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★ Why You'll Love this Recipe ★
Level-up Taco Night
When taco night is well-loved but is getting a bit tired, jazz things up by switching your shells and tortillas out for homemade fry bread.
Fry bread is pillowy and soft on the inside with a crunchy outside. The taste and texture is what you know and love about the chalupa shells they serve at Taco Bell.
Homemade chalupa shells are pretty quick and easy to make with a 3-ingredient dough.
Crispy Yet Soft Taco Shells
You'll pan-fry the dough into light fluffy discs that are golden brown and crispy yet soft on the inside. Top your individual fry bread shells with taco meat, refried beans, and all the taco toppings you like.
This is a great way to put a new spin on taco night and always a crowd-pleasing family favorite.
Customize Your Homemade Chalupa
Go crazy with the toppings, salsa, jalapeños, olives, guacamole would all be delicious in addition to the standard taco toppings — cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and tomato.
Goes well with...
Serve these homemade chalupas with a side of Mexican restaurant rice, a spicy jalapeño mocktail and cooked shrimp ceviche as an appetizer.
★ Ingredients You'll Need ★
The fry bread is made with just 3 ingredients plus you'll need your standard taco ingredients.
Here's a look at everything you'll need:
For the Fry Bread Dough
- Self-rising flour. Or you can add ½ tablespoon baking powder to all purpose or bread flour.
- Water or milk. Milk will give your fry bread a more rich flavor. Warm it slightly in the microwave to help the baking soda activate and work its magic to create fluffy shells!
- Salt. Fine grain sea salt or regular table salt works.
- You'll also need oil for frying the dough. Any cooking oil will work. I like to use avocado oil.
For the Tacos
- Ground beef. You can also use chicken.
- Onion. To help season the meat.
- Taco seasoning. Plus water as directed on the package.
- Toppings: lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and any other toppings you love on your tacos.
That's it! Simple!
★ How to Make this Recipe ★
These fry bread tacos come together in just a few steps. Here's a look at the process.
Here's a look:
- Cook taco meat and heat refried beans.
- Make fry bread dough by mixing dough ingredients.
- Shape dough into discs.
- Fry dough in a pan.
- Layer with beats and meat.
- Add toppings like cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes.
These are super easy and a super fun treat for taco night!
★ Tips & FAQs ★
Fry bread is a traditional Native American flatbread that is made by frying a simple dough mixture. It's known for its crispy exterior and soft interior, making it a versatile base for various toppings and ideal for delicious tacos just like the "Chalupas" they sell at Taco Bell.
Making fry bread involves mixing flour, salt, baking powder, and water or milk to form a dough. The dough is then shaped into rounds and fried until golden brown. There are various recipes available online to guide you through the process.
Fry bread tacos are incredibly versatile. You can top them with a variety of ingredients such as seasoned meats (beef, chicken, pork), beans, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, salsa, black olives, and more. The options are endless, allowing you to customize your tacos to your liking.
If you prefer yeast-activated fry bread for that extra bready flavor and more airiness, you can simply add an instant yeast in with the warm milk in place of the baking powder.
While fry bread itself has historical roots in Native American cuisine, the concept of fry bread tacos is a more recent adaptation. It combines the traditional fry bread with ingredients like seasoned meats and toppings commonly found in tacos.
Fry bread is best served fresh for optimal taste and texture; however, you can prepare the dough in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to fry. Ensure the dough is at room temperature before shaping and cooking for the best results. Too cold and the dough will not get as fluffy as it should.
Traditionally, fry bread is pan-fried using a small amount of cooking oil to achieve its characteristic soft yet crispy texture. While you may experiment with baking or air frying, it might yield a different result. Frying is recommended for the authentic taste and texture.
You can use fry bread just like a flat bread to make sandwiches or even a dessert! To create a dessert, add sweet toppings like Nutella, cinnamon-sugar, powdered sugar, or whipped cream.
Fry bread can also be cut into pieces and serve with a dip! Try it with my street corn dip.
If you have leftover fry bread, store it in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat in a toaster or oven for a few minutes to restore its crispiness.
Yes, you can freeze fry bread for later use. Allow it to cool completely, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. To reheat, thaw and warm in an oven or toaster.
★ More Mexican Recipes ★
Love Mexican food?
Browse all my easy Mexican-style recipes. Pin your favorites for later!
This easy recipe for homemade chalupa shells was featured on South your Mouth!
Homemade Chalupas
Equipment
Ingredients
Fry Bread
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water or milk
- 3-4 tablespoon cooking oil for frying
Taco Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 oz taco seasoning
- 16 oz can refried beans
Toppings
- Mexican cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, scallions, sour cream
Mighty Mrs. is a #WalmartPartner.
Instructions
- Make fry bread. Add self-rising flour, salt, and warm milk (or water) in a large bowl and stir just until combined. Separate dough into 4 equal parts. Flatten out each ball of dough into discs.In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat up ¼" of oil. Oil is ready when a drop of water sizzles.Place discs into the hot oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute until light golden on one side. Flip over and brown the other side. Remove the bread from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Make taco filling. In a medium skillet, brown ground beef with the onions.Once browned, drain off excess grease and add taco seasoning along with any water the packet calls for. Warm up refried beans either in the microwave or on the stove.
- Assemble fry bread tacos. Take each fry bread and add a layer of refried beans; next a good amount of seasoned taco meat mixture.
- Add toppings. Top with cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, and any other toppings you like.
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