Taco Bell Soft Taco

Do you love a Taco Bell Soft Taco and want to make it at home? You can with this easy copycat recipe. Enjoy tasty homemade soft tacos with ground beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream.

two homemade Taco Bell soft tacos with beef, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes


Homemade Taco Bell Soft Tacos

Quick and convenient, everyone loves Taco Bell’s dishes, especially their classics like soft tacos. But you don’t have to make a run for the border the next time you get a craving for Mexican food if you can cook restaurant-quality soft tacos at home.

Whether you love the original soft tacos or prefer the Taco Bell Soft Taco Supreme, this recipe will become one of your favorites!

The Taco Bell Beef Recipe

The secret to these tacos is getting the beef filling right. While the process is straightforward, the ingredient list is a bit on the long side. Don’t worry, you can easily make an extra-large batch of the seasoning mixture and keep it on hand. Then you can whip up a Taco Bell beef filling in minutes.

You shouldn’t have any difficulty finding any of the ingredients in a large supermarket. If you have never heard of masa harina before, it is made from dried corn treated with lime and then ground into flour.

Masa harina is a common ingredient in Tex-Mex dishes as both a flour for making tortillas and as a thickener. You can find blue, yellow, and white masa harina based on the color of the corn, but for this recipe, stick with the white or yellow versions.

Taco Bell Soft Taco Recipe Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

  • Masa harina
  • Chili powder
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Seasoned salt
  • Paprika
  • Ground cumin
  • Garlic salt
  • Sugar
  • Dried minced onion
  • Beef bouillon powder
  • Ground beef chuck – recommend meat that is 70% lean
  • Taco-size white tortillas
  • Shredded cheddar cheese – want to be just like them? Use finely shredded cheese
  • Shredded iceberg lettuce
  • Roma tomatoes
  • Sour cream (optional) – Taco Bell uses low fat sour cream.
Taco Bell Soft Taco Ingredients

How to Make Meat for Taco Bell Soft Tacos

To make the Taco Bell beef filling, start by heating a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. You need to make sure that the pan is large enough to allow you to spread out the ground beef. Overcrowding the pan will cause the meat to steam and not brown properly.

Once the meat begins to release some liquid, stir occasionally. After browning the beef, push it towards the side of the pan with the handle. Take the pan off the heat and drain the liquid into a container in the sink. Depending on how much there is, you may find it easier just to mop it up with a paper towel.

Return the pan to medium-high heat, and stir in the seasoning mix along with 3/4 to 1 cup of water. Reduce the heat until the water is barely simmering and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes, and remove from the heat when most of the liquid is gone.

Assembling the Taco Bell Soft Tacos

Heat the tortillas for about 30 seconds per side in a large, dry skillet or about 20 seconds in the microwave.

Place the tortilla on a plate and add two to three tablespoons of the beef filling. Top with shredded iceberg lettuce and cheese.

If you want to make it a Taco Bell Soft Taco Supreme, add some diced tomatoes and sour cream. Fold and serve immediately.

two homemade Taco Bell soft tacos

How to Make Taco Bell Soft Taco

Here are the step-by-step instructions for the recipe:

  1. Place all the spices in a small bowl.
  2. Stir until the spices are blended well.
    seasoning mix for Taco Bell ground beef
  3. Place the ground beef into a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef, stirring to crumble the beef as it is browning.
  4. Drain off the grease and return the beef to the skillet.
    browned ground beef crumbles in a skillet
  5. Add the spices and water. Stir to combine.
    browned ground beef and Taco Bell seasoning mix in a skillet
  6. Simmer over on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until most of the moisture has cooked away.
  7. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
  8. Place each tortilla in the skillet for 30 seconds on each side to warm them up.
    tortilla in a pan
  9. Remove the tortilla from the skillet and cover it with a towel to keep it warm. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
  10. Place seasoned ground beef, lettuce, cheese, and diced tomato on the tortilla.
    ground beef, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes on a tortilla
  11. Top with sour cream if desired.
  12. Serve with salsa or Taco Bell taco sauce.

Tips for Prepping and Using Taco Bell Beef Filling

  • Store any extra seasoning mix in an airtight container. As long as it remains dry, it should stay fresh for months. Use a quarter cup of the seasoning mix per recipe if you prepare it in bulk.
  • Use the Taco Bell beef recipe with other dishes. It’s perfect inside of a quesadilla or mixed with a cheese sauce over fries. Stir in some salsa for a Mexican-style sloppy joe.

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What’s the difference in a regular soft taco and a taco supreme?

The difference in the supreme version is just two ingredients, if you order a Taco Supreme it comes with sour cream and tomatoes. So make yours supreme by adding the sour cream and some chopped tomatoes.

two homemade Taco Bell soft tacos and shredded lettuce in a small bowl

Love Taco Bell? Try these copycat recipes!

Favorite Mexican Recipes

Check out more of my easy Mexican food recipes and the best Taco Bell recipes here on CopyKat!

two homemade Taco Bell soft tacos with beef, lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes

Taco Bell Soft Taco

You can make Taco Bell Soft Tacos at home with this easy copycat recipe.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Soft Taco, Taco Bell Soft Taco
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 265kcal

Ingredients

Taco Seasoned Beef

  • 1 1/2 tablespoon 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 beef chuck

Soft Tacos

  • 12 white tortillas six to eight inches wide
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 head iceberg lettuce shredded (about 3 cups)
  • 2 roma tomatoes diced
  • ¾ cup sour cream optional

Instructions

Taco Seasoned Beef

  • Place all the ingredients except the meat in a small bowl.
  • Stir the spices well to make sure the spices are blended well.
  • Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet (preferably nonstick) over medium-high heat and brown the beef, stirring well.
  • Transfer the browned beef to a colander to drain off the grease.
  • Return the beef to the skillet.
  • Add the spice mix and 3/4 to 1 cup water. Stir to combine.
  • Simmer the beef mixture on medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until most of the moisture has cooked away. Remove the skillet from heat before the meat is completely dry.
  • Heat a skillet over medium heat.
  • Place each tortilla in the skillet for about 30 seconds on each side to warm them up.
  • Remove the tortilla from the skillet.
  • Cover the tortillas with a towel to keep them warm.

Taco Assembly

  • Spoon a couple tablespoons of beef on a tortilla.
  • Top with lettuce, cheese, and diced tomato.
  • Top with sour cream if desired.
  • Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
  • Serve immediately with your favorite taco sauce.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 650IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 2mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

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