Taco Bell Bell Beefer has everything you love in a taco stacked inside a fluffy bun. Delicious taco seasoned ground beef, taco sauce, cheese, onions, and lettuce between toasted hamburger buns make an incredibly tasty sandwich.
Table of Contents
Taco Bell Chili Burger
Do you think Taco Bell only ever served burritos and tacos? Think again. The chain used to serve a unique version of a chili burger called the Taco Bell Bell Bender, and it was darn tasty. Unfortunately, it’s no longer on the menu, well, officially at least.
People say you may still be able to get one off-the-menu at some Taco Bell/KFC restaurants, but why go through all the trouble? Now you can make a Bell Bender or a Supreme Bell at home with this Taco Bell Bell Beefer recipe!
The Complicated History of the Bell Beefer Taco Bell Customers Forgot
The Bell Beefer was the chain’s answer to the Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich. First, put on the menu in the 1970s, Taco Bell Bell Beef combined the same seasoned beef that it uses for all its tacos and burritos, mild chili sauce, shredded lettuce, and diced onions.
Later on, Taco Bell introduced the Bell Beefer Supreme that added shredded cheese and tomatoes as well. Restaurant-goers quickly fell in love with the Taco Bell burger, as many called it, and the sandwich sold well until the chain pulled it from the menu in the 90s.
Fans were not happy, but Taco Bell refused to serve it again until 2012 when it came back to some markets for a limited time as the Bellburger. According to a Taco Bell fansite, there is a rumor the sandwich will return sometime in 2023.
Check out our Taco Bell recipes on YouTube!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Canned tomato sauce
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Dry minced onions
- White vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Garlic salt
- Paprika
- Sugar
- Cayenne pepper
- Masa harina
- Onion powder
- Seasoning salt
- Beef bouillon powder
- Ground beef chuck
- White hamburger buns
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
- White onion
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
How to Make Taco Bell Bell Beefer
- Make the taco sauce by simmering all the sauce ingredients for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool it completely before using it on the sandwich.
- Combine all the spices for seasoning the ground beef.
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet then drain it in a colander. Run water over the beef while draining to rinse off the excess grease.
- Place the beef back in the skillet along with the spices and water. Cook until most of the moisture has cooked away but not completely dry.
- Toast the buns in the oven under the broiler.
- Build the sandwich by placing the seasoned beef on the bottom bun then topping it with taco sauce, cheese, onions, lettuce, and the top bun.
Making the Taco Bell Burger Your Own
Topping choices at Taco Bell are limited, but when you’re making them at home, anything goes. Here are a few fantastic combinations to help get you thinking creatively:
- The Seven Layer Bell Beefer Place on the bun the following in thin layers: seasoned meat, guacamole, diced tomatoes, diced onions, slices of black olives, sour cream, and shredded cheese.
- The Corny Bell Beefer Crush a handful of your favorite corn chips and sprinkle them on top of a Taco Bell Bell Beefer Supreme.
- The Hot Stuff Bell Beefer Put sliced pickled jalapenos on top of the beef with a splash of your favorite hot sauce. You can cool things down with a sprinkling of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.
Tips For Making and Serving the Taco Bell Bell Beefer
- Scoop out the bottom bun. Carving out a shallow indentation in the bottom bun will help contain some of the mess of eating a Taco Bell burger. Just don’t get too carried away; you need some support for the meat.
- Don’t forget about toasting the bun. Butter the bun. Crisp it on a hot griddle or in a pan with the cut-side down. You can also toast it on the bagel setting in the toaster oven for a minute.
- Serve with a side order of Taco Bell Nacho Fries. If you want, you can even put the Nacho Fries inside the sandwich.
- Use the seasoned meat to make burritos, tacos, or quesadillas. Store the cooked beef in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Love Taco Bell? Try these copycat recipes!
- Baja Blat Freeze
- Breakfast Crunchwrap
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Cinnamon Twists
- Fiesta Potatoes
- Nacho Fries Supreme
- Taco Bell Soft Taco
Popular Mexican Recipes
- Barbacoa at Chipotle
- Cheeseburger Quesadilla
- Chicken Soft Tacos
- Chili Verde
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Taco Casserole with Tortillas
Check out more of my easy Mexican food recipes the best Taco Bell recipes here on CopyKat!
