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Homemade Cheesy Gordita Crunch Tacos…taking everyone’s favorite fast food taco and making it healthier at home. Ground meat (chicken or beef) seasoned with homemade taco seasoning. Then stuffed into hard shell tacos wrapped in soft tortillas with a blend of three types of Mexican cheese. Each taco is topped with spicy ranch, lettuce, and cheddar cheese. Just the right amount of melty cheese and a CRUNCH with every bite. These tacos come together quickly and are so DELICIOUS. Serve with a mix of more of your favorite toppings for a Cheesy Gordita Crunch that no one can pass up. A whole lot better than the fast-food version.
Well, would you look at me? I started with the Crunchwrap and now we’re moving onto these homemade Cheesy Gordita CRUNCH tacos. And to be honest, I think these might actually be a touch better than the Crunchwraps…
Don’t hate me for saying that, but hear me out.
First things first, these were not planned for today – at all. But if you follow along on my Instagram stories you know why these are happening today. Let’s rewind to Friday night. It’s about 6:45 pm, I’m working on writing recipes by the fire at the studio. I know, I’m lame, yes, writing recipes were my Friday night plans, but for me, it’s fine. Anyway…
My oldest brother, Creighton walks in looking for food only to find out I haven’t cooked. It was yet another computer day. He’s very, very disappointed. I made nothing he really enjoyed last week. After three days working on the computer, not a lot of food had come up to the house from me. So he was bumming. I can’t remember what exactly started the conversation, but Creigh was telling me about a dinner he made. Somehow our conversation came around to the Taco Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch.
And Oh. My. Gosh. Did he have a lot to say about his very favorite Taco Bell menu item. I’ve never seen so much enthusiasm over anything in my life.
In his words, “whooooooo, if you can make a Cheesy Gordita Crunch, and you can make it healthy? You’ll solve the problems of the world”.
To say that I was dying with laughter would be an understatement. This conversation was surely the highlight of my weekend.
I could tell from the moment Creighton walked over to me and started going on about some couch he had to move, that he really had some things he needed to get off his chest. And when he started talking about T-Bell with so much excitement (all while holding a giant pepperoni stick in his hand), I quickly flipped the camera on him. Some moments are too good to not be documented.
I threw our little conversation up on Instagram Friday night, and…wow.
You guys have a lot of love for this T-Bell Cheesy Gordita Crunch. I took the thousands of direct messages to heart and quickly created my version of the Cheesy Gordita Crunch on Saturday. And now, here we are.
It’s Monday and we’re celebrating with the most exciting recipe of the week, the homemade Cheesy Gordita Crunch.
If you loved the Crunchwrap you’re guaranteed to love this taco too. Personally, I’m all about this taco, even over the Crunchwrap.
For anyone who is unfamiliar, the Cheesy Gordita Crunch is simply a hard shell taco, wrapped up in a soft piece of flatbread, topped with a three-cheese melted blend. It’s stuffed with meat, T-Bell’s spicy ranch sauce, lettuce, and then cheddar. It’s basically just a loaded cheesy taco doubled up on the shells.
These are GOOD. My photos do not do them justice. I just couldn’t seem to capture their cheesy goodness, but trust me, it’s there.
The best part about the Cheesy Gordita Crunch? They’re even easier to make than the Crunchwrap. If you can make a basic taco, you can easily make these too!
For the taco meat, I used my chipotle chicken taco seasoning mix because it’s always everyone’s favorite. You can make these using ground beef or chicken, I’ve done it both ways now, and both are equally delicious.
Once the meat is done, simply assemble, it’s that EASY.
First, lay the flour tortillas flat onto a baking sheet, then top them with a good amount of the three-cheese blend (cheddar, Monterey Jack, and mozzarella). Now, this next step is optional, BUT, if you ask me it’s a must-do. Sprinkle over a little bit of my homemade cheesy “Doritos” seasoning blend. Yes, cheesy Doritos seasoning. It’s a simple mix of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and grated parmesan cheese.
It. Is. DELICIOUS when baked into the cheese…and only just a little bit addicting.
Throw the pan in the oven to let the cheese melt. Once the cheese is melty, add the hard shell tacos. Now press the melty cheese into the hard shells. The cheese sticks to the shell and holds everything together. I then throw the shells back into the oven to warm through again.
Now, layer up your tacos. It goes taco meat, homemade spicy ranch, lettuce, and then cheddar.
For the ranch, I did my go-to homemade Greek yogurt ranch but added in a spicy jalapeño and a squeeze of lime juice.
