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Copycat vegetarian version of the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza recipe that tastes even better than the original, and it’s BAKED. This vegetarian Mexican Pizza is made with refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, scallions, and jalapenos, then topped off with Taco Bell sauce.
One reader commented:
“So, I just tried the Taco Bell Mexican pizza for the first time this weekend, then I was inspired to try this recipe. Nisha, this is SOOO DELICIOUS! I followed your instructions & topped with guac & salsa. 1000x better than the Bell! Thanks so much for another scrumptious creation!”
— Kim
Table of Contents
My Taco Bell Obsession!
Taco Bell is my absolute favorite fast-food place in the world. I’m Indian origin so what do you expect? I believe half of their customers are probably Indian.
I don’t know what it is about their food that has so many South Asian people hooked. Maybe it’s the sauce or the plethora of vegetarian options on their menu.
My favorite items to order are the 7 Layer Burrito (discontinued), Spicy Tostada (discontinued), Bean Burrito, and of course, their Mexican Pizza with beans (no beef).
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Copycat Version
Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is two deep-fried flour tortillas that are layered and topped with refried beans, salsa, and cheese. The pizza is first heated and then topped with tomatoes, scallions, and jalapenos, and finished off with Taco Bell sauce.
At Taco Bell, you can get the beef or vegetarian version of the pizza, but today I’m sharing the vegetarian version.
Truthfully, I find the Mexican Pizza so soggy and half the cheese and veggies fall off. My homemade version is 100 times better and made with love.
Sharing with you guys a homemade version that’s baked, not fried. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of frying food at home, but I can assure you this baked version is insanely delicious and so much BETTER than the real thing. Hope you guys give it a try!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- BAKED, not fried – My version of the Mexican Pizza is healthier than the real thing. Skip the fried stuff, and make it at home.
- Homemade Tastes Better – Believe me when I say that every person who has tried this recipe, loves it. The reviews below speak for itself.
- Cheesy, Crunchy & Comforting – This homemade version is cheesy, crunchy, and delicious. It’s especially comforting during the fall and winter months.
Ingredients
- Tortillas – As much as I prefer whole wheat, you should use an 8″ white flour tortilla for this Taco Bell copycat recipe.
- . Mission brand is great, however the ingredients are not so great.
- Refried Pinto Beans – I used canned organic refried pinto beans from Trader Joe’s – they’re delicious. You may also use refried black beans if you prefer.
- Taco Seasoning – Any brand of taco seasoning works, but I love Trader Joe’s since it’s spicy.
- Taco Bell Sauce – You can find Taco Bell sauce at Walmart, Target, or Amazon. I love their hot sauce followed by mild.
- Cheese – Use any shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese.
*See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.*
Substitutions
- Gluten-free – For a gf option, use your favorite gluten-free tortillas or corn tortillas.
- Vegan – For a vegan option, use non-dairy cheese and tortillas.
- Spicier – Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning is already quite spicy, however if you want additional spice, you may add a can of green chilies to the beans or cayenne pepper.
- Healthier – Use whole-wheat tortillas and use less cheese.
- Beans – You can substitute ground beef, turkey, or chicken for retired beans. Saute the meat in garlic and onions, then add lots of taco seasoning for flavor.
- Sauce – Instead of Taco Bell sauce, you may also use enchilada sauce.
- More Protein – Use beef, turkey, or chicken (mentioned above) for a boost of protein. You can use the leftover taco meat in tacos.
- Additional Veggies to Add – Feel free to add black olives or chopped green bell pepper.
