Tacos and pizza collide in this ridiculously delicious Taco Pizza! Made with refried beans, perfectly seasoned taco meat, salsa, and cheese, this Taco Pizza recipe puts a unique and irresistible spin on pizza night.
I love putting creative spins on pizza. From Pizza Meatloaf to Buffalo Chicken Pizza to Pizza Grilled Cheese pizza-inspired recipes are always a good idea.
But the BEST spin on pizza is combing two favorites, like tacos and pizza, into one outrageously delicious recipe. This Taco Pizza recipe was inspired by Papa Murphy's Taco Pizza, and it incorporates all the elements of classic tacos into a delicious pizza.
why you will love taco pizza
- Family-Favorite Recipe. The combination of tacos and pizza creates a flavorful dinner that satisfies both pizza and taco cravings.
- Incredible Use of Leftovers. Taco pizza is an excellent way to use leftovers from taco night. The toppings used in tacos, such as taco meat, refried beans, salsa, and cheese, can all be repurposed to make a delicious taco pizza.
- Adaptable. This recipe for taco pizza is highly customizable. You can swap out the type of beans, salsa, meat, and toppings to tailor the pizza to suit your taste preferences.
Notes on Ingredients
- Pizza Dough: For this recipe, you need 1 pound of store-bought or homemade pizza dough.
- Refried Beans: The refried beans will add bulk and a creamy texture to the taco pizza. You can opt to use refried pinto beans, refried black beans, or instant pot refried beans.
- Salsa: Instead of pizza sauce, use jarred salsa to top this taco pizza. This is one instance where fresh salsa is NOT best, as it has a lot of excess moisture that may cause your pizza to become soggy. I recommend using your favorite jarred salsa.
- Taco Meat: This recipe is made with ground beef that has been seasoned with tomato sauce and homemade taco seasoning. Feel free to use ground turkey or chicken in place of ground beef.
- Cheese: Use sharp cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend cheese, as it pairs best with the Tex-Mex flavor.
- Toppings: Just like tacos, taco pizza is even more delicious when served with your favorite toppings like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocados, guacamole sour cream, olives, etc. Use whatever you like!
Variations on Taco Pizza
- Vegetarian Taco Pizza: Be sure your refried beans are vegetarian and skip the taco meat. In place of the taco meat, you can use Sofritas, lentil taco meat, or just keep it simple and skip adding "meat" altogether.
- Taco Pizza with Chicken: Replace the taco meat with leftover Instant Pot Chicken Taco Meat or Shredded Mexican Chicken. Alternatively, you can combine 1 to 2 cups of leftover rotisserie chicken that has been seasoned with 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning.
- Dairy-Free Option: This Taco Pizza has so much flavor, you can simply omit the addition of shredded cheese and still have a pizza filled with flavor. Or you can use your favorite dairy-free shredded cheese.
How to Make Homemade Taco Pizza
The recipe card for Taco Pizza will walk you through the steps on how to make homemade pizza dough and homemade taco meat as well, That said, you can begin this recipe with store-bought pizza dough and leftover taco meat to make fast work of this recipe.
- Roll Out Pizza Dough. Using your homemade dough or store-bought dough, roll the dough out into a large circle and then place it onto a greased 12-inch pizza pan.
- Assemble Taco Pizza. Spread an even layer of refried beans over the pizza dough and then top with salsa to cover. Sprinkle the taco meat over the salsa and then top with the shredded cheese.
- Bake. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest so that it is easier to slice and won't burn your mouth.
- Serve. Top the pizza with your favorite taco toppings before serving OR slice the pizza and let each person top as desired.
More Pizza Recipes
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If you gave this recipe for Taco Pizza a try, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Taco Pizza
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- ¾ cup warm water 100-105 degrees
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cup flour
For the Taco Meat
- ½ pound ground beef or chicken or turkey
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
For the Pizza
- cooking spray
- 1 pound pizza dough using recipe provided or store-bought dough
- 1 cup refried beans
- ¾ cup salsa
- 1-2 cups prepared taco meat using the recipe provided or leftover taco meat
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
- Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, avocado, olives, sour cream, etc
Instructions
For the Pizza Dough
- Combine the water and yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of your stand mixer with the dough hook attached until the yeast is foamy.
- Add the honey and oil to the yeast mixture, stirring to combine. Add the flour and salt slowly, mixing as you go, until well combined.
- Once mixed, knead the dough for 5-9 minutes by hand on a lightly floured surface or with your dough hook on low-medium speed for 3-4 minutes. You want your dough to form a shiny ball.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 20-30 minutes or until the dough doubles in size.
Taco Meat
- In a medium skillet, brown the ground meat over medium-high heat, breaking it into small chunks as it cooks. Once browned, drain off excess grease if needed, and then return the meat to the skillet. Add in tomato sauce, water, and taco seasoning. Simmer on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
For the Taco Pizza
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or brush with oil.
- Roll out the pizza dough onto the lightly greased pizza pan.
- Spread refried beans out evenly over the pizza crust. Top with salsa, spreading to cover the beans. Sprinkle the prepared taco meat over the salsa and then top with cheese.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until crust is cooked through and cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.
- Let the pizza cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and topping with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2017 but updated in 2022 with new photos and video.
Karen Holmes
Hi I have been making taco pizza for years. But instead of pizza crust I use Jiffy corn muffin mix. It is sweeter but my family loved it.
Kristen Chidsey
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Karen!
Brandy
Two of my favorite meals in one! This recipe was easy to make and so delicious. My family really enjoyed it!
Liz
Ok it's like my two favorite foods got married and I'm HERE FOR IT! New family favorite, for sure.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Liz! It is a favorite here as well.
Tayler Ross
Two of our favorite meals combined! It was a hit with the whole family! Thanks for sharing.
Kristen Chidsey
WAHOO!!! Love it when the family is happy!
Taryn
Such a great addition to our taco Tuesday meal rotation. Love it!
Kristen Chidsey
So glad your family enjoys Taryn!
Analida's Ethnic Spoon
I love leftovers too! Make mini appetizers or something creative. Love this!
Kristen Chidsey
Leftovers can be so creative, if you use your imagination!
Hirra Pervaiz
Why I never thought of this before? This is brilliant!
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Hirra! It is so easy and so yummy!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa
I made a vegetarian taco pizza one time and it was SO good! I thought it was going to be a weird combo (with the crust and taco flavors) but it was just a giant slice of taco and it was ah-mazing!
Kristen Chidsey
The first time I had it, I thought it would be odd as well. But yep, so great!
Brandy M
We use left overs all the time Less food wasted and more money stays in my pockets! I have not tried this recipe yet, but I will be now!
Kristen Chidsey
This is a great dish to add to your money saving repertoire.
Christie
What a fabulous way to repurpose leftovers. Love that you made something totally different.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks Christie!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes)
I am trying to use my leftovers more often also!
Kristen Chidsey
Such a great way to save money!