Homemade Chalupas (Taco Bell Copycat)
Homemade chalupas are an easy Taco Bell copycat that is sure to satisfy your craving for the fast food classic. Just a handful of ingredients and less time and money than it takes to hit the drive through or order Door Dash and you’ve got a satisfying meal for 6!
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Copycat Taco Bell chalupas are a fun way to switch up dinner without hopping in the drive thru or ordering delivery.
These homemade chalupas have that signature crispy yet chewy shell that makes the fast food version so hard to resist.
But since you are making them at home, you control the toppings, seasoning, and serve everyone exactly what they like.
Plus you can feed 6 to 8 people for just over the cost of buying one to two in the restaurant.
That’s a pretty sweet deal and one worth taking since these come together in under half an hour with simple ingredients.
Ingredients
To make these you’ll need:
- Ground beef– You can use ground chicken or ground turkey if you prefer but ground beef will give you the most authentic results.
- Taco Bell taco seasoning– a 1 ounce packet of the mild seasoning. Again you could use other taco seasonings, but we’re going for authenticity with the Taco Bell brand
- Oil– Canola oil or another light oil for frying the chalupa shells.
- Flour chalupa shells– You can buy these near the flour tortillas or online here.
- Toppings– Shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, diced tomatoes, and sour cream
How to Make
Homemade chalupas are so easy to make!
Just cook the beef in a large skillet over medium heat until it’s browned through, crumbling as you cook it.
Drain the extra grease off.
Then, stir the taco seasoning and the amount of water the package of seasoning calls for into the beef and cook it according to the package instructions until it thickens.
Set the beef aside while.
In a second large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it’s nice and hot.
Use tongs to dip one half of a chalupa shell into the oil and fry it while folding the other half over to make it taco shaped.
When the bottom half of the chalupa is golden, flip it and fry the other half until it’s also golden.
Put the fried shell on a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess oil.
Repeat until you’ve fried all the shells.
Then scoop some of the taco meat into each shell, dividing it equally between them.
Top the meat with your favorite toppings.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Assembled chalupas are best served fresh as they will get soggy in the fridge.
However, if you have leftover beef, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat it in the microwave until warm.
Tips and Tricks
- The suggested toppings are based on the Taco Bell version. You can add others like chopped cilantro, taco sauce or salsa, jalapenos, etc. You could also skip them.
- Make sure to use enough oil to easily fry the chalupa shells. You want it at least an inch deep.
- This would work with other proteins like ground turkey or ground chicken. You could even use a meat substitute for a vegetarian version.
Other Taco Bell Copycat Recipes
Homemade chalupas are a delicious version of the Taco Bell classic.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other Taco Bell recipes?
Try these:
- Crunchwrap Supreme
- Taco Bell’s Mild Sauce
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Nacho Fries
- Big Bell Beefer Sandwich
- AM Crunchwrap
- Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
If you’ve tried these HOMEMADE CHALUPAS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Homemade Chalupas (Taco Bell Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 1 oz pkt Taco Bell mild taco seasoning
- 3/4 - 1 cup canola oil for frying
- 6-8 flour chalupa shells
- shredded lettice for topping
- shredded cheddar cheese for topping
- diced tomatoes for topping
- sour cream for topping
Instructions
- Cook and crumble the ground beef in a large skillet until it's browned throughout. Drain off excess grease.1 lb ground beef
- Add the taco seasoning to the beef plus the amount of water called for on the packet instructions. Cook per the packet instructions until thickened. Set aside.1 1 oz pkt Taco Bell mild taco seasoning
- Heat the oil in another large skillet set over medium heat until hot.3/4 - 1 cup canola oil
- Using tongs dip one half of the chalupa shell into the oil and fry while folding the other half over so it's taco shell shaped.6-8 flour chalupa shells
- Once the bottom half is golden brown, flip it and fry the other half until it's also golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain off excess grease. Repeat until all the shells have been fried.
- Scoop some of the taco meat into each shell, dividing it as equally as possible between them.
- Top each beef filled chalupa with lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and finish them off with a dollop of sour cream.shredded lettice, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- The suggested toppings are based on the Taco Bell version. You can add others like chopped cilantro, taco sauce or salsa, jalapenos, etc. You could also skip them.
- Make sure to use enough oil to easily fry the chalupa shells. You want it at least an inch deep.
- This would work with other proteins like ground turkey or ground chicken. You could even use a meat substitute for a vegetarian version.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
