An old favorite with a delicious twist. The distinction is in the fry bread. At my place, people frequently ask for it. Everything else I prepare ahead of time—aside from the fry bread—I simply reheat before serving. You can also add more of your preferred taco toppings, such guacamole, sour cream, or onion. Fry bread leftovers make a tasty dessert when sprinkled with cinnamon, sugar, and honey.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 22 mins |
| Additional Time: | 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 47 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans, with liquid
- ½ cup picante sauce, divided
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- oil for frying
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Combine beans and 2 tablespoons of picante sauce in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Combine ground beef and taco seasoning mix in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover, and keep warm while you prepare the fry bread.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk and mix until the dough comes together. Add more flour if necessary to be able to handle the dough.
- On a floured surface, knead the dough until smooth, at least 5 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Break off 3/4 cup sized pieces of dough, and shape into round discs 1/4 inch in thickness, making a thinner depressed area in the center.
- Heat 1 1/2 inches oil in a large, deep heavy skillet to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry dough in the hot oil until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
- Top fry bread with beans, ground beef, lettuce, and Cheddar cheese. Spoon picante sauce on top.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount may vary depending on cook time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 808 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 77 g |
| Cholesterol | 103 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Saturated Fat | 14 g |
| Sodium | 2255 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 37 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
added a little sugar came out perfect
I made a 1/2 batch of the fry bread for me and my Son. They turned out just like at Pow Wow! The dough is very sticky. I was concerned about needing too much flour during kneading. No worries. It was quick and will be making again!
My husband and granddaughter loved it. I left off the pinto beans, I forgot to buy them, but even so it was a hit. I then used the recipe with chicken instead of beef because of my diet And they just ate it up! Fry bread itself is a hit! Thanks!!
Love, love, love this recipe. I add a half a cup of sugar to make it a little sweet. it is a hit every time I make it.
great recipe for a different kind of tacos! I did replace the ground beef to ground chicken {could also use ground turkey} I also changed to Pillsbury biscuits, instead of having to make it from scratch. These changes make it faster to make on a busy day.
My whole family LOVES Fry bread tacos. They are so easy and delicious! This is a great recipe for the bread. I top it with beans, meat, cheese, salsa, and guacamole. If you have never tried these, it is a must!
I only used the recipe for the fry bread and served it with a pozole stew I make. This was great! Easy to make and the flavor was really good. I don’t have a thermometer for the oil so I just drop in a piece of dough and when it is bubbling and floats to the top I start cooking the bread. I did a side by side with the “Indian Tacos with yeast Fry bread” recipe and while both were great, my whole family voted for the yeast recipe. If I didn’t have yeast, I would happily make this and no one would be the wiser.
Made this recipe according to directions. Mix was very sticky so had to add more to be able to knead it. Taste was good but not the best I have ever had.
Thank you so much for this Native American recipe! We had a local restaurant that made this type of taco shell, but it closed and I’ve been looking for this type of fry bread ever since. This recipe is delicious!!! I did add 1/3 cup sugar to this recipe due to a few reviews complaining it was “just a bread”. No, this is NOT just a bread! Top it with your favorite taco toppings and it is so doggone delicious! The sugar did add a hint of sweetness to it. I also floured my hands for kneading and had to add a bit more flour during kneading to make a nice workable dough that wasn’t sticky – just like many bread recipes need. I mixed up the recipe at lunch time and cooked mine right away. The remainder I wrapped in wax paper and put in the refrigerator to keep until hubby got home 8 hours later. So if you want to serve at a party, you can mix it early and fry it later. I would wrap each serving individually so you can just pop in whatever you need later without working the dough too much. I had wondered if my hubby would like it because we have different styles we like. I like things crispy and he likes things softer. I just cooked mine a bit longer (deeper browning) and his a bit shorter (lighter browning) and he surprised me by saying he absolutely LOVED it! Do make sure your oil is at the specified 365F, or it will be in the oil longer and will soak up the oil instead of fast cooking a perfect flour fry bread (taco shell). Thank you so very much for this recipe!!!
This was the third time I have made this recipe and I doubled it this time to have a few leftovers. The entire family loves the fried bread, just wonderful.
It was okay. If I did a round two, I think it would be about 20% better. Make sure to make them thin. Mine was okay but didn’t rival the franchise equivalent, which is what I had hoped.
I thought these were okay. My family ate them and said they would like to have them again sometime. I divided up the dough to make 6 scones, so they were smaller. the puff up a lot but don’t spread out. When (or if) I make them again I will roll them out thinner and see how they are. If, meaning for the many calories they are, I didn’t think they were worth it.
Everyone, literally everyone, I have made these for have loved them! #keeper
I have made this twice already but I must be honest and say that we always use my grandmothers taco meat recipe. I only use this recipe for the fry bread, simply because it is delicious. I do not usually rate a recipe unless I make the complete recipe but, I thought it deserves a 5 star simply for the fry bread. It comes out delicious every time I make it. One of these days I will use the entire recipe and update as needed. Until then, thank you for sharing, it is great!
Wondering if it can be made with a sugar add to the dough..what if it’s too thick.
I have always loved fry bread, but I had never made tacos with them. I made my taco meat with my own seasonings. I spread sour cream on the fry bread, then the taco meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. It was great, the whole family loved them. I will definitely make them again!
I made the fry bread part of this recipe and it came out perfect! Its definitely a keeper!
Easy and wonderful!!!
Oh my heavens made the fry bread from this just for fun. And wow what a hit with the family!!! Great to snack on cold too or dipped in Italian dressing! When they were hot I drizzled Hershey syrup and sprinkled confection sugar before serving.
Like others, my review is just for the fry bread part. I made the bread for dinner. It’s super easy and super fast. I think with a little tweaking here and there it could be a lot better. I found it to be a lot heavier and not as soft, light and fluffy as the Taco Bell one. I did see another recipe that said to add shortening. I got the taco shape while frying by rolling it out and holding it in a U shape while dipping it half way in the oil then letting it go after about 40 seconds. Over all taste was not too bad and I think I can definitely make changes for improvement. I will make this again.
Loved this!!! My husband and son loved it as well! I did a little bit longer (we like them well done!) and actually did my meat in the slow cooker! Will DEFINITELY make this again.