Indian Fry Bread or “Navajo Tacos” are crispy pillows of dough with a soft inside. Complete it by adding sweet or savory toppings!
This delicious Fry Bread recipe is NO-FAIL! It’s a perfect dinner, topped with taco ingredients like Guacamole and Salsa, or a sweet dessert, sprinkled with powdered sugar!
What is Fry Bread?
This tasty main dish is also called Navajo Tacos. It originates from southwestern Native Americans as a result of being relocated from Arizona to New Mexico, and using cooking staples given to them from the government.
Over the years, Fry Bread has become a unique cultural symbol. They are also commonly referred to as Indian Fry Bread or Pop Overs. Lots of names for lots of goodness!
With its unique history, they are especially popular here in Arizona and in New Mexico. Source
The Fry Bread I’m sharing today is one we’ve used since I was little, passed on from my Grandma Luna and her mother, my Great Grandma Medina.
Indian Fry bread can be sweet or savory
Savory. Everyone in my family eats them a bit differently. We usually serve them up with cooked hamburger and beans, and let everyone add their own toppings: tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, salsa and guacamole.
You could even top them with a delicious, thick scoop of Chili.
Sweet. Others in my family pour honey over them, or slather on butter and jam. A few also like to add powdered sugar and just eat it as is.
Either way they are DELICIOUS!
How to Make Fry Bread
This recipe for Indian Fry Bread only requires FOUR ingredients! Chances are you probably already have them on hand, they are:
- Flour
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Water (warm)
DOUGH. Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Add hot water.
Mix with your hands until dough forms (dough should be a little sticky). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
PREP. While dough is resting, add oil to a large sauce pan that is about 1-2 inches deep and heat on MED-HIGH heat (it should be about 350° when ready to fry).
DOUGH BALLS. Break off the pieces of dough into golf-ball sized balls (about 1.5” wide). Using a pastry roller or rolling pin, roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface to about 6-7 inches in diameter (the dough should be thin).
FRY + ENJOY. Fry each piece in hot oil until dough is golden brown and poofs up (about 20 seconds). Continue to fry on the other side, keeping it in the oil. Set on a paper towel lined plate to drain oil.
NOTE: As always, anything fried is best served fresh, so keep than in mind. 😉
Toppings
TOPPINGS. To eat it like a Navajo Taco, check the recipe card below for instructions on making the taco toppings! Some of our favorite toppings include:
- meat + beans
- sour cream (or dressing like Cilantro Ranch or Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette)
- salsa (Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Salsa Verde or any other favorite!)
- guacamole (or sliced avocado)
- cheese
- lettuce, tomatoes + olives (or Pico de Gallo)
If you want to keep things simple, enjoy it like many of those in my family and just add powdered sugar to it.
Recipe tips
- Flat Fry Bread. To help your bread remain flat (instead of curling up on the edges and forming a bowl shape), cut a small slit in the center of each piece right before frying.
- Oil temperature. Make sure your oil stays at a consistent temperature. If the temp is too low, the bread will be tough. If it’s too hot, the outside will burn before the inside cooks through.
- Warm. Keep the fried bread warm in the oven (set at 200°F).
Elephant Ears v Fry Bread. Though similar, there is a difference:
- Fry bread is thick, about 6-8 inches in diameter and topped with anything from powdered sugar to beef taco ingredients.
- Elephant ears are thin, bubbly, about 10-16 in in diameter, and traditionally only topped with cinnamon and sugar.
I personally like adding hearty ingredients like hamburger and beans, and piling it high with all of the fixings. Top it off with some salsa, and it’s like heaven on a plate!
Make ahead of time
Fry bread is best when fresh, so we don’t recommend making it ahead of time. However, you can mix up the dough and store in the fridge or freezer until it’s time to fry.
Dough in the fridge. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or transfer dough to a Ziploc bag. Store for 1-2 days. Some bakers even recommend chilling the dough for a few hours before frying.
