Easy Navajo Tacos with Vegetables and Indian Fry Bread will be on your list of weekly cravings after you try this recipe! Delicious fried bread topped with seasoned meats, fresh veggies, cheese, and sour cream is the best way to take tacos from ho-hum to WOW in no time!
What is Indian Fry Bread?
Fry bread is dough that is deep fried and mostly made without yeast. Baking powder is the leaven, instead of yeast. I live in Utah at almost 5000 feet elevation, and this recipe works very well at high altitude.
Slices of fried bread can be made as large or small as you like. I try to keep the dough fairly thin so the cooked bread doesn’t look like a donut!
Tip for light Indian fry bread
Here’s a tip for preparing this roast bread recipe. Preparing the batter and letting it sit for 20-30 minutes before frying will result in a softer cut of fried for your Navajo taco.
I like to make the dough first and then let it rest while I cook the meat filling and chop the veggies. While chopping the vegetables, heat the oil. It’s still a quick and easy meal, and you can let the batter rest and tenderize a bit while you prepare the toppings.
Can fry bread be made with yeast?
Yes, fried bread can be made with yeast! I have attached a recipe for fried bread with yeast on this post. The fermentation time for the yeast variant is about 30-45 minutes. If you try both the yeast and non-yeast versions, you’ll find that the flatbread made with baking powder isn’t quite as light and tender as the flatbread made with yeast. Yeast (usually) gives a lighter product than baking powder.
There is a significant difference in texture between the two types of fried bread, but the baking soda version takes slightly less time.
Savory or sweet?
If you live in Utah, you might recognize the similarities between fry bread and a “scone” that have nothing to do with traditional English scones. Utah scones are made with fried dough and are usually served with honey butter or powdered sugar.
The yeast version of the fried bread is enough to make about 12 pieces of fried bread, which is enough for your taco and a piece of dessert! Simply sprinkle the flatbread with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar while it is still hot!
Do it your way
We love how easy it is to customize these Easy Navajo Tacos (Indian Fry Bread) to suit your personal preferences. You can use any type of meat: chicken, ground beef, pork, leftover pot roast, or chili.
I also love corn on my tacos. In this photo you can see the corn salsa I made with corn, onion, cilantro, garlic and some salt and pepper!
We always use the following toppings for our Navajo tacos: lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and avocado. I also add black or pinto beans so the filling goes further.
If I add a can of beans, I add the juice from the can and let the beans cook for a few minutes. After heating the beans, use a potato masher to thicken the topping a bit.
This recipe makes 6 servings. If you don’t want to make your own fried bread, use frozen bread dough like Rhodes Rolls; each roll thawed, stretched and then fried. Allow about 2 hours for the thawing and rising process.
How to Make Easy Navajo Tacos with Vegetables and Indian Fry Bread:
- For the flatbread, mix flour, salt, baking powder and water. Put aside.
- Prepare the meat filling.
- Chop the veggies.
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Divide the dough into four large or six small pieces and flatten on a clean, floured surface.
- Fry until golden brown on each side.
- Fry bread with meat, vegetables, cheese, sour cream, avocado on top, serve immediately!
If you love tacos, here are some of our family favorites: Cook’s Illustrated Beef Tacos, Baked Taco Rollups, Tacos Al Pastor with Guacamole Taquero, Lone Star Taqueria Fish Tacos, South of the Border Taco Platter.
Navajo tacos are the perfect twist for a regular weeknight dinner. A little crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and topped with your favorite taco toppings.
Basically, anything that normally goes in a taco or on top of a tostada gets even more delicious on top of this pillowy fried goodness!
Easy Navajo tacos with veggies and Indian frybread
Easy Navajo tacos (Indian fried bread) with seasoned meats, vegetables and cheese. Fry Bread takes ordinary tacos to the next level!
ingredients
For fried bread (see recipe notes for fried bread with yeast)
-
3-3 1/4
cups
All-purpose flour, plus about 1/2 cup for molding -
1 1/2
teaspoon
baking powder -
2
teaspoon
Salt -
1 1/4
cups
very warm water - Canola or vegetable oil for frying
For the taco filling:
-
1
lb
ground beef -
1
Cup
chopped onion -
1
teaspoon
salt and pepper -
2
teaspoon
cumin -
1/2
teaspoon
Chili powder (or to taste) -
1
14-15 oz
Tin of small red beans, kidney beans, chickpeas or bean puree
(Optional)
toppings:
- salad
- Cheese
- tomato
- olives
- Sour cream or unsweetened Greek yogurt
- avocado
instructions
For fried bread:
-
Place 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix.
-
Add 1 1/4 cups very warm water to the bowl and stir with a large spoon until well combined.
-
The mixture should be soft but not sticky. If the dough is wet and sticky, gradually add more flour until the dough is still soft but not wet.
-
Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Pat out on a clean, floured surface or between floured hands. At this point, I’ll let the batter rest while I cook the meat filling and prepare the other toppings.
-
Heat oil in pan to 350 degrees. The oil should be at least 2 cm deep in the pan. Be sure to use a fairly deep pan so the oil doesn’t spill over the edge!
-
When the oil is heated, carefully place the dough, one at a time, into the hot oil. Be careful not to drop the temperature too much. If you drop a piece of batter into the oil and it stops bubbling, wait to add another piece of batter. I bake two pieces of dough at the same time.
-
Fry until golden brown on each side. Remove from the oil onto a paper towel or piece of parchment paper.
For tacos:
-
Fry the ground beef in a pan over medium heat. Drain and discard any fat from the pan.
-
Add chopped onion and all spices. Cook until the onion is soft.
-
Add a can of beans (small red beans, chili beans, kidney beans, or even refried beans). After the meat and bean mixture has cooked for a few minutes, use a potato masher and mash about half the beans (optional).
-
Cook until mixture is heated through. Remove from heat and cover until ready to assemble. This can also be made a day or two in advance and then simply reheated when ready to serve.
-
Chop all topping ingredients and set aside in bowls for easy assembly.
Assembly:
-
Place warm fried bread on each plate. Have each person place their desired toppings to make their own Navajo taco. Serve immediately.
recipe notes
Navajo tacos are traditionally made with baking soda as the leavening, but many people make them with yeast. Here’s the yeast version of Navajo tacos we like, made with a modified scone batter that’s perfect for topping with honey butter or butter and jam, Nutella, or just topping with powdered sugar. I recommend using a stand mixer with a paddle or bread hook attachment to make this batter.
Fried Bread (with Yeast)
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 1/2* cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out or tapping out
- directions:
- In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and a tablespoon of sugar.
- Let the yeast bubble and let it rise.
- Add the rest of the sugar (2 tablespoons), oil, salt and egg. Mix with a whisk.
- Add 3 cups of all-purpose flour and mix with a large spoon. slowly add the additional 1/2 cup until batter is no longer sticky. This varies depending on humidity. In Utah I add less flour, in Spain I add a little more! The dough should have a matte surface.
- Cover and let rest for about 30-45 minutes (or up to 1 1/2 hours), or until dough has almost doubled in size.
- When you are ready to fry the batter, divide it into 12 pieces. I use 6 for tacos and 6 for dessert bread.
- Follow recipe directions for frying dough and spreading fried bread.