The Ultimate Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Sauce Hack

If you are one of the thousands who love Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza when the 2020 Mexican Pizza drought hit, you know the struggle of trying to recreate that iconic taste at home. The absolute hardest part to nail is the sauce. Walk down the grocery aisle, and you will quickly realize Taco Bell has never actually sold their authentic Mexican Pizza sauce in retail stores.

Why Store-Bought Taco Bell Sauces Fall Short

Instead, they tease us with options that don't quite fit the bill. First, there was the standard "taco sauce" sold in those short, slightly wide jars, which came in mild, medium, and hot and featured small bits of jalapeño and onion. Then, there is the retail version of their drive-thru "packet sauce" (sold in tall, slender jars) which gives you a completely smooth texture with no chunks at all. Finally, they sell a "Mexican pizza sauce dip," but that product mistakenly mixes pinto beans right into the sauce. As any true fan knows, the actual menu item only puts beans on the bottom layer of the pizza, never in the top layer mixed with the sauce!

For a long time, the ultimate hack for making a copycat Mexican Pizza at home was simply combining equal portions of both the jarred chunky taco sauce and the bottled packet sauce to recreate that signature flavor.

The Discontinued Chunky Taco Sauce Mystery

However, with Taco Bell's coordination, Kraft Heinz quietly discontinued that short, wide chunky taco sauce line up in late 2021. My theory is they didn't want us making the Mexican pizza at home once they brought it back to the menu, though they claim it's for streamlining their retail portfolio. Without that Taco Bell chunky taco sauce on the grocery shelves, replicating that perfect, slightly rustic Mexican Pizza flavor and texture at home became seemingly impossible.

I couldn't let “big corp” just take control over what I cook at home by removing items sold at the grocery stores. So I took a look at the ingredients on the taco sauce jar, as well as the ingredients of the bottled “packet sauce” determined to recreate that signature flavor and texture of Taco Bell's Mexican pizza sauce.

Recreating the Mexican Pizza Sauce from Scratch

When your favorite shortcuts disappear from the store shelves, the best solution is to roll up your sleeves and make it yourself. Building it from scratch (or mostly scratch) not only guarantees you'll never run out, but using fresh ingredients gives you a much richer, bolder flavor. 

A Fast Shortcut for Busy Home Cooks

Here we will make it mostly from scratch taking a little shortcut so that cooking from scratch doesn't take all day.

  

Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Sauce Prep Time, Cook Time, & Yield

 

This mostly from scratch batch of Mexican pizza sauce comes together so fast, you can start it at the same time as you start your other Mexican pizza or “spicy food favorite” ingredients and it will be ready to use when it's time to assemble the pizza.

Prep Time: 10 minutes (for finely dicing the fresh jalapeños and onion, and measuring out your spice blend)

Cook Time: 15–20 minutes (sautéing the fresh aromatics, simmering to hydrate the spices, and thickening)

Total Time: 25–30 minutes

Yield: Approximately 3.5 to 4 cups of Mexican pizza sauce, enough to generously top my 6 Taco Bell Copycat Mexican Pizzas, with plenty left over to use on tacos, enchiladas store, or freeze!

Kitchen Tools Needed To Copycat Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza Sauce 

To get this sauce simmering and ready for your copycat Mexican pizza gather the following kitchen tools and let's get cooking!

•  Measuring cups
•  Measuring spoons
•  Chef knife
•  Cutting board
•  2qt Stock pot / Saucepan 
•  Mixing spoon
•  Small cup or bowl
•  2 Airtight storage jars 2 cup capacity / Zip-lock freezer bags

Ingredients for the Perfect Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Sauce

Most copycat recipes online rely on mixing store-bought enchilada sauce with salsa, but we can do better. By building this from a pure tomato base and adding fresh aromatics, it perfectly mimics the sweet and savory chili notes of the original.

• Tomato Puree: A 29-ounce can of tomato puree gives you a solid, thick base and makes a large enough batch to follow my copycat mexican pizza recipe that yields 6 Mexican pizzas, freeze for later use, or scale up for future dinners.
• Fresh Jalapeños: Ditch the canned green chilies. 2 medium sized fresh jalapeños finely diced provides a much brighter, crisper heat (leave seeds in for heat, remove for mild).
• Fresh Onions: 1 small finely diced fresh white or yellow onion adds the right textural crunch and aromatic depth that onion powder just can't match.
• A Neutral flavored Oil: to bring out the flavors of those fresh onions and jalapeños, 1 tbsp of cooking oil (your choice of oil, I used olive oil, as it pairs well with tomato and the spices used) will be needed for sauteing. 
• Vinegar: ½ cup of distilled white vinegar (or for a healthier version, apple cider vinegar) is the secret ingredient here. It delivers that signature bright, sharp tang that cuts through the rich tomato base and replicates the fast-food flavor profile.

The Spice Blend:

•  1 tbsp + 1 tsp Chili powder
•  1 tbsp + 1 tsp Sugar
•  2 tsp Garlic powder
•  1 tsp Paprika
•  1 tsp Ground cumin 
•  1 tsp Salt (adjust to taste after simmering). The combination hits those signature mild, sweet chili notes to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar.

* Thickener slury:  

• 1 tbsp Cornstarch 
•  3 tbsp cold filtered water is optional if you feel the sauce is not thick enough, or you want that specific glossy fast-food look. 

Directions to Hack Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza Sauce Texture and Flavor

1.  Finely dice your onion and jalapeños. 
2.  Heat your sauce pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp of cooking oil.
3.  Add the finely diced onion and jalapeños and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes until the onions are very soft and translucent.
4.  Pour in the 29-ounce can of tomato puree and the white vinegar. Stir well to combine with the cooked aromatics.
5.  Add in the chili powder, sugar, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and salt and stir until well combined.
6.  Bring the mixture to a gentle bubble, then immediately reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer gently for 10 to 12 minutes. This longer simmer is crucial for a larger batch to properly hydrate the dried spices and cook off the sharp, raw edge of the vinegar.
7.  Optionally you can thicken the sauce by stirring together the cornstarch and cold water in a small cup or bowl to create a lump free slurry, then stir it into the simmering sauce and simmer for an additional 2 minutes and is glossy.

How to Safely Store and Freeze Mexican Pizza Sauce

Because this recipe uses a 29-ounce can of tomato puree, you are going to have plenty of sauce left over for future meals. Since we are using fresh onions and jalapeños without industrial preservatives, proper storage is essential for food safety.

• Cooling Down: Allow the sauce to cool down after simmering, but do not leave it sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Bacteria thrive in the "danger zone" (between 40°F and 140°F), so getting it chilled promptly is important.
• Fridge Storage: Transfer the cooled sauce into clean mason jars or airtight containers. It will keep fresh in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
• Freezer Storage: This sauce freezes beautifully! If you want to build up your pantry inventory, pour the cooled sauce into freezer-safe bags or containers. Be sure to leave about an inch of space at the top (headspace) because the liquid will expand as it freezes. It will maintain its best quality in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready for another Mexican Pizza night, simply thaw it overnight in the fridge and gently reheat it on the stove.

Take Back Control of Your Dinner Menu 

Making the sauce from scratch is the missing link to getting that fast-food fix right in your own kitchen. You control the ingredients, you control the yield, and you never have to worry about discontinued products again.

If you enjoyed this recipe, don't forget to rate it and pin it to Pinterest for your next Mexican Pizza night. Feel free to drop a comment below to tell me what copycat recipe we should tackle next, your favorite heat level, or even if you changed it up and made it better! 

Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Sauce Copycat Recipe