Making The Taco Bell Chalupa At Home | But Better 

The chalupa is my favorite thing on the menu. When you get it fresh, the shell is amazing.

I love the fact that while Josh is more than willing to dunk on the building and the menu, he always makes sure to compliment the actual workers of the places he visits

Former Taco Bell employee here. I just wanted to throw a couple of fun facts your way about Taco Bell because I think it's kind of interesting how they do things. For the Chalupa, the shell is made by deep frying their round flatbread in a specially made utensil. The bottom half cups the flatbread into the shape of a taco shell and the top half holds it in place while it fries. If I remember correctly, they fry for about 45 seconds. I've burnt more than a couple forgetting to set the timer. They use premade ground beef, obviously, but it's warmed up or prepared for service in what's called a thermalizer. Essentially a sous fide, with water that reaches 212 degrees F. Metal slots separate the different meats within the thermalizer, all of which are in plastic bags. They are put in and a timer is set for 30 minutes. Ideally, the bags will come out of the thermalizer after the 30 minutes, but that doesn't always happen. Even the Nacho Cheese is reheated in the thermalizer. I genuinely loved my first couple of years working at Taco Bell. Staying in fast food too long is what ruins it, I believe.

3:32 "Texas Wagyu Chuck Roast into a grinder" Ah yes, the part that makes this particle board so robust is how it was made from the finest oak desk passed through the finest woodchipper.

I love these "But Better" videos. What would be even better? A "But Better" recipe book. Make one of those, and I'll buy that! :)

The Santa Fe chalupa was so good back in the day. They discontinued it a long time ago. It had a corn, blackbean, red bell pepper, onion and cilantro salsa with a sauce made with mayo, chili sauce (like ketchup, not asian-style), lemon juice, and white vinegar, and of course some lettuce and cheese. I still make these, only I just use tortillas instead of fried flatbreads.

No one understands how badly I have wanted this video. I requested it years ago. I’ve searched different tutorials. I tried to find out how Taco Bell makes them. It’s here. The chalupa video

Made these tonight and they were incredible! The shells are so good and the taco meat recipe you used is my new favorite. This is a keeper for sure. Thank you!

This was one of the very few fast foods I got as a little kid as well, and this has me eager to make this new and improved version! The puffiness of that improved chalupa shell alone has my mouth watering!

The like, evolution of the crew understanding articulating flavor and Knowing what they're biting has been fun to watch over the years.

I like the cold cheese on tacos. It's a nice contrast with the warm meat and crisp crunch of the lettuce.

I’m so thankful for your channel. I have such a hard time wanting to make food for myself let alone making yummy food. Thanks so much for all you and your team does❤

Chalupa shells are also Gordita shells, so if you want to make cheesy Gordita crunches at home heat the shells up in a skillet instead of frying them. I worked at Taco Bell 20 years ago and I was amazed to find this out back then

I have a Taco Bell literally 2-3 blocks from me, so I've eaten there... countless times. The chalupas are and always have been the best item on the menu. And it's the shell that makes it. K I N D A a soft shell K I N D A a hard shell. Now I know how to make them. I never need to go back. Thank you, PaPa ❤

In our culture it’s called “fried bread” aka “bannock” 😅 love it on everything specially with cheese burgers or if you make a chicken noodle soup! So good!

Love Love Love your cookbook!!! Great Job.. so proud of you!!

I actually use Navajo Fry Bread as my chalupa shell. Your recipe is quite similar, which means now I'll have to try it to see which is better.

Anything beats Taco Bell if you’re sober imo

I made this tonight for dinner and oh my gosh was it incredible! The family loved it!!

This guy is a freaking legend I love you man. Thanks to watching you for years and many others I can cook anything out of any ingredients and make amazing meals for myself my family and everyone I love

I am 100% making this at some point. Takes a bit of prep, but most things can be kept warm while you make the shells.

Looks like we’re having homemade chalupas for breakfast… Thanks Josh!

You're 100% my favorite RU-vid channel and I can't wait for your next book!

That looks so good 😊 thanks for remaking it!

