Fry bread tacos (AKA Navajo tacos) are a fun and delicious twist on a classic recipe. Homemade fried bread topped with all your favorite taco fixings makes for one tasty dinner that will have the family running to the table!
Now you don’t have to wait for the summer carnival to come to town to get your hands on a tasty Native American tacos. You can make them at home and add whatever toppings you like.
You can deep fry your bread, or use my method which involves much less oil and doesn’t make as much of a mess!
What is an Indian taco?
Indian tacos start with a round, soft & chewy piece of simple fried bread made of flour, salt, baking powder, and milk. They are then topped with taco flavored meat and beans or chili, then traditional taco toppings like lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, olives, and diced onions.
You can often find native American tacos served at carnivals and fairs. Around here, the lines are usually long. People are willing to wait, because these things are TASTY!
But the history behind Navajo tacos is a quite sad one. When Native Americans were forced off their lands and moved to reservations, they could no longer rely on the crops they had been accustomed to growing.
To keep the people from going hungry, the government sent simple foods like flour, salt, sugar, and lard. Fry bread was born because although it isn’t nutrient dense, it is easy to make and very filling. I think it’s a tribute to the Native Americans that they used such simple ingredients to come up with a dish that would be served and loved for generations.
HOW TO MAKE INDIAN TACOS
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in the mix, then add enough flour to make a soft dough that isn’t sticky.
- On a floured surface, lightly knead the dough just until it’s smooth. Cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Divide dough into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-7″ circle on the floured counter.
- In a medium sized skillet, heat about half of the oil over medium heat till it’s about 350°. Cook each piece of dough for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Add more oil to the pan as needed. (Alternately, you can use 2-3 cups of oil and deep fry the navajo bread.)
- Set cooked bread on paper towels to drain. You can then place them on a plate in a warm oven if desired.
- To serve, top each piece of fry bread with chili or taco meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and any other toppings you want.
How do you store fry bread tacos leftovers?
Fry bread definitely tastes best the day of, but if you have leftovers, you can store it for a day or two at room temperature, then reheat it. I do NOT recommend using the microwave.
MORE FAMILY FRIENDLY DINNER RECIPES:
- Baked Salsa Chicken
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Chicken Gumbo Sloppy Joes
- Potato Chip Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe
- Beef Taquitos
- Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
FRY BREAD TACOS RECIPE
Indian Taco Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour more as needed
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- ⅓ cup oil for cooking more to deep fry
Toppings:
- 4 cups chili 2 cans or homemade
- 3 cups shredded lettuce
- ¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1 large tomato diced
- 6 Tbsp sour cream
- 2.25 oz can sliced olives
- 1 avocado diced
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk and add enough flour to make a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured counter just until smooth. Cover and let rest for about 5-10 minutes.
- Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-7" circle on the floured counter.
- In a medium sized skillet, heat about half of the oil over medium heat till it's about 350°. Cook each piece of dough for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Add more oil to the pan as needed. (Alternately, you can use 2-3 cups of oil and deep fry the navajo bread.)
- Place fried bread on paper towels to drain. You can then place them on a plate in a warm oven if desired.
- Top each piece of fry bread with chili or taco meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, and any other toppings you want.
Notes
Nutrition
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These tacos came out sooo good!! My husband and I loved them!
So happy to hear that Jennifer!
I always wanted to make my own Navajo taco! The fry bread was the best part of the recipe. Loved it
Yes, they are so yummy! Sometimes I make a double batch so we can eat the extras with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. 🙂