Most of us eat our tacos in corn or flour tortillas. But these Navajo Tacos are served on crunchy Indian Fry Bread that is out of this world.
If you’ve never had a Navajo Taco you don’t know what you are missing! Similar in nature to a Mexican Tostada like my Fish Tostadas or Beef Tostadas recipes.
My Latest Videos
While most taco recipes are really easy to make as you typically use pre-made tortillas, these Navajo Tacos are a little more involved as you need to make the Indian Fry Bread by hand. But believe me, it will be well worth it in the end.
You might be inclined to make the Fry Bread ahead of time but it will be best if you make it as close to the time you will be making these delicious Tacos.
While making the dough is pretty straightforward, you need to make sure your oil reaches somewhere around 350°F before frying the bread. If you add your fry bread too soon it will take longer to cook and might become oil logged (yuck).
Recipe Tip
When you are deep-frying, I always recommend using a thermometer to ensure you are at the proper temperature.
The temperature of the oil will fluctuate as you add stuff to it so you need to monitor it very closely for the best results. A temperature of 350°F is a good target temperature for the oil.
As with all taco recipes, the toppings I list on the recipe card are my suggestions but feel free to use all, some or none of them.
Make it your own and use whatever toppings you like on your tacos. You can’t go wrong with this one.
For the red enchilada sauce, you can use whatever brand you have on hand. I usually use La Victoria brand as I always have some on hand but on a few occasions, I’ve used Las Palmas and Old El Paso brands with excellent results. And as always, you get to pick the heat!
If you are fortunate enough to own a tortilla press you can use it to make the Indian fry bread instead of rolling the dough out with a rolling pin.
So much easier. They are pretty cheap so if you flatten out dough on a regular basis then it might be worth the small investment.
Deep Frying Oils
When it comes to Deep Frying food you want to choose an oil that has a high smoke point and neutral in flavor so it won’t affect the flavor of whatever you are frying. Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, Canola Oil and Peanut Oil are some of the more popular and affordable options.
If you are a Taco lover, you need to check out our Top 5 Taco Recipes.
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Navajo Tacos recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Lean Ground Beef – I like to use 85/15 for these tacos
- Yellow Onion – sweet onion or white onions are good substitutes
- Garlic Cloves – Use more to taste if desired
- Pinto Beans – make sure to rinse and drain the bean before using
- Red Enchilada Sauce – hot or mild. your choice!
- Salt – a must for most recipes
- All Purpose Flour – I mostly use King Arthur but use what you got (no affiliation)
- Baking Powder – give the batter a little texture
- Water
Optional toppings: Shredded Lettuce, Grated longhorn or Cheddar Cheese and Diced Tomatoes.
How to Make Navajo Tacos
Make the Meat Filling
- In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic with a little bit of oil. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain any excess fat.
- Add the red enchilada sauce and salt to taste. Stir in the pinto beans and heat until heated through.
Make the Indian Fry Bread
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry Indian Fry Bread ingredients. Add the warm water and mix with your hands until a dough forms. Add more water as needed. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Break off a golf ball-sized piece of dough. Roll the piece of dough into circles that are about 6 inches in diameter. Try to make them as thin as possible.
- In a saucepan with about 2 inches of oil heated to 350°F, fry until the dough is golden and puffs up, flipping once. Set on a paper towel to drain the oil.
Assemble the Tacos
- Spoon a generous amount of the meat mixture on each piece of fry bread.
- Garnish each taco with lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa and cheese.
More Recipe Ideas
Navajo Tacos 🌮
↑ Click stars to rate
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
- 2 Garlic Clove, chopped
- 15 oz Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
- ½ Cup Red Enchilada Sauce, or to taste
- Salt, to taste
Indian Fry Bread
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 Cups Water, warm, or more as needed
Toppings (optional)
- Lettuce
- Grated longhorn or cheddar cheese
- Chopped onion
- Diced tomato
- Salsa
Instructions
Make the Meat Filling
- In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic with a little bit of oil. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain any excess fat.
- Add the red chili sauce and salt to taste. Stir in the pinto beans and heat until heated through.
Make the Indian Fry Bread
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the warm water and mix with your hands until a dough forms. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Break off a golf-ball sized piece of dough. Roll the piece of dough into circles that are about 6 inches in diameter. Try to make them as thin as possible.
- In a saucepan with about 2 inches of oil heated to 350°F, fry until the dough is golden and puffs up, flipping once. Set on a paper towel to drain oil.
Assemble the Tacos
- Spoon a generous amount of the meat mixture on each piece of fry bread.
- Garnish each taco with lettuce, tomato, onion, salsa and cheese.
First of all the Indian Fry Bread is delicious on its own, but with all the other ingredients in this recipe they turned out great.