A DELICIOUS TACO BELL COPYCAT RECIPE
Mexican Pizza brings you all the flavors of crispy tortillas, seasoned beef, saucy goodness, and of course: cheese! This is probably one of my most favorite menu items at Taco Bell. They brought it back last year but I just don’t think it has quite the same flavor that it used to. This homemade versions is so amazingly yummy and way better than the original (if I say so myself – ha!) Do you remember when they used to have olives and green onions? Well now you can have all that back! Once you make this at home, you will never look back!
hand holding a slice of Mexican Pizza over wood cutting board.
Huge huge hit with the family. OMG fried tortillas are the absolute best – WAY better than Taco Bell could ever do! LOL
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Is Mexican Pizza actually Mexican?
No. It is totally an American invention for American consumers. Not that anything Taco Bell makes is truly Mexican, but ya know, we like it.
Can I use other size tortillas?
Yes. You can make this is big or small as you’d like. You can use street taco sized tortillas or burrito size tortillas. You can also purchase the Azteca shells that you would use for taco bowls and bake those. They are pretty large and are great to serve more people.
Doesn’t Taco Bell use a Mexican pizza sauce?
Yes. The Taco Bell version uses a sauce that is similar to enchilada sauce with lots of diced tomatoes in it. We don’t have a similar sauce like that you can buy at the grocery store so the closest I have found is enchilada sauce. You could certainly mix the enchilada sauce with half a can of drained diced tomatoes to get it close to the Taco Bell version.
Do I have to fry the tortillas?
No. I love how crispy it makes the shells but you could bake them or put them in the air fryer until crispy.
How do I store leftover Mexican Pizza?
The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days. You can reheat in an air fryer, toaster oven or in the microwave. This can also be frozen. Wrap with plastic wrap then in aluminum foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator then re-heat.
Fully baked Mexican Pizza shown on a wooden cutting board and topped with diced tomatoes and sliced black olives.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
ground beef – the great thing about making this at home is you can use any ground meat you prefer. So if you don’t enjoy ground beef or are cutting back on red meat, try Ising ground turkey or chicken or even a meat substitute.
taco seasoning – use your favorite store bought taco seasoning or Homemade Taco Seasoning.
water – you can use the amount called for on the back of the packet or if you like it just a bit more sauce, use 3/4 cups of water.
refried beans – if you really want to go all out, try my Crock Pot Refried Beans recipe!
enchilada sauce – if you want to make it a bit more like the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Sauce, you can add a little bit of petite diced tomatoes to the sauce.
shredded Mexican cheese blend – or your favorite blend of cheese.
flour tortillas – if you want to make these smaller, just use a smaller size tortilla. Or, you can even try your hand at Homemade Flour Tortillas.
ground beef, taco seasoning, water, refried beans, enchilada sauce, shredded Mexican cheese blend, flour tortillas, vegetable oil.
HOW TO MAKE TACO BELL MEXICAN PIZZA
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. In a large skillet, brown and crumble ground beef. Drain excess grease. Place beef back into skillet. Add taco seasoning packet, water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until thickened.
collage of two photos: brown and crumbled ground beef in a skillet; taco seasoning and water added to cooked ground beef in skillet.
In a large skillet, heat up oil over medium heat. Make sure the oil is nice and hot. Add tortillas (one at a time) and cook for 2-4 minutes (flipping frequently) until crisp. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat up the refried beans in a microwave-safe bowl. This will make it easier to spread onto the tortilla. On each tortilla, slather a generous layer of refried beans. Then top with seasoned ground beef.
collage of two photos: a flour tortilla being fried in oil in a pan; fried flour tortilla on a cutting board with refried beans being spread on top.
Place another tortilla on top. Slather about two tablespoons of the enchilada sauce on top. Then place some shredded cheese on top of the sauce. Continue assembling the rest of the Mexican pizzas.
collage of two photos: ground beef added on top of refried beans on fried tortilla; enchilada sauce and shredded cheese on top of pizza.
Place the pizzas on a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite toppings!
overhead view of finished mexican pizza on a cutting board.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Taco Bell Enchiritos
Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burrito
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Casserole
Warm Taco Bean Dip
Slow Cooker Refried Beans
Mexican Lasagna
Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce
Taco Rice
Taco Bake
Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Chimichangas
Arby’s Roast Beef and Cheddar
Originally published: November 2011
Updated & republished: March 2025
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe from The Country Cook.
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza (+Video)
This Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe is made with fried tortillas, refried beans, seasoned ground beef, enchilada sauce, and melted cheese!
119 Reviews
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20minutes minutesCook Time: 10minutes minutesTotal Time: 30minutes minutes Servings:
Cook Mode
Prevent your screen from going dark
Ingredients
For the pizzas:
▢1 pound ground beef
▢1 packet taco seasoning
▢¾ cup water
▢1 cup vegetable oil
▢8 flour tortillas (taco size)
▢15 ounce can refried beans
▢10 ounce can enchilada sauce
▢2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
Toppings:
▢diced tomatoes
▢sliced green onion
▢sliced olives
▢sour cream
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, brown and and crumble 1 pound ground beef.
cooked and crumbled ground beef in a sauce pan
Drain excess grease. Place cooked beef back in skillet and add 1 packet taco seasoning and 3/4 cup water and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
taco seasoning and water added to cooked round beef
In a separate large skillet, heat up 1 cup vegetable oil medium heat. Add one of the 8 flour tortillas (taco size) and cook for about 3-4 minutes (flipping frequently) until crisp. Continue with the rest of the tortillas. Set aside.
frying flour tortillas in hot oil in a large skillet
Meanwhile, heat up 15 ounce can refried beans in a microwaveable-safe bowl. This will make it easier to spread the beans onto the tortilla shells.
On each fried tortilla, slather a generous layer of refried beans. Then top with seasoned ground beef.
Place another tortilla on top. Slather about two Tablespoons from the 10 ounce can enchilada sauce on top. Then place some of the 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend on top of the sauce. Continue assembling the rest of the pizzas.
enchilada sauce and shredded cheese placed on top later of fried tortillas
Place the pizzas on a large nonstick baking sheet and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with your favorite toppings like diced tomatoes, sliced green onion, sliced olives and sour cream.