Dough in the freezer. Fry bread dough freezes well. Once your dough has been mixed, portion it into 3-inch balls and flash freeze.
To flash freeze:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
- Place dough balls ½ inch apart.
- Freeze for 3-5 hours.
- Once they’ve begun to freeze, place each ball into a separate plastic baggie.
- Place all the balls into an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- Label and store for up to 1 month.
Fry. When you’re ready to fry, remove the desired number of balls. Leave each ball in the baggie and thaw in the fridge overnight.
About 30 minutes before fry time, remove the dough from the baggie and let the dough come to room temperature. Fry according to recipe directions.
storing info
Here are our top tips for storing leftovers:
STORE cooked bread. Wrap the bread loosely in plastic wrap or an unsealed Ziploc bag. Store at room temperature for 1-2 days.
FREEZE cooked bread. Once the bread has cooled, pat each piece with a paper towel to remove any excess oil or water. Wrap each piece with plastic wrap and store in an airtight freezer container. Freeze for 3-4 months.
To reheat fry bread: Heat the oven to 350° F. Wrap each piece of fry bread in aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. If you’re in a hurry, throw it in the microwave.
For more Southwest recipes, check out:
- Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Taco Pie
- Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos
- Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Mexican Lasagna
- Steak Fajitas
- Carne Asada
Fry Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Bread
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup hot water
Topping
- 2 cups pinto beans soaked overnight
- 2-3 slices uncooked bacon chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- lettuce
- sour cream
- tomatoes
Instructions
Bread
- Sift flour, salt, and baking powder together and place in a medium bowl. Add hot water. Mix with your hands until dough forms (dough should be a little sticky). Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- While dough is resting, add oil to a large sauce pan that is about 1-2 inches deep and heat on MED-HIGH heat (it should be about 350° when ready to fry).
- Break off the dough into golf-ball sized balls (about 1.5” wide).
- Using a pastry roller, roll dough onto a lightly floured surface to about 6-7 inches in diameter (the dough should be thin).
- Fry each piece in hot oil until dough is golden and poofs up (about 20 seconds). Fry on the other side, keeping it in the oil. Set on a paper towel lined plate to drain oil.
Toppings
- Drain the beans, put them in a crock pot, and cover with water. Cook on low until tender (for 4-6 hours). 2 hours before beans are done, toss in 2-3 slices of chopped bacon. *You know beans are done when they start breaking up. You can also use beans from the can for an easier version.
- In the meantime. Cook up 1 lb of ground beef. Once beans are done, toss in hamburger.
- Spread beans over your fry bread and add desired toppings.
I’m going to make these tonight. You don’t add any taco seasoning to the ground beef? These look great!
You can add taco seasoning if you’d like but there’s no need to. 😉
Do I see a sauce drizzled on yours? What all did you top yours with?
We sometimes make this Cilantro Ranch dressing – https://lilluna.com/recipe-tip-deal-of-the-week-cafe-rios-creamy-ranch-dressing/, but if we don’t have time to make it we just use salsa and sour cream. Personally, I like to top mine off with beans/hamburger, lettuce, cheese, avocados, olives, and tomatoes.
I put sugar in my frybread when I make indian tacos.
What kind of flour do you use? Self raising is what I have.
They are good with Wojapi, like the Native Americans do!! Wojapi is a cherry pudding the Lakota’s made!!!!!
How much sugar to use when making my dough?
There isn’t sugar in the dough 🙂
Thanks Much❤️️❤️❤️️❤️❤️️❤️
You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
I need a break for something deliciously change. Please send me recipes!!!
I’ve got delicious ones on here. I hope you find some to try!
Everything looks so good makes me want to try them all.
You should 🙂 I’d love to know what you think! It is all so delicious! Thank you!
I made these last week for my family and everyone loved them! We made Navajo tacos with 4 of them, and the final two we topped with some melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Will definitely be making these again!!
Yes, we always need to make cinnamon sugar ones or powdered sugar. Thank you so much!!
