This copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe tastes just like your favorite fast food menu item but is made healthier because it’s made at home using fresh ingredients.
Prepare this easy meal in 15 minutes with a delicious double layer of crispy fried tortillas stuffed with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, salsa, and plenty of cheese, then bake it until bubbly and top it with taco fixings.
CopyCat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
The original Taco Bell Mexican pizza is back at the restaurant after a few years’ respite; to celebrate its return I’ve created a copycat recipe for Mexican pizza that is so simple to make at home.
Using the traditional Mexican pizza ingredients, this Tex-Mex meal is full of crunch and fresh flavor and can easily be customized to include your family’s favorite fillings.
This easy Mexican pizza recipe has ground beef and refried beans baked between 2 crunchy tortillas with a salsa sauce and cheese spread on top, then you can have fun layering it with toppings just the way you like.
Preparing a homemade Taco Bell Mexican pizza is so much better than the beefy version off the menu, especially because you can skip the drive-thru and serve a less expensive snack or simple supper in minutes.
Why we love this Mexican Pizza Taco Bell Recipe
- Quick and easy to prepare in 15 minutes.
- Uses fresh ingredients to make homemade Mexican pizza.
- A family-friendly meal that tastes just like the Taco Bell fast-food favorite.
- Customize your pizza with your favorite fillings and fixings, or omit the meat and make a vegetarian version.
- Perfect for an any-night dinner, quick after-school snack, or to enjoy leftovers for lunch.
Other Easy Copycat Recipes
Ingredients for Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Avocado oil or cooking oil
- Soft taco flour tortillas: I used the 8″ Mission brand tortillas for my pizzas but you can use any brand you like.
- Ground beef
- Fajita seasoning: You can use a generic brand or the Taco Bell brand.
- Chunky salsa: You can substitute your favorite salsa here or even use red enchilada sauce for a slightly different flavor.
- Refried beans: I used the Taco Bell brand of refried beans however you can use any refried beans you like, including homemade refried beans.
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Optional garnishes: diced tomatoes, chopped green onions, sliced black olives
Substitutions and Additions
- Use Other Oils: You can substitute any oil that has a high smoke point for your pizza, such as grapeseed oil or vegetable oil. I do not recommend using butter or olive oil for this recipe as they will likely burn and give an odd flavor to the tortillas.
- Pick Your Protein: You can make this meal with ground turkey or ground chicken if you prefer.
- Choose Your Cheese: You can use a Mexican blend or fiesta blend cheese for these pizzas. If you prefer to shred your own cheese I recommend a combination of cheddar, mozzarella and Monterey jack cheeses.
- Tasty Toppings: Top your pizza with your favorite taco fixings, like diced Roma tomatoes, onions, black olives, jalapeños, lettuce, extra cheese, sour cream, or guacamole.
- Make It Without Meat: It’s easy to make a vegetarian version of Mexican pizzas by omitting the meat. You can use your favorite meat substitute and season the same way you would season the beef in this recipe or just use beans.
Recommended Tools
- Large baking sheets
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
- Large skillet
- Tongs
How to make Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Create The Crunch: Fry tortillas in oil on each side until golden brown and then place on a paper towel to drain and cool.
- Make The Meat Mixture: Cook, mix and crumble the ground beef and fajita seasoning until browned. Remove any excess grease and then stir in the salsa and the refried beans. Cook until heated through.
- Prepare The Pizzas: Spread the bean and meat mixture onto each tortilla, top with a second tortilla, and then spread salsa and cheese on top.
- Bake: Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Add Taco Toppings: Top pizzas with your favorite toppings.
- Serve: Cut each pizza into fourths and serve hot. Enjoy!
Copycat Mexican Pizza Tips
- I used the Mission brand tortillas to make my pizzas which are about 8 inches in diameter. You can use any tortillas you like but may need to adjust the amounts of fillings and toppings if they are larger or smaller than the ones I used.
- You can use corn tortillas or flour tortillas for your pizzas, but remember that the restaurant original is served on flour tortillas.
- I like the fajita seasoning with the salsa, however, you can use a homemade taco seasoning or a package of store-bought taco seasoning if you prefer that taste.
Storing Mexican Pizza
- To Store: Store any leftover pizza in the refrigerator in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: Reheat your pizzas in the oven or air fryer until heated through and the edges are crispy.
How should I store Leftover Mexican Pizzas?
These Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days if stored in an airtight bag or container.
If you have ever tried to store Taco Bell Mexican Pizzas, you will be aware that they do not do a good job of keeping their texture intact and will become very soft if reheated in the microwave.
For a more enjoyable texture, I recommend reheating them in the oven or air fryer until heated through and the edges are crispy. Obviously eating them fresh is the very best option.