How to Make Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe
STEP 1 – BAKE THE TORTILLAS TO CRISP THEM UP
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a tray with foil. (Image 1)
2. Place 2 tortillas on a baking tray lined with foil or a baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the tortilla with avocado oil. Prick the tortillas with a fork – this prevents them from puffing. (Image 2)
3. Once preheated, put the tray in the oven. Bake for 11 minutes – 5 1/2 minutes on each side – so flip halfway. You can add multiple tortillas at a time. (Image 3)
4. Crispy tortillas are ready and should be slightly golden brown. (Image 4)
STEP 2 – FLAVOR REFRIED BEANS & CHOP VEGGIES
5. In the meantime, make the beans. Empty the contents of the refried beans into a pot and cook on medium heat. (Image 5)
6. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cups of water and taco seasoning. Do not add salt since the taco seasoning has enough salt. (Image 6)
7. In the meantime, chop an onion. Add the onion to the beans. Once heated through, turn off the stove. (Image 7)
8. Chop the tomatoes, scallions (or green onions), and jalapenos. Set cheese aside. (Image 8)
STEP 3 – ASSEMBLE MEXICAN PIZZA
9. First layer – add a layer of refried beans and spread on top of the tortilla. (Image 9)
10. Top off with a little salsa and spread. Use your favorite salsa or even Taco Bell sauce will work. (Image 10)
11. Second layer – place the second piece of tortilla on top. (Image 11)
12. Now top with salsa again. Spread. (Image 12)
13. Top with scallions, tomatoes, and jalapenos. (Image 13)
14. Top with cheese, make sure you get the sides. (Image 14)
15. Place the Mexican Tortilla Pizza back on the foiled tray and into the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. Check after 3 minutes. (Image 15)
16. Mexican Pizza is ready. Cut into 4 pieces and serve hot with Taco Bell sauce. You can also garnish with onions, cilantro, or sour cream. Enjoy! (Image 16)
Serving Suggestions
→ Serve with my guacamole recipe, sour cream, and lettuce.
→ A side of Mexican Rice (coming soon) would be perfect.
Recipe Tips
✓ Prep all the ingredients before assembling the recipe, including baking the tortillas, flavoring the refried beans, and chopping the ingredients.
✓ Assemble the Mexican Pizza – do not overload the pizza with refried beans and sauce, or your pizza will get soggy.
✓ Sauce – Enjoy Mexican Pizza with none other than Taco Bell sauce, I recommend their hot and mild sauces.
Recipe FAQs
You could say, my version is a healthy Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.
Here’s how I make it:
Brushing a little oil on the tortilla and baking both sides is key. This results in a crispy outer shell.
Once done, proceed to layer the Mexican Pizza and then bake again.
This makes a great dish to celebrate Cinco De Mayo!
Absolutely! Although I don’t own a good air fryer, I would air fry these Mexican Pizzas at 375 for 8 minutes. Check on it. Then add more time if you need.
Make sure your beans are not super liquidy, it’s okay for the beans to be runny, but avoid them getting so liquidy that your tortillas become soggy. Also, spread some salsa over the beans, but don’t go overboard else the tortillas get soggy.
No, this homemade version of Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza is not gluten-free. I used flour tortillas for this recipe as they’re soft.
For a gluten-free option, feel free to use your favorite gluten-free tortillas, just make sure they’re soft for the best results. Additionally, make sure your beans are gluten-free.
Replace regular cheese with vegan cheddar cheese and you’ve got yourself vegan Mexican Pizza.
Yes, they did, but as of May 19, 2022, the Mexican Pizza is now back at Taco Bell. I still love my healthier baked version 100 times more than Taco Bell’s because it does not get soggy and I don’t skimp on the ingredients.
More Mexican Recipes!
- Taco Bell 7-Layer Burrito
- Taco Bell Spicy Tostada
- Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna Recipe
- 5 Layer Mexican Dip
- Black Bean Enchilada Pasta
- Crunchy Tortilla Salsa Mac & Cheese
- Enchilada Bean Dip
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
for the baked tortillas
- 8 flour tortillas, 2 tortillas per pizza, use wheat for a healthier option
- avocado oil to brush both sides of tortilla
for the beans
- 15 ounces organic pinto refried beans salsa style, I like Trader Joe's
- 1 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning, I like Trader Joe's
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
for the veggies, cheese, salsa (divided in 4 servings)
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded & chopped
- 2 stalks scallions, chopped
- 2 cups cheese, shredded, 1/2 cup cheese each pizza
- few spoonfuls salsa, or taco bell sauce
Instructions
STEP 1 – BAKE THE TORTILLAS TO CRISP THEM UP
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a tray with foil. Place 2 tortillas on a baking tray lined with foil or a baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the tortilla with avocado oil. Prick the tortillas with a fork – this prevents them from puffing.
- Once preheated, put the tray in the oven. Bake for 11 minutes – 5 1/2 minutes on each side – so flip halfway. You can add multiple tortillas at a time. Crispy tortillas are ready and should be slightly golden brown.
STEP 2 – FLAVOR REFRIED BEANS & CHOP VEGGIES
- In the meantime, make the beans. Empty the contents of the refried beans into a pot and cook on medium heat. Add 1/4 – 1/2 cups of water and taco seasoning. Do not add salt since the taco seasoning has enough salt. In the meantime, chop an onion. Add the onion to the beans. Once heated through, turn off the stove. Chop the tomatoes, scallions (or green onions), and jalapenos. Set cheese aside.
