Navajo Tacos
These Navajo Tacos (a.k.a. Fry Bread Tacos) are fluffy fried dough topped with your favorite taco toppings. A fun-to-eat and flavorful dinnertime meal!
A FUN TWIST TO TACO NIGHT
Navajo Tacos are best described as a fried flatbread with taco toppings. It’s a super simple homemade dough that is fried in oil and puffs up as it cooks. You can it eat by itself or you can top it with all of your taco favorite toppings. You can even fry it then roll it into some cinnamon sugar for a sweet treat! These really are so easy to make and a lot of fun for the whole family. Eat it with your hands or a fork and knife – up to you! If want a quick dinnertime meal, then you have to try this Navajo Taco recipe!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Fry bread is a recipe that started with Native Americans. More notably, the Navajo (hence why we call these Navajo Tacos). But every native group seems to have some version of this recipe. For more native Navajo recipes, please be sure to check out one of my favorite Native American Bloggers, The Fancy Navajo.
Peanut oil is my go-to oil for frying. It’s a neutral flavored oil so it doesn’t change the flavor of what you are frying. However, peanut oil is a more expensive oil. My backup oil of choice is canola oil.
You can top them with any of your favorite taco toppings. We usually top ours with taco meat, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, black olives and cheese.
These are really light and fluffy with a slightly crisp outer coating and just a slight chew.
You can store your toppings separately until ready to serve. The fry bread itself can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature. Fry bread can also be frozen. To do this, wrap each bread in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag. They will keep for up to 4 months. Defrost at room temperature when ready to eat.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- all-purpose flour – it’s really important you don’t overmeasure the flour. This can happen if you are measuring directly from the flour bag and compressing the flour into the measuring cup. The best way to measure is to spoon the flour into the measuring cup then scoop off any excess with the flat end of a butter knife.
- baking powder – if you are using self rising flour, you can skip the baking powder and salt.
- salt
- warm water – you don’t want it boiling. About 100F degrees is a good temperature.
- seasoned taco meat
- refried beans – you can top these however you prefer. We usually like to spread some refried beans onto the fry bread then the taco meat then the toppings.
- your favorite taco toppings – some suggestions are sliced olives, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.
HOW TO MAKE NAVAJO TACOS:
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the water and mix it together using a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes until it comes together. You may need to add more flour (up to 1/4 cup) while kneading if the dough is on the wet side – but this is normal. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. While the dough is resting, heat up the oil. Place the oil into a heavy bottom skillet with deep sides 1-2 inches deep with oil. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350-375°F.
When the dough is done resting, cut it into 6 even sections. Roll out the sections into 6-inch rough circles on a lightly flour surface.
Fry the dough one at a time in the oil. The dough will immediately puff up. Fry until lightly golden brown and flip it over, brown on the other side as well. About 2-3 minutes per side. Take out the dough, letting any excess oil drip off, and place it on a paper-towel-lined sheet tray while you fry the remaining pieces. I like to form the dough right before adding it to the oil to prevent it from sticking to the work surface.
Once all the dough is cooked, top them with warmed refried beans, taco meat, and your favorite taco toppings!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Originally published: August 2021
Updated photos and republished: March 2025
Navajo Tacos (+Video)
Ingredients
For the fry bread:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm water (about 100°F)
- peanut oil (for frying)
For the toppings:
- 1 pound seasoned taco meat
- 1 cup refried beans
- your favorite taco toppings
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour in 1 cup warm water and mix it together using a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough for 5 minutes until it comes together. You may need to add more flour (up to 1/4 cup) while kneading if the dough is on the wet side – this is normal.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
- While the dough is resting, heat up the peanut oil. Place the oil into a heavy bottom skillet with deep sides 1-2 inches deep with oil. Heat the oil over medium heat until it reaches 350-375°F.
- When the dough is done resting, cut it into 6 even sections. Roll out the sections into 6-inch rough circles on a lightly flour surface. I like to form the dough right before adding it to the oil to prevent it from sticking to the work surface.
- Fry the dough one at a time in the oil. The dough will immediately puff up. Fry until lightly golden brown and flip it over, brown on the other side as well. About 2-3 minutes per side.
- Take out the dough, letting any excess oil drip off, and place it on a paper-towel-lined sheet tray while you fry the remaining pieces.
- Once all the dough is cooked, top them with warmed refried beans, taco meat, and your favorite taco toppings!
Video
Notes
- These can be frozen for later use, see the tips above.
- For a dessert version: dip the fried bread into cinnamon sugar immediately after removing from the oil.
- Try this with my recipe for Crock Pot Taco Meat!
- I also have a recipe for Homemade Refried Beans if you want to make that from scratch as well.
- You can substitute the peanut oil with another frying oil. I like peanut oil because it is a neutral flavored oil.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This is probably a dumb question…but if you’re feeling especially lazy could you use crescent or pizza dough instead of making your own?
Not a dumb question! I think it’s a good one actually. I think pizza dough could work. It is fairly similar. I haven’t tested it myself but I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it!
Hi! Being a native Okie, I know the history of this recipe. While “fry bread” is what is used, the term is Navajo Tacos. The recipe was created during the harsh times when the Natives were forced off their lands, and this was a staple food as they traveled. Just a bit of history.
I hesitate to call it “Navajo Tacos” because I’ve been told by a few Native Americans that fry bread was used by many different native tribes and that they just called it “fried bread” in their native languages and they never made it into tacos back in those days. The taco part is a more recent addition. So I honor a Native American when they explain to me how their culture has used this recipe. Obviously times change and so do recipes but this fried bread has been in native culture for a very long time. Way before the Americanized version of tacos.
Oh, my these are sooooooooooo good.
I had my Indian Taco (that is what they called them in OK.) years ago when we lived in Oklahoma City and had my 1st one at the State Fair and have been making them ever sense, always around state fair time, but actually they are good anytime.
There was just 1 draw back eating that 1st Indian Taco @ the fair, and that was trying to eat it with a plastic fork. It just didn’t work, so from then on, whenever we went to the fair I always made sure I packed a couple of forks from home.
During the fair, the recipe was published in the local newspaper and have been using that same recipe now for years.
Seeing and talking about Indian Taco’s is really making me craving for one right Now. Going on my menu list for the upcoming week.
Enjoy your week and stay safe.
‘Today Is A Good Day To Have A Good Day.’