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Crispy, puffy homemade chalupas with a soft fried bread shell, loaded with seasoned ground beef and all your favorite toppings. It’s the Taco Bell chalupa you’re craving, made fresh at home in about 50 minutes.
A Note from Isabel
This recipe started with a late-night Taco Bell craving I couldn’t shake. 😂 So naturally, I figured out how to make chalupas at home, and now I like them even better!
It’s all about that shell. Soft and pillowy inside, crispy outside, basically a taco-shaped donut that’s not sweet. You fill it up with taco-seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream, and since you’re making it all yourself, you get to pile it as high as you want.
Many people assume that I don’t like fast-food like this since I grew up on real traditional Mexican food, but that’s not true! Sure, these are a very Americanized version of chalupas (more on that below), but that doesn’t make them any less good.
If you already love my ground beef tacos, just set out the same toppings, add pico de gallo, and let everyone build their own. A side of Mexican rice doesn’t hurt either.
What Are Chalupas?
Chalupas come in two pretty different styles. The one most people picture, and the one you get at Taco Bell, is a puffy fried bread shell folded like a taco and stuffed with ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream. The shell is close to Navajo fry bread: a simple dough that puffs up soft and crisp in hot oil. That’s the recipe I’m sharing here.
The traditional Mexican chalupa is a different thing. Those are made with masa that’s pressed and fried crisp, and topped simply with salsa, cheese, and meat, closer to a tostada than fry bread. Both are delicious, but they’re not the same dish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick look at what goes into these chalupas and why. Full amounts are in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour: This gives the shell that soft, fluffy inside. You don’t need bread flour here since frying does the work of giving them shape and crunch.
- Baking powder: This is what makes the shells puff up and gives them their height, so don’t skip it.
- Butter and warm milk: This is my little twist on the shell. Most versions use shortening, but melted butter and warm milk give the bread a richer, more savory flavor and a softer texture than a plain flour tortilla.
- Ground beef: The classic chalupa filling. I use lean ground beef, but ground turkey or chicken both work great if you want something lighter.
- White onion: Sautéed until soft, it turns a little sweet and adds a lot of flavor to the beef.
- Taco seasoning: Store-bought or homemade taco seasoning both work, so use whatever you like. I go with a mild one for just a little heat.
- Toppings: The fun part! I like shredded Mexican-blend cheese or cheddar, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and sour cream, plus salsa or hot sauce. My salsa de cacahuate or smoky salsa morita goes great on these.
How to Make Chalupas
Here’s a quick look at how they come together. Full step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
Divide the dough into 8 balls and roll each into a 5-inch circle, then prick all over with a fork.
Fry the chalupa shells one at a time for 30 seconds, then flip and fold them in half like a taco shell with tongs, holding that shape until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels, then make the ground beef filling with onions and taco seasoning.
Assemble. Spoon the beef into each shell and pile on cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and salsa or hot sauce. Serve right away.
Recipe Tips
- Fry one shell at a time. They cook fast and need a little shaping, so it’s much easier to focus on one at a time. Each shell only takes about 2 minutes total.
- Keep your oil hot. Aim for around 350°F and use a thermometer if you have one. If the oil is too cool, the shells soak up grease and turn heavy instead of light and crisp.
- Serve them fresh. Chalupa shells are best warm, right after frying, when they still have that slight crunch. If they’ve been sitting, a quick 1 to 2 minutes in the air fryer brings the crisp right back.
FAQs
You can, though they’re really best fresh. If you need to get ahead, fry the shells and let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days and crisp them back up in the air fryer before filling.
That almost always means the oil wasn’t hot enough. If it’s cooler than about 350°F, the dough sits in the oil too long and soaks it up, so let it come up to temp before you start frying.
Frying is what gives you that real Taco Bell shell, so I wouldn’t skip it if you want the classic thing. But if frying isn’t your vibe, cook the dough on both sides on a griddle or hot skillet (like you would a flour tortilla), then pile everything on top like a tostada. Still really good, just a different shape
Chalupa Recipe
Ingredients
For the chalupa bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup warm milk
- Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2-3 cups)
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium white onion, diced
- 1 pound lean or extra-lean ground beef
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Optional toppings: shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa or hot sauce
Instructions
- Make the chalupa bread. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, butter, and milk in a medium bowl with a fork or by hand until it comes together to form a dough. Knead for 5 minutes until it's soft and smooth, then cover and rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Roll each ball into a 5-inch circle on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Prick the dough several times with a fork.
- Heat 1 inch of frying oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Working one at a time, gently slide the rolled dough into the hot oil. It should immediately float and puff. Let the dough fry for 30 seconds on one side.
- Use tongs to flip it over and gently fold it in half like a taco shell. Hold the dough in that shape as it fries for 30 seconds. Roll the shell over to cook evenly on the other side until golden brown. Give the bread a little shake to remove any excess oil, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
- Make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Stir in the taco seasoning until fully combined, then remove from the heat.
- Assemble the chalupas by spooning ground beef into each shell and top with shredded cheese, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and salsa or hot sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Storing: Keep the shells, beef, and toppings in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the shells in the air fryer at 390°F for 1 to 2 minutes to crisp them back up, and warm the beef in the microwave.
- Freezing: Freeze cooled shells in a freezer bag with parchment between them for up to a month, then reheat from frozen in the air fryer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
