These 4-ingredient Cheesy Jalapeño Flautas (aka Tex-Mex mozzarella sticks) are quick, easy, and crazy delicious!
Alright people. I’m going to say something a little bit shocking and you’re gonna have to promise me you’ll forgive me. No like right now. Information unseen. Promise you won’t yell at me, okay?
I’ve been holding on to this recipe for 2 years.
*hides under the bed*
I know, I know. I am quite literally the worst and I cannot apologize enough.
Forgive me? I’ll make you flautas!
Crispy, chewy, hot and melty amazingness… that’s what these bad boys are made of! I’m so super stoked for y’all to try this crazy easy 4-ingredient recipe.
Cheesy Jalapeño Flautas
So what is a flauta? In this case it’s a pan fried flautas stuffed with jalapeños and melted mozzarella cheese and served in a stack that’ll make all your snacking dreams come true. They can be made with corn or flour tortillas and, depending on how indulgent you’d like to go, can be baked or fried to golden perfection. I have a few tasty varieties on ze blog and they’ve become my go-to appetizer when we need easy cheesy finger food!
They’re amazing all on their own but are next-level awesome with some salsa and sour cream for dunking. I’ve even been known to add a little hot sauce when I’m feeling fiery!
Cheesy Jalapeño Flautas
Ingredients
- 6-8 sticks of mozzarella string cheese
- 3-4 jalapeños
- 7-8 inch small flour tortillas (6-8 inches in diameter)
- ½ cup frying oil (avocado, vegetable, or peanut)
- optional garnish: chopped parsley or green onion
Instructions
- Slice each mozzarella stick lengthwise into 3-4 strips for even melting.
- Remove the stem and seeds from your jalapeños (or leave the seeds in for super spicy flautas) and cut lengthwise into thin strips. If preferred you can also dice them. We've made them both ways!
- Like your jalapeños crisp and crunchy? Keep them raw! Prefer them tender? Sauté for 2-3 minutes in a skillet. Paul prefers them softened and the extra step is crazy quick so I don't mind.
- In batches of 3 at a time, microwave tortillas between two paper towels for 30 seconds. Warm tortillas are the easiest to shape and won't crack <-- woot!
- Take one flour tortilla and add 3-4 strips of cheese and some jalapeño towards the edge of the tortilla and roll tightly. Secure the seam with a toothpick to prevent them from opening while cooking. Repeat for remaining tortillas. Try to remove any filling that spills out the side of the tortillas since it can overflow into your pan and burn.
- Heat oil in a medium frying pan (higher sides work best here) to medium-high (I kept mine just above halfway on the dial) adding an extra 1/4 cup if needed.
- Cook 3-4 at a time for about 2 minutes, using tongs to turn them over every 30 seconds or so.
- One golden on all sides, transfer to a stack of paper towels to drain off excess oil and further crisp the flautas.
- Serve with medium or spicy salsa for dipping!
Notes
Nutrition
Prefer to bake your flautas?
You totally can! Here’s how:
Preheat your oven to 425 F and follow steps 1-5 above. During step 5, spray or rub a little oil on one side of your tortilla and add the filling to the other side.
Place on a wire baking/cooling rack and seal the seam with a toothpick. Repeat these steps until you have a rack full of flautas.
Give them one more teeny spritz of olive oil to get them extra crispy and set the rack baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. The wire rack elevates the flautas and allows them to get nice and crispy on both sides. If using flour tortillas, wrap just the ends with aluminum foil to prevent the ends of each flauta from getting too brown. Corn tortillas? No need to cover!
If you don’t own a wire rack, simply place the flautas on aluminum foil after spraying and turn the flautas over halfway through the cook time so both sides get a chance to crisp up. Uber easy!
Baked Flour Flautas: Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for approx. 10 more minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is crispy.
Baked Corn Flautas: Bake for 15 minutes. At the end, set to broil on HIGH for just under a minute to crisp the tortillas into a perfectly golden, crunchy shell.
Have any questions? Leave me a comment or shoot me an email and I’d be happy to help!
I’m fairly certain my husband offered to hand model for these shots just so he could ensure I didn’t eat all the flautas behind his back.
I may have gotten territorial and licked a few to claim them as my own.
We don’t fight fair when it comes to flautas.
#IREGRETNOTHING
#FLAUTASFTW
#WHYAMIHASHTAGGING?
more flavorful flauta recipes:
- Baked Black Bean and Sweet Potato Flautas
- Cheesy Baked Spinach and Portobello Flautas
- Triple Bean Flautas
- Cheesy Baked Black Bean Flautas
If you get a chance to try these Cheesy Jalapeño Flautas, let me know! Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation.
behind the blog
- currently listening to . . . Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time – Panic! At The Disco
- currently reading . . . Mark Sullivan’s Beneath a Scarlet Sky
- currently watching . . . Rotten (Netflix)
Could these be made in an air fryer?
Hi Julia! I don’t have an air fryer handy to test times out on, but they should totally work in an air fryer. It would be similar to how grilled cheese works in one, I believe!
Could I substitute the string cheese with shredded cheese?
Totally!
So bummed that I purchased two rotisserie chickens from farm yesterday and used all the meat for chicken salad. Cannot wait to try these bit with the addition of some chicken. Thanks!!!
You totally had me with the gooey cheese. Adding the jalapenos in the flautas is just a bonus – what a yummy snack!!
All that melty cheese!! I’m afraid I would eat that whole plateful!! There would be no sharing here!
These look SO good! I love a good flauta!
Oh I love this! I haven´t eaten flautas in soooo many years! I love the addition of the jalapenos!!! this is genius!