Taco Bell copycat recipes let you rebuild most of the menu at home for a fraction of what the drive-thru charges. These twenty-five cover the burritos, the tacos, the sauces, the sides, one drink and one dessert. Each links through to the full recipe.
Start with a sauce and the seasoned beef, because almost everything else is built on those two. After that you can assemble a whole Taco Bell night from one pan of meat and a stack of tortillas.
Burritos and Wraps
1. Crunchwrap Supreme
The one most people try first. A tostada shell hides between the beef and the sour cream, which is what keeps the middle crunchy after folding. Get the Crunchwrap Supreme recipe.
2. Quesarito
A burrito rolled inside a quesadilla, so there is cheese in the wrapper as well as the filling. Rich enough to split between two people. Get the Quesarito recipe.
3. Beefy 5-Layer Burrito
Refried beans, beef, nacho cheese, cheddar and sour cream in one soft tortilla. Nothing crunchy anywhere, which is rather the point. Get the Beefy 5-Layer Burrito recipe.
4. Grilled Cheese Burrito
Cheese toasted onto the outside of the tortilla, not just inside it. Press it down hard before it hits the pan or it slides off. Get the Grilled Cheese Burrito recipe.
5. Bean Burrito
The cheapest thing on the menu and the easiest to copy. Use a mild enchilada sauce rather than one of the hot sauce packets. Get the Bean Burrito recipe.
6. Chili Cheese Burrito
The discontinued chilito, rebuilt. Melting the cheese into the filling is what gives it the heavy texture people remember. Get the Chili Cheese Burrito recipe.
7. Enchirito
Beef, beans and onion rolled in a tortilla, then covered in red sauce and cheese. This one needs a fork. Get the Enchirito recipe.
8. Chicken Quesadilla
Shredded chicken and melted cheese with the creamy jalapeno sauce spread on before cooking. Fifteen minutes from start to finish. Get the Chicken Quesadilla recipe.
Tacos and Shells
9. Mexican Pizza
Two crisp tortillas with refried beans and beef between them, then sauce and cheese on top. It bakes in about ten minutes. Get the Mexican Pizza recipe.
10. Cheesy Gordita Crunch
A crunchy taco wrapped inside a soft flatbread, with melted cheese gluing the two together. The spicy ranch is what makes it taste right. Get the Cheesy Gordita Crunch recipe.
11. Chalupa Supreme
The shell is fried flatbread, puffed and chewy rather than crisp. Frying it yourself is the only part that needs attention. Get the Chalupa Supreme recipe.
12. Spicy Potato Soft Taco
Crispy seasoned potato cubes with chipotle sauce and lettuce. The only meat-free main on this list. Get the Spicy Potato Soft Taco recipe.
13. Crunchy Tacos
Seasoned beef in a hard shell with lettuce and cheddar. Baking the shells beats frying them on a weeknight. Get the Crunchy Tacos recipe.
14. Double Decker Taco
A hard taco wrapped in a soft tortilla, with beans holding the two layers together. Easier to eat than it looks. Get the Double Decker Taco recipe.
15. Bell Beefer
A taco served in a hamburger bun, from the old menu. Odd on paper and very good in practice. Get the Bell Beefer recipe.
Sides and Snacks
16. Nacho Fries
Seasoned shoestring fries with a warm cheese sauce for dipping. The spice blend is mostly paprika. Get the Nacho Fries recipe.
17. Nachos BellGrande
Chips under beans, beef, poured cheese and sour cream. Build it at the table or the chips go soft. Get the Nachos BellGrande recipe.
18. Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
Crispy potato cubes buried under nacho cheese and sour cream. The air fryer handles these well. Get the Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes recipe.
Sauces and Fillings
19. Quesadilla Sauce
The creamy jalapeno sauce from the quesadillas, with four ingredients and five minutes. Keep the jalapeno brine, do not drain it away. Get the Quesadilla Sauce recipe.
20. Nacho Cheese Sauce
The pourable cheese that goes on the fries and the nachos. Five minutes on the stove. Get the Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe.
21. Fire Sauce
Smoky and properly hot, for anyone who takes the red packets. It keeps for days in the fridge. Get the Fire Sauce recipe.
22. Baja Sauce
Creamy, tangy and mildly spicy, ready in about five minutes. Good on far more than tacos. Get the Baja Sauce recipe.
23. Seasoned Beef
The base for half the recipes on this list. Make a double batch and freeze what you do not use. Get the Seasoned Beef recipe.
Drink and Dessert
24. Baja Blast
Blue Powerade, Mountain Dew and lemon-lime soda over ice. Three bottles and five minutes. Get the Baja Blast recipe.
25. Cinnamon Twists
Fried duros tossed in cinnamon sugar, which puff up as they hit the oil. Ten minutes for a whole bowl. Get the Cinnamon Twists recipe.
FAQs
Which Taco Bell copycat should I make first?
The seasoned beef, because eight of the recipes above use it as a base. Once you have a pan of it, a crunchy taco and a five-layer burrito are both about five minutes away. Make a double batch and freeze half for the next round.
Can I make these cheaper than buying them?
Comfortably, once you are feeding more than one person. A pound of beef, a pack of tortillas and a block of cheese covers eight to ten items for roughly the price of three off the menu. The sauces are where the saving is biggest.
Which ones freeze well?
The burritos all freeze for up to three months if you wrap them individually and leave out the sour cream. Anything fried or crunchy does not, since the shells go soft on reheating. Sauces keep about a week in the fridge instead.
What should I cook for a crowd?
Set out seasoned beef, warm tortillas, shells and bowls of the sauces, then let people build their own. It turns five recipes into a whole table with no extra work. The nachos are the one thing to assemble at the last second.