STEP 3 – ASSEMBLE MEXICAN PIZZA
- First layer – add a layer of refried beans and spread over the tortilla. Top off with a little salsa and spread. Use your favorite salsa or even Taco Bell sauce will work.
- Second layer – place the second piece of tortilla on top. Now top with salsa again. Spread. Top with scallions, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Top with cheese, make sure you get the sides.
- Place the Mexican Tortilla Pizza back on the foiled tray and into the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes. Check after 3 minutes. Mexican Pizza is ready. Cut into 4 pieces and serve hot with Taco Bell sauce. You can also garnish with onions, cilantro, or sour cream. Enjoy!
Notes
-
- Gluten-free – For a gf option, use your favorite gluten-free tortillas or corn tortillas.
-
- Vegan – For a vegan option, use non-dairy cheese and tortillas.
-
- Healthier – Use whole-wheat tortillas and use less cheese.
- Spicier – Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning is already quite spicy, however if you want additional spice, you may add a can of green chilies to the beans or cayenne pepper.
-
- Beans – You can substitute ground beef, turkey, or chicken for retired beans. Saute the meat in garlic and onions, then add lots of taco seasoning for flavor.
-
- More Protein – Use beef, turkey, or chicken (mentioned above) for a boost of protein. You can use the leftover taco meat in tacos.
-
- Additional Veggies to Add – Feel free to add black olives or chopped green bell pepper.
Yummy! This was super duper easy to make and my two boys loved it! I actually loved it myself as well! 🙂
SOOO GOOD!
Thank you for the tips! My family has tried making Mexican pizzas as good as Taco Bell for years and my mom has been frying the tortillas. This was sooo much better!
5 minutes on each side at 400 degrees burnt the crap out of my tortilla shells. So after throwing away the first batch, I turned my oven down to 350 and did 3 minutes on each side. That seemed to be just about perfect.
The pizzas were very yummy, too! I didn't have any taco bell sauce so I used Old El Paso hot taco sauce. A little bit of work to make but worth it. And since I only made 2 pizzas, I have enough stuff for my hubby and I to have it for lunch tomorrow. 🙂
@Becca – thank you. I love the TB Hot Sauce the best.
I appreciate your comments on the nutrition facts.. the only thing slightly unhealthy in this recipe is the reduced fat sour cream, the cheese (which is good for you), and perhaps the beans (also good for you) from a can. The amount I used doesn't equate to it being unhealthy for you. I don't believe anyone can blindly follow calories, it's about eating foods that are good for you, some are high in fat or in calories. Take salmon for example which is high in fat and calories, but so good for you.
Thanks, appreciate your comment!!!
Haha great idea! Can't wait to try this later tonight. And yes, we have more packets of taco bell Fire Roasted Tomato hot sauces than I'd like to admit, they'll go great on top 🙂
In response to the nutrition facts, how could fresh veggies be unhealthy with a small sprinkling of cheese and some beans? I agree that making your own refried beans might be healthier, but still… it can't be that bad.
@Anonymous – FYI.. on my dessert section, I make sure to include the Nutrition Facts. I also focus on making desserts that range from Low-Fat to Full Fat.
In regards to this recipe, had I eaten this at taco Bell, I may have believed your nutrition facts, but since I made this at home and used mostly vegetables, some cheese, I really don't believe the nutrition on this pizza is 646 calories.
The whole point of this post is to make a healthier version of Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza!
So I'm always curious why food bloggers never include nutrition facts in their blogs. After entering in everything you listed in your ingredients, I understand why. Food Bloggers don't want to know how terribly they're eating. Here, let me help you out. Each one of these pizzas has 646 Calories, 28g Fat, 55mg Cholesterol, 1465mg Sodium (that's like 80% of your recommended daily sodium intake), and 24g Protein. I don't care how good these are, there's a reason healthy people tend to stay away from fast-food joints.
@Anonymous – sure, let me know how it goes. My mom gave me the Correlle dish set, it's popular. 🙂
Going to try this soon! Also, I used to have that Correlle dish set! 🙂
@Anonymous – I'm so sorry to hear the tortilla wasn't crisp.
Did you brush oil on both sides? Did you add a lot of oil?
Did you place the tortillas in the oven for 5 minutes on each side? If it wasn't crisp, did you leave it in longer? Oven should be at 350 degrees F.
Let me know.
Sorry!
Made this with flour tortillas but it never got crisp. I will definitely try a different type of tortilla, I love TacoBell mexican pizza