This blog post is all about one of my favorite cookbooks for taco recipes, Trejo’s Tacos Cookbook. We are going on an in depth look inside the book as well as review the recipes I have made. If you’re a fan of taco Tuesday or just Mexican food in general, you may want to keep on scrolling because this is my family’s most used cookbook!
What is this cookbook about?
Raise your hand if you could eat tacos everyday of the week?! The possibility of that happening could come true with one of my family’s favorite cookbooks: Trejo’s Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A. by Danny Trejo. The first few pages of the book go through Danny’s early years and how he became one of L.A.’s hottest restaurant owners. The format of the book is very user friendly as Danny walks us through how to cook each protein first, then you can take it into a taco, a bowl, a salad or a burrito. The last few sections cover his oh so famous donuts and beverages.
Who is this book for?
Taco Lovers: the 75 recipes in this book are a mix of authentic and unique. Danny gives us traditional recipes for things like Carne Asada, Barbacoa Brisket, and Carnitas. But he also peaks interest with recipes for Chicken Tikka Tacos, Blackened Salmon, Bacon Cheeseburger Tacos, and Grilled Spicy Diablo Shrimp.
Donuts: that’s right! Danny generously delivers his oh so famous donut recipes in this cookbook with different flavor variations. He also gives us recipes for Churros
Make it from scratch: this book is for those who don’t mind being in the kitchen for a few hours. You could certainly meal prep on one day and have things on hand for the week to cut down on cooking time. But you really cannot find store-bought alternatives other than your chips and tortillas and you don’t want to skip that part.
Vegans + Vegetarians: although this book is not 100% plant based, many of the recipes are vegan and can be made vegetarian with simple swaps. There are vegan recipes for Cauliflower Tacos, Mushroom Asada, Black Pepper Tofu tacos, Fried Avocado Tacos, and a Vegan Crema that is 10/10. Oh, and he kindly gives us his recipe for Vegan Donuts in case you have a sweet tooth.
Fried + Fabulous: Danny is not afraid of deep frying things. Many of the dessert recipes require deep frying, and recipes like his Beer Battered Fish Tacos and Fried Avocado Tacos do as well.
What is the skill level?
I would consider this book intermediate because there are a lot of components. The recipes themselves are not intense, however, you will need to make 3-4 different accompaniments to follow the recipes in full. If you are afraid of deep frying or do not have the equipment, there are a handful of recipes you will have to pass on.
Ingredients:
For the most part the ingredients are easy to find. There are a few recipes that call for less common ingredients, but you can find them on Amazon. What is so great about these recipes is they use a lot of the same ingredients. So you if you buy a bunch of cilantro, you have dozens of ways to use it up instead of letting it die in the fridge.
Are the recipes quick?
Yes and no. I say this because you could spend 4 hours getting all your marinades, salsas, and proteins prepared which is along time for most people to be in the kitchen at once. However, if you spend this time up front and prepare enough quantity, you could have your meals all prepped for the whole week ahead. So when it comes to meal time during the weekdays, it could simply be slight re-heating and assembly. But still, you will need to invest a significant amount of time up front so keep that in mind.
Testing the recipes:
I have cooked over 60% of the recipes in this book and it is probably my most used cookbook of all time. We are BIG taco lovers in this house and this book satisfies both my meat loving husband, and my veggie loving self. Trejo’s Tacos was released in the summer of 2020 and we really put it to good use as we were cooking all our meals at home during the pandemic. I haven’t reviewed every recipe we have ever made below, just the ones we made this week. But as a whole, this book is a 9/10 in my opinion!
Recipes we made this week:
Pico de Gallo (9/10)- This is the best pico de gallo recipe we have ever tried. In less than 10 minutes you have a fresh salsa that elevates your meal and it makes a good amount of leftovers that last a few days in the fridge.
Salsa Verde (8/10)- A little more involved than the pico, but totally worth it. This salsa verde recipe is used often in the book to dress the cabbage or greens for the tacos. But we think it’s the perfect green salsa for chips and dip too so the extra effort to brown the tomatillos is worth it.
Pickled Red Onion (8/10)- simple but so worth the extra step for taco night. This is a great thing to make every week and keep on hand for sandwiches, salads, burrito bowls, and of course tacos.
Guacamole (6/10)- we have our own perfect guacamole, but since the recipes in this book all come out perfect we wanted to try Trejo’s version with pistachios and cotija. It was very good…but we are loyal to our own version so we scored it a bit lower than other recipes.
Carne Asada Tacos (8.5/10)- my husband loves this recipe, it’s his favorite meat recipe in the book and I love it because I can use the carne asada marinade for the mushroom tacos too. It’s got SO much flavor, but be proactive as the meat needs to sit overnight in the fridge.
Mushroom Carne Asada Tacos (8/10)- these vegan tacos are delicious and honestly taste like meat because of the marinade. The recipe makes a large amount too so I was able to use the leftovers on some salads later in the week.
Pepita Pesto (8/10)- When I see a vegan recipe for something that traditionally isn’t vegan, I try it. Plus, the Mushroom taco recipe called for this as a condiment. This recipe is unique in that it uses pumpkin seeds and a mix of parsley and cilantro to make the most flavorful vegan pesto. Even with fresh herbs it lasted well over a week in the fridge.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Red Chimichurri (6/10)– The method of roasting the sprouts and tossing with a sauce is genius. I wasn’t in love with the chimichurri because it was a bit too vinegar-y for my taste. With a few tweaks though, I could see this being a repeat recipe for my family.
Cotija and Chile Mashed Potatoes (9/10)- holy crap are these good. You basically roast the poblano peppers and then mix into creamy mashed potatoes with cotija cheese. We thought this would be a great dish for any night of the week and we definitely plan on making them again.
Trejo’s Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip (8/10)– I made these for my husband one night and he said they were some of the best wings we’ve ever made. I didn’t try the wings myself as I’m a vegetarian (most days) but the blue cheese dip was incredible. These would definitely be a crowed favorite for a Super Bowl party.
About the Author + A Brief History of Trejos Tacos
Danny Trejo is best known for his acting career. However, I discovered him when I was browsing Amazon for a cookbook with the best taco recipes to make at home and stumbled on this one. Danny has a unique story with twists and turns at every page. He shares his childhood, the crimes he committed, the prison time, the desire to change his life and become sober, his acting career, and his journey into the culinary world. He is truly an example of reinventing oneself and changing your life path.
Trejos is an actual restaurant with multiple locations in and around Los Angeles. Best known for their tacos and donuts (which I have yet to make but the recipes are in this cookbook!), it’s a L.A. staple.
Should you add Trejos Tacos to your cookbook collection?
We reach for this cookbook at least once a month. The ingredients list can be long so this book is best suited for those that have a few hours to spend food prepping on a Sunday. But the beauty of these recipes is that they are versatile. You can prep all your sauces, salsas, and pickled onions one time, and have them on hand for the whole week. You can marinade your meats the night before so dinner time cooking is easy. If you food prep, you can have tacos, salads, bowls, on hand for the whole week.
