This copycat Casey’s taco pizza is just as good as the original. The best part is the crushed Doritos on top!
Have you ever heard of Casey’s? If not, you have been missing out. As a non-Midwesterner, I originally found it very odd that people would flock to a convenience store to buy takeout pizza. Apparently, it is a thing.
I was completely surprised when I tried my first Casey’s pizza and concluded that it was good. They have a nice, soft and chewy crust and very tasty toppings. When my family ordered taco pizza, I was intrigued. I had never heard of it before. It looked awfully strange when it arrived and was covered in ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes and Doritos. Doritos? On a pizza?
Believe me when I say that it was good. Beyond good, even. My daughter originally avoided the taco pizza because she claimed that Doritos did not belong on a pizza. As the years passed, her opinion changed. She is now adamant that every time we go visit my in-laws, we must get a taco pizza from Casey’s.
And since it’s difficult to travel right now, I’ve attempted to recreate the taco pizza here at home. I used a homemade crust, but you can certainly use store-bought one. Just make sure you put plenty of Doritos on top – it’s the best part. Keep in mind that leftovers do not keep well, so I won’t judge if you polish off the entire pizza at once.
One thing to note: We used Cool Ranch Doritos and think it would be better with the traditional nacho cheese flavor. We also left off the tomatoes, but that was our preference.
Husband’s rating: 4 out of 5 (he wanted a crispier crust)
Addie’s rating: 4.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5
Copycat Casey's taco pizza
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 and ⅔ cups all-purpose or bread flour divided
- 2 and ¼ teaspoons (1 package) instant yeast
- 1 and ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup warm water
Topping
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup water
- 1 packet taco seasoning I used 4 Tablespoons of Penzeyo's original taco seasoning
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 large tomato diced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 1 head small lettuce shredded
- Doritos crushed
Instructions
Make the dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix together 1 cup of the flour with the yeast, sugar, salt, basil and garlic on medium speed. Add the warm water and continue mixing.
- Slowly add in additional flour as needed to form a smooth and pliable dough. It should feel tacky but not stick to your hands.
- Using your hands, shape the dough into a ball and place it into a well-greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot, about 30-60 minutes.
- Once the dough is done rising, punch it down and stretch it out to fit onto a baking sheet or baking stone. It's best to sprinkle some cornmeal on the stone/sheet to prevent the pizza from sticking.
Make the topping
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat up the olive oil. Add the onion and sautee until translucent.
- Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink in the middle. Drain off the fat and grease.
- Add in the water and taco seasoning. Cover with a lid and bring the mixture to a boil. It should thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Spread the refried beans on top of your prepared pizza crust. Then add the ground beef mixture on top. Sprinkle the top with the grated cheddar cheese and bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.
- Top the pizza with the shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and crushed Doritos. Slice and enjoy.
Casey’s Pizza is a staple in the Midwest, especially in Iowa! Your version looks delicious! Just an FYI…Casey’s actually mixes salsa in with the refried beans before spreading onto the crust. Also, onion isn’t an ingredient included on the pizza but it should be! There are many versions of a taco pizza, but Casey’s does it well!!!
Author
Omg – I didn’t know they included salsa in the bean mixture! I need to try that! Thanks for sharing this with me, Jen. 😄
I miss Casey’s taco pizza! I grew up in Iowa but I live in Oregon now. No Casey’s! I have tried countless taco pizzas but none of them are as good as Casey’s! Thanks for this recipe!
Author
Wow – I wonder if you know my husband’s family. Even though iowa is a big state geographically, I have found that it is actually rather small – meaning a lot of folks know each other!
I lived in Medford for about five years and would make some homemade “Casey’s Taco Pizza”, but my recipe varied from this just a little. I knew that Salsa was mixed into the refried beans (as stated in the comment above) and served as the foundation of my version. Several of my local friends loved it and would frequently ask me to make it for them or share the recipe.
I moved back to Iowa six years ago and I do miss living in Southern Oregon, but at least I can go to the Casey’s down the street. 😉
Author
I love that you are so close to a Casey’s! Thanks for letting me know that there is salsa in the beans. I tried that the second time I made this pizza and it made a difference. I can’t wait for the next time we get a real Casey’s taco pizza! 🙂
I love taco pizza being originally from Iowa. I get it everytime I get back to visit family. One thing the recipe is missing is the taco sauce! It is a must to top a slice with a packet of taco sauce. If you haven’t already, try Happy Joe’s taco pizza. I personally prefer their take on it a little better but Casey’s is great too.
Author
Yes! The sauce! I will need to try Happy Joe’s the next time in am in Iowa. Hopefully soon once I feel safer to fly. 😄
Lol it is so weird to see people talk about casey’s and taco pizza like this I love in iowa and I am a former casey’s kitchen Manager couple of things about the pizza yes beans and salsa are the base mix them together also the beef is not taco seasoned it’s the same regular beef you would get on a beef pizza also next time your ordering a taco pizza try substituting the beef with chicken yes you can do that and it’s so much better in my opinion last thing onions are not on the pizza you can add them and they are good but the base pizza does not include them
Author
Thanks for sharing this, Dan! I didn’t know we could substitute the beef with chicken. Even though the classic taco pizza doesn’t have the seasoned beef as you mentioned, I do like it with the seasoning – gives it an extra bit of oomph. I can’t wait to go back to the Midwest to have Casey’s again!