Jack in the Box Beef Tacos Recipe

Jack in the Box Beef Tacos make the perfect late-night snack, especially when you can buy 2 for $1! That’s a hard deal to pass up, unless of course, you can make them yourself. We have a great recipe for making your own Jack in the Box Beef Tacos from home, and the best part is that you can make as many as you want. Don’t let the prep time scare you away. It really only takes about 20-30 minutes to prepare and fry the tacos, but what makes this recipe take so long is the 24 hours of freeze time. Freezing the tacos before frying them gives them the authentic Jack in the Box flavor we all love.

This recipe we’re sharing will yield about 16 tacos but you can make even more and store them in the freezer in a container with a lid. The meat is prepared ahead of time, and the tacos are assembled, minus the cheese and lettuce. Simply take a few out of the freezer when you’re ready to fry them, fill them with cheese and lettuce, fry, and enjoy. You don’t even have to wait until midnight- you can eat them any time you want!

Jack in the Box Beef Tacos Recipe

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Prep Time 1 day d

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 16 tacos

Calories 226 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the Beef and Seasoning Mixture

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 cups cold water
• 1 cup ground texturized soy protein (grind in food processor)
• 2 tbsp soy flour
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tsp dried onion flakes
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp masa corn flour
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp accent seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 1 dash ceyenne pepper
• 1 dash citric acid

For Preparing the Tacos

• 16 corn tortillas
• Canola oil for drrp frying
• 1 head shredded iceberg lettuce
• 1 package sliced American cheese, cut into strips

Instructions

 

• First, pour 3 cups of cold water into a medium bowl. Then add all of the seasoning mix ingredients. Whisk the mixture together well and set aside.
• Next, heat a pan or skillet to medium-high heat and brown the ground beef. Be sure to stir consistently so it doesn't burn. Pour out the grease as needed. Pour the blended seasoning mixture into the pan with the ground beef. Bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for one minute, while stirring. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until very little liquid remains. The ground beef should be moist but not soggy.
• Then cover the beef mixture and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5-7 minutes to tenderize the meat and infuse all of the flavors. Transfer the ground beef mixture to a food processor and process until the texture is fine. Return the beef to the skillet, and cover with a lid.
• Heat a skillet on low heat, and place the corn tortillas on the skillet one at a time to soften them.
• Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the beef filling mixture into each tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and press closed. Leave a 1-inch opening at the top so you can add the lettuce later. Repeat this for all 16 tacos, and place them in a freezable container overnight or until you're ready to deep fry them.
• Preheat a deep fryer or a skillet to 365°F and fry each taco one at a time for 1 minute. Place the cooked tacos on a paper towel to drain the grease.
• Cut each slice of American cheese in half into triangles. Then shred the iceberg lettuce. To assemble the tacos, open each taco and place one triangle of the sliced American cheese as well as 2 tablespoons of shredded lettuce inside. Close the tacos, and serve hot.

Notes

• For an authentic Jack-in-the-Box flavor, be sure to freeze the tacos for 24 hours before deep-frying. 

If you’re a fan of tacos, have you tried Jack in the Box Tiny Tacos?