NO WAY! Josh, I was literally sitting in my car yesterday morning eating a chalupa in the mall parking lot and thought, I want to reach out to you and try to see if you could make a chalupa recipe!! This is something I’ve been waiting for my whole life 🤣👏🏻👏🏻thanks so much! ❤️

I know this is sappy, but watching these videos is helping me get through the worst anxiety/depression funk of my life. Trying new recipes and bettering my knife skills gives me something to do. And if I cook for my family I get a sense of accomplishment and I feel like I have some purpose again after losing my job.

Dude the recipe’s amazing. I’m literally blown away by how tasty they come out Love you Joshua

thank you so much for this you are awesome .. this is our new family thing ty for showing me on to make this ty

Lesson I learnt through this video is that it's better to be consistently okay than bad everytime

also thanks for being you josh you inspired me with your love of food to go the culinary school all the best from ireland

I love the editing of this video. nice flow

The beat at the end was dope

I wonder if josh just has a shed with every cooking equipment in the entire world. And it’s neatly organized like a museum.

To be honest, cold cheese on a taco is nice. Adds to the variety of textures and temperatures.

We made this yesterday. It took us two hours. The meat and the salad topping was delicious. I liked the shell but I think next time I would just use a traditional taco shell.

Thanks Josh. I'm also going to use the chalupa shell recipe for breakfast with potatoes, Mexican cheese mix, bacon/sausage, eggs, and homemade "pace" picante. I agree with Rob Price that a "Better Than" cookbook would be a great idea!

I am so trying this recipe as I'm a secret Chalupa lover even though TB chalupas are crap. Thanks for sharing!

I just bought your cookbook! I love it! The recipes are so easy to follow!

Thank you for food video. This is one of my favorite foods like a big mac so i am grateful for your delicious food videos.

I’m in LOVE!

I am so going to make this. I actually like Taco Bell, Chalupas especially, but my Taco Bell is cheap AF and puts about 1/4 of the amount of beef your Taco Bell did. It's like a friggin' smear of beef and then like two heaping handfuls of lettuce.

Love how he goes from his healthy meal prep series to THIS 🤣

Best video I’ve seen. Looks so good ❤❤

thank you for this!!!!

"I used to eat these regularly... I don't know why... I hated it..." Sums up the Taco Bell experience pretty well 👌

The reason we all ate Taco Bell as a kid was.... IT WAS GOOD! I actually worked there for 7 years starting back in 1986. Everything (And I do mean EVERYTHING) was made fresh. There were no corners cut at all. Tomatoes/Onions/Green Onions/Olives - ALL hand dices/sliced. We would get 40 heads of Iceburg and hand slice. Cheese came in 40 lbs blocks and we would use piano wire to cube it and shred. Beans were made in a huge pressure cooker (And YES with Lard!). Beef was done in a big pan 20-40 lbs at a time. ALl shells were hand fried in a fryer. After 1995... I never EVER ate Taco Bell again. It was disgusting 🤢 🤢

Thanks for sharing i love youre videos and you even teach a little culenary skills and words in

I just followed this recipe they came out perfect 👌 tasted delicious also a little bit of green onions to top the queso was a nice add on

YOU FINALLY MADE IT I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS FOR YEARS THANK YOU

I used to make my own homemade chalupa by making it similar to an Indian/Native American taco. Seeing this have me missing those delicious days of cooking homemade meals almost daily.

Reminds me of the frybread i made with taco toppings. Turned out excellent as well, and reminded me of a better version of the Chalupa. Thanks for sharing, will have to give these a go.

Dreams do come true I love the chalupa shell

This takes the Taco making game to the next level 🙏🏼😭🤯

OMG YAY! I have been asking and waiting for this video. I love the chalupa and I’d love to be able to make it at home! 😊

I love this recipe! 🙂

This is the content we NEED

I'm making this TODAY! 🤤🔥

I just clicked on this only, but let me tell you something - I don't care how many ingredients Papa uses or how much it costs to make these! I AM MAKING THEM REGARDLESS!!!! I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE FOREVER!!! Papa, you get all the kisses. All of them.

i am absolutely begging you to do pringles i've always been curious about how they're made ❤️ thank you so much

I am watching this at work and I think I will order me a quad americano with lots of syrup for delivery now . Hope you guys New Years is going well !!