One of our favorite meals. The fry bread is so easy to make. If you dont want the tradiTional meat on top you can do powdered sugar or honey. Either way its so yUmmy!
we loved this fry bread!! it was so easy & soft. my kids loved it with honey or powdered sugar. Adding all the meat & toppings made it very filling & so delicious!!
Can you use a deep fryer instead? Wasn’t sure if the consistency would be the same
I have not tried, but I would think that would be ok 🙂
Oh yum! Now i have to make this fry bread.
Wow this bread looks so light abd fluffy, and i love you used almost like a tostada.
This bread turned out fantastic! The whole family loved it.
YOu make it sound so easy! I have to try this asap!
I absolutely love Navajo tacos, and can’t wait to make this.
I would love to make this since my husband and I love Navajo Tacos. But he is on a no/low salt diet. I have no salt baking powder but is there a way that i can make without the salt or at least cut back on it?
You can cut it out or cut it back for sure. It’s totally up to your preference 🙂 Enjoy!!
Where are your measurements for the dough?!?
They are in the recipe box 🙂
I will give it a 4 since i haven’t actually made it yet but it looks Right tO me. My mom married A native american fellow. A famous artist, by the way. We would have fry bread often. My mom would give Us a dime or a QuaRTeR (I hOnestly don’t remember since it’s been more than 6o years. Yikes!) while we were at pOw wows and i would come back with a fry brEad the size if my head! With powdered sugar. Oh so good and fresh. Im going to make this for my grown kids tomorrOw. Wish me lUck!
Good luck & that’s awesome! Hope this is as good!
I only made the fry bread (i make different chili topping).
i am from New Mexico and this fry bread tastes just like the fry bread we ate on the pueblos.
thank you!!
alot of other recipes add sugar for the taco and it never tasted authentic.
thank you!!
You are so welcome! Thank you for saying that!! It is a family favorite 🙂
I haven’t made these forever! Now I remember why I love them so much! Every one of my kids LOVED them! Will be making them again soon!
Wow…this fry bread is soft, airy, & so good!! My kids love it with honey or powdered sugar! It’s an easy recipe that can be used for so many meals!
There is something wrong with the ratio of the INGREDIENTS. As written the dough was too wet to handle. I had to work more flour into it before i could roll it out.
The ratio is definitely off. You could add a little at a time until the dough forms. I am navajo. Experience is a good teacher. It’s not supposed to be a sticky dough. It should pull away from the bowl. Mixing and kneading help to develop the gluten, which gives the dough a more workable texture. The more experienced bread makers dont use rolling pins, we shape it by hand. The oil should be hot enough to cook it in seconds to a golden brown, but not so hot that it burns. It will just soak up oil if sat longer than 10-15 seconds per side. Also, a lot of do season our beans. This is close, but not how I would it. Kudos for effort.
I Fixed Ththis recipe for the InDian tacos. They tasted good but they Were a little sticky. I rolled them out TO 1/2 inch thick but they WERE a little dense. Is there something I can do differently so that they won’t be so dense?
They shouldn’t be too sticky & they are a little on the dense side. Not sure what to do to make them less dense. If you add less flour, they will be more sticky & hard to roll out. Maybe they can be thinner?
Your ratios are definitely off, but after adding sufficient flour, they turned out great.
The flavor was wonderul, however, our Fry bread turned out heavy. Please help!
They are thicker, not a thin bread, but you could try adding a little more water & see if that helps.
The ads/videos on this site are ridiculous….you are unable to even read the recipe…its absolutely ridiculous. Why have a website when your not even able to read as your getting bombarded from every corner of the screen. MOVIN ON!!
Sorry to hear this is a bother to you. Ads on our site help bring revenue which enables us to be able to continue to provide free content and recipes for our readers. We hope you may reconsider and try a recipe or two, but understand if this isn’t for you. Thanks!
I think as others said not enough flour. To sticky. I will make them next time with 21/2 to 3 cups flower. Then add flour as needed to finish after sitting for 30 minutes. I did make these and had to add flour to make the product workable. I have also read that not to knead this dough A LOT (like bread dough with yeast)as it can make it more chewy. I used all purpose flour next time I will use bread flour also see if there is much difference.
