Flank Steak Tacos with Chipotle Aioli

ByCaroline Lindsey First published on Last updated on
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This flank steak taco recipe brings together the flavors of steak and Mexican street corn in a truly restaurant-worthy dish. Topped with crunchy cabbage, fresh jalapeños, and a homemade chipotle aioli sauce, these tacos are fresh, flavorful, and super easy to make!

Flank steak tacos with corn and cotija cheese.

As someone who gets a lot of my recipe inspiration from restaurants I visit, I feel so invigorated when I try a new dish at a new place. After visiting Mad Mex restaurant in Pittsburgh with my sister recently, I had to come home and recreate the amazing flank steak and corn tacos I had there.

After making these tacos a few times, I can safely say I’ve recreated that taste memory in a super simple recipe you can make at home on a weeknight! Serve with chips and my favorite restaurant-style blender salsa to feel like you’re at your new favorite dinner spot!

Ingredients

The ingredients in these tacos are simple and fresh, with minimal seasoning to let the natural flavors of the ingredients shine through. The only concoction you need to make is the chipotle aioli, which really complements all the flavors!

Labeled ingredient shot with flank steak, corn, red cabbage, tortillas, jalapeño pepper, cotija cheese, and chipotle aioli.

For the tacos

  • Flank steak: This flavorful cut of meat is seasoned simply with oil, salt and pepper, and cooked under the broiler until medium rare.
  • Oil, salt, and pepper: For seasoning the steak before broiling. Since broiling is a high heat cooking method, use an oil with a higher smoke point (refined olive oil or canola oil, for example) to prevent a smoky cloud in your kitchen.
  • Corn on the cob: I like to cook a few ears of corn and then cut the kernels off the cob. I love the texture when the kernels stick together in chunks! These can be simply boiled on the stove or you can char them on the grill or a cast iron skillet for some extra flavor.
  • Red cabbage: A mandoline will give a wonderful finely shredded texture, or you can cut thinly with a knife. The cabbage adds a wonderful fresh crunch to these tacos!
  • Cotija cheese: This brings in some of that street corn flavor to the tacos and a salty punch. I prefer crumbling my own for a better texture (I got a bag of cotija crumbles and the pieces were too small and uniform for my taste).
  • Jalapeño peppers: A couple thin slices of fresh jalapeño add color, crunch, and heat!
  • Cilantro: For me (a cilantro hater), cilantro is always optional. But it goes great with these tacos if you like it!
Labeled ingredient shot for chipotle aioli including mayo, olive oil, chipotle powder, chipotles in adobo sauce, lime, garlic, and salt.

For the chipotle aioli

  • Mayonnaise: The base of the aioli.
  • Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must for maximum flavor.
  • Lime juice: While I normally use a splash of fresh lemon juice in my regular garlic aioli, lime juice is a perfect choice for this chipotle aioli.
  • Olive oil: Adds a classic flavor to your aioli (traditionally made with just garlic and olive oil).
  • Chipotle powder: I’m so happy to see that chipotle powder is more readily available than it used to be! It’s spicier than chile powder but not as spicy as cayenne, and has a delightful smoky flavor.
  • Adobo sauce: This will give maximum flavor to your aioli. Just take a spoonful of sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for this flavor bomb!

Substitutions

Here’s what to use if you can’t find the following ingredients.

  • Flank steak: Skirt steak or flat iron steak are good substitutes for flank steak. You can also use any leftover steak you have, cut into pieces! Please note: Medium rare is optimal for flank steak. Due to its lean, fibrous nature, the longer you cook it the tougher it gets! If you prefer your steak more well done, use a fattier cut like ribeye instead and cook how you normally do.
  • Corn on the cob: Frozen corn may be substituted.
  • Cotija cheese: Queso fresco may be used instead.
  • Chipotle powder: If you can’t find chipotle powder, use chile powder instead. It’s less spicy than chipotle powder, so add some cayenne to taste as well to get your desired level of heat.
Four steak and corn tacos on a gray surface.

VIDEO: How to make flank steak tacos

How to make flank steak tacos

Since this recipe focuses on the fresh, natural flavors and textures of the ingredients, each item is very simply cooked or cut. This makes it a cinch to prep this flank steak taco recipe!

1.

Broil the flank steak. Pat dry, rub with a little oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper (image 1). Broiling for 4-5 minutes per side will give a perfect medium rare! Let the steak rest while you prep the rest of the ingredients before slicing.

2.

Cook the corn. Boil your corn for 5 minutes and set aside to cool. Optionally, you can char the corn in a cast iron skillet afterwards to add a little color and smoky flavor (image 2).

Left, flank steak being sprinkled with salt and pepper. Right, corn on the cob being charred in a cast iron skillet.
3.

Mix all aioli ingredients. Putting the aioli in a squeeze bottle lets you get perfect little squiggles on your tacos. Use a fine mesh sieve when adding the adobo sauce to make sure you don't have any chipotle chunks in there, or your aioli may get stuck in the squeeze bottle opening (images 3-4).

