Homemade Mexican Pizza

Overhead image of a single serving of Mexican pizza on a rustic brown plate. The pizza is sliced and topped with sour cream, diced tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and cilantro, with lime wedges on the side. - 2

I have a new obsession and it’s this Homemade Mexican Pizza!

This version is even better than the Mexican Pizzas you can get at Taco Bell, and they are SUPER simple to make!

Homemade Mexican Pizzas use pantry and refrigerator staples, like tortillas, shredded cheese, ground beef, refried beans, and enchilada sauce. They are easily customizable with whatever garnishes you enjoy most, like sliced green onions, diced tomatoes, black olives, and jalapenos.

Some of my other favorite Mexican-inspired dishes include my Green Chicken Enchilada Soup , Ground Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas , Homemade Crunchwrap Supremes , and Sheet Pan Nachos .

Hand reaching in to grab a slice of Mexican pizza from the tray. The pizzas are fully loaded with melted cheese and fresh toppings like tomatoes, olives, and scallions, and nestled on a bed of lettuce with lime wedges nearby. - 3

blogger tawnie graham in a kitchen with an instant pot and several dishes of food - 4

Table Talk with Tawnie

Do you remember the social media uproar a few years ago when Taco Bell announced that they were taking the Mexican Pizza off their menu?? My husband was very disappointed when he heard the news. Even though Taco Bell eventually put them back on the menu, I knew I wanted to create a copycat recipe for all the die-hard Mexican Pizza fans out there (like Cameron 😉). These Homemade Mexican Pizzas are the ultimate comfort food: crispy, cheesy, saucy, and loaded with flavor in every bite. They come together quickly with simple pantry staples and are fun to customize with your favorite toppings. Perfect for your weeknight dinner rotation!

Close-up of a hand lifting a slice of Mexican pizza from a tray. The pizza slice has a crispy golden crust and is layered with seasoned beef and melted cheddar cheese, then topped with diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, green onions, and cilantro. - 5

Ingredient Notes

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

Overhead image showing labeled ingredients for homemade Mexican pizza. Items include ground beef, flour tortillas, refried beans, shredded Colby Jack cheese, enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, green onions, black olives, taco seasoning, vegetable oil, and salt. Each ingredient is neatly arranged on a light countertop with text labels for easy identification. - 6

Ground Beef : I use 85% lean when I’m making these pizzas, but feel free to use whatever percentage you prefer. I love the way the hearty beef layer mixes with the enchilada sauce and melted cheese!
Taco Seasoning : Grab your favorite packet to season the ground beef with bold, smoky spices. It’s what gives the meat its classic Tex-Mex flavor!
Refried Beans : Creamy refried beans create a rich, velvety layer that not only adds flavor and protein but also helps hold the layers of the Mexican Pizza together. Feel free to use traditional, vegetarian, or even black bean refried beans… whatever you prefer!
Flour Tortillas : These serve as the “crust” of your Homemade Mexican Pizza. I use the 6-inch fajita size flour tortillas for mine. You can use corn if you prefer, but the flour are bit closer to a true Taco Bell “copycat”.
Enchilada Sauce : Choose a red enchilada sauce or La Victoria taco sauce for the sauce layer. If you want to add some heat to your Homemade Mexican Pizza, pick a spicier sauce of your liking.
Shredded Cheese : I like using shredded Colby Jack cheese or a Mexican cheese blend as both melt really well and taste delicious in this recipe.
Your favorite toppings : diced tomatoes, green onions, olives, sour cream, hot sauce, jalapenos, avocado, salsa, lime juice, cilantro, etc.

Close-up of a hand lifting a slice of Mexican pizza from the tray, revealing layers of beef and beans inside. The cheesy top is garnished with diced tomatoes, green onions, and olives, surrounded by lime wedges and jalapeños. - 7

Step by Step Directions

(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)

Side-by-side image showing flour tortillas being fried in a skillet with oil. On the left, tongs lift a partially fried tortilla. On the right, the tortilla is shown fully golden and crispy on one side, lying flat in the pan. - 8

Fry the tortillas

Poke small holes in the tortillas with a toothpick to prevent them from bubbling as they cook. Add oil to a skillet. Once hot, add a tortilla and fry until golden brown on both sides. Repeat with all the tortillas.

Two-step image of ground beef being cooked. On the left, taco seasoning is added to browned beef in a skillet as water is poured in. On the right, shredded cheese is stirred into the saucy, seasoned meat mixture using a wooden spoon. - 9

Cook the beef

Cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Add the seasoning packet and water and let simmer until the mixture thickens. Then, add the cheese and enchilada sauce, stir to combine, and set aside.

