Taco Bell Enchirtio can be found on the Taco Bell Secret Menu. You can recreate this favorite Taco Bell recipe now with this copycat version.
The enchirito is possibly the most desired ex-menu item at Taco Bell. The enchirito is so good, you might just luck out by straight-up asking the cashier for one, even if it’s not actually on the written menu.
It could be on Taco Bell’s secret menu, and the cashier might even have a button for it. Or, they might just know how to make it and just do it for you. Even if you live far away from a Taco Bell, you can recreate this favorite Taco Bell recipe at home with this copykat version.
The On and Off Enchirito Story
One of the things I love about Taco Bell is the way they come up with new ideas, and the enchirito is a perfect example of their creativity. As the name suggests, it was designed to be a combination of an enchilada and a burrito.
The Taco Bell enchirito made its debut in the 1970s. Then it was advertised as a special corn tortilla filled with ground beef, pinto beans, and onions, and topped with red sauce, cheese, and olives. It was removed from the menu in 1993 and then brought back again with a couple of changes. The corn tortilla was switched to a white wheat tortilla, and they removed the olive slices from the top. This was again excommunicated from the main menu in 2013.
What Makes This CopyKat Enchirito so Special?
This is a tortilla filled with refried beans, ground seasoned beef, and red sauce and topped with cheese and chopped onions. I love to heat these up in the oven and let the cheese brown just a bit.
You won’t want to miss this delicious Taco Bell treat.
The Sauce – I think the sauce really makes the difference in this recipe. The original Taco Bell sauce has good flavor and just the right amount of spice without being overly hot.
You may even want to double the portion of the sauce so you will some on hand to pour over tacos or to use with your other favorite Mexican recipes. I love to use this sauce when I make homemade nachos.
Love Taco Bell? Be sure to check out these recipes
- Fresco Tacos
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap
- Best Taco Bell Breakfast
- Taco Bell Mild Sauce
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
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Browse through my Mexican copycat recipes and easy main dish recipes to find delicious meals to make at home.
Taco Bell Enchirito - Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
Beef
- 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 onion
- 1/2 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
- 1 1/3 pounds ground chuck
Sauce
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced onion
- 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
Assembly
- 4 tortillas
- 1 cup refried beans heated
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped white onions
- sliced black olives optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the beef, except for the beef itself, and mix well.
- Crumble the ground chuck into a large skillet (preferably nonstick) and brown, stirring well. Remove from the heat and drain the grease from the beef.
- Return the beef to the pan and stir in the spice mix and 3/4 to 1 cup of water. Simmer uncovered on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until most of the moisture has cooked away. Remove the pan from the heat before the meat is completely dry.
- To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a saucepan and mix well. Simmer at a very low temperature for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- To assemble the Enchirito, spread 1/4 of the heated refried beans onto a tortilla, followed by 1/4 of the ground beef. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down in an ovenproof dish coated with non-stick spray. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Cover with the prepared sauce, cheese, chopped onions, and black olives, if desired.
- Place the Enchiritos in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Colleen Sullivan
I worked for Taco Bell from 1982-1987 (yes 5 years of being a Gold Bell employee!) That was when they used the special corn tortillas that they had specially made just for enchiritos. I think they were part corn and part flour tortillas. They switched to plain flour tortillas to reduce the number of single use items. This recipe is really good, and very close in taste to theirs. My husband always loved the enchiritos so I made this yesterday for his birthday dinner. He was so happy with it! I might make a large batch of the seasoning so that I can have it ready each time I want taco meat. Back when I worked there, the spice mixture was mixed with water at least 24 hours ahead of time (stored in the walk-in) so the flavors could meld together, and the onion could rehydrate before adding to the meat. One point I want to make is that you should never drain your meat grease into the sink. The cost to get your pipes reamed out every few years from the build-up isn’t worth it. I scoop the meat out of the pan into a paper towel lined bowl, draining as much as possible as I go, then put the rest of the grease into a bowl until it is cool enough to dump into the trash.
Stephanie
I am glad you enjoyed this one!
Randi
Does anyone know if you can freeze it and eat later?
Stephanie
I think this would freeze ok.
Candy
Love this. My husband made it for us. Loved that even more! For those who are saddened that Taco Bell discontinued it, start a petition. It seems that a large amount of people miss this item and would love it back.
Jenny
nope. this recipe is totally different than McCormicks and La Victoria – absolutely NO comparison. If you want a simple meal – then yes, take the shortcuts. If you want the real deal – don’t do it. This recipe is A-MAZE-ING. do it.
