Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: These easy personal-sized Mexican pizzas are topped with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, plenty of cheese, and all your favorite taco toppings. They’re a fun way to change up your taco night routine!
How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: skillet, sheet pan
Servings: 4
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Pin ItCopycat Mexican Pizza
While Mexican pizza is officially back on the menu at Taco Bell, you never know when the rug might be pulled out from under you again. Just when you get used to ordering them from the drive-thru, BAM, they’re gone. Luckily, it couldn’t be any easier to whip them up at home.
Basically, if you can make ground beef tacos (or these ground turkey tacos), you can make this Mexican pizza recipe, easy peasy. And while technically speaking, it’s a Taco Bell copycat, I have to tell you, it’s even better than their version. The homemade seasoned ground beef is much tastier and you can make your pizzas with olives, which vanished from the Taco Bell menu years ago and, unlike Mexican pizza, never returned.
Easy Homemade Mexican Pizza
Have it your way. I know, that’s the slogan from Burger King, but it applies here too! When you order a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell, there are only so many ways you can customize it. When you make it yourself, the options are endless—and yes, those options include olives if you’re a fan.
Quick and easy. This recipe comes together in no time at all and you can make it even faster by meal prepping the ground beef ahead of time (see the tip below), which makes these Mexican pizzas perfect for busy weeknights.
Family-friendly. Everyone can assemble their own Mexican pizza with the toppings they love most. Kids love it and and adults enjoy it too!
Ingredient Notes
- Flour tortillas: You’ll want to use fajita-size flour tortillas, which are about 6 inches in diameter.
- Lean ground beef: I like to use 92/8, which is a very lean ground beef, for taco meat. If you prefer, you can use a different blend, or you can substitute ground turkey.
- Taco seasoning + water: You can use a packet of taco seasoning that you purchase (use only half the packet). If you have it on hand, substitute homemade taco seasoning with ½ tablespoon of flour to thicken the ground beef mixture.
- Refried beans: I use canned refried beans to keep this meal simple but crockpot refried beans and Instant Pot refried beans are always delicious, and have less sodium. Refried beans freeze well.
- Sauce: Taco sauce or salsa from a jar work well or you can make my easy homemade red enchilada sauce. Taco sauce will give you the most spot-on flavor (that is, closest to Taco Bell).
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese: Choose your favorite type of cheese for Mexican-style meals. Mexican blend shredded cheese typically is a mixture of cheddar, Monterey Jack, asadero, and queso quesadilla cheese. You can use any one of those, or pepper Jack if you like a little spice.
- Toppings: Anything goes on Mexican pizza! Try diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, chopped green onions, sour cream, hot sauce, or anything else you like.
How to Make Mexican Pizza
Prepare. Turn your oven on to preheat to 400°F. Coat a sheet pan liberally with nonstick spray or oil. (This isn’t just for sticking, it also helps the tortillas crisp up on the bottoms!)
Make the ground beef. Add the beef to a skillet set over medium heat and cook, breaking up the large chunks, until the meat is done and there is no longer any pink. Drain off the fat if needed, then sprinkle in the taco seasoning and add the water. Continue to cook a few minutes more, until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture thickens.
Make Ahead Idea
I often make a double batch of the taco meat mixture. I freeze half of the meat in a resealable bag for a future meal. Flatten the bag slightly so the meat will thaw quickly. You can easily prep the meat ahead of time so the Mexican pizzas can be ready in no time at all.
You can also use the meat to make taco salad, beef enchiladas, tacos, or nachos later in the week since you’ll already have a bunch of toppings on hand.
Assemble the base layer. Arrange 4 tortillas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spread an even amount of refried beans onto the tortillas, then add a layer of the ground beef mixture. Put another tortilla on top of each pizza, pressing down lightly.
Add the top layer. Spread a thin layer of sauce (taco sauce, salsa, or enchilada sauce) on top of each pizza, and then sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over each Mexican pizza.
