These Potato Flautas are fried tortilla rolls filled with a delicious savory potato filling. I’m swapping the usual chicken or beef filling for a perfectly spiced mashed Yukon gold potato filling with a kick! Biting into one of these is a heavenly flavor experience.

A stack of rolled tortillas and filling with guacamole and salsa on top.

These potato flautas are a non-traditional recipe. I have created this recipe and enjoy these flautas in appreciation of Mexican cuisine. They are inspired by the amazing flavors in broader Latin cuisine.

Why this Recipe Works

These vegan flautas are a delicious option for anyone who appreciates a plant-centered diet. It is a cost-effective meal that will deliver on your flauta craving. I have used the same seasoning as I do in these potato tacos which are always a hit.

Frying them until golden brown gets the tortilla wonderfully crispy on the outside which pairs wonderfully with the fluffy mashed potato inside.

Flautas are wonderful finger food. They have only a few ingredients, are quick to assemble, and can be enjoyed with a variety of dips like pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, tomatillo salsa, or salsa verde.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Potatoes and other ingredients on a countertop with text labels.

Yukon gold potatoes – this recipe works best with Yukon gold or red potatoes or a combination of the two. They have a great texture for a smooth and fluffy filling.

Smoked paprika – you can use sweet paprika in this recipe, too. The potatoes will be missing the smokiness, but it will still be delicious.

Cayenne pepper – you can use chili powder for a sweeter twist, or birds-eye chili for a spicier one.

Tomatillo salsa – you can use the tomatillo salsa recipe from this swordfish tacos with tomatillo salsa, or pick up your favorite salsa and use it, instead. You can also top this recipe with guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo.

Oil – this recipe works best with canola or vegetable oil.

Flour tortillas – they yield the ideal texture for this recipe once you fry them up and work best for this recipe. If you’re not attached to the texture, you can use chickpea flour tortillas, corn tortillas, coconut wraps, or even spinach wraps.

How to Make Potato Flautas

The potatoes are the star of this dish, so let’s start there! Begin by cutting the potatoes into quarters. Parboil the potatoes by placing them in a pot and just barely covering them with cold water.

Add salt to the water, and simmer the potatoes until fork-tender. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Once the potatoes are fork-tender, drain the water. Now it’s time to mill or mash the potatoes down until they have a smooth mashed texture.

Season the mashed potatoes with salt, garlic, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.

A spiced potato mixture in a large glass bowl and a hand mixing it.

Once the filling is mixed, add a 1/2 cup of potato filling to each flour tortilla. Pack it so it sticks together and won’t fall out when you fry them. Wrap them up into a long thin roll.

Two hands rolling flour tortillas with a beige filling inside.

Fry each potato flauta for 3-5 minutes per side in a minimum of 1/2 inch of oil in the pan. Put each of the flautas seam side down first to help keep them from opening up in the pan.

Rolled up flour tortillas frying in oil in a gray pan.

Fry until golden brown and serve with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

Five rolled flour tortillas with a potato filling in a white bowl.

If you’re making flautas to eat later, I would recommend keeping the filling and the tortillas separate until you are ready to eat. The mashed potato filling will keep well in the fridge for a few days, and the flautas can be assembled and fried quickly when you’re ready to make them.

The front view of a stack of rolled flour tortillas and filling with pico de gallo topping.

Here are some of my favorite taco recipes:

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A stack of rolled tacos with guacamole and salsa.

Potato Flautas

5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Save
Swap the usual chicken or beef for a perfectly spiced mashed Yukon gold potato filling. These potato flautas come packed with a kick! They're so easy to make with only a few ingredients, and are vegan too!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Diet: Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 455kcal

Ingredients

Potato Tacos

  • 2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes quartered
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
  • 12 8-inch flour tortillas 3 per person
  • oil for frying, canola or vegetable

For Serving

  • salsa optional
  • guacamole optional
  • sour cream optional

Instructions

  • Parboil the potatoes by just barely covering them in a pot with cold water, adding salt, and simmering until fork-tender. This should take 10-15 minutes.
  • Drain the potatoes. Add them to a large bowl and mash or mill them.
  • Mix in the salt, garlic, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.
  • Add 1/2 cup of potato filling to the center of each tortilla. Pack it down so it sticks together. Roll them up and keep them seam side down.
  • Heat 1/2-inch of oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Fry the flautas starting seam-side down for 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown You can crowd them.
  • Serve with your favorite salsas, guacamole, and sour cream.

Video

Notes

You can substitute the smoked paprika for regular or sweet paprika. It won’t bring the smoky flavor, but it will still be delicious.
Instead of the cayenne pepper, you can use chili powder for a sweeter twist, or birds-eye chili for a spicier one.
Flour tortillas work best in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 778mg | Potassium: 1145mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 913IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 5mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.

6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made these for my husband and I and they were delicious and easy! We had some leftovers and put in air fryer the next day, perfection! We will definitely be making again.

    1. Hi Tatiana, I usually leave the potato skins since they don’t bother me, but if you prefer a smooth filling, you can peel them before simmering. Enjoy!

  2. 5 stars
    These are so fun to make and eat! The whole family is officially addicted. We will be sharing these with friends at a potluck next week, can’t wait!

5 from 6 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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