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Can't decide between pizza or tacos? With refried beans, seasoned taco meat, salsa, and melty cheese piled on pizza dough, this easy Taco Pizza brings you the best of both.
Looking for more delicious spins on taco night? Don't miss my recipes for Taco Casserole, Taco Soup, and Taco Pasta.
Kristen's Keys for Tacos Pizza (Start Here)
This Taco Pizza is easy to make and endlessly flexible, but a few small details make a big difference in how it turns out. Keep these tips in mind, and don't skip the bonus one if you love smart meal prep.
- Use refried beans as the base. They create a barrier between the dough and the toppings, helping prevent a soggy crust and adding flavor at the same time.
- A chunky, thick salsa is best. A thin salsa adds too much moisture to the pizza, which can lead to watery toppings and soggy crust (even with that refried bean base).
- Make tacos one night, taco pizza the next. Leftover taco meat, refried beans, salsa, cheese, and taco toppings all get a second life in the best kind of way.
How to Make Taco Pizza
Think of this section as me guiding you through the recipe -- with a few tips and shortcuts along the way.
Step One: Prepare Dough
If you are planning to use homemade pizza dough, it is best to prepare the dough first, so that it has time to rest before rolling it out.
To make the pizza dough from scratch, combine the yeast, honey, and water in a large mixing and let foam. Once foamy, stir in the oil, then slowly mix in flour and salt, until a dough ball forms. Knead until smooth and then place into in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 20-30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Step Two: Prepare Meat
Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking the meat into bite-sized pieces, until fully browned and cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and drain off any excess grease if needed. Add in tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and a splash of water. Simmer on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
Take a Short-Cut: Skip this step and use leftover taco meat or swap the taco meat for leftover shredded chicken taco meat, crockpot carnitas, Sofritas, etc.
Step Three: Assemble
Start by rolling out the prepared dough (or store-bought dough) on a lightly floured surface then transfer to a lightly greased 12-inch pan.
Spread a layer of refried beans over the pizza dough, then top with salsa. Add the prepared taco meat (or leftovers of choice) and then top with a generous layer of shredded cheese.
Step Four: Bake
Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
Step Five: Serve
Let the pizza rest for 5-10 minutes, so that it is easier to slice and won't burn your mouth.😉 Then slice and serve with your favorite taco toppings. Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, avocados, guacamole, sour cream, olives, etc. are all great options.
Recipe Variations
This recipe for taco pizza is highly customizable. You can swap out the type of salsa, meat, and toppings to tailor the pizza to suit your taste preferences or what you have on hand.
- Meatless Option: Skip the meat and use vegetarian refried beans. If you want to bulk the pizza up, Sofritas, lentil taco meat, or canned pinto beans work well here.
- Make it Heartier: Increase the meat to a full pound for a really hearty taco pizza. Just be sure to double the taco seasoning, tomato sauce, and water as well.
- Swap Out the Taco Meat: Replace the taco meat with 2-3 cups of leftover Instant Pot Chicken taco meat or shredded chicken taco meat, Instant Pot barbacoa, Instant Pot carnitas, or slow cooker carnitas.
- Dairy-Free Option: Skip the cheese entirely as the beans and seasoned meat bring plenty of flavor. Add a scoop guacamole for a creamy finish.
More Pizza Recipes
Looking for more creative pizza combinations? Don't miss the following recipes:
Taco Pizza
Video
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough
- ¾ cup warm water, 100-105 degrees
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
For Taco Pizza
- ½ pound ground beef, or chicken or turkey
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 cup refried beans
- ¾ cup thick salsa
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, avocado, olives, sour cream, etc
Instructions
For the Pizza Dough
- Combine the water, yeast, and honey in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) and let sit for about 5 minutes until the mixture is foamy.
- Add the oil to the yeast mixture, stirring to combine. Slowly mix in the flour and salt, and stir 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 Pizza
- Preheat your oven to 400℉ (200℃). Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray or brush with oil.
- 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.
- Roll out the prepared 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2026.
I also can not STAND to waste food! My kids know to only take a little bit on their plate because you can always have more, but mama doesn't like food to get thrown out! This recipe looks good, and what a good way to use up leftovers.
Sounds like you and I are on the same wave length. I am always looking for creative ways to reduce waste. Wait till you see what I share tomorrow on my blog about how to use kitchen scraps 🙂
Thanks so much for this simple, clever recipe. We eat a lot of Mexican food around here and this is a great way to change it up a bit. Definitely pinning this one and trying it soon. Thanks, again!
I love leftover ideas! Tacos in pizza form? Genius!! Can't wait to try it out! 😀
It is a crazy good way to eat pizza (plus use up a few leftovers!)
Brilliant! I love finding creative ways to use up leftovers too. Sometimes I even make things with the leftovers in mind! Thanks for sharing it with us at Foodie Fridays!!
Yum! I love leftovers!
Especially when those leftovers can be so tasty 🙂
Yea! You will love it--even if you have to make the taco meat first 🙂 Or you could just season up some canned refried beans and keep it really simple!
I don't have leftovers, but I still think I'm going to try this tonight! It looks SO good! Thanks for sharing!