I find it interesting how my palate has changed with age. As a kid I hated Chalupas and preferred Gorditas and Cheesy-Gordita Crunches (minus the baja sauce). The Chalupas have or had this seasoning that just wasn't to my liking when I was younger. Fast-forward to today and I kinda like these flavors now

Love your videos, they’re always fun and entertaining to watch. Keep up the good work!

Ohhh Dang! 😮 Looks Delicious 😋 I am definitely saving this video! Thank You

Love your video with the step by step thank you

I swear, Taco Bell employees are seriously the sweetest fast-food workers in the industry.

Just made this for lunch with my brother. Absolutely a 10/10. It was my first time trying to make any sort of dough too so I was pleasantly surprised with how well the shells came out!

I wish we'd get more of these videos. I always liked this series.

Can you do a video on Air Fryers? Like pro's cons and why or why not? Thanks!

Whats really amazing about Joshua Weissman is that he makes satisfying videos to watch, and also you can follow them ar home. people are accusing me of being a bot??!!

That will be about 100 $ of seasoning and groceries 😂

That looks amazing

Ty for making this I also love chalupas and used to always order this from Taco Bell! Looks so good, tx bro!

Joshua never disappoints. His content is always top.notch.

The chalupas are one of the best things Taco Bell still sells.

I love this guy so much. Josh you are such an inspiring chef. I'm a web developer by trade and you make me want to be a chef lol. Keep up the great work man you're awesome.

That looks absolutely amazing! I never dreamed that a dish from a taco restaurant could b so delicious! I haven't tasted it of course but i just know absolutely that w everything uve put into it that i will love it. Ill b trying this soon & ill let u know how it turns out! I know that my kids (all adults now btw) r gonna LOVE this! Thank u. & thanks for explaining the reasons u do certain things! That makes such a difference! 🎉

I'll definitely be making this in the near future!! Looks amazing as always. I think it'd be great if you could do Culvers next. They're the #1 place to get hamburgers from (if my sources are correct at least) and I'd love to see you compete against them!!

Seems like too much work for a couple chalupas. But it addresses my biggest problem with taco bell, which is that they never cook the chalupa shells until they're crispy anymore.

i will attempt this SOON !!!

1:15 I love to see that you got yourself a new Defender.

The way I clicked on this video within seconds.

Let's be fair..We don't go to Taco bell because it's good. We go there because it was cheap, fast and fairly tasty for what it was. It isn't difficult to top anything the bell makes. That said, since they have raised their prices sky high, and their service at least here has turned into a 15+ minute nightmare. I haven't found any reason to go in a very long time.

Chalupas are a childhood classic. Still love them to this day.

Joshua, great as always. I used to order the Baja Chalupa, and it had "baja sauce". I think the best thing Taco Bell ever made was called the Steak Soft Taco. I don't think it's on the menu anymore. But, I'd love to see your version if that is anyway possible. Thanks.

I hate when ppl re create things from places and they pretty much just shit on the restaurant we get yours is better but don’t make it seem Like theirs is just straight up nasty

My introduction to the Chalupa was several years ago when they ran the Chalupa XL deal. It was love at first bite. Then I quickly discovered that they are not all created equal. If not done well, they are quite soggy. I prefer them perfectly crisp.

Josh really out here making me hungry asf at 1:42 am

Tacobell Chaloopa used to be my go to in my 20s. I have not been there in 10 years, making this tonight!

I love taco bell, it's 4 am and I'm starving. Thanks Josh 😂

I liked this recipe. Maybe I will try to make it in my free time

the fact that im on a cut right now and i cant stop watching him make the best looking food ive ever seen

I just made the bread....oh yeah!!!! Loving this! New staple! Even if it's just fried bread on the side.

Josh you should make b-roll shorts, tiktoks, and reels, because that would be glorious!

Both delicious honestly

This took my breathe away 🥹

holy crap I need to try this

Not one day earlier, I was looking for this from you and found nothing. It's like you read my mind and just hurried up and put out this video. 😁

Omg that looks delicious 🤤

I got to male this for dinner 🍽 ❤🌮

You puttin the bacon through the grinder is y I love u 😙🎉! New flavor code unlocked! 🙌🏾🥰