Taco Bell Bell Beefer
Ingredients
Taco Sauce Ingredients
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onions
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Taco Bell Seasoned Beef Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons masa harina
- 4 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onions
- 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
- 1 1/3 pounds ground chuck
- 3/4 to 1 cup water
Bell Beefer Sandwich Ingredients
- 4 white hamburger buns
- ¾ cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
- ½ cup diced white onions
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Instructions
- To make the taco sauce: Place all of the sauce ingredients in a saucepan, stir well, and simmer at a very low temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. The sauce may be kept in the refrigerator for several days.
- To make the seasoned beef: Combine all the ingredients except the meat and the water. Stir well to ensure that all the spices are thoroughly and evenly blended.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet (preferably nonstick) and stir until the meat is browned.
- Remove the browned beef from the heat, and drain.
- Return the beef to the pan, and add the spice mix and 3/4 to 1 cup water. Simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has cooked away. Remove the pan from heat before the meat is completely dry.
- To assemble the sandwich: Toast the buns under a broiler until they just begin to brown. This will help the bread hold together better. Scoop 1/4 of the meat onto each bottom bun. Drizzle a tablespoon of sauce over the seasoned beef and top with cheese, onion, and lettuce. Cover the sandwich with the top of the bun and serve.
Garth Vader
No, no, no. If you want to make taco meat exactly like the Bell, do NOT do the standard homemade taco method of simply browning the meat and then adding seasonings. Mix your seasonings with some flour in a saucepan and add a little oil to make it into a roux, heat that until it starts to get fragrant, then whisk in some beef stock to make a sauce. Add your raw ground meat to that and stir it constantly while cooking until it falls apart into a mush. Reduce down until it becomes thick and paste-like, and let it cool to thicken up even more. You’ll end up with the perfect texture just like theirs that stays inside the tortilla instead of crumbling and falling out.
George
I am excited to try this recipe; it looks perfect. Bell Beefers got me through my freshman year of college in 1972-73; without them I could have starved. Though one less-than-accurate website reports that it wasn’t on the menu until 1975, I can assure them that I devoured several in 1972.
The Taco Bell of my college days was in Flagstaff Arizona. When you ordered a Bell Beefer, you got the bun, the meat, and the sauce. That’s it; simple and delicious. You could request additional items like onion, cheese & lettuce, but they were not standard, at least not in 1972. I always got onion and cheese then loaded it up with the hot sauce, and I had a meal fit for a king. I was devastated when it was discontinued. I also went into a depressed state of mind when they discontinued the enchirito around 2014, even though the same erroneous website said they were discontinued in 1993. The last one I ate was in Belen, New Mexico around 2014. This is not to say that I am a Taco Bell aficionado, but to have the cherished memories of my youth relegated to melancholy memories is a sad reminder that the world changes around us, and not always for the better.
Debra
This IS The Recipe!!! The sauce is an incredible replica! We double-ground the meat and used a packaged taco bell taco seasoning. We tripled the recipe of both meat and sauce for 9 enchiritos. We hacmve enough seasoned neat left over to make Bell Beefers tomorrow! This recipe is Spot On! Thank you!
Jan C
I used to make these for my kids as a change of pace from Sloppy Joes… the kids called it a Sloppy Jose’!!
Luap
You got it all right except the bun – they were steamed for the original bell beefer
Miss Rochelle
There was a fast food, walk-up window, in Los Angeles County, call Pup n’ Taco. This was 1964 through 1984 (I think). I Originated in Pasadena, CA and grew in Southern CA. Although Taco Bell’s start (1962?) was in Downy, CA it was not well known at the border of LA and Orange County. Along with Torrance, CA, Taco Bell was not local. Pup n’ Taco, a private chain. I’ve always wondered if Taco Bell was influenced by Pup n’ Taco’s “Taco on a Bun”. The sandwiches are nearly the same, just the taste of meat was different. Both were delicious! This recipe looks so closely related, I can’t wait to make it…I miss Taco on a Bun! I never could quite get the meat right!
Stacy
Delicious!
MBS
Thanks for this! I missed these so much.
Zane
I have been making my own “taco bell” style meat at home for years and I’ve definitely done this a few times.
Because essentially taco bell meat is just sloppy joe mix with less sugar and different spices.
In my house we call these Sloppy Josés.
Stephanie Manley
Love that name!
DavidF
Stephanie,
Can you write Zane and ask them what their Taco Bell recipe mix is? Honestly, I never thought of TB meat as a variation on sloppy joe mixes.
Stephanie Manley
I did write to him, but it doesn’t look like you left me a legit email address to respond to, so I don’t know how that will work should Zane responnd.
Zane
I got the recipe request email, I’ll whack together something this weekend. I make it by “feel” now so I’ll actually take the time to measure things and write it down next time.
Stephanie Manley
Thank you!