Use these secret tips to create a copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe that tastes just like the restaurant – but homemade and BETTER!
Have you been having a craving for Taco Bell food, but want to make it at home? There are LOTS of reasons you might want to do so.
The first reason is that by making it yourself you know exactly what goes into your family’s food.
Secondly, while Taco Bell is already pretty inexpensive, you really can’t beat making your own at home.
A standard Taco Bell menu item that is easy to make at home is this copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe.
There are a few secrets to make your homemade creations taste similar to what you get in the restaurant.
The first is the type of seasoning you use. Luckily, Taco Bell sells their own brand of Taco Bell seasoning mix which you can get in your local store or on Amazon.
(If you prefer you can also use this easy taco seasoning recipe to make your own.)
Not only can you buy Taco Bell brand Taco Seasoning, but you can also buy Taco Bell Original Refried Beans.
While you can actually use any type of refried beans, basically whatever your favorite is, you’ll of course get the closest copycat results with the Taco Bell Beans.
Another secret for making your final recipe taste like a true Taco Bell copycat is that they chop their beef very finely.
To replicate that, I recommend running the beef through a food processor. This will chop the hamburger meat into very small pieces, just like they do at Taco Bell.
Since this step of running the ground beef through the food processor adds some time to creating your recipe, I find it helpful to cook enough beef for 2, 3 or 4 batches of this recipe and freezing the extra prepared meat.
Put all the extra chopped meat in the freezer in 1/2 pound packages. Then, next time you’re ready to make your homemade Mexican pizza you can just defrost, heat and continue with the recipe.
This seasoned beef is also perfect for taco night, so you can get multiple uses out of it!
Jump to:
Mexican Pizza Ingredients
- Ground Beef – I prefer a lean ground beef.
- Taco Seasoning Mix – I recommend Taco Bell brand seasoning)
- White Corn Tortillas
- Refried Beans – Taco Bell Brand recommended
- Enchilada Sauce – Red, not green
- Thick and Chunky Salsa
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sliced Green Onion – green parts only
- Sliced Black Olives
- Vegetable Oil – For Frying. Canola oil works great.
How to Make Mexican Pizza:
Brown ground beef in a skillet. (Side note: This is my favorite pan for browning ground beef and I use it almost every day (not just for browning beef, of course!)
Drain excess fat.
Add water and taco seasoning. Mix well.
Allow to simmer for 10 minutes on low.
Remove from heat.
Transfer taco meat to food processor and run until it is a fine consistency.
Heat oil to 375 degrees on stovetop.
Fry each tortilla for 30-45 seconds on each side and set on paper towels or clean paper bag to drain.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread 1-2 tablespoons of beans on 4 tortillas.
Top beans with the seasoned ground beef mixture.
Top each of these with the remaining tortillas.
Top these tortillas with a blend of enchilada sauce and salsa.
Next add both types of shredded cheese.
Then top with tomatoes and olives.
Add green onion slices.
Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Alternative Air Fryer Recipe
Check out this tasty alternative if you prefer an Air Fryer Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe.
What to Serve with Mexican Pizza
To be honest, we like to eat these Mexican pizzas just all by themselves, but they are also great served with a side of Mexican rice or with a green salad. Slices of avocado on the side are also a great option.How to Store Mexican Pizza
To be honest, these aren’t great reheated later because it’s almost impossible to keep the tortillas crispy. BUT, there’s another option for leftovers!
The better option is to only assemble as many pizzas as you’ll be eating at once. Then, save the extra meat, cheese, etc. and when you’re ready for leftovers, just assemble the layers and cook so you’ll have a brand new fresh Taco Bell pizza!
More Tex-Mex Recipes You’ll Love
Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Ground Beef
- 1/2 package Taco Seasoning Mix I recommend Taco Bell brand seasoning
- 2 tbsp Water
- 8 White Corn Tortillas
- 16 oz Refried Beans Taco Bell Brand recommended
- 1/3 cup Enchilada Sauce
- 1/3 cup Thick and Chunky Salsa
- 1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1/4 cup diced Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup Green Onion sliced, green part only
- 1/4 cup Sliced Black Olives
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
Instructions
- Brown ground beef in a skillet.
- Drain excess fat.
- Add water and taco seasoning. Mix well.
- Allow to simmer for 10 minutes on low.
- Remove from heat.
- Transfer taco meat to food processor and run until it is a fine consistency.
- Heat Oil to 375 on stovetop.
- Fry each tortilla for 30-45 seconds on each side and set on paper towels or paper bag to drain.
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of beans on 4 tortillas.
- Top beans with the meat mixture.
- Top each of these with the remaining tortillas.
- Top these tortillas with a blend of enchilada sauce and salsa.
- Next add a mixture of the cheeses.
- Then top with tomatoes and olives.
- Optionally add green onion slices.
- Bake in oven for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Video
Nutrition
While you can cut up your Mexican pizza with a knife, the easiest way to do it is with a pizza cutter. I LOVE my Cuisinart pizza cutter! I’ve had a lot of different cutters over the years and this one is definitely my favorite. It cuts right through super easily.
Brad Marquis says
looks good!