Homemade Taco Pizza Recipe

The Best Taco Pizza Recipe

If pizza and Mexican food are both big hits in your family, then here is the recipe that you’ve been waiting for!  This is such a great recipe for your next Friday night pizza night.  It comes together quickly, and is so easy that you can even have the little ones help you out.  

All you need is our simple homemade pizza dough (which can be frozen, or made ahead of time, I might add!), salsa and refried beans for your “sauce,” and your favorite taco toppings.  

For your toppings, you can go simple, or get as creative as you want.  We’ve even been known to throw some crushed Doritos onto ours, so feel free to go wild!

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough Alternatives

For even quicker dinner solutions, here are a few shortcuts that will cut down on prep time and still taste great:

• Use canned Pillsbury pizza dough. It can usually be found in the refrigerated dairy section, along with the other Pillsbury canned items.  In fact, their crescent rolls would work, too!
• Purchase pre-made fresh pizza dough from your grocery store or local bakery.  You can usually purchase them in balls that range between ¾ to 1 pound of dough.
• You can use Original Bisquick mix at a ratio of 1 ½ cups mix to ? cup hot water.  Mix well, then press into a greased pizza pan.
• Flour Tortillas make a great Taco Pizza “crust” - just pre-bake the tortillas at 375 degrees F until golden brown, then remove from the oven and spread one with a mixture of refried beans and taco meat.  Top with another toasted tortilla, and then spread your toppings and sauce over the top as desired.

Ingredients in this Taco Pizza Recipe

Dough

• Flour - we use all-purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
• Salt - salt is important for the flavor and for the structure of any bread, so don’t forget to add it!
• Water - warm water is best because it helps to wake up your yeast.  It should be between 95-110 degrees F.  
• Yeast - we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be proofed.  (check out our Homemade White Bread recipe for more info on activating yeast).  If you use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step and just mix the dough together, knead and then let rise.
• Sugar - we use regular granulated sugar, but you could also substitute honey.
• Oil - olive oil, or else any other cooking oil that you’d like to use.  It’s best to use something with little flavor, like avocado oil.

Taco Pizza Sauce

• Salsa - use your favorite brand.
• Refried Beans - any brand of canned refried beans will work.  We especially love the jalapeno refried beans!  

Taco Toppings

• Shredded Cheese - we like to use a mixture of mozzarella and pepper jack. If you don’t like pepper jack you could also substitute a cheddar blend.
• Ground Beef - we like to use a leaner ground beef.
• Taco Seasoning - you can find this in the spice section, as well as in the Mexican aisle at the store.
• Green Onions - you can use both the white and the green parts.
• Red Bell Peppers - deseeded and diced.
• Black Olives - sliced.
• Sour Cream Salsa - this is just a 50/50 mixture of your favorite salsa and sour cream.  You can also adjust that percentage to your liking.

How to Make the Pizza Dough Crust

For a complete step-by-step breakdown of making Homemade Pizza Dough, you can check out our blog post on the subject!  Here's the condensed version:

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.  
2. Once your yeast has “proofed,” add the olive oil, salt and about 1 1/2 cups of flour.  Using a paddle or dough hook, mix until all the ingredients are completely combined.  
3. Add in the rest of the flour, about a 1/4 cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
4. Mix on low speed for another 1-2 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth, then transfer to a lightly floured surface and shape the dough into a ball.
5. If you are making the dough ahead, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place for about 15-30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

How to Make the Taco Sauce 

So simple, it takes just one step: in a small bowl, mix together equal parts of your favorite salsa and refried beans.  

If you like spicy foods, then we highly recommend trying the jalapeno refried beans - they are absolutely delicious in this recipe.

How to Assemble and Bake the Taco Pizza

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat a medium-sized saute pan over medium heat and add the ground beef, along with a couple tablespoons of water and the taco seasoning.  Use a spoon or spatula to break up the meat and cook until only a little pink remains, or about 5 minutes.  Drain any excess grease from the pan, then set the beef mixture aside. 
3. Spray your pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Place your dough on the pizza pan and gently spread it out to cover the entire pan.  Try to spread evenly and push dough so the crust is about a half inch from the edge of the pan.
4. In a small bowl, combine the salsa and refried beans, then spoon this sauce evenly onto the dough, keeping it about a half inch away from the edges.
5. Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the sauce, then top with the taco meat, bell peppers, black olives and green onions.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the crust is golden on the bottom and the cheese is melted and golden on top.  Then remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
7. In a blender, combine 1/3 cup salsa and 1/3 cup sour cream and blend until smooth.  Use a spoon or pastry bag to drizzle on top of your baked pizza, or serve on the side as a dip.  Enjoy!

Topping Variations for Taco Pizza

Toppings to sprinkle onto your pizza before baking:

• Ground beef with taco seasoning
• Green Chilis
• Shredded Chicken
• Different cheeses, such as Mexican blend

Toppings to add onto your pizza after baking:

• Shredded Lettuce
• Cilantro
• Diced Tomatoes
• Sour Cream
• Guacamole
• Crushed Doritos

What is the Best Pan to Use for Homemade Pizza?

For this Taco Pizza recipe, we used a round wide-rimmed aluminum pizza pan, along with a pizza wire.  Pizza wires help distribute heat evenly, and can be found at restaurant supply stores, or on Amazon.  They’ll give you a crispier crust.  You can also try and find perforated pizza pans, which would eliminate the need for a pizza wire.

Some other great options to try are:

• Baking Sheet: Rectangular baking sheets are a great alternative, especially if you plan to use one of the “shortcut” methods mentioned above.  Just be sure to lightly grease the pans before you add in your dough.
• Cast Iron Skillet or Cast Iron Pizza Pan: This is a great option for baking pizzas at home. Cast iron bakes very evenly and holds heat well, making for a crispy and chewy crust.  They are also very sturdy and will last forever - just make sure not to wash in your dishwasher.
• Pizza Stone: Place the pizza stone into a cold oven, then preheat them both together so that it gets nice and hot.  Shape and build your pizza directly on a baking peel, then transfer the pizza onto the hot stone to bake.