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by Stephanie Manley 39 Comments
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Combine taco night and pizza night with a tasty homemade Mexican pizza. Enjoy crispy tortilla shells filled with seasoned ground beef and refried beans topped with taco sauce, melted cheese, and fresh tomatoes. Great to DIY so you can enjoy this tasty pizza anytime you have a craving.
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Table of Contents
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is perfect for Taco Tuesday Night!
I bet you have tried this amazing Taco Bell Menu item at this fast-food restaurant we all love. I think this is one of the most creative entrees they sell.
If you haven’t tried this before, you have been missing out on what I think is one of the better menu items at Taco Bell.
What I love about recreating your restaurant recipes at home is you can use wholesome natural ingredients and then make them with ingredients you love. And you can modify the recipe if you would like to.
Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza has had several different variations from Taco Bell over the years.
It’s no wonder our memories of this treat can be a little fuzzy. This recipe changed multiple times over the years.
- In 1985, this was introduced as the Pizzazz Pizza. These were made with flour tortilla shells, and the top shell had sauce before the layer of mozzarella cheese, diced tomato, and chopped black olives. You could order these with or without the seasoned taco meet.
- In the 1990s, this was brought back as a promotional item, but there were changes. The shells remained flour tortilla shells. The top shell was still topped with a pizza-style sauce, but the cheese was Monterey Jack and a cheddar cheese blend; the black olives were removed, but this was topped with chopped tomato and green onions.
- In the mid 2000’s, green onions were removed from the pizza.
- The Mexican pizza remained the same until it was removed from the menu in 2020.
- In 2022, Taco Bell returned Mexican pizza as a permanent menu item.
Ingredients you will need
- Flour tortillas
- Vegetable oil
- Refried beans
- Taco meat
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Taco Bell Sauce – homemade or bottled
- Chopped tomatoes
How to Make Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Prepare the Mexican spice blend and seasoned ground beef.
- Heat vegetable oil to 350°F in a skillet.
- Place 1 tortilla into the hot oil. Cook for about 30 to 60 seconds until the shell crisps.
- Remove the crispy tortilla from the oil and place it on awire rack.
- Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Spread refried beans onto six of the shells.
- Sprinkle cooked seasoned ground beef over the refried beans.
- Place a tortilla shell on top of the ground beef and cheese layer.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Broil the pizza until the cheese melts.
- Sprinkle diced tomatoes on top.
- Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.
You might want to add some additional taco sauce, or some chopped green onions, or pile this Mexican pizza with fresh lettuce, as it was originally served.
This Mexican Pizza is an excellent take on traditional pizza. Flour tortillas are fried to take the place of your everyday pizza shells.
This pizza is filled with Taco Bell seasoned ground beef, and the Taco Bell mild sauce.
What can you serve with your Mexican pizza?
You may want to round out this meal with some seasoned Mexican-style rice, or refried beans. We also enjoy serving soft tacos with our Mexican pizzas.
How to store leftover Mexican Pizzas
Ideally, prepare only what you are going to consume in one meal. Store the ingredients in airtight containers until you are ready to serve them again. Now, we will fry all of our tortillas at once, these can be refreshed in either in a warm oven or an air fryer.
More Taco Bell copycat recipes
- Baja Blast
- Breakfast Crunchwrap
- Crispitos
- Crunchwrap
- Enchirito
- Fresco Taco
- Potato Tacos
- Quesadilla Sauce
Favorite Mexican Recipes
- Chile Verde Pork
- Chipotle Corn Salsa Recipe
- Mexican Barbacoa
Check out of my easy Mexican recipes and the best Taco Bell recipes here on CopyKat!
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Combine the best of Mexican and pizza with homemade Taco Bell Mexican pizza.
4.67 from 9 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Taco Bell Recipes
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 6
Calories: 790kcal
Author: Stephanie Manley
Ingredients
Taco Meat
- 1 1/2 tablespoons masa harina
- 4 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
- 1 1/3 pounds ground chuck
Pizza
- vegetable oil for frying
- 12 8-inch flour tortillas
- 14 ounces refried beans
- taco meat
- 12 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend (do not use extra-thick shreds like Tillamook)
- 4-6 tablespoons Taco Bell Sauce or use bottled
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
Instructions
Taco Meat
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except for the ground chuck. Mix well.
Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat, stirring well, until the meat has browned. Remove from the heat.
Transfer the meat to a strainer over the sink, rinse with hot water, and drain.
Return the beef to the skillet along with the spice mix and 3/4 to 1 cup of water. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has cooked away. Remove from the heat before the meat is completely dry.
Pizza
Add vegetable oil to a 10-inch skillet until it reaches a depth of about 1/2 inch. Heat the oil to 350°F. When the oil is hot, place a tortilla into the hot oil and fry for about 30 to 60 seconds until the shell crisps. Remove the tortilla from the oil and drain on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Spread an ample portion of refried beans onto 6 of the fried tortillas. You want a good base of refried beans on the tortilla. Sprinkle 4 to 5 tablespoons of prepared taco meat over the refried beans and place another tortilla on top. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of Taco Bell sauce over the tortilla and sprinkle with enough cheese to mostly cover the sauce.
Place the pizzas under the broiler until the cheese begins to melt.
Sprinkle tomatoes over the melted cheese and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 790kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1832mg | Potassium: 489mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 933IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 570mg | Iron: 7mg
About Stephanie Manley
I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.
Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Caleb
Ok. Found this with a quick “taco bell mexican pizza ingredients” search in the results list by tacobell.com…
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is 2 Crispy flour shells layered with beans, seasoned beef, pizza sauce, tomatoes and melted three cheese blend.
So I’m guessing one of two things. 1. You thought crunchy shells were corn and crispy were flour. (Guess what. Fried flour shells are crispy). Or 2. The restaurant you were getting them at was using tostada shells in place of the flour shells. In which case you should immediately file a lawsuit against said restaurant for depriving you of a real Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. Just sayin.Reply
Caleb
For those saying they use corn tortillas, are you saying that because its crunchy? When we say flour tortillas, we’re not talking soft flour tortillas, we’re talking fried flour tortillas- light and crispy. I’ve eaten Mexican pizzas in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and Florida, and I’ve never had one with a corn tortilla. And if you’ve really had one with a corn tortilla and you think the Mexican pizza is delicious, it’s probably best they were discontinued before you had one with a flour tortilla. Ten times better than a corn tortilla would be. Trust me.
Reply
E.V.
Aaaaaactually, for those who are arguing, Taco Bell uses a flour/corn blend tortilla for its Mexican Pizza tortilla shell.. so everyone’s right! 😉
Also the sauce that they use for the Mexican Pizza is different from their other sauces. It contains (as another commenter mentions) diced tomatoes, along with diced green chilies, onions, sugar, tomato paste, spices, salt, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder, among other additives (pulled from the Taco Bell nutritional information on their website).
Reply
Caleb
“Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is 2 Crispy flour shells layered with beans, seasoned beef, pizza sauce, tomatoes and melted three cheese blend.”
Straight from tacobell.com
If you were cheated by a restaurant that was using tostada shells, you should file a lawsuit against said restaurant immediately, but at the same time be thankful because they probably saved you 20-40 pounds as they are 10 times more delicious with flour tortillas. (I had one with corn once when my store ws out of flour tortillas)Reply
Aspen Frost
This is great! Love these… However, i do believe the taco bell ones have some kind of adobo sauce or adobo tomatoes on them. They’re my favorite part of a Mexican Pizza. Lol
Reply
Stephen
You are correct. There is a sauce on the top shell, then the cheese (yellow and white) and green onions… It really is a shame that this menu item is gone forever.
Reply
Kimberly
The Mexican Pizza was my staple item at Taco Bell! It was my pregnancy craving item too…no reason for me to go back to Taco Bell for the family without it😢
Don Kaizen
They still have the Mexican pizza where I live. Weird that it’s been disco’d other places.
Stephanie Manley
You are lucky!
