The Taco Bell Spicy Potato Taco is a vegetarian taco made with fried crispy potatoes, Cheddar cheese, lettuce, and a perfectly spicy chipotle sauce. You can recreate the Taco Bell potato taco at home with this easy copycat recipe. This taco is one of the meatless options available at Taco Bell.
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What makes the Taco Bell Spicy Potato Taco the perfect Vegetarian Mexican Dinner
The Taco Bell Spicy Potato Taco is the ultimate vegetarian Mexican dinner that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more! With its crispy potato bites, fiery chipotle sauce, and fresh lettuce, this taco is a gastronomic delight that will transport you straight to the streets of Mexico.
First and foremost, the star of the show is the spicy potato filling that is perfectly seasoned and fried to a crispy perfection. The soft and warm tortilla provides the perfect contrast to the crunchy potato bites, while the cool and refreshing lettuce adds a burst of freshness that perfectly balances out the heat.
What really sets this taco apart is the bold and flavorful chipotle sauce that adds a smoky and slightly sweet undertone to the dish. This sauce is not for the faint of heart and adds a serious kick to the taco, making it a perfect option for those who love a bit of heat in their food.
Why you should try making this copycat spicy potato soft taco recipe
Making a copycat Taco Bell Soft Potato Taco at home means you get to control the ingredients and make it as healthy or indulgent as you want. You can choose to use organic potatoes, fresh lettuce, and low-fat sour cream to make a healthier version, or you can indulge in some extra cheese and spicy salsa for a more indulgent treat.
The best part? You can customize the level of spiciness according to your taste buds. Add more or less of the fiery chipotle sauce to your taco to make it as mild or as spicy as you like.
One Recipe, Countless Options
When something is this delicious, it is hard to get enough of it! But who wants to eat tacos all the time? The good news is that there are almost endless other ways that you can utilize the spicy potato filling and the Taco Bell spicy chipotle sauce to create something entirely new! Try one of the following suggestions or try experimenting on your own. Share your creations with us in the comments below.
- Substitute the fried potatoes and spicy chipotle sauce for homefries. They are perfect with any style of eggs and an ideal side dish for Huevos Ranchos. Try mixing them with black beans as a filling for a Southwest omelet.
- Turn the recipe into a spicy veggie patty. Slightly mash two cups of cold potato taco filling and one cup of black beans together. Stir in a half cup of canned diced tomatoes and a quarter cup of small, diced onions. Add enough Taco Bell spicy chipotle sauce to help bring it together. Cook over medium heat in a well-greased skillet into browned on both sides. Serve on a bun like a burger or over rice.
- Try dipping chicken tenders or french fries into the spicy chipotle sauce. Spread the sauce liberally on a roast beef or cold meatloaf sandwich to add a bit of smoky spice.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make spicy potato tacos and chipotle sauce:
- Russet potatoes
- All-purpose flour
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Four tortillas
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Oil for frying
- Sour cream
- Dukes mayonnaise
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- Salt, table and Kosher
- Fresh lime juice
You should use Russet potatoes. They are the best for frying because they are dense and high in starch and low in moisture. These dense potatoes are perfect for frying because of the starch they brown perfectly on the outside, and the dense center makes these potato bites a delight to eat.
How to Make Taco Bell Spicy Potato Taco
- Wash, peel, and cut potatoes into bite-size cubes.
- Rinse cut potatoes and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
- Drop potato chunks into the flour, and toss to coat well.
- Shake off excess seasoning before placing potatoes into the deep fryer.
- Deep fry for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown.
- Remove potatoes from the fryer, and drain on a wire rack.
- Place all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Warm tortillas then add two to three tablespoons of potatoes to each tortilla.
- Drizzle on the chipotle sauce and top with shredded lettuce and cheese.
Tips For Serving a Taco Bell Spicy Potato Soft Taco
- Serve as part of a make-your-own taco fiesta. A Southwest or south-of-the-border theme is perfect for a party or potluck. Tacos and burritos are inexpensive and simple for your guest to assemble independently, leaving you more free time to mingle. Don’t forget the margaritas!
