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Frito Pie Recipe – a Frito taco pie recipe that is great for busy weeknights. Delicious comfort food that the whole family love.
When I was growing up we had a few staples that made appearances every week. Saturday night was homemade pizza, and Sunday was Mexican night. Enchiladas were one of our favorites that we had often, but whenever my aunt and uncle were in town, this Frito pie recipe was on the table. I think the first time we had it was at my aunt’s house, and we all loved it so much it became the go-to whenever family was visiting.
It is still one of my favorite easy dinners. A taco-seasoned beef, bean, and corn filling gets spooned over a layer of crunchy Fritos, topped with cheddar, and baked until the cheese is melted and bubbly. It takes about 30 minutes, uses pantry staples, and it is easy to feed a crowd. Casseroles are always a good idea when you have a bunch of people to feed! This Beef and Noodle Casserole is another easy one, and you can double it without a problem if you need more.
Erin’s Notes
- Ready in 30 minutes. Five minutes of prep, a quick skillet filling, and a short bake. Perfect for weeknights.
- Simple pantry ingredients. Ground beef, a few cans, a bag of Fritos, and cheese. That’s about it.
- Great for a crowd. It bakes in a 9×13 dish, so it is easy to serve for family visits, game days, or potlucks.
- Easy to customize. Swap the meat, change up the beans, or turn it into walking tacos. Everyone can load up their own toppings.
- Kid-friendly comfort food. Crunchy chips, cheesy beef, and taco flavor. It is hard to find someone who doesn’t love it.
What’s In Frito Pie
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Ground Beef – the base of the filling. Ground turkey works great too if you want something a little lighter.
- Onion – finely chopped so it softens while the beef browns.
- Taco Seasoning – one packet. You don’t need to add the water listed on the packet since the canned ingredients bring plenty of liquid.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies – a 10-ounce can like Ro*Tel. Do not drain it!
- Ranch Style Beans – pinto beans in a chili-seasoned sauce. The sauce is what turns the filling into a thick, chili-like mixture, so don’t drain these either.
- Corn Kernels – I like to measure out 1 cup of frozen corn. If you use canned corn, drain it first so you just have the kernels.
- Fritos – a 10.25-ounce bag. Most of it goes in the bottom of the dish, and the rest is saved for topping.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese – I use about 1 1/2 cups, but go lighter or heavier depending on how cheesy you like it.
If you want to cut down on the sodium or just control the ingredients a little more, try my Homemade Taco Seasoning instead of a store bought packet.
What Are Ranch Style Beans
Ranch Style Beans are something you can find in most grocery stores near the rest of the canned beans. They are pinto beans in a chili-seasoned sauce. They aren’t sweet like baked beans, but they have that same saucy consistency. If you can’t find them in your store, chili beans or pinto beans work as a swap (see Variations below).
If you can’t find them in your store, you can check them out online here.
How to Make Frito Pie
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Cook Beef. Start by browning the ground beef and onions together. Break up the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain away any excess grease.
- Add Seasoning. Mix in the taco seasoning. Skip the step of adding the water, just mix in the seasoning until the meat is well coated.
- Make Sauce. Pour in corn, diced tomatoes, and beans to combine everything. Bring the mixture to a simmer, it should be similar to a chili texture.
- Assemble. Pour about 3/4 bag of Fritos into the bottom of a casserole dish, top with meat mixture. Sprinkle on plenty of cheese! I like to use about 1 1/2 cups to evenly coat everything. You can go lighter or heavier, that is up to you.
- Bake. Bake until the cheese is melty! Remove from the oven and top with sour cream, tomatoes, or whatever your favorite toppings are.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t drain the cans. The liquid from the beans and tomatoes is what makes the sauce. Draining them is the fastest way to end up with a dry filling.
- Want it saucier? Stir in a splash of red enchilada sauce with the beans and tomatoes. It keeps the filling extra moist without changing the flavor much.
- Save some Fritos for the top. The chips on the bottom soften as they soak up the sauce, which is part of the charm. Adding fresh Fritos right before serving brings back that crunch.
- Drain the grease. Excess fat from the beef will make the bottom layer of chips greasy and soggy, so pour it off before adding the seasoning.
- Use frozen corn. It is easy to measure and doesn’t add extra liquid. No need to thaw it first.
Frito Pie Variations
- Ground Turkey: Swap the ground beef for ground turkey for a lighter version. Everything else stays the same.
- Bean Swaps: Can’t find Ranch Style Beans? Use a can of chili beans or pinto beans (undrained). Not a bean fan? Leave them out completely for a more classic, Texas-style Frito pie.
- Enchilada Sauce: Add a splash of red enchilada sauce to the filling for a saucier pie with a little extra flavor.
- Walking Tacos: Skip the casserole dish! Cut open single-serve bags of Fritos along the side, spoon in the hot filling, and top with cheese and your favorite toppings. Perfect for parties, game days, and camping.
Serving Suggestions
Fritos might be my all time favorite chip, so it is no surprise that I am a fan of this Frito pie. I like to reserve about 1/4 of the bag of chips to top each portion when you serve it. You can also top with your favorite taco toppings. I will take pretty much any excuse to use Fritos like Chicken Enchilada Chili.
