Copycat Taco Bell Doritos Locos Taco
When Taco Bell launched the Doritos Locos Taco on March 8, 2012, they sold 100 million of them in the first 10 weeks — faster than any product in the company’s history. By late 2014, they had cleared 1 billion units. The idea was simple enough to explain in a sentence: a standard Taco Bell Crunchy Taco, but the shell is coated in Nacho Cheese Doritos flavoring. Executed well, it is genuinely better than either a regular Crunchy Taco or a handful of Doritos alone.
Making it at home gets you 4 tacos for about $7.75 total — roughly $1.94 each instead of $3.99 at the drive-thru, and the cheese powder you mix once covers 30 or more tacos, so every batch after the first is cheaper. The homemade nacho cheese powder is also noticeably better than the faint dusting you get from a fast-food window: brighter, cheesier, and more vivid.
Why It Works
The shell is the whole trick. Taco Bell’s version is a corn taco shell dusted with Doritos Nacho Cheese seasoning — the same powder on the chips, applied directly to the exterior of the shell. Doritos even packages them in a mini Doritos bag so the powder doesn’t smear in the wrapper.
At home, the key to getting the powder to stick is fat plus heat. The powder does not adhere to a dry, cool shell — it just falls off. If you fry the shells yourself, the coating of hot oil on the just-fried shell is your adhesive: dust immediately, and the powder blooms and clings. If you use store-bought shells, brushing them with melted butter and warming them in the oven before dusting achieves the same effect.
The nacho cheese powder itself is built from Doritos’ actual ingredient list — cheddar cheese powder, buttermilk powder, MSG, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder — in proportions that approximate the flavor profile without being fussy about an exact match. The MSG is not optional if you want the “Doritos taste”: it provides the savory depth that cheddar powder alone can’t deliver.
The Nacho Cheese Powder
This is the soul of the recipe. Make a batch and store the rest — it keeps for months in a sealed jar and makes about 8 tacos per batch.
Nacho cheese powder blend:
- 3 tablespoons cheddar cheese powder
- 1 teaspoon buttermilk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG (Accent)
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
Whisk until uniform. It should be a deep orange-yellow color. Taste it — it should immediately taste like a Dorito. If the cheese flavor is shy, add a touch more cheddar powder.
The MSG is sold as Accent in the spice aisle. It is the same umami compound found in Parmesan, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and it is what gives real Doritos their savory pull — leave it out and the powder tastes flat and merely cheesy. If you would rather skip it, double the cheddar powder and add an extra pinch of salt to compensate.
The Taco Bell-Style Beef
Taco Bell’s seasoned beef tastes different from home taco meat because of two things: a more finely broken-down texture (almost crumbled, not chunked) and a slightly glossy, clingy sauce that coats every crumble instead of running off. Both are achievable at home.
Two techniques:
- Quick oats — two tablespoons added dry to the seasoned beef before the water goes in. They absorb moisture and bind the beef into the right texture. You will not detect them in the finished taco. Taco Bell’s disclosed ingredients list modified oat starch; this is the home version.
- Cornstarch — one teaspoon in the spice blend thickens the water into a thin sauce that coats the meat instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan.
Break the beef into very fine crumbles as it cooks — smaller than you would for pasta sauce. The fine texture is part of what makes Taco Bell beef taste like Taco Bell beef.
Making the Shells
Fry method (best results): Heat 1 inch of oil to 365°F in a small heavy skillet. Corn tortillas need about 15 seconds in the oil to soften enough to fold. Slide one in, let it soften briefly, then use tongs to fold it in half while keeping it slightly open — you need the space for filling. Hold it in that shape for 45–60 seconds per side until crisp and golden. Pull it out, set it on a wire rack (not paper towels), and dust immediately with the nacho cheese powder. The hot oil on the surface is the adhesive. Move quickly.
Oven shortcut: Brush store-bought taco shells with melted butter, heat at 350°F for 3–4 minutes, then dust right out of the oven. You get about 75% of the way to the fried version in 5 minutes with no oil.
Variations
Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco: Replace the nacho cheese powder with a Cool Ranch-style blend: 2 tablespoons cheddar powder, 1 tablespoon buttermilk powder, 1/2 teaspoon dill powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon sugar. Skip the chili powder and paprika — Cool Ranch is tangier and less orange.
Supreme version: Add a teaspoon of sour cream and a few pieces of diced Roma tomato to each assembled taco. The official Taco Bell Supreme weighs in at 190 cal vs. the standard 170 cal.
Fiery Doritos Locos Taco: Add 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle to the nacho cheese powder base. Skip the sugar. This approximates the Flamin’ Hot-style heat of the Fiery flavor.
Cost Breakdown
| Ingredient | Amount | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ground beef (80/20) | 1 lb | $5.00 |
| Corn tortillas | 4 (6-inch) | $0.60 |
| Nacho cheese powder ingredients | 1 batch | ~$0.75 |
| Shredded cheddar | 1 cup | $0.90 |
| Iceberg lettuce | small head | $0.50 |
| Total (4 tacos) | ~$7.75 |
About $1.94 per taco at home vs. $3.99 at Taco Bell — a savings of roughly 51%.
Note: cheese powder and buttermilk powder are small upfront purchases that yield enough for 30+ tacos.
More Taco Bell Copycat Recipes
- Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Sauce — make the warm nacho cheese dip from scratch; pairs perfectly with these tacos.
- Taco Bell Nacho Fries — seasoned crinkle fries with the same nacho cheese sauce on the side.
- Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme — the other iconic Taco Bell construction project, built around a crunchy tostada shell.
See all Taco Bell copycat recipes →