Did make navajo tacos tonight and everyone liked them. made some extra fry6 breads for tomorrow and added some SUGAR to the dough. These will be for snacking tomorrow. I know these are best eating fresh so see how they hold up overnight.
JusT made THIS. I was looking for a recipe my mom called hoecake when i was growing up.
she said she just mixed flour & water & fried it in bacon grease. I followed your recipe but added baking soda since i’m Out of baking powder. TURNED OUT PERFECT-very much like my mom’s hoecake. i will be trying this as navajo tacos & a sweet treat as well-also with molasses. yum!
sorry for allcaps-won’t let me change whether i have caplocks on or off!
Glad you found this recipe 🙂 Thank you for letting me know!
Try it as bread for cold roast beef sandwiches. Traditionally it would be eaten with left over mutton while herding sheep. Its called a sheep herders sandwich. My mom served them at our restaurant in 4 corners area of Utah. So so good with warm bread, you’ll never want just a plain ol’ cold beef sandwich again.
I will have to try that! Thanks for sharing that!
Can someone help me figure out why mine come out crunchy rather than soft?
I made this for the first time and my family loved it ! It was easy ! And I will make this again @
Yay!! Happy you liked it! Thank you!
I love Indian bread. On this recipe it doesn’t say if it is self rising flour or all purpose, could you please let me know what one to use? Thank you.
I use all-purpose flour 🙂 Hope you like it!
Some don’t realize or know to flour their hands prior to making the balls. May want to add that! Awesome simple recipe! My whole family loved it! I’m making more this morning with powdered sugar! Thanks for the recipe!
Glad to share 🙂 Happy your family loved it! Thank you!
We loved it
Such a fun new idea for Taco night!! My daughter requests these all the time! Make sure to save one to dip in cinnamon and sugar!
Love this recipe! We have it on repeat at our house
We make these (Navajo tacos to us) almost weekly! This recipe is so much easier and faster than trying to whip up bread dough go fry! So yummy!
So yummy and so easy to make!
Glad you think so 🙂 Thank you!
Fantastic. Used chicken instead of beef!
Beef would be a great option too! I’m so happy you liked it. Thanks for sharing!
Love this – is pretty much the recipe that I have used for our large family get togethers – but on a larger tripled recipe for a large group. Seeing some of the comments – I think some do not understand the feel of the dough – not to sticky, not to dry. I never roll mine out but rather use my floured hands to pat them out. My daughter-in-law of spanish descent makes them from my recipe, but as she is used to making fresh tortillas – she always rolls them out and over works them making them thick and hard. But the family still loves them!!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks so much for sharing your tips on the feel of the dough. That is so helpful! Thanks for trying it!
Super ez!
Came out perfect!
Went with the poke, prod & stretch method in leu of using a rolling pin.
Sounds like a great method! I’m so glad they turned out perfect for you!
Is there any way to make this gluten free? I remember making this when my kids were small, all grown and gone now. I now after all these years can no longer have gluten. Big change is all I can say
You can use one of a variety of brands of flour substitutes. I don’t know if you have a brand that you like more than others but you can experiment with different types of gluten-free flours to see which one tastes the best to you. Some gluten-free flours are almond based, rice based, bean based, etc. so the taste and texture will be a little different than regular flour. I would probably try Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour as a substitute first to see how you like it. Hope this helps!
Your site has way too many pop up adds. I’ll find this recipe somewhere else.
have you tried rolling it out thinner, putting burger, cheese, and beans on it, close it over, like a half moon, seal then fry? then top with lettuce…
I have not tried it that way but it sounds divine! How did it turn out?
Is this all-purpose flour?
Yes it is. 🙂 I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
This sounds yummy, could you substitute another kind of flour? Almond possibly?
