Taco Bell Mexican Pizza: Quick And Easy Copycat Recipe! (2024)

This Taco Bell Mexican pizza copycat recipe is so crunchy and flavorful that you’ll never want to go to the drive-thru again! With just 20 minutes of prep work, this Mexican pizza is perfect for any busy weeknight dinner. Gather a few simple ingredients and your favorite toppings, and you’ll have a quick dinner the whole family will love!

Easy Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

A long-time fan favorite, the Mexican pizza at Taco Bell is the go-to drive-thru order for millions of fast-food fanatics. When news broke that they would discontinue this item that had been a menu staple since 1985, people everywhere took to social media to express their outrage.

The good news is they are bringing it back, but let’s not forget- that doesn’t mean it’s here to stay (we could always have another McRib situation). If they boot it from the menu again, or you don’t want to hop in the car, I put together a recipe so you can make it yourself at home!

This recipe is both simple and delicious. I always have the ingredients on hand when I’m short on time.

You need the ingredients for an essential taco night, but this is way better than a basic taco.

❤️ Why This Recipe Works!

• It's Easy! This recipe is hard to mess up, and you can get creative because you’re at home!
• So Delicious! If you aren't up for going out but crave your favorite fast food, this recipe is for you. Forget the drive-through!
• It's Quick! Dinner can be prepared in about 25 minutes, which is likely less time than it would take to get to the drive-through and back with your food.

🥘 Ingredients

This tortilla pizza is quick, easy, and bursting with flavor! You'll only need a few common pantry items and your favorite taco toppings for a meal the whole family will love!

The Pizza

• Ground Beef – 1pound ofground beef. I use 80/20 ground beef, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
• Taco Seasoning – 1packet oftaco seasoning. Make my homemade taco seasoning, or use a package of store-bought taco seasoning. For extra-authentic flavor, use the Taco Bell brand taco seasoning!
• Water – ¾cupof water. The taco meat needs a little water to cook it down. If you'd rather, you can substitute broth.
• Vegetable Oil -2tablespoons ofvegetable oil. You can also use canola oil or olive oil.
• Flour Tortillas – 8flour tortillas. Pick the standard soft taco flour tortilla size to make these hearty pizzas!
• Refried Beans – 1 standard 8-ounce sized can of refried beans. To make it as accurate as possible, use normal refried beans. You could also use refried black beans if you prefer.
• Enchilada Sauce – 1 small can of enchilada sauce. If you prefer that your food has a little more heat, you can opt for the spicy option.
• Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend – 2cupsshredded Mexican cheese blend. I usually recommend grating your cheese, and you still can, but in this case, I use the bagged shredded cheese. It consists of Monterey Jack, queso quesadilla, cheddar, and Asadero cheeses.

Optional Toppings

• Diced Tomatoes – Diced tomatoes are a standard topping on this tortilla pizza when ordered at the drive-through.
• Sliced Green Onion – Chopped green onions add a crisp, slightly spicy, peppery flavor to the dish; these are optional.
• Sliced Black Olives – Black olives are often found on enchiladas and other Tex-Mex dishes; they would also taste great here!
• Diced White Onion – It's best to use white onions sparingly when they're raw, as they have a strong flavor. They have a great crunch, making them a perfect topping!
• Shredded Iceberg Lettuce – Crisp, juicy, and mildly sweet; use it as a topping to give the dish an extra dose of freshness.

*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*

🔪 How To Make Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza

This tasty tortilla pizza is amazingly flavorful and easy to make. Grab some taco night essentials and layer your Mexican pizza as you like best!

To begin, you will need a large skillet (or frying pan), a baking sheet, parchment paper, a spatula, and some measuring utensils!

This Mexican pizza recipe will yield 4 servings. You can easily double or triple the ingredients if you are serving a larger crowd!

1. Prep. First, set your oven to 400°F (205°C) and prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet (or two). Set aside the 1 pound of ground beef and make sure it has been fully defrosted if it was previously frozen.
2. Brown. Cook your ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up as it cooks until it's no longer pink in the center. Afterward, drain off any leftover grease.
3. Season. Combine the ground beef with 1 packet of taco seasoning and ¾cup of water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then, you need to drop the heat to low and continue to cook until the sauce thickens.
4. Crisp. To prepare 8 flour tortillas, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (*see note) in a skillet over medium heat. In the skillet, place one tortilla and cook it for 3-4 minutes, flipping it over every 30 seconds or so, until crispy. Repeat this step with the remaining 7 tortillas.

Assemble & Bake

1. Layer. Refried beans can be softened by heating them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so before spreading them on the tortillas. Pull out 4 crispy tortillas and smear a layer of beans on each one. Then, top the beans with the seasoned ground beef. You'll use a quarter of the beans and beef you've prepared per tortilla.
2. Add Toppings. Top each of the bean and beef tortillas with one of the plain tortillas. Then, use about 2 tablespoons of sauce to top each pizza before sprinkling ½ cup of the shredded cheese (per pizza) on top.
3. Bake. Arrange the pizzas on a large, non-stick baking sheet and place them on the oven’s center rack. Bake the assembled dish in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. To serve, remove the Mexican pizza from the oven and top it with desired toppings.

🥗 Sides

This Taco Bell dupe is surprisingly filling and will make a fine lunch or dinner. However, if you want a little something extra, pop a few tortilla chips in the air fryer and whip up some easy RoTel dip or nachos supreme!

You can also visit my collection of tasty side dishes for tacos or some of my Taco Bell sauces like Ranchero, Baja, or Avocado Ranch!

💭 Tips & Notes

• You need just enough vegetable oil to pan-fry all of the tortillas. You may need to add a little bit more as you go.
• If you want to skip the meat, vegetarian Mexican pizzas can be made by omitting the beef. You can use your choice of meatless meat substitute and season the meat in this recipe the same way you would season the meat.
• Use whatever toppings you like. For example, I like to add a big dollop of sour cream. Add-ons available on the actual menu include black beans, chicken, jalapenos, onions, steak, seasoned rice, red tortilla strips, lettuce, and extra cheese.
• If you went to Taco Bell and ordered this, it would come with refried beans and ground beef layered between two crispy tortillas that are topped with enchilada sauce, cheese, and diced tomatoes.

🥡 Storing & Reheating

You can make the meat in advance; it will be even better the day after as it sits in the fridge, infused with the seasonings.

Store the meat in an airtight container for up to three or four days once it has been chilled. *Wait to assemble the pizza until you're ready to eat it, as the tortillas will get soggy in the fridge.

Freezing

You can freeze the seasoned ground beef quite easily. Seasoned meat can be kept in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.

Defrost frozen meat in the fridge overnight. Again, wait until you're ready to eat the pizza before putting it together. I do not recommend freezing it once it is assembled.

Reheating

If you have already assembled yours and you want to heat it up, use the oven. Depending on how crunchy and crispy you want it to be, it takes 5-10 minutes to reheat leftover Mexican pizza at 350°F (175°C).

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❓ FAQ

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• PF Chang's Mongolian Beef - Tender strips of beef are coated with a sweet and tangy ginger sauce!
• - These addicting dinner rolls are the perfect side to go with any main course meal!
• Panda Express Fried Rice - This delicious copycat recipe combines white rice, peas, carrots, eggs, soy sauce, and green onions!
• Cracker Barrel Meatloaf - Stay at home to enjoy this comforting copycat meatloaf recipe that takes only 15 minutes to prep!

📖 Recipe Card