This Homemade Taco Pizza recipe blends Italian-style pizza dough with your favorite taco toppings to create a delicious new pizza night masterpiece. Made with refried beans and salsa, rather than tomato sauce, and topped with seasoned taco meat, shredded cheese and your favorite taco fixings, this baby is then drizzled with sour cream salsa. Easy-peasy and oh-so-delicious!

taco pizza recipes covered with toppings and ready to bake, refried bean pizza, mexican pizza sauce. recipe for taco pizza.

Jump to:

The Best Mexican Pizza Recipe
Quick and Easy Pizza Dough Alternatives
Ingredients in this Taco Pizza Recipe
How to Make the Pizza Dough Crust
How to Make Sauce for Taco Pizza
How to Assemble and Bake the Taco Pizza
Topping Variations for Taco Pizza
What is the Best Pan to Use for Homemade Pizza?
Homemade Taco Pizza Recipe

The Best Mexican Pizza Recipe

If pizza and Mexican food are big hits in your family, then here is the recipe 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 and 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” - 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.
If you want easier ways to enjoy homemade pizza at home without the pizza dough, we’ve got you covered with this easy French bread version.

sauce for homemade taco pizza, mexican pizza sauce.

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 pizza 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 substitute a cheddar blend.
Ground Beef - we like to use leaner ground beef.
Taco Seasoning - you can find this in the store's spice section and the Mexican aisle.
Green Onions - you can use both the white and the green parts.
Red Bell Peppers - deseeded and diced.
Black Olives - sliced.
Sour Cream Salsa- just a 50/50 mixture of your favorite salsa and sour cream. You can also adjust that percentage to your liking.

homemade taco pizza, ready to bake. pizza salsa, refried bean pizza. recipe for taco pizza, how to make taco pizza.

How to Make the Pizza Dough Crust

You can check out our blog post for a step-by-step breakdown of making Homemade Pizza Dough! Here's the condensed version:

Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a medium-sized mixing bowl or stand mixer. Let it sit for about 5 minutes or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
Once your yeast has “proofed,” add the olive oil, salt, and about 1 ½ cups of flour. Mix with a paddle or dough hook until all the ingredients are completely combined.
Add in the rest of the flour, about a ¼ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
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.
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 Sauce for Taco Pizza

So simple, it takes just one step: in a small bowl, mix 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

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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.
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.
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.
Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the sauce, then top with the taco meat, bell peppers, black olives and green onions.
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.
In a blender, combine ⅓ cup salsa and ⅓ 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!

homemade taco pizza, ready to bake, mexican Pizza with taco meat.

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
Salsa
Ranch Dressing
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Crushed Doritos

easy taco pizza, baked with a salsa ranch drizzle

What is the Best Pan to Use for Homemade Pizza?

We used a round wide-rimmed aluminum pizza pan and a pizza wire for this Taco Pizza recipe. 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, eliminating 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 - 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 on a baking peel, then transfer the pizza onto the hot stone to bake.

taco pizza drizzled with salsa creamy sauce

Homemade Taco Pizza Recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian, Mexican

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 20

Resting Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings slices

Calories 343kcal

Author The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

1 cup Water
2 teaspoon Sugar
2 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast or instant
1 tablespoon Olive OIl
1 teaspoon Salt
2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Taco Pizza Sauce

½ cup Salsa use your favorite brand
½ cup Refried Beans

Pizza Toppings

½ lb Ground Beef
2 teaspoon Taco Seasoning any brand
1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 cup Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese can substitute a cheddar blend
½ large Red Bell Pepper diced; can also use orange or green
1 4-oz can Black Olives sliced
3 whole Green Onions thinly sliced

Drizzle for Taco Pizza

⅓ cup Salsa
⅓ cup Sour Cream

Instructions

How to Make Pizza Dough

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.
Once your yeast has proofed, add the olive oil, salt and about 1 ½ cups of flour. Using a paddle or dough hook, mix until all the ingredients are completely combined.
Add in the rest of the flour, about a ¼ cup at a time until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
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.
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 Assemble and Bake the Pizza

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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 aside.
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.
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.
Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the sauce, then top with the taco meat, bell peppers, black olives and green onions.
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.
In a blender, combine ⅓ cup salsa and ⅓ 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!

Notes

1- large 14-16" pizza

Nutrition

Here are a few more pizza recipes that we love!

If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!