Chalupa – A Beautiful Mess

A traditional chalupa is a small boat-shaped fried masa dough topped only with salsa, cheese, and shredded lettuce. Chalupa means ‘boat.’

If you love the Taco Bell Chalupa, this is a copycat version you can make at home by combining a deep-fried tortilla shell (similar to a flatbread) with ground beef, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. We love making this chalupa recipe at home. And it’s easy to customize with all kinds of different taco fillings like chicken or vegetarian fillings.

Connected: Homemade arepas, tostadas, elotes and margarita cocktails.

Material

• Chalupa shells – from baked to fried.
• Ground Beef – Seasoned with Taco Seasoning
• Shredded Cheese – We like to use cheddar or Mexican blend.
• Sour Cream – This optional ingredient adds a creamy flavor.
• Lettuce – Shredded iceberg lettuce adds crunch to the recipe. This can be replaced with Greek yogurt if you prefer.
• Tomatoes – You can use chopped tomatoes or salsa.

You can also add other toppings like salsa, pico de gallo or guacamole!

What are Chalupas?

Chalupas is a traditional food originating from south-central Mexico, including the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Guerrero, and Oaxaca. They are made from flat fried dough and filled with meat, cheese, salsa and chopped lettuce.

The Taco Bell version is Americanized and combines the shell of the chalupa with the filling of a taco. There are many ways to customize the filling in a chalupa.

How to make Chalupas

Cook the ground beef with the taco seasoning over medium-high heat until cooked through. There should be no pink left. Cut cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Fry/heat your chalupa shells according to your preferred method (there are three options below).

Fill the shell with cooked beef, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Serve hot.

Tips and Substitutions

• Ground beef can be replaced with any ground meat like turkey or chicken.
• I like to use store-bought chalupa shells (which you can do too) buy online) But if you want to make your own, try this whole wheat flatbread recipe and then use one of the methods below to fry the chalupas after they’re baked.
• To make this chalupa recipe vegetarian, you can use refried beans or black beans in place of the beef.
• Other great chalupa fillings include: carnitas, al pastor, or barbacoa.
• This recipe is best served the same day it is made. If you want to make these in advance I suggest you make/prepare the filling and toppings and heat the shells when you are ready to eat.

More Tex-Mex and Latin American dishes

The Best Way to Cook Chalupa Shells

There are three ways to heat/fry chalupa shells: oven, air fryer, or stove top. You can see the results of these methods in the photo above (from right: oven, air fryer, and two stove tops).

• Oven Method- Heat oven to 425°F. Apply a little oil on both sides of the shell and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through. Then place it in a taco holder or similar device to help keep its shape.
• Air Fryer Method- Air fry at 400°F for 3 minutes. Then place it in a taco holder or similar device to help keep its shape.
• Stove Top Method- Add a few spoons of oil in a pan and heat on medium/high flame. Fry the balls on both sides for 1-2 minutes or until they turn brown. Fold in half until ready to fill.

The best way in my opinion is to pan fry on the stove. However, if you are cooking several at once I would recommend the oven so they can all be heated at the same time as chalupas are best when served warm.