Most tacos are topped with sour cream, but trust me, this spicy ranch is so much better. It’s not your average ranch and really completes the taco.
I generously dollop the ranch on each taco, then pile on the lettuce and cheddar. It sure isn’t anything fancy, but I have to admit, these are some of the best tacos. You get the best of both worlds between the soft and hard shells, lots of melty, warm cheese, perfectly seasoned meat, spicy sauce, and even some greens too.
Beyond delicious. Easy to make. And hey, healthier than the T-Bell version, so I’d said they’re better too! Creighton’s opinion? Well, first of all, the excitement he had when I actually made these was through the roof. But then the taste.
Even BETTER. More seasoning, more sauce, more ranch, and the perfect cheesy shells. Pretty hard to beat that combo. Delicious, and so much fun too!
Looking for other fun Mexican dinners to try, here are my favorites:
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema
Crockpot Carne Asada Tacos with Cilantro Lime Garlic Sauce.
Lastly, if you make these Homemade Cheesy Gordita Crunch Tacos be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
It’s very rare I come out the champion in the kitchen when it comes to a last minute meal idea. My husband typically takes the task upon himself and is not a super adventurous eater (despite my love for HBH) but when I whipped these up on a whim – I was met with the most sincere “it’s like you read my mind”. These were so easy and delicious and we made more than we needed but we can’t stop eating them ….
Hey Carson,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
I made these and it was a disaster. They turned out way to spicy and it was a huge mess. I used the recipe and followed it exactly. Do you have any recommendations on how to remedy this? And to get the shells to stick to the cheesy tortillas? They look amazing but didn’t pan out the way I had hoped.
Hey Michelle,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe. I would reduce the spice mixture next time to your level of liking. I highly recommend shredding your own cheese from the block, it melts much nicer than pre-shredded cheese and the shells should stick better. I hope this helps! xTieghan
I will never buy taco seasoning again. The way Teighan uses spices is unbelievable. Every single recipe that I have made so far (I think about 5 of them) are to die for. I made this for my boyfriend and myself and ever since I made it every time my boyfriend and I consider going out to get Mexican food he instead asks me to make this for him. As someone who has worked for Taco Bell for three years before I am so impressed with how well half baked harvest leveled up the cheesy Gordita crunch!!!
Hey Emily,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am so excited that it was enjoyed! Happy Friday! xTieghan
This recipe was a huge hit! We loved it. The extra melty cheese in between the shells was awesome. I did a chicken breast in the crockpot and spiced it up also added some pico. Our new taco fav!
Hey Darla,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I have always used store bought taco seasoning but after this I am never going back! So good! I have 3 boys and it passed the taco bell test too! Thank you!
Hey Rachel,
I am so glad that you liked this recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday? xTieghan
These were fantastic!! They’ll be a regular in our house now! Kids loved them and we loved them! The kick totally made them too.. although I left out the dorito seasoning for the kids, it would be a bit too spicy for their tastes!
Hey Ruth,
I am so glad that you liked this recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday? xTieghan
Could I use corn tortilla shells instead of flour for the outer shell? That’s all I have.
Hey Haley,
Yes, that should work just fine for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I am about to make these for the second time! I am obsessed, so yummy and so easy to make. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Hey Katharina,
I am absolutely delighted that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best week☀️ xTieghan
Holy crap this is good! So much flavor. And the spicy ranch really makes this dish and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t even eat ranch!! My boyfriend said it’s better than Taco Bell and the cheesy Gordita crunch is his go-to. I highly recommend!!
Hey Adrian,
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend☀️ xTieghan
Tried the recipe and loved it! I will definitely make it again! Keeping it in my recipe book!
Hey Rach,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday? xTieghan
These are amazing!
Thanks so much Shelley! xTieghan
I made these tonight and they were amazing!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!
Hey Andrea,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
These were incredible!! Dare I saw better than Taco Bell ! Thank you, Tieghan !
Hey Danielle,
I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks so much for giving it a try. Have a great week! xTieghan
Those were amazingly delicious! Definitely use the Dorito seasoning. An incredible blend of flavors! This will be on repeat in our household!
Hey Susan,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
These are SO good—and so easy! Made them for my husband and a “take out” for my in-laws (this is how we have enjoyed having dinners together since covid). Even with everything wrapped up much like Taco Bell, my mother-in-law FaceTimed me to say how delicious they were and felt like she had a meal out! Saving this for the future. Tacos are already amazing but this takes it to the next level. #thatcrunchthough
Thank you Tieghan for—as always—having the BEST recipes!
Hey Kindra,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan