Taco Bell cheesy gordita crunch is a pillowy flatbread covered in melted cheese and wrapped around a crunchy taco shell filled with seasoned beef, crisp lettuce, cheddar cheese and Cali ranch sauce. It can be very enjoyable to have one!
Want to have a cheesy gordita crunch but don’t want to go out to buy it? No problem! I’ve got a recipe for you to make copycat cheesy gordita crunch at home.
Why You Will Love This
- They are identical to (but superior to) the Taco Bell signature menu item. – Making copycat fast food meals at home means you know exactly what’s going into them, and you can make sure the ingredients you use are nourishing and wholesome, which always makes everything taste better.
- These gordita crunch tacos are seriously so easy! – Because they don’t require much cooking and everyone can create their own, tacos are always one of the simplest meals. The prep time is still kept to a minimum and they can still be customized for the pickier eaters in your family, despite the addition of the cheesy flour tortilla.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- 1/2 lb extra-lean ground beef – extra lean ground beef will keep this recipe leaner than other ground beef options. Instead of ground beef, use ground chicken or turkey if you want to reduce the number of calories in this dish even further.
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning – if you don’t have taco seasoning, you can make your own by mixing equal parts of chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of chili flakes.
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 4 hard taco shells – the hard taco shell adds the crunch to this recipe, but you can create your own hard taco shell from a regular corn tortilla.
- 1 cup cheddar cheese – cheddar cheese will give you the authentic Taco Bell flavor, but you can also use Tex Mex blend or another type of grated cheese.
- 4 mini flour tortillas – corn tortillas will also work in place of tortillas.
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce – the iceberg lettuce will add the fresh crunch to the tacos but if you are in a pinch you can use chopped romaine lettuce.
Spicy ranch sauce
- Sour cream – sour cream is a calorie conscious choice for this recipe but an alternative is to just use ranch dressing instead
- Ranch seasoning – use a store bought ranch seasoning blend or make your own by combining dried parsley, onion flakes, garlic powder, dill, salt and pepper.
- Hot sauce – opt for a pepper hot sauce like cholula, tabasco, or frankie’s.
Making the Spicy Ranch Sauce
It’s simple to make the hot ranch sauce! The ingredients sour cream, ranch seasoning, and hot sauce are required. To make the spicy ranch sauce, all you have to do is combine your sour cream, ranch seasoning and a chili pepper based hot sauce like Tabasco.
Dried buttermilk powder or nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavor can elevate this ranch sauce to a new level. I know that these two ingredients can be pretty difficult to find in the grocery store so they’re optional!
Here are a few swaps you can make to the spicy ranch sauce recipe I have listed:
Sour cream: Ranch sauce can be used in place of the sour cream that I used in this recipe to reduce the number of calories. If you do, you won’t need to add any ranch seasoning.
Ranch seasoning: Use store-bought ranch seasoning or make your own by combining dried parsley, onion flakes, garlic powder, dill, salt and pepper.
Hot sauce: Use a chili pepper based hot sauce like Tabasco, Frank’s or Cholula.
How to Make This Recipe
- Heat a large skillet over high heat, breaking up ground beef with a spoon and seasoning with salt & pepper. Taco seasoning is added, and it is cooked for 10 minutes total.
- Combine sour cream, ranch seasoning, and hot sauce to create your own spicy ranch sauce.
- Flatbreads should have cheese evenly distributed over them. Bake for 5 minutes, or until cheese begins to melt.
- Set aside and divide taco meat among hard taco shells.
- After taking them out of the oven, wrap flatbreads around crunchy taco shells. As a glue, the cheese works.
- Place lettuce and a tiny bit more cheese on tacos before adding spicy ranch sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Cheesy Gordita Crunch Calories
The cheesy gordita crunch from Taco Bell is 500 calories per taco. With my recipe, four servings (four tacos) are listed at 426 calories. This means you can enjoy four tacos with less guilt than Taco Bell’s cheesy gordita crunch.. Not only can you make four delicious tacos for fewer calories, but you can also make them faster than it would take to buy them at the drive-through.
Storing and Reheating
You can keep any leftovers in the refrigerator if you have any. Simply wrap tacos without any toppings in foil, place them in the refrigerator for up to three days, and then, when you’re ready to eat them, reheat them in the oven with the foil still on. Put the spicy ranch on the tacos after they’ve warmed up, then top with your favorite ingredients and relish!
Additionally, you can double the amount of ground beef and include any leftovers that have been stored in the freezer for up to three months in an airtight container. Simply move the frozen beef from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before and enjoy your leftover meat. Warm the beef in the microwave or a pan on the stove after it has defrosted.
More Copycat Recipes
How to Make Copycat Taco Bell Soft Tacos
How to Make Copycat Waffle House Hash Browns at Home
FAQs
What Is a Gordita?
Gorditas are, essentially, really thick corn tortillas with a pocket (similar to a pita pocket) in the middle for stuffing. Gorditas are typically stuffed with some sort of protein, cheese, and other taco-style ingredients and toppings.
Is This an Authentic Mexican Dish?
While the Cheesy Gordita Crunch is a really well-known (and loved) Taco Bell menu, it is NOT an authentic Mexican dish! In fact, the word “gordita” (see above) actually doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the name of this famous taco.