Bake. Bake the Mexican pizzas until the cheese is melted and the edges of the tortillas are crispy; this should take about 9 to 10 minutes.
Top and serve. Add your favorite toppings, slice into wedges, and serve with sour cream and/or hot sauce.
Recipe Variations
Make your Mexican pizza extra crispy. As written, the tortillas will crisp up a bit on the edges and bottoms, but they won’t be super crispy. If you would like a crispier tortilla, I recommend frying them. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, carefully add a tortilla. Cook for 20 to 30 seconds, flip, and cook the other side for 20 to 30 seconds. Let excess oil drip off, and then place on a paper towel to absorb extra oil. (We tested the recipe both ways to compare side-by-side and decided that there wasn’t enough difference in flavor or crispiness to make the extra work worthwhile.)
Skip the meat. For vegetarian Mexican pizzas, you can use your favorite plant-based ground beef substitute, or just stick with an extra thick layer of refried beans on the base.
Serving Suggestions
- Mexican rice. Cook up a batch of this tasty Mexican rice to serve alongside your pizzas.
- Tortilla chips. Serve the chips with salsa or guacamole. You can make your own tasty baked tortilla chips or air fryer tortilla chips if you like warm freshly made chips (and who doesn’t?!). It’s super easy!
- Salad. My Mexican street corn pasta salad is a filling side that pairs well with the flavors in this recipe. Mexican corn dip is delicious, too.
The taco meat filling can be made ahead and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. If you’re using my red enchilada sauce recipe, it can be made ahead, too, and refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Mexican pizzas are best enjoyed right away while they’re still hot and crispy and the toppings are fresh. That said, if you have leftovers, here’s how to store them:
Refrigerate: Set the pizzas in an airtight container or wrap them in foil. They’ll keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers; they won’t stand up well to freezing, thawing, and reheating.
Reheat. To restore the crispiness, bake the Mexican pizzas in the oven at 350°F until heated through. The air fryer also works, but use the microwave as a last resort, because the tortillas are more likely to get very soggy and a little tough.
More Tex-Mex Recipes
Mexican Pizza (Taco Bell Copycat)
Ingredients
- ½ pound lean ground beef (see notes)
- 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning (half of a 1 oz. pkg.)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 8 small flour tortillas (fajita, or 6-inch size)
- 1 cup refried beans (half of a 16 oz. can)
- ½ cup red enchilada sauce, taco sauce, or salsa from a jar (not fresh salsa or pico de gallo)
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- optional toppings: diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, chopped green onions, sour cream, hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a large sheet pan (11 x 17 inches) generously with olive oil or cooking spray.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons water. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove from heat.½ pound lean ground beef, 1 ½ tablespoons taco seasoning, 2 tablespoons water
- Arrange 4 tortillas in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Spread a thin layer of refried beans on each. Top with a layer of the seasoned ground beef. Place another tortilla on top.8 small flour tortillas, 1 cup refried beans
- Spread a thin layer of sauce on the top tortilla. Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese.½ cup red enchilada sauce, taco sauce, or salsa from a jar, 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Place the assembled pizzas on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and top with diced tomatoes, black olives, and green onions. Slice into wedges and serve with sour cream or hot sauce if desired.
Notes
- Ground beef: I usually use a lean ground beef (92/8). If you use a different blend, you may want to drain the excess fat off after the meat is cooked. If you prefer, ground turkey can be substituted.
- Taco seasoning: If you want to use homemade taco seasoning instead of a packet, use 1 ½ tablespoons + ½ tablespoon flour to act as a thickening agent.
- Make ahead tip: We highly recommend cooking 1 lb. of beef rather than messing around with a half pound of beef. Then you can use a whole package (1 oz.) of taco seasoning. You can freeze both the seasoned ground beef and the leftover refried beans, and make this recipe again quickly and easily on another day. My enchildada sauce recipe can be made ahead, too. Homemade crockpot refried beans or Instant Pot refried beans are easy to make, too (you don’t even have to soak the dried beans!).
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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