Tasty Taco Pizza with Homemade Pizza Dough

For our Tasty Taco Pizza, we use our absolute MOST FAVORITE handmade pizza dough recipe! It’s so easy to make and incredibly delicious, you’ll stop ordering delivery. There are only two places that I would take a restaurant pizza and that’s in Chicago and San Diego … otherwise, when the Coogan family craves pizza, this is the pizza dough recipe we turn to. Corey has worked on this homemade pizza crust for years and we truly feel it’s incredible!

Our family also loves our taco nights together and there’s no better meal than a combination of our two favorite loves … Taco Tuesday and Pizza Night! Below is our most beloved way to make homemade Taco Pizza. There are so many variations you can choose when making your own delicious taco pizza based on your own personal preferences. There’s certainly no right or wrong way to create this easy meal!

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What do you need to make Coogan’s Easy Homemade Pizza Dough?

This easy homemade pizza dough recipe makes two 14-inch thin pizzas or 1 large thick crust pizza. Or if you’re not up for making your own delicious dough, you can use a crescent roll crust.

Pizza Dough – grocery store ingredient list:

• Water, 3/4 cup water (warm water)
• Sugar, 1 teaspoon sugar
• Dry active yeast, 1 teaspoon
• All purpose flour, 2 cups
• Kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Honey, 1 teaspoon honey
• Olive oil

Taco Pizza – grocery store ingredient list:

• Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
• Onion, 1 large diced white or red onion
• Pepper, 1 pepper diced (any pepper of your choosing)
• Garlic, 2 cloves fresh garlic – minced
• Ground beef, 1 pound ground beef, or substitute ground turkey
• Taco seasoning mix, 2 tablespoons of your favorite taco seasoning mix
• Kosher salt, 1 teaspoon
• Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
• Sour cream, 1/2 cup
• Taco sauce, 1 cup (your favorite brand but we love a jar of Taco Bell sauce!)
• Tomatoes, 1 to 2 large fresh cherry tomatoes – diced
• Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, 2 cups – shredded
• Lettuce, 1 cup – shredded Romaine lettuce
• Corn tortilla chips or Dorritos, 2 cups – broken into pieces

Additional Favorite Taco Toppings – Optional:

• Sour cream, optional topping
• Green onions, chopped
• Jalapeno slices
• Black olives
• A can of refried beans (mixed into the taco meat mixture) or black beans

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE SALES LINKS. These don’t cost you anything additional but do assist us in running this site. If you have any questions, please see our AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE POLICY for more information. 

How do you make this Easy Taco Pizza Recipe with Homemade Pizza Dough?

Let’s start with the instructions to make the most delicious homemade dough for all your pizza nights around the dinner table.

In a small bowl, dissolve the dry active yeast in the sugar (food for the yeast) and warm water (lukewarm, not hot!). Hot water will destroy the yeast and cold water will lengthen the time to bubble. Allow it to sit and bubble for 5 to 10 minutes. If the yeast mixture does not bubble then it is no longer active and you’ll need another batch.

How long should you knead the pizza dough?

Mix together the flour and salt, in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and honey and knead until the dough starts to form; combine well.

Add some extra flavor if you’d like …

If you’d like to add some additional flavors to the pizza crust, you can add a bit of garlic powder, chopped basil, rosemary, oregano … whatever you prefer or based on the type of pizza toppings you plan to use. For this easy taco pizza, we just stuck to the basic dough ingredients. If you like to turn up the heat, try a tiny sprinkle of chili powder or cayenne pepper (I am not that brave!!)!

Sprinkle flour on a clean, dry surface, and turn the pizza dough out to knead by hand for about 10 minutes or if using an electric stand mixer with a dough hook for about 5 minutes. Continue to knead and add sprinkles of flour until the dough loses its stickiness.

How long should you allow the pizza dough to rise?

Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil, form into a ball, and place pizza dough in the bowl. Turn the dough over in the oil to coat all sides and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. This will keep your dough soft and prevents it from drying out. Place the covered bowl in a warm, draft-free area.

This recipe creates a flavorful crust with a wonderful texture – all without a long rise time. Allow the dough to sit for about 10 to 15 minutes (or longer – up to an hour). Start on the taco meat, veggies, and other favorite toppings while you wait. *See Taco Meat instructions below.