- Use corn tortillas instead of flour ones. Corn tortillas have so much more flavor than flour tortillas, but you have to know how to heat them correctly to bring out the flavor. Forget using the microwave or oven. For the best results, heat in a dry pan on the stove over medium until both sides begin to color, but not too long that they become crispy.
Storing a Spicy Potato Soft Taco
You could make these ahead of time, and warm them up just before serving. It is a great way to prepare make-ahead breakfasts. Simply store the ingredients separately. If you store them already made, the sauce will dry out long before you get to enjoy this potato taco.
Transfer the potatoes to an airtight container after they have cooled to room temperature. Store the sauce in its own airtight container. Store the potatoes and sauce in the fridge overnight.
You probably don’t want to keep this potato taco filling too long because the potatoes will start to break down, but they should be good the next day as long as you keep the filling in an airtight container.
When you are ready to enjoy your tacos, heat the potatoes, and warm the tortillas. Reheat the potatoes in a pan over medium heat or in a dish in the oven at 350°F.
Then you can assemble the taco.
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Love Taco Bell? Try these copycat recipes
- Taco Bell Hard Shell Taco
- Taco Bell Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
- Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
- Taco Bell Enchirito
Popular Tex-Mex and Mexican Food Recipes
- Restaurant Queso Recipe
- Best Tex-Mex Salsa Recipe
- Chipotle Corn Salsa
- Chipotle Mexican Grill White Rice
- Best Mexican Hot Sauce Recipe
- Mexican Pico de Gallo
- Mexican Restaurant Style Refried Beans
- Taco Dip Recipe
- Mexican Cornbread with Corn
- Chicken Cheese Enchiladas Recipe
Be sure to check out more of my easy Mexican food recipes and the best fast food copycat recipes.
Taco Bell Spicy Potato Soft Taco
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8 flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
Spicy Chipotle Sauce ingredients
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise Dukes
- 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
Crispy potato instructions
- Heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.
- Wash and peel potatoes. Cut potatoes into ½ inch to ¾ inch cubes. Rinse potatoes off, and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Prepare seasoned flour for potatoes by combining flour, onion power, garlic powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Stir to combine.
- Drop potato chunks into the flour, and coat well. Shake off excess seasoned flour before placing potatoes to the deep fryer.
-  Deep fry for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown. Remove potatoes from the fryer, and drain on wire rack.
Chipotle sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender and puree for about 30 seconds. Store any unused sauce in an air-tight container.
Taco Assembly
- Prepare tacos by warming tortillas for about 30 seconds in the microwave.
- Add two to three tablespoons of potatoes to each tortilla, drizzle on chipotle sauce, and top with shredded lettuce and cheese.
I have never had these at Taco Bell, but my son has and loves them. I followed the recipe as written, but substituted hash brown Pattie’s in the air fryer for the fried potatoes. I chopped them up after they were cooked. My son said the sauce was exactly the same and he might like these better than the originals!
Thanks!! The sauce was perfect (I used street taco adobo). I also used tater tots to save time, and it tasted great!
I loved this recipe and the sauce is perfect! Air fryer is perfect!
I have made this recipe twice now and it’s terrific. I did cook the potatoes in the air fryer as opposed to deep frying. Definitely as good if not better than the Taco Bell version. Thanks for the recipe!
5 months pregnant and have been craving Taco Bell spicy potato soft tacos, but we all know they got rid of them! This recipe was perfection! So close to the real thing. Love it!
The tacos look heavenl! I love healthy recipes and this is such a great one to add to my will-try-soon list. Thanks for sharing!
I tried this and it was great. I myself don’t like chipotle peppers so I substituted taco bell taco sauce and it was wonderful. The potatoes come out perfect!
I am glad you enjoyed it.
Could this be made in an air fryer?
You could cook the potatoes in an air fryer, You would need to cut them into small pieces, and spray them with non-stick spray and cook them at 350 degrees until they brown.
If I air fry them, do I still add the flour and the spices to coat them?
Thanks!
Yes, I would also drizzle a little oil on the floured potatoes and then air fry them, this way they will be crispy.
Have you tried this with sweet potatoes? I will try as written but may have to try sweet potatoes too. Thanks for your posts, really enjoy them.
I bet this would work well with sweet potatoes!