You could try substituting almond flour or Bob’s 1 to 1 flour. The taste might be slightly different because of the type of flour you are using but I think it’s worth trying out. Let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear!
The ads in you site have pushed me away. To many recipe sites to deal with it.
I will look in to that. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
What kind of oil to use to fry?
I usually use vegetable oil for frying. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I need to know how much of each ingredient so that I know how many fry breads the recipe will make. I feel it is important to give complete directions
The ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. They are
2 c flour
3/4 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 c warm water
This amount of ingredients should make 6 fry breads. Hope this helps!
Tasty bread but was somewhat tough. Tell me how to make it better. Thank you
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out the way you had hoped. Sometimes bread turns out tough when it is kneaded too much. Once you mix the ingredients together to form the dough let it sit for 5 minutes and then you can form it into the dough balls. Hope this helps!
Made my first Indian fry Bread ❤️ Instead of ground beef, I substituted it with ground turkey. It was still delish
Ground turkey sounds like a great alternative to ground beef. I’m so glad it turned out well for you!
One/third of my screen is adds. Several are distracting videos. Others change. They pop up in your text. I do not know whether to click for your links in fear that I will be linking to an ad site.
Can’t stay.
To anyone who has never made these….the dough is a fine recipe, but PLEASE take a tape measure and see what a1/2 an inch really looks like. Its MANY times thicker than these should be. If you look at the video you will see that they MIGHT be 1/16 of an inch, paper thin, by they time they are fried.
Thanks for your feedback!
That’s a great point and I agree. Mine were not as thick as recipe suggested and turned out great. 👍
I’ve tried this recipe twice and I like the bread. My dough is always really sticky. I use the exact amounts according to the recipe. Is there a way for it to be not so sticky?
Weather and location really can affect baking, so you could try adding a little more flour in until it isn’t quite so sticky. You don’t want to use too much or the fry bread will be dense, but you could add it tablespoon at a time until it is a better consistency and see if that helps!
Hi! I thought I followed the directions snd measurements correctly, but my dough is so sticky it will not form into balls. It’s sticks to everything. Any suggestions? Thank you!!!
I would suggest adding in a little flour until the dough doesn’t feel so sticky. You don’t want too much flour, but weather/altitude/etc. can affect the amount of flour needed, so if you feel like it’s too sticky, add small amounts of flour (1-2 tbsp) at a time until you get a better consistency.
First time making it and we enjoyed it very much I’m making it again for tonight this is going to be a recipe that I make again and again
That makes me so happy to hear! Thanks so much for trying the recipe! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
How many fry bread would you say this recipe yields?
This recipe is for about 6 servings…. but the number of fry breads depends on how large you make the bread. You could roll them out smaller and have a couple each or you could make them larger and only have one. Whatever your preference is!
Yummy! I’ve been told that the Dineh people (Navajo) make the hole in the center to let out the evil spirits. Also, they really like to use the Bluebird brand of flour if you can find it.
Oh that’s really cool! I didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing!
Where did you get the small roller? I need that in my life 😅
It’s so handy! You can find it on Amazon.
These look so good, however I have always been intimidated by frying. Given the importance of keeping the frying temperature consistent and not frying at too low or too high of a temp, can you advise me as to what the best temperature is for frying? Thank You in advance for your help!
Frying can seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it’s so fun! And so tasty! 🙂 I’d suggest heating the oil to the 350-365 degree range.
This turned out great and was pretty easy to put together ! Instead of bacon I put ham in and cooked in crockpot and I put a little bit of taco seasoning in my hamburger added salsa and cilantro and cheese ! Not a lettuce person but that’s what is good about this recipe you can add or take away
Yes, you can definitely customize it a bit! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing what you did!
I love these!! It is fun to make these at home. Brings the fair right to your home
These are delicious! We love making Navajo tacos. They are easy and always a favorite. So good with powder sugar or honey on the fry bread too!
This fry bread is so good! We love it when we make Navajo tacos!
