A steak taco version of the famous Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme® ~ juicy steak, creamy refried beans, quick pickled red onions, cilantro, cheese, pico de gallo, and sour cream all wrapped and grilled to juicy perfection.
I’ve never been a regular Taco Bell customer, so I’m a little late to the crunch wrap party, but better late than never! My steak taco crunch wrap is a stepped up version of the fast food sensation made with finely chopped steak, refried beans, lime crema, cheese, quick pickled red onions, pico de gallo, cilantro and a crunchy tostada all wrapped and grilled until golden and crunchy.
what’s a crunch wrap?
- Introduced in 2005 by Taco Bell as a limited-time offering.
- The original crunch wrap is a seasoned beef filling layered with cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and a tostada shell, all wrapped in a warm flour tortilla and sealed shut.
- Became an instant hit due to its fun new format and flavor combination.
- Due to overwhelming popularity, Taco Bell added it to their permanent menu in 2006.
- Over the years, Taco Bell has introduced many variations.
Let’s dig in
- what’s a crunch wrap?
- ingredients for steak taco crunch wraps
- folding your steak taco crunch wraps
- Step 1. Make a slit in your tortilla
- Step 2. Arrange ingredients in quadrants
- step 3. Fold up the first quadrant
- step 4. Fold again to the right
- step 5. Finally fold down over the tostada
- how to fry your steak taco crunch wrap
- variations on steak taco crunch wraps
- more take-out recipes at home!
ingredients for steak taco crunch wraps
Nothing ground breaking here, these are Tex-Mex favorites and you can feel free to substitute. A few ‘soft’ ingredients (refried beans, sour cream) help bind the crunch wrap together.
- steak
- I used flank steak, sliced and diced into small juicy bits. Any tender boneless steak will work.
- refried beans
- I used canned.
- red onion
- lime juice
- sour cream
- pico de gallo
- or your favorite salsa. I like pico de gallo because it’s not too liquidy.
- fresh cilantro
- shredded cheese
- go with your favorite, it can be cheddar, Monterey jack, or a Mexican blend.
- olive oil
- super sized flour tortillas
- these large burrito style tortillas measure 12″ in diameter.
- tostadas
- crunchy fried corn tortillas, measuring 5″ diameter.
Grande, XL, or Supersized!
Look for 12″ flour tortillas in larger grocery stores. You can use smaller tortillas, just scale this recipe down.
folding your steak taco crunch wraps
There are several ways to wrap a crunch wrap, I find this one to be the easiest. The original method has too many fiddly folds, not to mention an extra tortilla needed to complete the wrap. My method is simpler and more straightforward. My goal, always.
By the way, did you know you can do this same thing with a regular sized tortilla ~ for crunch wrap sliders??
Step 1. Make a slit in your tortilla
Use kitchen shears or a knife to make one cut right up to the center.
Step 2. Arrange ingredients in quadrants
Group the ingredients for your steak taco crunch wraps in the four quadrants, finishing with a crunchy tostada.
step 3. Fold up the first quadrant
Make sure to press the steak down into the refried beans to hold them steady as you make your first fold.
step 4. Fold again to the right
step 5. Finally fold down over the tostada
Make sure your edges are aligned ~ you’re ready to fry!
how to fry your steak taco crunch wrap
Your crunch wrap is ready for the frying pan. Heat a little olive oil, butter (or both!) in a large skillet or griddle and fry the wrap to a golden brown on both sides. (Be careful when flipping your crunch wrap so your fillings don’t escape.) I like to keep the heat moderate so your wrap doesn’t brown before the whole thing is nice and warm inside.
If you are making crunch wraps for a family, or a crowd, wrap them in foil as they come out of the skillet and keep warm in a low 300F oven.
variations on steak taco crunch wraps
Of course mine is just a suggestion. The crunch wrap can be configured in so many different ways.
Use ground beef or chicken instead of steak.
Queso cheese sauce can be used instead of shredded cheese.
For a vegan crunch wrap use seasoned black beans instead of steak, along with vegan sour cream and dairy free cheese.
Use guacamole instead of (or in addition to) the sour cream.
Spice it up with sliced or pickled jalapeños.
Use shredded lettuce if you dislike cilantro.
Cut carbs in your steak taco crunch wrap: use a “carb counter’ tortilla.
Cut calories using low fat versions of sour cream, refried beans, and cheese. Focus on fresh lettuce and tomatoes, plus salsa.
Steak Taco Crunch Wraps
Equipment
- large frying pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak, finely chopped*
- olive oil
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- taco seasoning, chili powder, or other Tex Mex spice blend you like, optional
- 8 ounces canned refried beans
- 4 ounce can mild chiles, optional
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo
- fresh cilantro
- 1/2 small red onion, finely minced
- 4 supersized flour tortillas, mine are 12" diameter
- 4 tostadas, round fried corn tortillas, mine are 5" diameter.
Instructions
Assemble the crunch wrap
- Add a small amount of oil to a large skillet or wok and heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, stir fry the steak over medium high heat, until it is just browned. I like to season with salt, fresh ground pepper, and a little taco or chile seasoning. Remove to a plate while you finish the rest of the steak.
- Heat the refried beans in the microwave or a small saucepan until nice and hot.
- Mix the sour cream with the juice of 1/2 your lime, and set aside.
- Lay out your flour tortillas and make a slice in each one, from one edge, right to the center. (See diagrams in the post.)
- You are going to arrange your ingredients in each of the 4 quadrants of the tortilla. Starting in the lower left, to the left of your slit, spoon some of the hot refried beans and spread out slightly. Top with your steak, and then some mild chiles, if using. I like to sprinkle with a little more taco or chile seasoning, too.
- Now move to the quadrant right above. Spoon some sour cream and spread slightly. Top with shredded cheese.
- Move to the quadrant to the right: lay down pico de gallo, then top with fresh cilantro and minced onion.
- In the final quadrant add your tostada. If you like you can anchor it with refried beans, or a little bit of shredded cheese.
wrap the crunch wrap
- Starting back down with the steak, fold that quadrant up and over the sour cream section.
- Then fold them over the pico de gallo section.
- Finally, make your last fold over the tostada. You should have a perfect little quarter circle package, ready to fry!
Fry the crunch wrap
- Heat a small amount of olive oil, butter, or both in a frying pan. Fry the crunch wraps for a few minutes per side until golden and crispy. (Be careful when flipping your crunch wrap so your fillings don't escape.) I like to keep the heat moderate so your wrap doesn't brown before the whole thing is nice and warm inside. I like to fry each one individually, adding a bit more oil and/or butter for each one.
- If you need to keep your crunch wraps warm, wrap each one in foil and place in a 300F oven while you finish cooking. The warm oven will help to heat your crunch wraps throughout.
- Slice in half and serve asap.