Christine
GENIUS! I don’t eat cheese, so I make my own pizzas and always wonder how to give more zing! Thank you for the idea of adding the Taco Spice!Reply
JoyDee McCorkle
I tried with a fried corn tortilla and thought it was tough. I prefer fried, tender, flour tortillas as we have all over Oregon and Washington. This recipe is good.Reply
Stephanie
Both work well, Taco Bell uses the corn, but I am with you, I personally like the flour tortillas.
Reply
Stephen
I’m pretty sure it’s a fried flour tortilla that Taco Bell used before they tragically discontinued the best item on their menu that has been a staple since 1985. When it was first introduced it was called the Pizzazz Pizza. It became the Mexican Pizza in 1988… OMG, why do I know this??? 🙂Stephen
I stand corrected on the corn tortillas… I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in. I always felt that the flour tortillas are what distinguished the Mexican Pizza from a standard old tostada.
UC
We had mexican Pizza at Taco Bell in Navarre Florida Area last week and they used Corn TortillasReply
I guess it depends on where you live and your Taco Bell, but here in Florida the Mexican pizza’s are made from flour. Gonna try this recipe tonight, just cut amount for smaller family.
Reply
Sue
The Taco bell I frequent does use corn tortillas…….sorry maybe different part of the country. Thank you.!!Reply
Misti Fleetwood
My taco bell uses those as well. I haven’t ever gotten one anywhere in the United States with a flour one
Reply
Scott Weaver
I have never been to a Taco Bell that used corn tortillas for the Mexican pizza.
Jo
LOVE this recipe! Do you have a Pin on Pinterest for it? I save all of my favorite recipes so I can find them easily.Reply
Anon
You can create your own pin for it. They have an option to have the Chrome extension where there’s a little Pinterest logo by your search bar. Then when you find something you want to pin, you can click on it to pin the item for you.
Reply
Sarah
How do you cook the tortilla shells?
Reply
Stephanie
You fry them in a pan with some oil.
Reply
JoyDee McCorkle
Stephanie…this is one of just a few items I love at Taco Bell. I just scanned my cupboards and found everything I need to make these for hubby and me tonight. THANK YOU!!!!Reply
Stephanie
You and be both 😉
Reply
Kiley
I use the Azteca Taco Salad shells, just leave them flat instead of putting on the salad form! And I add black,olives and jalapenos! So yummy!!!!
Reply
PAM
Cant wait to try the Pizza. YUM!
I enjoy your BLOG, so-ooo very much. Keep up the good work.Pam
Reply
pam locke
gonna try these today for a quick lunch…
Reply
Stephanie
Thank you Pam~
Reply
kathie
has anyone tried air frying the tortilla??? if so how?
Reply
Stephanie
You will have to spray with some oil, or it is going to dry out and become crisp, not brown and crisp.
Reply
dawn
OMG delicious! mex pizza is the only item i eat at taco bell. i use only cheddar, but i add cilantro…talk about n xtra layer o flavor, its an amazing addition!! also, i add my sauce to the actual beef mixture in addition to on the top and a dollop of sour cream! experiment with the original and make of your own!! im in love w this site! every recipe i have tried has been spot on!
Reply
Valerie
The recipe looks and sounds good.
Reply
Eatfreshjay
Hey one thing the taco bell Mexican pizza does not have a flour tortilla, it is a corn tortilla and also it’s not a 12 inch tortilla its a 6 inch corn tortilla!!
Reply
yup
The recipe states 12 6″ flour tortillas, ya goof! And Taco Bell uses a flour tortilla for their Mexican Pizzas.
Reply
Nikki Ourand Lambert
Taco Bell uses flour tortillas for their Mexican Pizza.
Reply
Mike
Flour tortillas are what they use.
Reply
Misti Fleetwood
I had one tue night and it didn’t have a flour one. It was corn. I have never had a flour one anywhere in the United States. And trust me i eat more than my share of taco bell and Mexican pizza
Reply
Bun
taco bell mexican pizza
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