Five-step image of Mexican pizza assembly on a plate. From top left to bottom right: Fried tortilla topped with a spread of refried beans. Meat and cheese mixture layered over the beans. Another fried tortilla added on top. Enchilada sauce spread over the top tortilla. Shredded cheese sprinkled generously over the sauce. - 10

Assemble the Mexican Pizzas

On one fried tortilla, spread an even layer of refried beans, followed by a layer of the beef mixture. Then top with another fried tortilla. Spread a little enchilada sauce over the top of the second tortilla and then sprinkle some cheese on top. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas to assemble 8 Mexican pizzas.

Bake

Bake the Mexican pizzas at 375° for ~8-10 minutes or until cheese is melty and tortillas are crispy.

A colorful serving tray with fully assembled Mexican pizzas sliced and garnished with diced tomatoes, black olives, green onions, and fresh cilantro. Lime wedges, jalapeños, salsa, and shredded lettuce surround the pizzas for serving. - 12

Enjoy! 😋

Add your favorite toppings (sliced green onions, olives, diced tomatoes, sour cream, etc.), slice into quarters, and enjoy!

Side angle view of a plate of Mexican pizza garnished with lime wedges. The pizza slices are stacked slightly and topped with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, olives, and green onions. Another tray of pizzas is blurred in the background. - 13

Variations / Substitutions

Use ground turkey or ground chicken in place of ground beef. Or to make it vegetarian , leave the meat out entirely.
Use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. You’ll still want to fry (or air-fry or bake) them until crispy like the flour ones.
Make a homemade taco seasoning : Mix 1 TBSP chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper. This amount is equivalent to one store-bought packet and works great for about 1 pound of meat.
Use hot sauce instead of red enchilada sauce if preferred.
Try using green enchilada sauce instead of red to switch things up a bit!

Pan-Frying Alternatives

Air Fryer

Air-fried tortillas work just like the pan-fried version. They are perfectly sturdy for stacking and holding all the tasty toppings. Here’s how to prepare the tortillas in the air fryer :

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
Lightly spray both sides of each flour tortilla with cooking spray or brush with a small amount of oil. This helps them crisp up evenly.
Place tortillas in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Depending on the size of your air fryer , you may need to cook them one at a time.
Air fry for 3–5 minutes , flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crisp. Keep an eye on them… tortillas can go from crisp to overly browned quickly.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool and stay crisp while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Baking

Baked tortillas are another great alternative to frying. They are lighter, less messy, and still perfectly crunchy! To bake your tortillas in the oven:

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Place 4 tortillas on a baking sheet at a time.
Using a fork, poke surface of tortilla about 8 times. (This helps prevent the tortilla from bubbling).
Bake for 15 minutes , then cool. Tortillas should be firm and chip-like.
Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Overhead view of a large tray filled with homemade Mexican pizzas, each topped with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, green onions, and cilantro. The tray is garnished with shredded lettuce, jalapeño slices, lime wedges, and small bowls of salsa and diced tomatoes. - 14

Tips for the Best Homemade Mexican Pizzas

Make sure to poke small holes (using a toothpick) in the tortillas before frying them. This helps prevent air bubbles when frying.
Grocery stores now sell Taco Bell branded items like refried beans, seasoning packets, hot sauce, and other sauces. Use those items if you have access to them for even more of a Taco Bell copycat Mexican Pizza.
Make and serve immediately . The pizzas can get soggy if made too far in advance.
Use a pizza cutter to cut your Mexican Pizza into quarters. That might seem obvious, but it’s way easier than trying to cut with a large knife!
Add your favorite Mexican Pizza toppings : sour cream, jalapeños, green onions, black olives, diced tomatoes, avocado, guacamole, more hot sauce, etc. Let your imagination run freely!

Close-up of a cheesy Mexican pizza slice being dipped into a small bowl of red salsa. The slice is filled with savory beef and topped with cheddar cheese, olives, diced tomatoes, and cilantro, with more pizza slices visible in the background. - 15

Storage

Homemade Mexican Pizzas are best served fresh, but they do keep up to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container
Or you can prepare the ingredients, keep them separated, and then wait to assemble and heat right before you’re ready to serve

Copycat Series

From savory copycat favorites like my Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme and Olive Garden Breadsticks . To copycat baked goods like Girl Scouts Tagalong Cookies and Costco Double Chocolate Muffins . The Copycat Series was SO much fun to create and share with you all!

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Baking Sheets

Non Stick Skillet

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📸 Photography by Creating Kaitlin

This post was originally published in Nov. 2020, and was updated with a slightly modified recipe and new photos July 2025.