This Simple Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe Is Just as Good as the Real Thing

It's been a long two years since Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza was discontinued, but come May 19, the menu item is making a permanent comeback. If you're itching to try a slice before then or just don't want to wait in line the day of, you're in luck because re-creating it is a fairly simple (and tasty) task.

According to the Taco Bell menu, the Mexican Pizza consists of six basic components: pizza shells, pizza sauce, refried beans, seasoned beef, a three-cheese blend, and tomatoes. Most of these are pretty self-explanatory, and a glance at the ingredients list will tell you that the three-cheese blend consists of mozzarella, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Additionally, the seasoned beef can be replicated with a taco-seasoning packet, and the refried beans and tomatoes are, well, exactly what you'd expect.

The pizza shells and pizza sauce, however, appear to be a Taco Bell trade secret. Based on the crisp but not quite tostada-level texture, my best guess for the pizza shells was a fried, corn-and-flour-blend tortilla. The pizza sauce was a bit harder to nail, but a self-identified Taco Bell employee, who goes by @dhantbell on TikTok, shared that Taco Bell's red sauce is the closest thing to their pizza sauce. Going off of @dhantbell's insider knowledge and my distant memories of eating Mexican Pizza, I went with canned enchilada sauce mixed with jarred pico de gallo, and I'd say the taste was pretty spot on.

Figuring out the pizza sauce was really the only challenge because the rest is mostly assembly. All you have to do is spread refried beans and seasoned beef on a pizza shell, then add a second pizza shell layered with pizza sauce, cheese, and tomatoes. Stick it in the oven just until the cheese is melted, and it's ready to enjoy. It's too easy not to make at home, especially if you're already craving it. To learn how to make this copycat Mexican Pizza step by step, read ahead for the full recipe.