12 Taco Bell Copycat Recipes for When You'd Rather Stay Home & Save Money

Once upon a time, you could hit up the Taco Bell drive-thru and fill the order screen with what looked like an essay. A la carte combinations of burritos, tacos, and whatever other tortilla concoctions the chain had to offer stacked on top of each other, and still, your total wasn't a budget buster. Then, suddenly and all at once, inflation ruined the entire world and took away everything sacred, turning fast food into an unaffordable disappointment. 

That's where copycat recipes come in. The internet is chock full of kindhearted food bloggers who have cracked the code to some of our favorite Taco Bell menu items, so we can enjoy cheaper (and typically better-tasting) substitutions at home. 

Here are some of our favorite Taco Bell copycat recipes that you'll want to try in your kitchen. 

These things are basically the beacon of TB. The menu ebbs, flows, and changes all the time, but the Crunchwrap remains a stalwart. From its vegan and breakfast iterations to its original beefy form, the Crunchwrap is super easy to make in your own kitchen. The trick is in the way you fold this bad boy, and at home, these are also as customizable as you want them to be. 

Copycat Crunchwrap Surpreme Recipe:The Girl on Bloor

It's all in the sauce, and this recipe emulates Taco Bell's quesadilla sauce beautifully. The diced jalapenos and seasonings play up the spice while the juice from the jar of peppers brings the tang that kicks these up a notch. Albeit a bit weird-sounding to put mayo in a quesadilla, trust us: This recipe is a must-try.

Copycat Taco Bell Quesadilla Recipe:Delish

Related: Free Fries, Half-Price Burgers, and 23 More Fast-Food Deals Near Me

Remember the days when Doritos Locos tacos were dirt cheap at Taco Bell? Nowadays you can't even grab a bunch of tacos at the fast food joint without straining your wallet. Never fear: The grocery store carries nacho cheese hard shell tortillas and Taco Bell taco seasoning, plus the restaurant's sauces, conveniently bottled for your copycat culinary endeavors.

Copycat Doritos Locos Recipe:Mashed

Related: Live Mas: Spicy Secrets Behind Taco Bell's Success

We're not sure why Taco Bell ignores the cries of its people, begging them to put those warm, gooey caramel apple empanadas back on the menu. The place is straight-up lacking in the dessert department, so is it too much to ask? While we wait for what might be never, we'll give this copycat recipe a whirl. 

Copycat Caramel Apple Empanadas Recipe:Life With the Crust Cut Off 

There was a great deal of fanfare surrounding the return of Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza, but let's be real: this dish is pretty darn easy to replicate at home and will probably wind up tasting better, too.

Copycat Mexican Pizza Recipe:Eating on a Dime

Related: Taco Bell Testing 2 New Versions of Mexican Pizza

We never really considered what products at our local grocery store resemble the soft shell on the outside of Taco Bell's Cheesy Gordita Crunch, but this recipe's recommendation to use a pita is downright genius. You can even find a Taco Bell-branded kit at some stores to make these soft-meets-hard shell tacos. 

Copycat Cheesy Gordita Crunch Recipe:It's a Hero

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If you want to replicate anything quesadilla-driven at TB, Delish has figured out the magic formula. This Quesarito recipe is so much better than the sloppy foil-wrapped burrito soaking the bottom of the Taco Bell bag with its grease. 

Copycat Quesarito Recipe:Delish

Related: We Tried 13 of the Best Taco Bell Burritos – This Is the Winner

These little taters are so unecessarily tasty, and used to be notoriously cheap too. These days the side will run you around $3 (anyone else remember when these cost a buck?!). All things considered, there isn't much too these cheesy guys, and this recipe is more appealing than shelling out $3 for a tiny bowl that will be gone in 60 seconds.

Copycat Cheesy Fiesta Recipe:Alyona's Cooking

Related: Live Más and Stretch Your Dollar With These Taco Bell Value Menu Items

A true game changer, Taco Bell's Nacho Fries brought something entirely new to fast-food fry wars. Beyond perfecting the seasonings and mastering the art of frying food, there isn't much to the ridiculousness of how yummy those fries are. 

Copycat Taco Bell Nacho Fries Recipe:This Silly Girl's Kitchen

The ingredients for this copycat Taco Bell burrito recipe are easy to obtain, and the art behind mastering this guy is definitely the way you spread the nacho cheese and roll the tortilla up. Easy peasy nacho cheesy. 

Copycat Beefy 5-Layer Burrito Recipe:Dinner Then Dessert 

We always felt like Taco Bell was way too late to the fast-food breakfast game. A world of breakfast burritos awaited us all, and it felt like it took a lifetime for TB to move past late nights and become accessible early in the morning (when people want breakfast, not when they're crawling home from a night riddled with booze and regret). 

Lucky for us, Taco Bell shook things up and started serving Cinnabon Delights on their breakfast menu, and worlds everywhere were rocked. Still, as delicious as these warm and gooey guys are, they're not the best "bang for your buck" item on the menu. So, what do we do? Say it with us, now: We make them at home with this recipe! We're learning so much together. 

Copycat Cinnabon Delights Recipe:Easy Kitchen Guide

After spending several years off Taco Bell's menu, the Beefy Crunch Burrito graced us all with its presence once more. But if it ever goes away again, you can lean on this copycat recipe as a backup plan. Grab Flamin' Hot or O.G. Fritos. The choice is up to you (and the people in charge of merchandising at the store you visit for ingredients). 

Copycat Beefy Crunch Burrito Recipe:Punchfork

Related: Which of These Two Discontinued Taco Bell Favorites Should Return?