NAVAJO TACOS

These Navajo Tacos start with the absolute best homemade Fry Bread! The bread is topped with a deliciously seasoned beef and bean mixture and then topped with all your favorite taco toppings like cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

What Is A Navajo Taco?

Navajo Tacos start with a fry bread that has been topped with a chili-style meat and bean mixture. The meal is finished off by adding your favorite taco toppings like cheddar cheese, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

The fry bread is deep fried, and that gives it a lightly crisp exterior. The interior is soft, chewy, and so flavorful. Fry bread is fairly easy to make and doesn’t require much time to prepare — in fact, there is no rising time required!

QUICK TIP

Fry bread is a traditional flatbread in the American southwest. It’s also called Navajo Bread. There are many versions of this recipe–here’s my adaptation–but it’s a tortilla-like bread that is deep fried until deliciously crispy and golden.

What Are Navajo Tacos Made Of?

There are essentially three parts to this recipe:

Fry Bread
Meat & Bean Mixture
Toppings

We’ll break down each component below.

1. Let’s Chat Fry Bread

This fry bread is my all-time favorite — I think it’s the best part of Navajo Tacos! It’s so ridiculously flavorful with the best possible texture, and it’s also simple to make with typical pantry ingredients. Here are a few notes:

Yeast. There is yeast in this fry bread, but it does not require rising time. We do rest the bread a little (just while preparing the meat and bean mixture) but this is so the gluten can relax– which will make it easier to form pieces of dough before frying. Also, there’s no kneading required! In fact, the less you touch the dough, the better.
Dough texture. The dough is shaggy and rough looking. It is supposed to be sticky, but not so sticky that you can’t work with it. Add a touch of extra flour if needed, but avoid adding too much extra. On the flip side, if the dough is too dry, you may need a touch more milk. (There are always going to be variations due to climate, humidity, and individual measuring discrepancies.)
Frying the bread. I recommend using a large cast iron pot which retains and maintains an even temperature for the oil. I also recommend adding a thermometer to the side of the pot so you can keep the temperature consistent. We don’t want it to get too hot (or too cool) because that will affect how the bread fries. Here is the thermometer I attach to the pot and would highly recommend adding to your kitchen. (affiliate link).

2. Next, The Meat And Bean Mixture

Next up we’ve got the chili-style meat and bean mixture. If you’ve recently made this tasty Crockpot Chili, you can add the leftovers to fry bread and have dinner on the table that much quicker. (Few things beat Navajo tacos with chili!)

But if not, don’t worry! This meat and bean mixture whips up quickly. I tried to keep it as simple as possible with minimal ingredients, while not sacrificing flavor! Specifically, there are two ingredients that help us cut down on overall ingredients while adding loads of flavor:

Taco seasoning packet: Taco seasoning packets can vary in the spice level and even in overall flavor. We love McCormick® or Old El Paso® mild taco seasoning packet. Otherwise, we’ll usually use a homemade taco seasoning blend (see “quick tip” box below).
Chili beans: You can find chili beans near other canned beans in the grocery store. They are generally pinto beans in a mild chili-spiked sauce. If you can’t find chili beans (sometimes called ranch-style beans), I’d recommend using a can of pinto beans instead.

QUICK TIP

For this Navajo Taco recipe, you can make your own taco seasoning blend instead of using a packaged mix, if you prefer. Here’s my go-to taco seasoning blend (this mix perfectly replaces the store-bought mix in this recipe):

1 tablespoon ground chili powder (McCormick for mild chili powder)
1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, paprika
1/2 teaspoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, fine sea salt, and pepper

3. Navajo Taco Toppings

Below are some different options for topping these Navajo Tacos.

Shredded iceberg lettuce
Halved cherry tomatoes, a chopped Roma tomato, or a quick pico de gallo
Sliced black olives
Store-bought or homemade guacamole
Sour cream (regular or fat-free — both are great!)
Extra picante sauce or salsa
Fresh lime
Freshly chopped cilantro
Shredded sharp Cheddar cheese or a Mexican cheese blend

Navajo Taco Variations

Navajo Tacos with shredded beef: Use a package of Del Real Foods® Del Real Slow Cooked Beef Barbacoa. This beef is readily available in most grocery stores in the refrigerated section near other prepared (cooked) meats. Warm it to package directions and spoon it right on top of the Fry Bread — yum!
Easy Navajo Tacos: Instead of making your own Fry Bread and then frying it, fry pre-made biscuit dough instead!
Lower fat: Replace the lean ground beef with ground turkey and add in 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder to get a beefier flavor.

Repurpose Leftovers Into A Tasty Salad!

If you’ve got leftover meat and bean filling, repurpose it into a salad. Spoon leftovers over a bed of finely chopped romaine lettuce. Add some fresh avocado, corn, tomatoes, olives, cilantro, and a few squeezes of lime juice. Dress it all with this Cafe Rio Dressing — so good!

c5b1ae57-c683-4541-a56d-53c8315bb447-webp (1).webp

STORAGE

Storing/Make Ahead Notes

Once the Fry Bread has been topped with meat and taco toppings, enjoy it promptly. Otherwise, the fry bread will quickly become soggy.

The meat and bean filling will stay good for 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The fry bread doesn’t store as nicely — it’s best right after it’s been fried.

Make ahead: You can make the Fry Bread dough in advance. Tightly cover the dough and chill until ready to use. The dough is best used the same day it has been made.

More Ground Beef Recipes

Ground Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles
Ground Beef Ramen with broccoli and red peppers
Creamy Beef and Shells with Cheddar
Beef & Potato Tacos with Yukon gold potatoes
Ground Beef Naan Tacos with a cucumber-yogurt sauce

FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content.