These nopales tacos are made with the same red chile flavors my dad used to cook nopales in. Tender cactus paddles get sautéed with peppers and onions, then piled into warm corn tortillas with a smoky guajillo salsa and queso fresco.
Nopales are one of those things I’ve eaten my whole life without thinking much about it. There were always some in our fridge growing up, either cleaned and ready to go or still whole with the thorns on, waiting for somebody to deal with them.
My mom put nopales in scrambled eggs (nopales con huevo), but my dad sautéed them with a red chile sauce he threw together himself, the same way I do in my quesadillas de nopales en chile rojo.
What makes these different from most nopales tacos is the salsa. I soak guajillo chiles until they soften and blend them with chipotles in adobo, a tomato, and garlic. It takes about ten minutes, and it’s what makes these taste like my dad’s. The peppers and onions are my own thing, because nopales are tangy and a little sour, and something sweet next to them evens it out.
What Are Nopales?
Nopales are the paddles of the prickly pear cactus, which is why you’ll also see these called cactus tacos or nopal tacos. They’ve been a staple in Mexican cooking forever. They taste tart and a little green, somewhere between a green bean and asparagus, with a texture closer to okra.
Most Mexican grocery stores sell them already cleaned, with the spines and thorns removed, sometimes even sliced into strips, which saves you the annoying part. If the ones you find still have thorns on them, here’s how to clean and cook nopales before you start.
When they cook, they release a slippery liquid called babas. It’s completely normal, and it rinses right off.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into nopales tacos, plus a few notes on swaps. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Nopales: You’ll need four cactus paddles for this recipe, or about 3 to 4 cups if you’re buying them already cleaned and sliced. Jarred or canned nopalitos work too, just drain and rinse them well first. Skip anything labeled en escabeche or pickled, since those are packed in vinegar and will throw off the flavor.
- Red or orange bell pepper and white onion: Nopales are tangy and a little sour, so the sweetness from the peppers and onions evens them out. Skip green bell peppers here, you want the sweeter ones. This part isn’t traditional, but it’s just how I like them.
- Dried guajillo chiles: These are the base of the salsa, blended up with a tomato and a clove of garlic. Guajillos are sweet and fruity and pretty mild. If you can’t find them, pasilla or mulato chiles will work.
- Chipotles in adobo: These bring the smoke and most of the heat. Leave them out completely for a mild salsa, or use just 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce if you want the flavor without much spice.
- Ancho chili powder: This seasons the nopales themselves and adds a little richness and smoke. Regular chili powder or chipotle powder both work if that’s what’s in your cabinet.
- Dry seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican oregano, and black pepper. Use Mexican oregano if you can find it, since it’s more citrusy than the Mediterranean kind that you typically find at the grocery store.
- Corn tortillas: Corn is my pick for these. Flour tortillas will work if that’s what you’ve got.
- Queso fresco: The cheese adds a little creaminess. Cotija works instead of queso fresco if you want something saltier.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the rinse. Boiling pulls the slime out of the nopales, but they’re still coating everything when you drain them, so I recommend rinsing them under warm water until they don’t feel slippery anymore. If you rush this part, the filling turns out slick instead of tender.
- Make the salsa first. The guajillos need 10 minutes to soak, so starting the salsa before you touch the nopales means everything lands on the table around the same time.
- Finish with lime. A squeeze of fresh lime right before you eat cuts through the smoky salsa and wakes the whole taco up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Boil them in salted water for about 10 minutes, then drain and rinse them under warm water until they stop feeling slippery. The slime, or babas, is a natural liquid the cactus releases as it cooks, same as okra. It washes right off and won’t be there once the nopales hit the skillet.
Yes, and you don’t need to boil them first. Brush the paddles with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill them for 3 to 4 minutes per side until they’re tender and have some char on them. The slippery liquid cooks off on the grill, so there’s no draining or rinsing at all. Slice them into strips afterward and build your tacos from there.
I don’t recommend it. Nopales hold a lot of water, so freezing and thawing turns them soft and mushy. The filling is best made fresh, and leftovers keep just fine in the fridge for a few days.
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Make the guajillo salsa. Add the guajillo chiles and enough water to cover them completely to a small saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let the chiles soak for 10 minutes to soften.
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Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened chiles to a blender. Add the chipotle peppers, tomato, garlic, salt, and oregano. Blend until smooth. Pour it into a small bowl and set aside.
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Cook the nopales. Add the nopales, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and enough water to cover them completely to a medium saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
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Drain the water from the nopales and give them another rinse under warm water to remove any excess slimy liquid.
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Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper, and sauté for 6-7 minutes until soft and translucent.
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Add the cooked nopales, the remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, and black pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes to meld the flavors.
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Serve the nopales filling in warm corn or flour tortillas with a spoonful of guajillo salsa and a pinch of crumbled queso fresco.
Prevent your screen from going dark
- Preparing the nopales. You can usually buy cactus paddles already cleaned with the spines and thorns removed, sometimes even sliced. If yours still have thorns, here’s how to clean and prepare nopales first. Four large paddles come out to roughly 3 to 4 cups once they’re sliced.
- Jarred or canned nopales. These work too, just drain and rinse them well. Skip anything labeled en escabeche or pickled, since they’re packed in vinegar.
- Chili powder. I use ancho chili powder, but regular chili powder or chipotle powder works just as well.
- To store. Refrigerate the nopales filling in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep the guajillo salsa in its own container for up to 5 days.
- To reheat. Microwave the filling for 1 to 2 minutes, or warm it in a skillet over medium heat until heated through.
Serving: 2tacos | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1807mg | Potassium: 679mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3482IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.