Gwynedd Stuart
Listen. I know crunchy tacos are controversial. Real tacos are built atop soft, warm corn tortillas, but somewhere along the line, hard taco shells became a staple of Tex-Mex restaurants, fast food establishments, and white people’s kitchens across the U.S.A., including my own. I have to admit that I love Americanized crunchy tacos, but if you feel queasy about the lack of authenticity—on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, no less—just think of them as tostadas but folded. Is that better? If so, let’s talk about the very best hard taco shells at the grocery store.
How we found the best taco shells for crunchy taco night
There are a lot of options in the “taco stuff” aisle—including an increasingly large number of flavored crunchy taco shells—so we ordered pretty much everything we could find. I heated all of these in our countertop oven and then tasted them side by side, sans traditional taco fillings. Just the shells.
What we were looking for in the best taco shells
- Crunch. Well, duh, right? But not all “crunch” is created equal. Some hard taco shells have a staleness that keeps them from being optimally crispy-crunchy, and that simply won’t fly.
- Fresh flavor. Crunchy taco shells are fried in oil, and that oil has to taste fresh for the shells to taste good. Corn should be the dominant flavor.
- Size. I’ll talk more about this later, but given the innovations in wide, flat-bottomed taco shells, I simply don’t think we should settle for dinky ones anymore.
- Condition. I know fragile products are wont to crack in transport, but it really blows to buy a box of taco shells that are half broken. We dinged brands that couldn’t keep it together.
We’ll update this list with blue corn taco shells the next time around. In the meantime, these are the best taco shells.
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- Taco Bell Crunchy Taco Shells
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These Taco Bell hard taco shells taste like movie theater popcorn to me—and I mean that in a good way. That means they taste like corn! That oily, freshly cooked flavor is good, kinda like fast food fresh from the deep fryer. They’re just begging to be stuffed with oily ground beef. If you want your crunchy tacos to taste as much like fast food as humanly possible, these are the best taco shells to buy.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Old El Paso Mexican Style Street Corn Taco Shells
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These flavored taco shells aren’t as bold as the nacho-flavored shells (see #4), but if you don’t want cheesy flavor straight to the dome, they’re really fun. They remind me of Hint of Lime Tostitos, but with even more flavor dust and a little extra something creamy in the mix. The flavor is zesty, creamy, and a little smoky—we’re into it! Oh and they STAND UP.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Old Rl Paso Bold Nacho Cheese Taco Shells
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Unlike a lot of flavored taco shells, these seem to have flavor baked in. The flavor dust is cheesy and bold, but there’s also cheese flavor in the shell itself, unless I’m simply being duped by the orange food coloring. These are great. They’re shatteringly crispy-crunchy and have just the right amount of oil to make them feel freshly fried, even though they’ve only been heated up in the oven. They’re gonna taste so good stuffed with seasoned beef, lettuce, and sour cream. Most flavored shells just don’t have enough flavor to stand up to the bold flavor of taco-seasoned meat, but these do.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Old El Paso Crunchy
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If you prefer classic, dinky taco shells, Old El Paso is the way to go. Why? They’re actually seasoned so the flavor of the corn really stands out. They have a nice, clean flavor and a good, sturdy crunch. I’m about to go OWFF on how much I love Stand ‘N Stuff shells, but I can also appreciate that these are definitely a little bit lighter.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Siete Maiz Corn Taco Shells
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These crunchy taco shells from Siete are big and the edges are a little frilly, which makes them fancier than other taco shells—they look almost rustic, while most of these look like they were made by a machine (because, you know, they were). Size and appearance aside, the flavor is what makes these some of the best taco shells we tried. They’re light and crispy and wonderfully seasoned without being too salty. There’s just enough salt in the mix to bring out the flavor of the corn—yes, corn should have flavor! You wouldn’t know it from tasting most of these.
- Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff
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Toilet paper on a roll will always be one of mankind’s most important innovations, but Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells deserve a shout out, too. Finally, taco shells that don’t tip over. They stand up straight and proper and hold all of the ingredients without buckling under the weight. They’re also much wider than traditional taco shells, so you can just cram more stuff in here. Two of these can make a meal while you’d need to down at least three or four of the littler guys to feel full. The flavor is great, but the functionality really can’t be beat. The best taco shells are being the change they want to see in the world. We love that.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Fast Food Flavor
Best Flavored (Runner-Up)
Best Flavored
Best Small
Best Homemade Style
Best of the Best
Other taco shells we tried
Old El Paso Zesty Ranch Taco Shells, Old El Paso Spicy Jalapeno Taco Shells, Great Value Crunchy Taco Shells, Sprouts Crunchy Taco Shells, Ortega Yellow Corn Taco Shells, Whole Foods 365 Crunchy Taco Shells
Justine Sterling
Jordan Myrick
Joe Rumrill
