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Now you can make your own chalupa recipe that can be made with a few simple ingredients. Make this crispy and soft taco shell and fill with your favorite taco toppings such as ground beef, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, and sour cream and you have Homemade Chalupas.
When I was younger I worked at a few fast food places. The first place I worked was at McDonald’s. I also worked for Subway and Taco Bell. Although there are mixed feelings associated with fast-food workers, when you are a teenager the one perk you look forward to when working at a fast-food restaurant is the free meal you get during your shift. When working at all three of those restaurants, I tried just about everything on the menus that I could.
I had my favorites at all three, but at Taco Bell and I loved Chalupas!
What are Chalupas?
Typically in Mexico, Chalupas are made using masa and are flat. They are then topped with various toppings such as:
- Shredded Chicken
- Cheese: Queso Crumbled Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Pepperjack Cheese
- Avocado
- Pico De Gallo
- Refried Beans
- Salsa
- Sour Cream
- Black Beans
- Hot Sauce
This Mexican dish has been interpreted a bit differently here in America. The bread that most of us may be familiar with is made out of flour, which is called Indian Fry Bread, and it’s much thicker than how they are traditionally made. I don’t think I had a traditional Chalupa but I am sure it is just as delicious as the one that is in this recipe.
How to make Chalupa Shells?
What I loved the most about Chalupas was the bread itself. I mean, it’s almost like donuts, just without the glaze if you think about it. It’s fried dough just like a donut, right? That would make so much sense as to why I like them so much. You know what? Making the chalupa dough is easy and only takes a few basic ingredients.
All you need is
- Flour
- Milk
- Salt
- Shortening
- Baking powder
Mix all those ingredients into a dough ball, and you have the basis for the chalupa bread. Divide the dough into equal parts eight pieces and shape dough into a round circle.
After you have divided and rolled out the dough, you place half of the dough in a heavy-duty skillet, like a cast-iron skillet, and allow it to fry for about a minute. Then you flip the dough and allow the other side to fry, which should make for a nice curved chalupa shell. I won’t lie, you won’t get them all right, but you will get a few curved the way you like.
You will then fill the chalupa bread with your favorite taco fillings such as ground beef, chicken, or steak and lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream! You can fill the chalupas with whatever you want. This Homemade Mexican Chalupas copycat recipe allows you to be as versatile as you want. You can fry the chalupa bread, set out different toppings, and let everyone serve themselves.
I watched this video to learn how to make chalupa bread and this one. They both were helpful.
This chalupa recipe is one of my personal favorites. I don’t have a lot of copycat recipes on my blog but between this Copycat Taco Bell Chalupa recipe and the ones I have, which are Copycat Chocolate Hostess Cupcakes and Copycat White Castle Burgers, this chalupa recipe comes close to being as identical to the true version. I hope you like this recipe as much as I did eating them.This chalupa recipe tastes almost like the ones you get at Taco Bell.
Commonly Asked Questions
How do you make Chalupas with Pita bread?
To be honest, I am not sure from experience. However, I imagine you would bake the pita bread until slightly crisp and fill like a taco. You might have to get a bit creative for the curved taco shape.
Can I use butter instead of shortening to make the bread?
Yes. You need fat to bind and hold everything and to ensure the bread isn’t dry.
Can I eat the Chalupas flat?
Yes! If it is easier for you to fry the bread flat and eat it like a pizza, that is fine! Just top with the cook beef mixture and desired toppings.
What spices can I use to make my own taco seasoning?
Typically, taco seasoning is made with a little cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika.
Items you may need
Homemade Mexican Chalupas Recipe
- Author: Nicole Washington
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
Description
Mexican Chalupas are easy to make. This recipe makes eight chalupas that are soft, chewable, affordable, and delicious. Learn how to make them here.
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 oz. shortening
- 1 c. milk
- Canola oil, for frying
- 1 pound ground beef, cooked
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Lettuce
- Diced tomatoes
- Sour cream
- Taco sauce
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy-duty shallow skillet such as a cast-iron skillet on medium heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together. Pour the milk into the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix ingredients in with the milk to form a ball of dough.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll until smooth. Mold the dough into a loaf about 8 inches. Divide the dough in half, then into fourths. See the picture above. Roll each individual section into a ball and roll out the small ball of dough into a round circle about 4-5 inches wide.
- Use tongs and carefully dip half of the chalupa dough into the hot oil. Once that half of the dough has begun to fry up but not quite brown, flip the chalupa bread with the other half of the dough frying in the oil. This is if you want to try to have the chalupas have the dip on the bottom for your fillings. If it doesn’t matter to you, just fry on both sides for 2 minutes until golden brown and remove from oil onto cooling rack lined with paper towels.
- Fill your chalupas with beef seasoned with taco seasoning, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream. Top with taco sauce if desired.
Notes
Alternative: You can try this recipe with gluten-free flour
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Fry
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: chalupas, homemade chalupas, copycat taco bell chalupas, chalupas recipe, recipe for chalupas