Jason Griffin
I also love my encharito and was upset when I was told it was discontinued…so here’s a secret. Ask for a ” Beef burrito “at Taco bell, they might be confused from the start because it’s not a menu item. Ask them to just leave out the beans and add cheese and onion. Also ask for a side of the red sauce, they’ll put it in one of the nacho cheese containers and you can poor over,dip and just slurp.
Stephanie
Very smart!
Sharon Brown
I will be making this tomorrow for dinner by your recipe minus at least half of the cayenne. Then a couple days later I’ll try the quick tips recipe. Enchiritos were my very favorite item on their menu. I probably had them 4 times a week for my lunch. So thank you for sharing this.
Schatze
I don’t see anything about temp and time in the oven. Help!!
Stephanie
You don’t need to put this into the oven, but I will add directions to turn this into an oven-baked style dish.
Denise
Has anybody perfected the red sauce? My fav.
Andie
Your ” shares” board/menu is in the way. Please move it or remove it. I have pictures I can share if you want to see. Screen shots.
Drewbud87
Shortcut: Old El Paso Red Enchilada (Mild) sauce tastes almost exactly like the original. Also, I make my pinto beans in Insta Pot and smooth them with hand held saucer- just add chilli powder, simple and tastes almost the exact same and I’m guessing maybe healthier too. I’ve always loved the Enchirito.
Stephanie
Confession time, I like the Ortega taco sauce, and often purchase it.
Julie
Thank you so much!! I went to Taco Bell tonoght and they removed it from the secretmenu aldo. They said it was a corporate decision. So bummed but now i can just make art home!!
sharon sutton
I also went to Taco Bell only to be told my favorite item had also been completely nixed. So completely disgusted. If they have ingredients on hand, why can’t they make it for those who want it.? Thanks for the recipe, though. Sounds good.
Janna
Me too, went and they no longer sell it ? it was my favorite and only thing i ordered so i will be trying this thank you for sharing.
Stephanie
I hope you enjoy it!
Marie
Also the original was made with corn tortillas. That was 30+ years ago 🙂
Marie
I was wondering if anyone else had this with the green sauce they used to have? Was very delish!
Janna
When i worked there during high school i would mix the red and green sauce ?
Jennifer
Green sauce was like crack. I loved that stuff when I work in high school. So disappointing ordering food there and not being able to have it made the way I used to “make” mine.
Giselle
I always loved my enchiritos with green sauce, no red. It was definitely my favorite at Taco Bell, and I’m really bummed they won’t do them anymore ?
Ruth Decker
PLEASE don’t drain the beef grease down the drain. It can clog it completely, destroying the joy of eating this delicious meal.
Ryan T Vincent
The onions go in the Enchirito. I worked at Taco bell. It’s also the only thing I eat there.
The sauce is missing a little of the original recipe flavor. It’s still decent though.
Candy
The directions seem a little unclear. Mix everything except the meat. When do I add the sauce to the mixture? Or do I only add the sauce after they are wrapped and ready for baking?
vikkie
yes.. cover with sauce and cook
Sharon
Oh my! My mouth was watering so bad by the time I removed our Enchirito from the oven, I forgot to take pictures of the final product! Thought this was SO WORTH the time to make. Maybe tomorrow evening I won’t be in such a hurry to taste the creation! Mine did look just like the picture, though.????????????
Stephanie
I am glad you liked them!
Cindy Lou
I made this tonight for the first time, the meat spices are spot on but the sauce is still not the same. Also was hotter than Taco Bell. I’m sure was the cyan-pepper, maybe cut back on that next time, but sill – is just missing something – can’t figure it out.
Al Hew
What you are missing is the “flavor enhancers,” such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, MSG, other glutimates, etc.
Giselle
Fascinating. I had overlooked that entirely.
Brooke Dickerson
I agree, the initial smell and taste were spot on with the sauce but once topped on the enchiladas there was something missing. I am going to add in a bit more water and vinegar as well as cut cayenne in half next time
Stephanie
Often when a recipe is missing “something” the “something” is salt. Our chili powders may have had different amounts of salt.
Pamela Sichel
Is the masa harina for thickening the sauce?
William A Turri
Although this is an excellent recipe you can shortcut the way you make it at home.Fry up your ground beef add Taco Seasoning (I use McCormicks) open a can of Refried Beans and use a Canned Chili sauce like La Victoria and cheddar cheese add chopped onion and its very close with less hassle.Semi homemade..
Nancy
I made this with the taco seasoning packet and canned refrained beans and topped it with enchilada red sauce and it was pretty close and very fast