- Sour Cream
- Lettuce
- Black Olives
- Avocado
- Diced Tomatoes
Storage & Reheating
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the whole dish, covered, in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Freezer: Freeze just the beef and bean filling in a freezer-safe container (up to about 3 months is a good general guideline). Thaw overnight in the fridge, reheat, then layer over fresh Fritos, top with cheese, and bake as directed. Don’t freeze the assembled pie because the chips will turn mushy.
Pro-Tip: If you plan on having a fair amount of leftovers, bake the meat mixture on its own and top individual servings with Fritos. Reheating will be better and your chips won’t be soft the next day.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
- Cheeseburger Pizza
- Ham & Cheese Sliders
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Dorito Chicken Casserole
- Baja Shrimp Tacos
Frito Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 small Onion, finely chopped
- 1 oz packet Taco Seasoning
- 10 ounce Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
- 15 ounce Ranch Style Beans
- 1 cup Corn Kernels
- 10.25 oz bag Fritos
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread 3/4 of the bag of Fritos in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish.10.25 oz bag Fritos
- In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion until fully cooked and onions are soft. If there is fat or grease in your pan, drain.1 pound Ground Beef, 1 small Onion
- Mix in taco seasoning until well blended.1 oz packet Taco Seasoning
- Add diced tomatoes, beans and corn. Mix until everything is well combined.10 ounce Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, 15 ounce Ranch Style Beans, 1 cup Corn Kernels
- Pour over fritos and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the cheese over the beef mixture.1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve topped with additional Fritos and your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow, that’s a lot (!) of salt per serving.
As the notes say, it is a computer generated estimate, not 100% accurate. But there are LOTS of ways to reduce it if that is what you want. Or just look at the actual brand of products you use to see what it actually is for you.
Have made this twice now. I did add a small amount of enchilada sauce to meat mixture and it was delicious. Not dry at all. In the oven for tonight’s easy dinner.
Delish!! I’ve never made it before but made it tonight. And we enjoyed it! The change I would make next time is to not put Fritos on the bottom (bc they get super soggy when baked) and instead, bake it without it so the cheese melts and then 2 mins before taking it out of the oven, I’d place the Fritos on top so they remain crunchy. I topped it with diced tomatoes, scallions, cilantro and iceberg lettuce, sour cream and avocado! Chefs kiss!! Thanks for the recipe.
Now you’re talking!
Will add a little liquid when I make it again. Filling was a little too dry.
My family and I Loved this!!!!we will definitely be making this again !!!thankyou Erin for sharing this easy , Delicious recipe!!!!
Replaced the hamburger, and added a can of hot Wolf Brand chili; layered fritos, onions, chili, and cheese. It’s in my meal rotation once a month.
I’m going to make this tomorrow for dinner my daughter made the filling out of a pork roast I made with onions and peppers and all kinds of stuff she put in it and then I’m going to add the tomatoes and the corn and some enchilada sauce I’m not going to put the beans in it cuz she doesn’t like beans and then I’m going to pour that over the Fritos and the cheese bake it. and then add some more Fritos on the top and put the sour cream guacamole onions lettuce tomatoes on the top and serve
You’re not from Texas, obviously. I was there when this became a popular snack at sports events and fairs and all kinds of other public gatherings back in the 60s/70s. Frito pie is super simple, and requires only four ingredients:
Canned chili with NO BEANS. In Texas where this dish originated, the brand is WOLF, but use whatever you like as long as it has NO BEANS. Got it? NO BLOODY BEANS, you bloody heathen.
Chopped white onion
Shredded cheddar cheese. The premade kind. Don’t get fancy here. That’s the kiss of death for this dish.
Fritos (preferably the snack bag size)
Directions
Heat chili. Doesn’t matter how–on the stove, microwave. It’s all good. While it’s heating, roughly chop the onions. Once chili is hot, take your snack bag of Fritos, and turn it on its side. Cut a slit in the side of the bag on top. Open it up, and spoon in chili. Top with cheese and onions. If you only have a big bag of Fritos, put them in a bowl and then add the chili, cheese and onions.
Shove a spoon into the ‘pie’ and eat.
THAT’S IT. That’s all there is to it.
Stop mucking around with what made this dish popular in the first bloody place: being simple, cheap and unhealthy but YUM. THIS IS NOT GOURMET FOOD, and making it fancy, with pretentious, twee ingredients, ruins the entire dish. Let fun food stay fun, for pity’s sake.
Thanks for sharing your memories—love hearing from folks who were there when Frito pie first took off! Totally agree that there’s something iconic about the classic: no beans, straight-up chili, cheese, onions, and Fritos. Simple and satisfying.
That said, it’s also kind of fun to see how people make it their own these days—whether they stick with the original or play around a little. Food traditions have roots, but they also grow. Appreciate you chiming in and keeping the history alive!
Question – should the can of beans and diced tomatoes & chilies (Rotel) be drained? I noticed you didn’t add water with the taco seasoning and I’m wondering if the water from the cans is intentionally added?
No they should not be drained, if you watch the video you can see the liquid from the beans helps make the sauce. You are making an almost chili, so it you want it to be thick.
Simple to eat and tasted great!!!