Patterson Watkins/Mashed
All good things must come to an end, and Taco Bell fans know this sentiment better than any other fast food lovers out there. Indeed, Taco Bell's menu is a fast-moving one, as the chain is always introducing new items and ushering out fan-favorites just as fast. One such fan-favorite was the Meximelt, which was sort of like the lovechild between a classic soft taco and a quesadilla, featuring plenty of cheese, beef, and pico de gallo. The Meximelt was discontinued in 2019, enjoyed a brief revival in Taco Bell's 2024 Decades Menu run, and is now something that taco-quesadilla hybrid lovers can only hope to recreate at home.
Luckily, with recipe developer Patterson Watkins' copycat Taco Bell Meximelt recipe, you don't just have to hope that your homemade Meximelt dreams can come true — you can count on it. Watkins, admittedly a fan of "melty, cheesy, beefy anything," has quite a few Taco Bell recreations under her belt, but she notes that many of them are pretty culinarily complicated to recreate at home.
"Bless the Meximelt! This one is simple, straightforward," Watkins tells us, "I actually inserted a little more 'pizzazz' into this copycat. Nothing crazy, I promise," she quips, adding, "I just wanted more cheesy, more 'max' melt action." The solution? Cheese in both the taco meat and on the tortilla, so you can bet that your Meximelts will be positively maxi-melty.
Gather the ingredients for copycat Taco Bell Meximelts
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
You'll start this recipe by making a fresh pico del gallo that consists of diced fresh tomatoes, diced red onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Next, for the taco meat, you'll need olive oil, ground beef, taco seasoning, tomato paste, beef broth, and Colby Jack cheese. Finally, to assemble the Meximelts, have some taco-sized flour tortillas and more Colby Jack cheese on hand.
Step 1: Add the pico de gallo ingredients to a bowl
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
To make the pico de gallo, place the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 2: Mix and refrigerate the pico de gallo
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Stir to combine the pico de gallo, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 3: Heat the oil in a skillet
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
To make the cheesy beef, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 4: Brown the beef
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Once hot, add the ground beef, and cook for 5 minutes or until brown.
Step 5: Add seasoning, tomato paste, and broth
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Add the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and broth to the skillet.
Step 6: Simmer the beef
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
Step 7: Cook until the liquid has evaporated
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
Step 8: Add the cheese
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the grated cheese (1 ½ cups).
Step 9: Stir in the cheese
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Stir until combined and melted. Keep the cheesy beef warm over low heat while you assemble the Meximelts.
Step 10: Begin assembling the Meximelts
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
To assemble the Meximelts, place the flour tortillas on a clean work surface.
Step 11: Sprinkle on the cheese
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Sprinkle the tortillas with the remaining cheese (1 ½ cups).
Step 12: Add cheesy beef mixture to tortillas
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Evenly divide the cheesy beef between the tortillas, spooning the mixture onto just one side of the tortilla.
Step 13: Top the beef with pico de gallo
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Top the cheesy beef with a heaping tablespoon of the pico de gallo.
Step 14: Fold and serve the Meximelts
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
Fold the tortillas in half and serve immediately with any leftover pico de gallo on the side.
What can I serve with a Meximelt?
Copycat Taco Bell Meximelt Recipe
With cheesy beef, pico de gallo, and even more cheese, our copycat Taco Bell's Meximelt is quick to make and might be better than the discontinued original.
- For the pico de gallo
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- For the Meximelt cheesy beef
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 ½ cups grated Colby Jack cheese
- To assemble
- 6 taco-sized flour tortillas
- 1 ½ cups grated Colby Jack cheese
- To make the pico de gallo, place the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Stir to combine the pico de gallo, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To make the cheesy beef, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the ground beef, and cook for 5 minutes or until brown.
- Add the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and broth to the skillet.
- Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the grated cheese (1 ½ cups).
- Stir until combined and melted. Keep the cheesy beef warm over low heat while you assemble the Meximelts.
- To assemble the Meximelts, place the flour tortillas on a clean work surface.
- Sprinkle the tortillas with the remaining cheese (1 ½ cups).
- Evenly divide the cheesy beef between the tortillas, spooning the mixture onto just one side of the tortilla.
- Top the cheesy beef with a heaping tablespoon of the pico de gallo.
- Fold the tortillas in half and serve immediately with any leftover pico de gallo on the side.
| Calories per Serving | 628 |
| Total Fat | 41.6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19.9 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.9 g |
| Cholesterol | 116.4 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 29.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.9 g |
| Total Sugars | 3.2 g |
| Sodium | 977.3 mg |
| Protein | 33.5 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.
Can I make my Meximelts crispy quesadilla-style?
Patterson Watkins/Mashed
The Meximelt is what Watkins describes as an "almost quesadilla," but one that doesn't quite reach full-blown quesadilla status. This is by design, of course, as the Meximelt was meant to be a soft taco-quesadilla hybrid. "The residual heat from the taco beef melts the sprinkle cheese and softens the flour tortilla into a very crushable, malleable meal. It is really easy to eat multiples (trust me)," Watkins explains.
If there's one flaw in the Meximelt design, it's that they'll lose heat pretty fast, and loss of heat equals loss of optimal meltiness. "The way to combat that is to turn them into actual quesadillas," Watkins says. To do so, fully assemble your Meximelts, then brush a skillet or griddle pan with oil and place it over medium heat. Add the Meximelts to the hot pan, cook for about 2 minutes per side (just until golden and crisp), then voila — you've got Meximelts, full-on quesadilla-style.
Should you choose to go the crispy quesadilla route, leave a ½-inch edge around the tortilla as you fill it with the goods to avoid any excess seepage or spillage when crisping them in the pan. Also, resist the urge to press the Meximelts down in the skillet as the cook — that'll just make all of the filling spill out.
What are tips for making homemade Meximelts?
Though simple by design, homemade Meximelts can go awry if you don't choose the right key ingredients. Start with the beef — Watkins almost always opts for 80/20 ground beef, but for this particular recipe, a leaner option is the best bet. "You'll make up that lean difference with the cheesy addition," Watkins explains. "Otherwise, you'll get a lot of greasy residue." If higher-fat beef is all you have on hand, you could always drain the excess grease after the beef cooks and before you add the cheese, but Watkins notes that even those leaner beef types might need some draining. She recommends using 95/5 or 90/10 beef, or anything that has the word "lean" on the label. And, if your beef does seem extra greasy after cooking, make sure to drain any excess oil before adding in the cheese.
Speaking of cheese, that's where Watkins next pro-tip lies. "Nothing melts better than block cheese (that you grate yourself)," she says. "Pre-grated cheese is treated with starch to keep the shreds from sticking together." That starchiness might effect the way the cheese melts, or worse, it might make the melted cheese gummy and goopy. It may add an extra step in the process, but trust us (and Watkins) when we say that shredding the cheese yourself is the way to go for this recipe.
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