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Taco Tuesday just got an upgrade with Navajo Tacos (Native American Fry Bread), sometimes called Indian Tacos! Soft, fluffy, and perfectly golden fry bread is filled with all your favorite taco toppings for one epic meal.
Indian Tacos are a delicious twist on traditional tacos, bringing bold flavor and hearty comfort to your plate. Built on fluffy, golden fry bread instead of tortillas, they’re topped with savory seasoned meat, beans, and all your favorite toppings.
If you have never tried Indian fry bread before, you are missing out. Every bite is crispy, soft, and totally satisfying. These Indian Tacos are a fun and flavorful way to try something new.
Navajo fry bread was created in the late 1800s using ingredients that were supplied by the United States government to the Navajo people of Arizona, after their land was taken over. The new land they were sent to, did not support the ingredients they were used to, like vegetables and beans. So the fry bread became a big part of their culture. It could be served sweet or savory and took very little to prepare.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Hot Water
- Oil for Frying
For topping your fry bread you use pretty much whatever you would put in a taco. A local restaurant here loads them up with Green Chile and pork and they are so good. But the more classic version has seasoned Taco Meat, beans, and then fresh vegetables on top.
How To Make Indian Tacos
- Fry Bread Dough. In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly pour in the hot water and mix using a wooden spoon until it forms a rough dough. Cover and let rest for 1-2 hours.
- Form Balls. Break off pieces of dough, and roll into about golf ball sized pieces. You can dust lightly with flour if the dough is sticky.
- Form Disks. On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll the balls into about a 6 inch circle. Keep them covered with a towel or plastic wrap while you continue with the rest of the disks. You can place a piece of wax paper between them and stack them as well.
- Fry. Heat about 1 inch deep of oil in a heavy bottom pan, over medium high heat. You want the oil to get to 360º F. Once the oil is hot, work with 1-2 disks at a time. Carefully place in the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to puff and bubble up. Using a tongs gently flip over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain.
- Assemble. Top fry bread with seasoned taco meat and your favorite taco toppings to serve.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Half Recipe. This does make a lot of Indian tacos, so if you aren’t feeding a large crowd, you can absolutely cut the recipe in half. Or if you need more, you can easily double it as well.
- Storage. These are really best enjoyed the day they are made, they aren’t great for leftovers. You can store them in an airtight container for 1-2 days if you have leftovers, but they are a little hard to revive and reheat well.
- Liquid. There are a lot of recipes out there for fry bread, and the main difference I have found is the liquid called for. You want the liquid warm no matter what, but plenty of recipes call for milk instead of water. Milk obviously affects the flavor a little, so if you are curious give it a try that way as well!
- Dessert. These to make a lot, so if you have some left to fry, turn them into dessert! Drizzle with honey, cinnamon and sugar, or dust with powdered sugar and serve them warm.
- Rolling Disks. If when you are rolling the disks, the dough springs back and won’t spread out, let it rest for 15 minutes and then try again.
Serving Suggestions
Navajo Indian tacos tend to be a little heavier and more filling than classic tacos, so you don’t need a lot to go with them. But Refried Beans or Black Beans make for a great filling.
Homemade Guacamole, Restaurant Style Salsa or Pico de Gallo are great toppings. And if you want to go over the top White Queso is always a great addition to any Tex-Mex style meal.
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
Indian Tacos {Indian Fry Bread}
Ingredients
Fry Bread
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups hot water
- Oil for Frying
Toppings
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 packets taco seasoning
- 15 oz kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- shredded lettuce
- diced tomatoes
- sour cream
Instructions
To Make Fry Bread
- In a large bowl mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly pour in the hot water and mix using a wooden spoon until it forms a rough dough. Cover and let rest for 1-2 hours.3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 ½ cups hot water
- Break off pieces of dough, and roll into about golf ball sized pieces. Dust lightly with flour if the dough is sticky.
- On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to roll the balls into about a 6 inch circle. Keep them covered with a towel or plastic wrap while you continue with the rest of the disks. You can stack them with a layer of parchment or wax paper between each.
- Heat about 1 inch deep of oil in a heavy bottom pan, over medium high heat. You want the oil to get to 360º F.Oil for Frying
- Once the oil is hot, work with 1-2 disks at a time. Carefully place in the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to puff and bubble up. Using a tongs gently flip over and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain.
To Make Tacos
- In a large skillet brown ground beef over high heat, breaking apart until no pink remains. Drain away any grease. Add taco seasoning and any water called for on the package as well as the can of beans. Mix and bring to a simmer for a few minutes until the mixture thickens.2 pounds lean ground beef, 2 packets taco seasoning, 15 oz kidney beans
- Serve each piece of fry bread topped with meat mixture and then any desired taco toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, and sour cream.shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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