscuits or crescent dough. Simply open the can, break off the individual biscuits, roll out a little, spread the filling into the dough, and fold the edges over the filling. Bake at 375°F for 13-25 minutes.
There are other options for the cheese like Monterey Jack for the cheddar, or yummy Mexican crema for the cream cheese. You can also use soft corn tortillas instead of the flour version if preferred.
How to Make Taco Pockets
If you can roll a burrito, then taco pockets will be a snap.
- Cook meat and add seasoning.
- In a separate bowl mix cream cheese, and salsa.
- Add meat and cheese to tortillas.
- Fold and bake (per recipe below).
How to Fold a Burrito
Rolling burritos isn’t hard. The secret is to not overfill, and to slightly warm or steam the wrap so it’s nice and pliable. Make sure you tightly wrap both ends of the burrito, so it won’t spill out.
- Place a scoop of filling in the center of the tortilla.
- Fold one of the sides in, tucking all the filling under this fold.
- Then fold in the top and bottom, and finish with the final side in to seal everything in!
How Long Will They Last?
Leftover or make-ahead beef tacos will keep in the fridge for four days or in the freezer for four months.
Can You Freeze Taco Pockets?
Leftovers are freezable, microwavable, and mouth-wateringly delicious.
- To Freeze: Store in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
- To Reheat: No need to thaw before reheating. Just place on a cookie sheet or baking dish in a preheated 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or until steaming hot. Float a piece of foil over the top to prevent the wraps from burning or drying out.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
- Mexican Cheese Soup – ready in under 30 mins!
- Easy Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas – great weeknight meal!
- Chile Relleno Casserole – delicious, creamy casserole
- Fajita Pasta – an easy one-pot meal
- Cheesy Taco Bake – a taco night favorite!
Cheesy Taco Pockets
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 8 ounce cream cheese room temp
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 12 small flour tortillas
- sour cream salsa, tomatoes, etc. for garnish
Instructions
- Cook ground beef, crumble and drain.
- Add packet of taco seasoning and follow instructions on packet to season ground beef.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until almost fluffy. Slowly add in salsa and blend well.
- Take a tortilla and spread a spoon full of the salsa mixture in the center. Spoon some ground beef on top of the salsa mixture (enough to cover the salsa). Top with cheese.
- Fold the tortilla up as you would a burrito. Place on greased cookie sheet.
- Brush tops of the burritos with melted butter. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and garnish with taco toppings.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
©The Shortcut Kitchen. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
REPIN this Cheesy Taco Pocket Recipe
I don’t like cream cheese, so I used some arroyo yellow rice, for creaminess added some nacho cheese condensed soup with the taco meat, it was fantastic! I bet regular rice and cheddar cheese soup would work too?
Your version sounds delicious Deberah! I haven’t tried that combination but it sounds so good.
If you don’t like salsa or tomato’s can you just use the cream cheese or nothing at all?
You sure can Mauri! Enjoy!
These were delicious!! After reading the reviews I decided to use 1/2 the cream cheese and it was the perfect amount/flavor. We will definitely be making these again soon – thank you!
Has anyone tried these with corn tortillas??
Hi Jenn, I have not tried this recipe with corn tortillas but it should work well. Follow the instructions on the package to warm the tortillas before wrapping them to help prevent them from tearing.
These are great, made two batches this time! Thanks!
These are very very good! I added canned green chili’s. My picky eater loved them too!
In an effort to keep my family dinners interesting, I swapped out burrito night with these pocket tacos. The fam couldn’t tell the difference! It was hit! 5 stars.
So happy to hear how much they loved the taco pockets Tiffany!
Can you make these and freeze them before baking them?
We’ve only tried freezing as noted in the post. Please let us know if you try freezing before baking Julie!
Of course you can.
These were delicious! I love the change up of adding cream cheese. I will definitely make these again
So glad you loved these delicious snacks Deborah!
Can u substitute shrimp for vegetarian eaters?
I’ve only tried this recipe as written. Let us know if you try it with shrimp!
I think I will try this instead of tacos this week for weeknight meat. Instead of using salty taco packet I will use some spices that I need to use up like coriander, cumin and some adobe spice.
Sounds delicious to me Diane! We enjoy these taco pockets for an occasional change from regular tacos!
I used this recipe for some leftover taco meat that I had. I didn’t have any cream cheese, so I just rolled up the meat with some shredded Cheddar and baked as indicated. What a great idea! It made for a fun and tasty nighttime snack! Thanks for the idea 🙂
Sounds perfect Lorie! Such a great way to use up ingredients and leftovers!
Really good flavor but I think 8oz of cream cheese is too much so next time I will use 4 oz. Also, I only use ground turkey (80/20) and it came out great. In addition I cooked the ground turkey with diced onion and because I love hot/spicy I also also cooked the turkey with a jalapeño. Will make this again
Sounds great JoNell! Thank you for sharing your changes!
We really enjoyed these, easier way to eat tacos! But my husband was not fond of the cream cheese flavor, so I’m going to try making them with cottage cheese. Also, I ran out of small tortillas so made a couple of them bigger, which worked just as well.
Great idea Melanie. Enjoy!
Do these freeze well?
Freezing tips are included in the post. They freeze very well Dena!
Delicious but didn’t need all that cream cheese. I bet with half the amount it would still be just as good and slightly healthier. I also used olive oil instead of butter.
You will have to let us know if you try it with less cream cheese and what you think of it Alicia.
I made these last night and they were delicious! My whole family enjoyed them. I also did them in the air fryer at 350 for 4 minutes.
Ooh! Delicious Sarah, baking them in the air fryer is smart idea!
Could send me the Ingredients for the Salsa or was it just a store brought jar as I would love to try these
Hi Maggi, we just use a store-bought salsa so this one. You can choose your favorite and adjust the spicy-ness by option for mild, medium, or spicy salsa!
Anyone tried these with refried beans? Awesome recipe
I have not, but that sounds like a delicious addition Carrie!
Can the flour tortillas be made from scratch? Also are they precooked? Common sense tells me they were store bought but they look so thin in the picture
We used store-bought tortillas in this recipe, they are not precooked. Homemade tortillas sound delicious though Lidia!
Has anyone tried them in an air fryer? I would think it would work fairly well, but I’m new to air fryers. Am curious if anyone has done it and how it turned out.
We haven’t tried these in the air fryer but that is a great idea! I think they would turn out great. Let us know how it goes!
These were very good! I really liked the spin on a traditional taco/burrito. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because they were a little salty for me but I think next time I will use a low sodium taco seasoning which would hopefully fix that!! Thank you for the awesome recipe!!!
So happy you loved it Heather!
Have you ever tried making these in an air fryer?
I haven’t, but think that is such a good idea Jean! Let us know how it turns out for you!
What could I use instead of sasla?
I always use diced tomatoes because my girls can’t handle even the slightest mild salsa. It always works and we use hot on the side or to dip things!
We made these a couple of weeks ago and they are amazing. This recipe will be one of our regular menus that we make.