Growing up, Fry Bread Tacos were definitely on my list of top 10 favorite meals my mom made. I’m not sure where she first learned how to make them, but it seemed like second nature to her. She would casually whip up a batch of dough, shape it into flattened rounds, and fry golden discs to be devoured by 6 hungry kids.
My version of fry bread tacos definitely isn’t super authentic, but it brings me right back to my childhood. The crispy yet chewy base topped with an array of savory Tex-Mex ingredients is utterly satisfying.
Here’s how we make them in our house!
You could top fry bread tacos with chicken or pork, but it was always seasoned ground beef for us. I personally don’t like to go too heavy on the spices and let the beefy flavor shine. But you could add some cayenne if you like a kick of heat.
I know it’s more traditional to use a baking powder-raised dough, but I really like the flavor and texture of a yeasted dough.
My mom didn’t have a special fry bread dough recipe. She would use whatever bread dough she had on hand that day, and even that she would make up as she went along. You can use just about any basic bread dough recipe. I personally like a white sandwich dough, but you could use part whole wheat flour or even pizza dough. I wouldn’t recommend using a dough with nuts, seeds, herbs, or other add-ins. Keep the texture smooth. But don’t get too caught up on having the perfect dough to start with. Just wing it!
Let your dough go through its first rise. I let mine rise overnight in the refrigerator.
Now pinch off a ball of dough.
Streeeetch it out into a flattened disc. The edges will naturally be a little thicker than the center. That’s perfect!
This part was always controversial in our house: Mom insisted on poking a hole in the middle of the dough so that the oil could bubble up and cook the dough all the way through. My dad would complain that his butter and maple syrup would run out the hole. You could try with and without the hole and see which you prefer. I poke a hole in mine because that’s what Mom did.
Now gently lower the dough disc into some hot oil.
You can use a bigger pan with more oil and fry several pieces of dough at a time to make the process go faster. I hate using loads of oil for frying (it’s expensive!), so I use a small pan and fry the dough one piece at a time.
Fry for about a minute, or until the underside is nicely golden brown.
Flip and cook for another minute or so, or until the other side is golden as well.
Remove to a paper towel-lined pan and repeat with the rest of the dough. You should get about 16 to 18 fry breads from one dough recipe.
It’s okay if the fry breads are misshapen. It’s part of the charm!
Now, to properly top a fry bread taco (according to my dad), you have to spread a layer of sour cream on first. The order of the rest of the ingredients isn’t super important. But you’ve got to start with sour cream.
Add some salsa…
Seasoned ground beef…
Your favorite shredded cheese…
…and some shredded crispy lettuce! Pretty sure my mom would use iceberg, but I prefer green leaf or romaine these days.
My mom would usually serve hers with chopped raw onions as well, but neither Reuben nor I care for them. You could also do refried beans, black olives, or guacamole. It’s your choice!
In our house, if we ate all of our fry bread taco, we got to have a sweet fry bread! Because why NOT add more grease and some sugar to fry bread?
Mom gave us two options: butter and maple syrup, or…
…butter and cinnamon sugar! To this day I can’t decide which is my favorite. They are both sublime.
Just a warning: this is not the recipe for you if you can’t stand getting your fingers messy. There’s no perfect way to eat a fry bread taco. You just gotta get your face in it and dig in. But it’s very much worth the mess.
Do you have any fry bread traditions in your house?
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