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Pizza meets taco night in this fun, easy, cheesy taco pizza recipe! It has a chewy, crispy pizza crust topped with refried beans, taco beef, salsa, and your favorite taco toppings. Make it in 30 minutes with a store-bought or homemade pizza crust.
Cheesy Taco Pizza With Taco Meat
Tacos will always be a family-favorite dinner. I’ve found plenty of ways to make them, from taco casserole to taco pasta, and even sheet pan tacos! And since we have pizza night once a week, obviously, I needed to try my hand at a taco-inspired pizza.
This homemade taco pizza is quick and delicious. I layered some classic taco ingredients, like juicy seasoned taco meat, refried beans, salsa, and cheese, onto a crispy, chewy homemade pizza crust. You can always save time with store-bought dough, or even crescent roll dough for an easy weeknight dinner.
I served our taco pizza hot from the oven with a side of crispy Southwest egg rolls. So good! And a taco pizza and a big sharing bowl of street corn dip on game day!? Perfection!
What Makes This Mexican Pizza Recipe So Good
- Mexican-meets-Italian dinner. Homemade taco pizza delivers all the cheesiness I love, mixed with bold taco flavors. It combines our weekly taco nights and pizza nights into one!
- Minimal prep. It’s even quicker if you have leftover taco meat and a store-bought pizza crust.
- Lots of room to improvise. You could easily swap the taco beef with leftover pork carnitas, picadillo, or chicken birria. The taco pizza toppings are also flexible, so choose your favorites!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Before you make your pizza, have a look at the ingredients. You’ll find the full recipe with exact amounts in the printable recipe card.
- Pizza Dough – I use my foolproof, yeast-free homemade pizza dough. You can also use refrigerated pizza dough or a ready-made crust from the store.
- Ground Beef – To make the taco meat. You can also make this recipe with ground chicken, turkey, or pork.
- Tomato Paste – Or an equal amount of tomato sauce (the flavor just won’t be as concentrated).
- Taco Seasoning – I like to use homemade taco seasoning or a packet of Old El Paso. For more flavor, I add extra ground cumin and paprika.
- Refried Beans – Choose your favorite canned brand. I’ll often make homemade refried beans by mashing my slow cooker pinto beans.
- Salsa – You can use spicy or mild, smooth or chunky salsa. Try using your own restaurant-style salsa.
- Cheese – Freshly shredded sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend works perfectly.
- Sour Cream – For serving. Greek yogurt is a good substitute.
- Optional Toppings – I top this taco pizza with diced red onion, bell peppers, and black olives before baking. Other good options are sweet corn and black beans.
What Kind of Crust is Best for Taco Pizza?
Any sturdy, chewy pizza crust, either store-bought or homemade, works best for a taco pizza. It needs to hold up to heavier toppings, like refried beans, ground beef, and any fresh toppings added after baking. For a lower-carb option, try my high-protein cottage cheese pizza crust.
Taco Toppings (For After Baking)
Adding fresh toppings after baking recreates those classic taco flavors and contrasting textures. These are some of my favorites:
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced tomato
- Sour cream
- Fresh or pickled jalapeños
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overload the pizza. Too many toppings will make the pizza crust soggy, and it won’t crisp up properly.
- Warm up the refried beans. Slightly warmed beans are easier to spread, which prevents tears in the dough.
- Drain excess grease. Draining the cooked ground beef helps avoid an overly greasy or oily pizza.
- Spice it up. Stir a little chili powder into the refried beans, or add jalapeño slices to the pizza (before or after baking). You could also drizzle the pizza with enchilada sauce.
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Taco Pizza
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pizza dough
Taco Meat:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ounce packet taco seasoning
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Bean Layer:
- 15 ounces can of refried beans
- ¼ cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Cheese:
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Toppings Before Baking (Optional):
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
- ½ cup diced bell pepper
Fresh Toppings After Baking (Optional):
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- sour cream, for garnish and serving
- pickled or fresh jalapeños, optional
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Cook the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Drain excess grease if needed, and return the skillet to the burner.
- Add the tomato paste, seasonings, and water. Stir in the tomato paste, taco seasoning, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute. Add the water and stir well. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the beans. Meanwhile, combine the refried beans, salsa, and sour cream in a small bowl. Stir until smooth and spreadable.
- Assemble the pizza. Roll the pizza dough into a 12–14-inch circle. Transfer to a pizza pan or baking sheet. Spread the bean mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges. Top the dough with the prepared taco meat. Sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Scatter the red onion, olives, and bell pepper over the top, if using.
- Bake the pizza. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and let it cool for a minute or two. Then, top with the shredded lettuce, diced tomato, jalapeños (if using), and a dollop of sour cream. Slice and serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Don’t overload the pizza with toppings. Too many toppings can make the crust soggy and prevent it from crisping properly.
- Warm the refried beans before spreading. Slightly warmed beans are much easier to spread over the dough without tearing it.
- Drain excess grease from the beef. This helps keep the pizza from becoming oily.
- Add the lettuce and tomatoes after baking. Fresh toppings provide the classic taco flavor and texture contrast.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make a Taco Pizza
- Cook the taco meat. First, brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Drain any excess grease before you add the tomato paste, taco seasoning, and spices. Stir that all together and cook for a minute, then add a splash of water. Simmer the beef mixture so it thickens.
- Mix the beans. Meanwhile, stir the refried beans with salsa and sour cream until smooth. This mixture will be the “base” for your taco pizza, in place of traditional pizza sauce.
- Prep the pizza dough. Now, roll out the pizza dough. I usually aim for a 12- or 14-inch circle, so the crust isn’t too thin. Place the crust on a baking sheet.
- Add the beans. Spread the refried beans over the dough like you would pizza sauce, leaving space around the edges for the crust.
- Assemble the pizza. Scatter the taco meat on top of the beans. Then, finish the pizza with shredded cheese, red onion, olives, and bell pepper.
- Bake. Bake at 425ºF for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted. Once your pizza is out of the oven, serve it with a drizzle of sour cream and your favorite taco toppings. Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store leftover pizza covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. I recommend reheating in the oven or the air fryer for a crispy crust.