Can I freeze Mexican pizzas?
You can freeze the seasoned ground beef for up to three months in an airtight container and then defrost it overnight in the fridge. However, you should wait until you are ready to bake your pizza before assembling it. Once assembled, I do not recommend freezing your pizza.
Other Easy Tex-Mex Recipes
- Taco Spaghetti
- 7 Can Chicken Taco Soup
- Crockpot Queso Chicken Quesadillas
- Smoked Queso
- Mexican Street Corn
- Taco Bell Frito Burrito
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or cooking oil
- 1 package (10 count) soft taco flour tortillas
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1.25 ounce package fajita seasoning
- 1½ cups chunky salsa divided
- 16 ounce can refried beans
- 2½ cups shredded, mexican blend cheese divided
- Optional garnishes: diced roma tomatoes, chopped green onions, sliced black olives
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Use a large skillet to heat the avocado oil until it shimmers, about 2 minutes.
- Fry each of the tortillas until golden brown, about 30 seconds to a minute per side, using tongs to flip them and then place on a paper towel to drain and cool.
- In the same skillet skillet, heat the ground beef and fajita seasoning mix over medium high heat.
- Cook, mix and crumble until browned, about 5-6 minutes.
- Remove any excess grease and then stir in ½ heaping cup of the chunky salsa and the refried beans.
- Heat over medium heat until the beans are heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- To assemble the pizzas, place 2-3 tortillas on each baking sheet and spread ½ heaping cup of the bean and meat mixture onto each one.
- Top each tortilla with a remaining flour tortilla and then spread 2 Tablespoons of the remaining chunky salsa onto the top of each one.
- Sprinkle ½ cup of shredded mexican blend cheese evenly on top of each tortilla.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove the baked Mexican pizzas from the oven and top with your choice of toppings such as diced roma tomatoes, chopped green onions and sliced olives.
- Cut each pizza into fourths and serve hot.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftover pizza in the refrigerator in an airtight bag or container for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: Reheat your pizzas in the oven or air fryer until heated through and the edges are crispy.
- I used the Mission brand tortillas to make my pizzas which are about 8 inches in diameter. You can use any tortillas you like but may need to adjust the amounts of fillings and toppings if they are larger or smaller than the ones I used.
- You can use corn tortillas or flour tortillas for your pizzas, but remember that the restaurant original is served on flour tortillas.
- I like the fajita seasoning with the salsa, however you can use a homemade taco seasoning or a package of store-bought taco seasoning if you prefer that taste.
I did make them and they were very good. I think next time I will try with corn tortillas and see which one we like the best
Sounds nice and easy. Getting ready to try it
We make these all the time and love them. We buy Old ElPaso “Tostadas” which are already crisp corn tortillas (that way we don’t hafta fry them-so it’s one less step). I also chop a jalapeno and a poblano pepper and add with chopped onion and cook with the meat (after draining). I doctor a can of Pinto Beans up and mash them, then have them be the first layer, then the meat, cheese, melt in oven and top with tomatoes, black olives, more jalapenos, lettuce, etc.and sour cream somewhere in the layer too. So yummy!
I love your page
Thank you so much!
thanks for this I love doind taco bell at home sometime
Thank you so much… Awesome?!
Black olives absolutely do NOT come on the original Taco Bell Mexican Pizza, and should not be included in photos! That’s a personal choice. (And yuck!)
Yes they did. I managed a Taco Bell in the early 90s and we placed green onions and black olives on them. In the early 2000s there was a green onion recall and they never placed them back on. LOVE this recipe!!
Fantastic recipe!!! And YES the black olives were originally on the mexican pizza, and their enchirito. Never mind Paige, she must have been having a “Karen” moment, and is clueless as to what is on the original mexican pizza. Thank you for your awesome recipes!!!
Oh geez, get over yourself. You give it one star because of one topping in a photo that you can absolutely omit. Yes, the mexican pizza did have black olives on it. You need to rate on the recipe, not on optional toppings you don’t like. I hate when people do this, your comment is useless and should be removed.
Replying in such a rude AND incorrect manner over SOMEONE ELSE’s photo. How ugly and entitled you are…
Years ago they DID come with sliced black olives.
Paige, no need to be an ass clown about it. You simply do not know what you are talking about.
I love it 10*
5 stars…now can you please give us a copycat recipe for the Choco taco?… it’s been taken off the market..for good 😥
I can’t wait to try it!!! It looks simple and tasty.
I just saw them in Florida last night
I am actually working on a recipe for this as we speak!
Hey Mary – you ask, we deliver! https://princesspinkygirl.com/choco-tacos/
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