I do my fibroid differently although I understand this basic but I used to make 400 to 600 pieces of fry bread every year for my ceremonials. These are the ingredients that I use you should try it.
Ingredients:
1) Self-rising flour (Shawnee’s best)
2) 1 tbsp sugar
3) one can evaporated milk
4) water
5) oil
I eyeball the amount of flour into a bowl bye how many I plan to make then I put one tablespoon of sugar in the flour then I eyeball the evaporated milk and water together into the meat and try to keep it half and half as best I can need my dough then I cover it and let it sit for 30 minutes and I come back I’ll roll them up into a ball handles at a time round them up into a circle and put a small dot in the middle not a finger dot but just a small Dot with a small opening to keep oil from seeking in bread and then I put it on the fire and cook to both sides of golden brown they usually come out very tasty and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Let’s just say I never had any complaints!
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I’m sure it’s delicious!!
I like making Indian fried bread Your recipe is so simple my daughter who doesnt like cooking can make it. Having fun with kids recipe adding jelly to it.
I’m so glad you enjoy the bread. And that your kids are getting involved too. So awesome!
What temp should the oil be
About 350 degrees
Plain flour or self rising flour ?
Plain flour works great for this one!
Can this be made in an air fryer if the dough is brushed with oil?
I haven’t tried making these in the air fryer, but I suppose it could! You’ll have to let us know how they turn out if you do make it in the air fryer.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I see breakfast possibilities. How about putting cinnamon a sugar on it and teaming it with your coffee or tea. I also see it with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Or top it with Reuben fixings for a Reuben Sandwich (open face). You’ll miss the Rye bread, but will be just as good.
I love all of those ideas! Such a creative way to use the fry bread.
1st. Indian Taco (that is what they called them in Ok.) I had was at the Oklahoma City State Fair about 30 years ago and they where fantastic.
The recipe was listed in the local paper and I have been making them ever since. They are so easy to make
I do make up a batch of homemade chili and use that to put on my Fry Bread Tacos along with all the other toppings. ( I do make my chili a bit thicker when putting on Indian Tacos)
Dang, now I’m craving for one. I just may have to put this on my menu for next week.
Enjoy your day and have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for sharing! Yes, sounds like a great meal for the menu, for sure!
So you don’t use any seasoning in the beans? Just brown beans and hamburger?
Yep!
DELICIOUS 😋 and EASY My kids gave our tacos 🌮 a 10/10⭐️ Reminds us of our local favorite restaurant in our town! ❤️
I followed the recipe exactly. I’m not going to add as much salt next time.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and for the feedback!
Oh my gosh, i forgot to lay my bread dough out this morning. I found this recipe and thought “how can I mess that up” 🙃 Well, im not sure what I did wrong. My finished product was a light golden brown. They wernt puffing up and turned out so hard we couldn’t chew them. Im sure this was my mistake. Just thought I would share. 😁
your recipe is the closest to what my grandma and mom used to make when I was growing up. I have already made this once and will continue to use your recipe. Thank you. If I had a way to post a picture I would..
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try!
Looks like yumidication to me
I would like to have the recipe so I can practice making it , iis there any way I could get a book about baking anyway?
Love it
Thank you for posting this! My six year old son who is allergic to most things can eat these just fine. We love them! ❤️❤️❤️
Oh you’re welcome. I’m so so glad to hear that!
Love your website ☺️
Thank you!! So glad you found us here!
About how many breads does each batch make?
It honestly depends on how big you make the bread, but I’d say 6-8 individual breads per batch/recipe.
Great and easy recipe! Figure 2 fry breads per person/3 for heavy eaters. I have teenage boys and they loved it all!! We experimented with the powdered sugar with the leftover frybreads and that was great too. Thanks for a fun recipe to add to our weekly favorites!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the fry bread. It’s a favorite over here for sure! And that powdered sugar topping is so yummy, isn’t it?! 🙂
I am so sorry. I wish I knew what happened. Thanks for trying them.
Person; Be nice or say nothing at all
Can’t wait to try this! I have never heard of this!