Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe

Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe is a delicious copycat taco recipe. These gorditas are loaded with flavor and easy to make.

Copycat Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe:

Make your favorite fast food menu at home with this delicious recipe. These Gorditas are loaded with flavor and easy to make. A hard shell taco is has taco meat and topped with iceberg lettuce and cheese.

We love making copycat recipes and this is one of my kids favorite. It saves me time and money making copycat recipes at home. This Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch is made with simple ingredients.

This is the perfect weeknight meal or weekend lunch.

What is a Cheesy Gordita Crunch?

Cheesy Gordita Crunch is a popular menu item at Taco Bell. A crunchy taco shell is loaded with ground beef, cheese, lettuce and ranch sauce.

It is wrapped in a softshell tortilla and held together with melted cheese.

Ingredients: 

Beef Mixture: 

• Ground Beef 
• Taco Seasoning 
• Salsa 
• Water 

For the Tacos: 

• Hard Taco Shells 
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese (divided)
• Small Flour Tortillas 
• Shredded Lettuce 

For the Spicy Ranch Sauce: 

• Sour Cream 
• Ranch Seasoning Mix 
• Mayonnaise 
• Hot Sauce 

How to Make Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe: 

• Step 1 – Heat Oven – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Step 2 – Cook Beef – Brown the ground beef in a large skillet until brown over medium heat. Drain the excess grease.
• Step 3 – Add in Seasoning – Stir in the water, sprinkle in taco seasoning and salsa. You can also add in salt and pepper.
• Step 4 – Heat Beef and Seasoning – Heat uncovered for 3-5 minutes until the flavors are combined.
• Step 5 – Remove Heat – Remove from heat.  
• Step 6 – Mix Ranch Sauce – Mix together the spicy ranch sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Chill until ready to use. 
• Step 7 – Flour Tortillas on Baking Sheet – Place the flour tortillas on a baking sheet. Top with 1 ½ cups of the shredded cheese. 

• Step 8 – Bake Tortilla with Cheese – Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese starts to melt.  Remove from the oven and carefully wrap the flour tortillas around the hard taco shells. 
• Step 9 – Add Beef Mixture – Add the beef mixture to each hard shell, 
• Step 10 – Add Toppings – Top with the spicy ranch sauce, shredded lettuce and remaining cheese. 
• Step 11 – Serve and enjoy – Serve immediately and enjoy.

Cheesy Gordita Crunch Taco Bell Variation Ideas:

• Change the Meat – We used ground beef in this recipe, but you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey.
• Taco Seasoning – We love making homemade taco seasoning. It is made with simple ingredients, such as onion powder, chili powder and garlic powder. You can easily use packet taco seasoning.
• Taco Shells – Use store bought crunchy taco shells. But you can make them with corn tortillas if you prefer.
• Cheese – Feel free to use different types of cheese. We do recommend shredding your own cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese.
• Ranch Dressing – Substitute the sour cream with ranch dressing and combine with the other ingredients.

Recipe Tips:

• Ground Beef – This is the perfect recipe to prepare the taco meat ahead of time.
• Melt Cheese – Melt cheese on the flour tortilla to allow the taco shells to stick together. This creates the perfect crunch for the best gorditas recipe.
• Add your Favorite Toppings – Feel free to add what toppings your prefer for your tacos. My husband loves to add slice jalapenos for added flavor and extra spice.

How to Reheat Leftovers:

When storing, we like to storing the leftovers in separate container. This makes it easy to reheat and prevents the tortillas from getting soggy.

Depending how much you have leftover, you can reheat in the meat in the microwave. Then build your gorditas and bake everything as the recipe indicates.

How to Store Leftovers:

Refrigerate the leftovers separately in airtight containers for up to 5 days.

Why is Cheesy Gordita Crunch so Good?

You will love the taste and flavor of this favorite menu item at Taco Bell. The crunchy taco shell, the tasty meat, and melted cheese makes for a favorite copycat recipe.

It is the perfect blend of flavor and texture to make an easy weeknight meal.

Print Recipe for Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita:

More Taco Bell Copycat Recipes:

• Taco Bell Quesarito Recipe
• Copycat Taco Bell Steak Quesadilla Recipe
• Taco Bell Nacho Fries Recipe