Mixing chipotle aioli ingredients in a small bowl.
4.

Prep the toppings. Shred the cabbage with a mandoline or finely slice on a cutting board. Cut thin slices of fresh jalapeño (for less of a kick, remove the seeds first). Crumble some cotija cheese. Cut the kernels off your corn cobs. Thinly slice your steak across the grain, then cut into small pieces. (images 5-7).

Left, cutting corn kernels off a cob. Center, slicing flank steak against the grain. Right, cutting steak into small pieces.
5.

Assemble the tacos. Add steak, corn, cabbage, and cheese to each tortilla. Top with a drizzle of chipotle aioli, cilantro (optional) and a few slices of jalapeño (image 9).

Taco ingredients in bowls with one taco on a plate.
6.

Enjoy! Serve with chips and restaurant-style blender salsa or a green salad.

A hand holding a colorful steak and corn taco.

Tips & Tricks

  • Make it ahead. This is a great make-ahead recipe. You can prepare all components ahead of time or do everything but the steak so it's freshly cooked and warm for your tacos. Keep the ingredients separate until it's time to eat, then assemble the tacos.
  • Use oil with a high smoke point. Use canola oil, refined olive oil, or another high smoke point oil on your steak before broiling since it's a high heat cooking method.
  • Save the adobo sauce! Freeze the rest of the adobo sauce in a small ice cube tray so you can have it on hand for other recipes. I use it all the time for burger sauce, or for this blackened shrimp chipotle mac and cheese!

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Flank steak tacos with corn and chipotle aioli.
5 from 1 vote

Flank Steak Taco Recipe with Chipotle Aioli

This flank steak tacos recipe brings together the flavors of steak and Mexican street corn in a truly restaurant-worthy dish. Topped with crunchy cabbage, fresh jalapeños, and a homemade chipotle aioli, these tacos are fresh, flavorful, and super easy to make!
Print Recipe
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Baja, Mexican
Yield: 8 tacos
Calories: 379kcal
Author: Caroline Lindsey
Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Total Time:40 minutes

Ingredients

For the chipotle aioli

  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup mayo
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablepoon lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • ¼-½ teaspoon chipotle powder to taste

For the tacos

  • 1.5 lbs flank steak
  • 1 tablespoon oil canola, refined olive oil, or another oil with a high smoke point
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 4 ears corn
  • 4 oz Cotija cheese crumbled
  • 1 cup red cabbage finely shredded
  • 2 jalapeño peppers thinly sliced
  • 8 6" flour tortillas
  • cilantro to garnish, optional

Instructions

For the chipotle aioli

  • Mash together the minced garlic and the salt on a cutting board with the side of a knife to form a garlic paste.
    1 clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Combine mayo, garlic paste, olive oil, lime juice, and adobo sauce. Strain the adobo sauce before adding if you plan to put the aioli in a squeeze bottle to ensure there are no chunks that will get stuck in the opening. Add chipotle powder to taste (it's spicier than chile powder, but not as spicy as cayenne!). Refrigerate while you prepare the tacos.
    ½ cup mayo, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablepoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, ¼-½ teaspoon chipotle powder

For the tacos

  • Broil the steak. Preheat the broiler with an oven rack about 6" from the heat source. Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Drizzle both sides with oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Place prepared steak on a sheet pan and broil for 4-5 minutes per side, until medium rare. Remove from the oven and let the steak rest for about 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
    1.5 lbs flank steak, 1 tablespoon oil, kosher salt and pepper
  • Cook the corn. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add corn and boil for 5 minutes, then remove corn to cool. If desired, you can char the corn in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil for a couple minutes per side to get some color and bonus flavor.
    4 ears corn
  • Prepare the ingredients. Finely shred about a cup of red cabbage. Crumble your cotija cheese. Thinly slice the jalapeño peppers (removing seeds if desired for less heat). Cut the corn off the cobs. Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain, then dice into smaller pieces.
    4 oz Cotija cheese, 1 cup red cabbage, 2 jalapeño peppers
  • Assemble the tacos. Add corn, cabbage, and steak to each tortilla. Drizzle with some chipotle aioli, then top with cotija cheese crumbles, a few jalapeño slices, and cilantro. Enjoy!
    8 6" flour tortillas, cilantro
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Nutrition

Calories: 379kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 700mg | Potassium: 380mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 3mg

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I'm a self-taught home cook (and a current culinary student!) who loves dining out and eating good food! I've been running Pinch Me, I'm Eating since 2015 and I'm here to bring you simple, from-scratch restaurant-inspired recipes you can make at home in the time you have with the tools you own! I live in Charleston, SC with my guitar-playing husband, two kids, two cats, and a turtle.

2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I loved this one! Super easy (esp for someone who doesn’t cook often)! Full of flavor and made for GREAT leftovers!

    Reply
5 from 1 vote

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