Taco Bell Chalupa Recipe (Copycat) (2024)

Love Taco Bell Chalupas? Now you can make them easily at home with this simple Taco Bell Chalupa recipe. The crispy, fluffy texture of the chalupa bread will elevate your next Taco Tuesday into the ultimate family favorite meal.

This recipe is one my family is always asking me to make! These homemade chalupas are our favorite for an easy weeknight dinner that’s both fun and great tasting! Chalupas are a thicker kind of shell than traditional corn or flour taco shells. They’re the perfect combination of crunchy and fluffy.

If you’re ready to discover how to make chalupas for a tasty homemade dinner, let’s get started!`

Try Some of My Other Favorite Copycat Recipes

If you like this copycat recipe you might also like to try out more of our Taco Bell copycat recipes. We love this Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Crunchwrap for dinner. Don’t forget to make their Creamy Jalapeno Sauce for serving along with your chalupas! It’s so yummy!

For more Mexican inspired-flavors you might also want to try these Air Fryer Enchiladas or Crock Pot Steak Fajitas. You can even use the steak fajitas as a filling for the chalupas!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Easy to make copycat Taco Bell family favorite recipe.

Delivers great flavors and prepared with simple ingredients.

Enjoy the same Taco Bell flavors at home any time with a Taco Bell chalupa shell.

Ingredients

This Taco Bell chalupa recipe is prepared using simple ingredients you can pickup at the grocery store.

• Ground beef: Any ground beef will work but you can choose lean ground beef to lower the fat. If using ground beef with more fat content, just be sure to drain off all the excess grease before adding the seasonings so you don’t end up with greasy taco meat.
• Onion: Yellow or white onion works just great.
• Flour: All-purpose flour makes the base of the chalupa.
• Dried spices: This recipe uses chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper to season the meat.
• Vegetable oil: Any neutral-flavored cooking oil works great.
• Baking powder: Necessary to leaven the chalupa.
• Milk: The liquid base for the dough of the chalupa.

*See the recipe card for detailed measurements of each ingredient.

Kitchen Supplies You’ll Need

To make this Taco Bell chalupa recipe at home, you will need the following simple pieces of kitchen tools and equipment.

• Large bowl
• Large skillet or dutch oven
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Whisk
• Tongs

How to Make Taco Bell Chalupas at Home

Step 1: Prepare the ground beef. Mix together the ground beef with onion, flour, chili powder, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and garlic.

Step 2: Cook the beef. Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven to medium-high heat and add in the beef mixture. Cook until no pink is visible, stirring and breaking up all the large chunks.. Cover the pan, turn off the heat but keep this warm for later.

Step 3: Prepare the dough for the chalupa shells. Whisk together the dry ingredients: 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt.

Step 4: Mix the oil into the flour mixture. Then, gradually stir in 1 cup of milk followed by the other ½ cup flour.

Step 5: Knead this soft dough with your hands. If the mixture is too dry, add more milk a little at a time. If the dough is too wet, add more flour a little at a time. Do not over knead the dough as this will make it tough.

Step 6: Make the chalupa shells. Start by flouring your hands and shapping the dough into a long cylinder. Cut it into 8 equal parts.

Step 7: Shape the chalupa shells. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to shape each of the 8 pieces into a round circle, about 6 inches across. Once rolled, use a fork to poke a few holes in each of the disks.

Step 8: Cook the chalupa shells. Add 1-2 inches of oil to a large skillet. Heat to medium heat.

Gently place one disk at a time into the hot oil. As you deep fry, the disk will start to puff up and rise to the top, use tongs to flip it over. Once you’ve flipped it, use the tongs to pull one side of the disk up over the other side, folding it into a shell shape.

Allow this to cook until the bottom is lightly golden, then flip and allow the other side to become golden brown as well.

As each shell is cooked, remove to a plate lined with a paper towel to remove excess oil.

Step 9: Serve them up. Once all your chalupa shells are cooked it’s time to build chalupas! Fill the shells with the meat mixture and desired taco fixings.

Helpful Tips and Tricks

• Don’t forget to drain the excess oil from the ground beef after cooking it.
• Make sure the oil is hot prior to cooking the chalupas. The heat makes them sizzle and puff up when added to the oil and ultimately creates their fluffy texture.
• Don’t overmix the dough for the chalupas.
• Chalupas are best served fresh and hot with your favorite taco toppings!

Substitutions and Variations

• Don’t want to use ground beef? These would be delicious with shredded chicken, shredded pork, thin slices of flank steak or crispy fish.
• Prefer vegetarian? Swap out the ground beef with your favorite meat alternative such as refried beans, black beans, spicy vegetables or even tofu as a filling in the chalupas.
• Out of fresh onions? That’s ok just mix together 1 tablespoon onion flakes and ½ cup hot water. Let this sit for 5 minutes to rehydrate the onions.
• Want it spicy? Add some red chili flakes, chipotle chili peppers or jalapeno slices to the meat mixture

Storage Notes

The best way to store the leftover shells is loosely wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for 1-2 days. Store the meat mixture in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

When you’re ready to reheat, simply lay the chalupas out on a tray and heat them in the oven at 350 degrees F until warm, about 5-10 minutes.

FAQs

If you’ve made this recipe or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how they turned out. We love hearing from you! You can also follow along with me onFACEBOOKANDINSTAGRAMto see more colorful recipes!