Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
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Taco Bell's spicy potato soft taco features seasoned potatoes served on a flour tortilla topped with lettuce, shredded cheddar, and chipotle sauce. Potato tacos are a creative offering for those wishing to eat a meatless taco but who don't want the usual beans. Back in 2020 when Taco Bell pulled potatoes from its menu, fans petitioned for the vegetarian-friendly item to return (including those beloved spicy potato soft tacos). Eventually, of course, the chain did reinstate the menu staple — while potatoes may be back, though, you don't have to go to the fast food chain to enjoy this spicy, creamy, cheesy treat.
Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a copycat version of the Taco bell spicy potato soft taco you can easily make at home. Whether you want to save money, have more control over the ingredients, or just love cooking, this recipe has you covered. The seasoned potatoes are packed with flavor thanks to a combination of six spices. Then there's the chipotle sauce which brings on both heat and creaminess. You can dial the chipotle peppers in the sauce and the cayenne in the potato seasoning up or down depending on your preferred level of spiciness, or even leave them out altogether. The final result is a soft taco just as good (if not better!) than Taco Bell's version, no drive-thru required.
Gather your copycat Taco Bell spicy potato taco recipe ingredients
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
For this recipe, you'll first make a chipotle sauce. You will need chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. The ingredients for the seasoned potatoes are russet potatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Finally, gather small flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, and finely shredded cheddar cheese to complete the dish.
Step 1: Make the chipotle sauce
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Place the chipotle sauce ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or container and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Step 2: Cube the potatoes
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Begin the seasoned potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch cubes. Place them in a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Toss the potatoes with spices
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Add the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and back pepper to the bowl and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated.
Step 4: Heat the oil
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet on medium.
Step 5: Cook the potatoes
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Work in batches if you don't have a large pan and add a small amount of oil as needed to prevent sticking.
Step 6: Start assembling the tacos
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Warm the tortillas in a pan or in the microwave if desired, and then arrange ⅛ of the potatoes at the bottom of each tortilla.
Step 7: Add the lettuce and sauce
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Top each taco with 2 tablespoons of shredded lettuce and 1-2 tablespoons of chipotle sauce.
Step 8: Serve the copycat Taco Bell spicy potato soft tacos
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese over each taco. Serve immediately.
What to serve with copycat Taco Bell spicy potato soft tacos
Copycat Taco Bell Spicy Potato Soft Taco Recipe
Enjoy all the savory, spicy, spud-y goodness of a Taco Bell spicy potato soft taco right at home with this easy-to-make copycat recipe.
- For the chipotle sauce
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- For the seasoned potatoes
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- For the tacos
- 8 small flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- ½ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
- Place the chipotle sauce ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or container and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Begin the seasoned potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch cubes. Place them in a mixing bowl.
- Add the onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and back pepper to the bowl and toss until the potatoes are evenly coated.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet on medium.
- Cook the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until they are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Work in batches if you don’t have a large pan and add a small amount of oil as needed to prevent sticking.
- Warm the tortillas in a pan or in the microwave if desired, and then arrange ⅛ of the potatoes at the bottom of each tortilla.
- Top each taco with 2 tablespoons of shredded lettuce and 1-2 tablespoons of chipotle sauce.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese over each taco. Serve immediately.
| Calories per Serving | 647 |
| Total Fat | 34.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9.1 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.2 g |
| Cholesterol | 36.6 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 73.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 5.6 g |
| Sodium | 1,168.1 mg |
| Protein | 14.4 g |
The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
What other ways can I cook the seasoned potatoes?
Michelle Bottalico/Mashed
If frying isn't your thing, there are other ways you can cook these flavorful potatoes. Your first option is to bake them. Peel, cube, and toss the potatoes with seasoning in the same way you would do for frying. Preheat the oven to 400 F and place the potatoes on a well-greased baking sheet. Bake them for 20-30 minutes, flipping them halfway, until crispy and browned. While some people say not parboiling potatoes before baking is one of the mistakes to avoid when cooking potatoes, we find it's really not necessary here. You could, of course parboil the potatoes before baking them, but make sure that you don't toss them in the seasoning until you get to the baking part.
You can also air fry the potatoes. While you need some oil for this method, you certainly do use a lot less than you would with frying. In fact, just prepare the potatoes the same way you would for baking in a regular oven. Then, grease the air fryer tray or basket with oil and preheat the machine to 400 F if it requires preheating. Air fry the cubed potatoes for about 15-20 minutes until they're golden and crispy. Whether you use the oven or the air fryer, lay the potatoes down in a single, uncrowded layer. Work in batches if they don't all fit at once so the potatoes don't steam and get soggy instead of crisping up.
How can I customize these spicy potato tacos?
If you want to add protein to these tacos but keep them vegetarian, you could just add black beans or fried or baked tofu or tempeh. For a twist, consider a filling duo of potatoes and peppers instead of just potatoes. As for the toppings, you can customize the tacos by adding as many of your favorite toppings as you like. Diced tomato, diced onion, pico de gallo, cilantro, or jalapeño peppers are popular choices.
If you're not a fan of spicy chipotle sauce or if you just want to mix it up, you can dress these tacos with a different sauce entirely. Salsa, guacamole, ranch dressing, sour cream, or a simple squeeze of lime juice would be delicious. A nacho cheese sauce instead of (or, for cheese lovers, in addition to) the shredded cheese would also work. Don't forget the secret ingredient in Taco Bell's queso sauce if you want to copy it at home: jalapeño puree.
You may also opt for corn tortillas instead of flour. To avoid cracking, warm them in a dry skillet before using. Finally, you could easily make this vegetarian recipe entirely plant-based by using vegan sour cream, mayonnaise, and shredded cheese. Vegan sour cream and mayonnaise are pretty close to the originals, but if you don't like the texture of vegan shredded cheese, just leave it out. The tacos are still flavorful without it.
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