Improved Taco Bell Quesarito Recipe

Taco Bell is consistently innovating and bringing us clever and creative menu items, like the Crunchwrap Supreme, Doritos Locos Taco, and the beloved Quesarito. Something of a cheesy quesadilla and meaty burrito hybrid, the Quesarito's run on the Taco Bell menu was first reduced to in-app ordering only in 2020, then cut entirely in 2023. Although the Quesarito did have a brief menu resurgence in late 2025 and the chain brings it back for special promotions from time to time, it's not a consistent Taco Bell menu item nor one you can count on being able to order every time you go.

Enter this improved Taco Bell Quesarito recipe, one crafted from a tried-and-true Taco Bell fan. This is certainly not the first Taco Bell copycat recipe that I've crafted, and it won't be my last — but I do have to say that it is a personal favorite. This homemade Quesarito version pays homage to the OG while providing some small but hefty improvements. First, I used a combination of grated cheese and nacho cheese for optimal savory appeal. I recreated Taco Bell's iconic rice using a plethora of seasonings to get that savory, tangy flavor and fork-fluffed texture just right. Where I went culinarily rogue is with the seared skirt steak and creamy chipotle sauce, which are both a little higher-quality than anything you might get from Taco Bell. 

For the creamy chipotle sauce and marinade, you will need mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle peppers in adobo, fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic powder, ground cumin, and salt. You will also need 8 ounces of skirt or flank steak, though you could also make this recipe using strip or sirloin steak.

For the red rice, you will need dry milk powder, annatto, chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, onion powder, sweet paprika, and long grain white rice. To assemble the Quesaritos, you will need vegetable oil, soft burrito-sized flour tortillas, nacho cheese or jarred queso, and shredded Colby Jack cheese.

Make the chipotle sauce by placing mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle pepper, cilantro, lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl.

Stir to combine the sauce.

Remove ¼ cup of the sauce from the bowl to use as a marinade for the steak. Cover the remaining sauce and refrigerate until ready to use.

Place the steak in a shallow casserole dish.

Coat the steak in the ¼ cup of sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to marinate.

Once there is about 30 minutes left on the steak, begin making the rice by placing 2 ¼ cups of water in a large saucepan. Season the water with cheese powder, milk powder, annatto, bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.

Stir to combine and bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, add the rice, stir to combine, and boil for 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and fluffy. Set aside.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and set aside at room temperature to rest for 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Once hot, add the steak, and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes per side until seared (for medium-rare).

Remove the steak from the skillet and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.

Cut the steak into thin slices and set aside.

Trim 4 of the flour tortillas, removing about 1-inch from around the edges.

Place the larger tortillas on a clean work surface and top each with 2 tablespoons of nacho cheese, leaving a 1-inch of border around the edges.

Sprinkle the nacho cheese with about 2 tablespoons of the grated cheese.

Place one of the smaller tortillas on top of the cheese, gently pressing to adhere.

Spoon ⅓ cup of the cooked rice on top of the smaller tortilla.

Top the rice with about ¼ of the steak.

Dollop about 2 tablespoons of the chipotle sauce on top of the steak.

Top with a generous sprinkle of the shredded cheese.

Tightly roll the tortilla into a cylinder, making sure the ends are securely tucked. Repeat the process of topping and rolling each Quesarito.

Working in batches, drizzle a non-stick skillet with about 2 teaspoons of oil and warm over medium heat.

Once hot, place a burrito into the skillet, seam side down.

Cook for 1 minute on the seam-side until golden and sealed, rotate, and continue cooking until toasted on all sides. Remove the burrito from the skillet and repeat the process with remaining oil and Quesaritos.

Serve the Quesaritos with any extra creamy chipotle sauce on the side.

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Pan-searing is a great method for cooking steak, especially when we are working with thinner, moderately-marbled cuts like the skirt steak in this recipe. Searing creates this beautiful brown outer crust that protects the tender-juicy insides from overcooking. Since we are cooking with higher temperatures, it only takes a few minutes per side to accomplish our task.

Make sure to thoroughly preheat your skillet and oil before adding the steak. The oil should slide easily around the skillet with a noticeable shimmery appearance. If you notice that your steak is puckering or not staying flat in the skillet, use another smaller skillet to weigh it down (no need to press on it).

Once seared, remove the steak, and set it aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Resting your steak keeps it juicy and moist. Once rested, always slice the meat across the grain. This makes the steak slices easier to eat, tender bites instead of chewy ones. If medium-rare is not your favorite steak temperature, feel free to cook your steak for longer. Use an instant read thermometer to gauge the internal temperature and avoid overcooking.

Since a Quesarito has quite a few stacked elements, the trick to keeping everything tucked neatly on the inside is using varying sizes of tortillas. The offset tortilla sizes will not cause your cheesy layer to smush out the sides, nor will it create a slip-slide effect when trying to roll the tortillas into a tight cylinder. The two tortillas are also essential to creating that distinct Quesarito divide between the more quesadilla-inspired portion and the burrito-inspired one.

I purposefully picked an eight-pack of burrito-sized flour tortillas for this recipe. It was just the right amount necessary to accomplish the job, without having leftovers. I used a bowl that was about 1-inch smaller than the tortilla as a guide, then trimmed off that excess with paring knife. I worked with one tortilla at a time to prevent slipping. You can absolutely use a smaller fajita or taco-sized flour tortilla as well as the larger tortillas, if you happen to use varying tortillas on a regular basis or just don't feel like doing any trimming. Try to use fresh or super soft flour tortillas as they are much more pliable, which is a useful quality for both trimming and wrapping.

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