Home » Recipes » Restaurant Copycats » Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe
By Taylor Stinson | 9 Comments | Posted: | Updated:
This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.
This is the perfect Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe, just like the one found at Taco Bell! It's a hard shell taco wrapped in a tortilla stuffed with cheese.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Extra-lean ground beef –extra lean ground beef will keep this recipe leaner than other ground beef options. However, if you're looking to shed even more calories off of this dish, use ground chicken or turkey in place of ground beef.
- 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.
- 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.
- Cheddar cheese –cheddar cheese will give you the authentic Taco Bell taste but Tex Mex blend, or another grated cheese of your choice will work.
- Mini flour tortillas – you could also try using flatbread or corn tortillas.
- 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 Tabasco, Frank's or Cholula.
How to make a cheesy gordita crunch
Step 1: Brown the ground beef.
Heat a large skillet over high heat, and cook the ground beef until fully cooked.
Step 2: Make the sauce.
While the beef is cooking, mix the sour cream with the ranch seasoning and hot sauce to make the spicy ranch.
Step 3: Melt the cheese on the tortillas.
Divide the cheese over the flour tortillas, then bake them in the oven until the cheese starts to melt.
Step 4: Add the beef to the hard shells.
Divide the ground beef evenly amongst the hard taco shells and set aside.
Step 5: Wrap the hard shells in the soft shells.
Remove the flour tortillas from the oven, then wrap the flour tortillas around the hard taco shells, pressing gently. The melty cheese should act as a glue to bind the two together.
Step 6: Assemble and serve!
Add spicy ranch sauce to tacos, followed by lettuce and a tiny bit more cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe tips & Variations
Here are some of my top tips for this Taco Bell cheesy gordita crunch recipe, including some customization options:
- Swap out the beef: Ground beef is the traditional option, but you could also use ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Make your own seasoning: You can use a store-bought blend or make your own taco seasoning for the tastiest and most seasoned beef.
- Switch up the sauce: Swap out the spicy ranch for regular sour cream, lime crema, nacho cheese sauce or Taco Bell quesadilla sauce.
- Add more toppings: Top your gordita with your favorite toppings like guacamole, jalapenos, salsa, black beans, bell peppers and more.
- Use the right cheese: I like using cheddar cheese, but you can use a three-cheese blend or Tex Mex. No matter what kind of cheese you use, I'd suggest hand-grating it for the best melt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in a cheesy gordita crunch?
The cheesy gordita crunch is a Taco Bell creation. It consists of a classic hardshell taco with beef, cheese lettuce and ranch sauce, all wrapped in a softshell tortilla and held together by melted cheese. My recipe is a homemade version with fewer calories!
How many calories are in this recipe?
The original cheesy gordita crunch from Taco Bell has 500 calories per taco. My gordita crunch copycat recipe has 426 calories per taco – so you can enjoy this delicious recipe without the extra calories, without having to go through the drive thru.
What's the difference between a cheesy gordita and a chalupa?
A chalupa is deep fried, which means it has a harder and crunchier exterior, whereas a gordita is baked or cooked in a skillet.
Is the ranch sauce spicy?
The spicy ranch sauce definitely has a bit of a kick to it thanks to the hot sauce. If you're not a big fan of spice, just reduce the amount of hot sauce or use another sauce entirely like sour cream or lime crema.
Can you reheat the leftovers?
If you happen to have any leftovers of this delicious recipe, you can reheat them by wrapping them in foil and popping them in the oven for 8-10 mins at 350° F. Add on your toppings then dig in!
Storing and reheating
Store any leftovers of this cheesy gordita crunch recipe in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just wrap your tacos without the toppings in foil, then stick them in the oven to warm up right in the foil at 350° Fahrenheit for 8 to 10 minutes. Once they’re warmed through, add your spicy ranch sauce and any toppings and enjoy!
Freezing this recipe
While you can’t freeze the gordita crunch tacos on their own, you can make a big batch of the ground beef and freeze it for up to 3 months in airtight containers or Ziploc bags. Transfer the beef to the fridge the night before you want to use it, then reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes or in a pan on the stovetop. Use it to make fresh gordita crunch tacos or any other recipe of your choice.
More taco recipes
Applebee's Chicken Wonton Tacos
Healthy Double Stacked Turkey Tacos
The Best Carne Asada Tacos
See more related recipes
Meal Prep Tools
- I get all my free-range beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Freeze any leftover beef in glass meal prep bowlsfor up to 3 months.
- Get these metal taco holders for easy assembly – they can be used to heat tacos into the oven too!
- **Get my full list of tools here**
Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe
This is the perfect Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe, just like the one found at Taco Bell! It's a hard shell taco wrapped in a tortilla stuffed with cheese.
4.93 from 84 votes
Print Pin Rate
WANT TO START EATING HEALTHIER?We've got you covered with a free Dinner Prep Challenge! Register👇
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 426kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb extra-lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 4 hard taco shells
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, divided (plus more for serving)
- 4 mini flour tortillas
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce
Spicy ranch sauce
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp ranch seasoning
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce (such as tabasco)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat a large skillet over high heat, breaking up ground beef with a spoon and seasoning with salt & pepper. Add taco seasoning and cook for 10 minutes until fully cooked.
Meanwhile, mix sour cream with ranch seasoning and hot sauce. Divide taco meat among hard taco shells and set aside.
Divide cheese overtop of tortillas, then bake in the oven for 5 minutes until cheese has started to melt. Remove from oven, then wrap around hard taco shells, pressing gently.
Add spicy ranch sauce to tacos, followed by lettuce and a tiny bit more cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Add a cheesy flavour to the spicy ranch sauce using buttermilk powder or nutritional yeast.
Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days wrapped in foil. Reheat in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 350°F, add your toppings and serve.
Freeze the ground beef for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave or a skillet.
Nutrition
Calories: 426kcal (21%)Carbohydrates: 34g (11%)Protein: 24g (48%)Fat: 21g (32%)Saturated Fat: 11g (69%)Trans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 80mg (27%)Sodium: 760mg (33%)Potassium: 366mg (10%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 617IU (12%)Vitamin C: 1mg (1%)Calcium: 290mg (29%)Iron: 2mg (11%)
Free Dinner Prep Challenge!Learn my simple 5-step process to meal plan healthy food all week
Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
Reader Interactions
Share With Me!
Did you make this recipe or want to share your thoughts? Make sure to leave your review below and tag me on Instagram #thegirlonbloor so I can check it out!
Down says
I made these last night, and they came out so perfectly, I wanted to thank you. I used 80/20 beef, drained, threw in a packet of store bought taco seasoning, 1 minute high heat, 12 minutes low, put the meat into a rice cooker to stay warm for a couple hours, so I wasn’t rushed at dinner time. Had to cut down my tortillas so they weren’t overhanging the hard taco shells. Invested in some taco holders, lol. These came out great, ate too many. Thanks again for the inspiration.
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed 🙂
Reply
Tay says
These were sooo yummy! I used the taco bell mild seasoning and added a mix of cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese and topped with the Taco Bell fire sauceReply
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Reply
Francine says
What kind of flat bread does this recipe use? Tortilla is too thin
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
It is actually a flour tortilla as the recipe states. It’s not too thin by the time you add the cheese.
Reply
Francine says
Thank you!
Reply
Jess says
How much dried Buttermilk powder or nutritional yeast do you add to the Spicy ranch sauce?
Reply
Taylor Stinson says
You don’t need to add it as the dried ranch seasoning covers it. But if you’re looking to replace it, you can add 2 tsp.
Reply