Remove the dough from the bowl and use a bench scraper (or knife) to cut the dough in half, if making 2 pizzas.

Roll out the dough with your hands or a rolling pin?

Transfer each ball of dough to a floured surface to roll out.

Preheat oven to 425° F. *If using a pizza stone, place the stone in the oven to allow it to heat up with the oven.

Lightly flour your rolling pin and then roll out the dough into the desired pizza shape or shape the dough with your hands. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle!

Should you use a pizza stone, pizza pan, or a baking dish?

It is totally your preference on what you want to cook your homemade taco pizza on. We love using a pizza stone but if we’re in the mood for a thicker crust then we opt for a baking dish or a deep-dish pizza pan.

If using a pizza stone:

Spray a large piece of parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer the flattened dough to the parchment paper, carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven (it will be super hot!), and then lift the paper onto the stone.

If using a pizza pan, baking dish, or baking sheet (for a thicker crust):

Brush olive oil around the sides and bottom. Then press the pizza dough into the pan or deep dish. Allow the dough to sit in the pan or dish for about 10 to 15 minutes prior to baking. This will ensure the rising process is complete.

Top the pizza with sauce, desired toppings, and cheese. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese has thoroughly melted and the crust is golden brown and has reached your desired level of crispiness.

We use a rolling meat tenderizer to roll over the dough to create tiny holes in the dough but this is totally optional. For us, it lessens the chance of big air bubbles popping up during baking but it also holds little bits of taco sauce (traditional pizza sauce or tomato sauce) in each groove as well.

Next, brush the dough with a layer of extra virgin olive oil all the way to the edges to give it a nice buttery taste.

Kitchen tools needed to make homemade pizza dough …

How to make the perfect Taco Pizza:

Let’s start with the taco meat …

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and peppers and cook for about 5 minutes until the veggies have softened. Stir in minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute or until fragrance blooms.

Add ground beef to the pan. Sprinkle with your best taco seasoning (we like Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix), salt, and pepper. Break up the beef mixture with the spatula while stirring and continue to cook ground beef until it’s brown and no longer pink.

Drain the fat from the pan. Then stir in the sour cream to the meat and veggie mixture. Once it is thoroughly combined, set it aside until you’re ready to assemble your pizzas with your favorite taco fixings. If you’re adding a cup of refried beans to your pizza, stirring them into the meat mixture now is a great time to add them.

Spread a layer of your favorite taco sauce over the top of the pizza dough. We love a jar of Taco Bell sauce but use whatever you have on hand.

Next, add taco meat, tomatoes, and any additional toppings (like black olives, jalapenos, or green onions) over the taco sauce. Then top with shredded cheese. You can use any type of cheese but in sticking with the taco theme and flavor of this particular pizza we always choose to use a Mexican blend of shredded cheese.

Finally, drizzle a bit of additional taco sauce over the top of the cheese and brush the outer edges of the exposed pizza crust with olive oil.

Bake your tasty taco pizza for about 15 minutes at 425° F until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy and golden brown. If you’re baking a thicker pizza crust, you may need to cook just a little bit longer. Just check the bottom of your crust with the lift of a spatula to ensure it’s done.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top with shredded lettuce, broken corn tortilla chips, more tomatoes, and additional sour cream (optional). Then cut into individual slices with a pizza cutter and enjoy your new family-favorite dinner!

Can you freeze this easy pizza dough recipe?

To freeze your pizza dough for another time, simply allow it to rise and then separate it into the number of pizzas you wish to have … maybe a few personal pan pizzas? Form each section of dough into a ball shape and wrap tightly with several layers of plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Write the date on the plastic bag and toss it in the freezer.

Use within 3 months of freezing and thaw overnight in the refrigerator prior to use. When you’re ready to prepare the pizzas, be sure to leave it out on your counter for about an hour to bring the dough up to room temperature. Then it will be easier to shape and flatten your dough.

How do I store leftover pizza?

If you have leftovers, place the slices in a sealed plastic bag or storage container. Eat within 3 days by reheating in the oven, microwave, air fryer, or toaster oven.

Looking for more tasty and easy recipes? Try a few here:

• Italian Chicken and Acorn Squash Couscous
• Chicken & Pork Crostina Pasta
• Creamy Beef and Potatoes
• Wild Rice Chicken Casserole – (Easy Recipe)
• Meat and Potato Timballo Pie

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