How To Fill Your Taco Bell Double Decker Void
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In late September of this year, Taco Bell Rewards members were asked to vote for which former beloved menu item, the Double Decker Taco or the Enchirito, would return to the Taco Bell fold for a limited time. USA Today reports 62% of voters preferred the stuffed burrito — filled with meat, beans, and cheese, smothered in Taco Bell's red sauce, and topped with onions — over the Double Decker Taco.
But with nearly 40% of voters behind the return of the Double Decker, that's plenty of disappointed Taco Bell super-eaters. ChewBoom explains the Double Decker launched in 1995 as a limited-time-only menu item before being added to the starting roster in 2006, then it was discontinued in 2019. This taco on steroids features a hard shell taco — filled with seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, and cheese — with a twist: A soft flour tortilla is adhered to the hard shell taco using a layer of refried beans.
Double Decker lovers, don't despair, there are ways to get a version of this wrapped taco into your belly.
Del Taco's version of a Double Decker
Del Taco introduced its Stuffed Quesadilla Taco line because the chain wanted to combine two of its most popular menu items, according to Thrillist. The result was their own version of a Taco Bell Double Decker, where two flour tortillas are stuffed with creamy queso and shredded cheddar, then grilled to form the taco shell. It has the same stuffed shell vibes as Taco Bell's long-lost menu item, but it is made with two flour tortillas instead of one hard shell and one soft shell, so there is less of a crunch.
From there, the taco is filled with Del Taco's traditional fillings, which include lettuce, tomatoes, more shredded cheese, and optional guacamole. Meat options include grilled chicken, crispy chicken, and carne asada. The best part of all is that Stuffed Quesadilla Tacos are part of Del Taco's permanent menu.
A Chipotle hack for a Double Decker
If you're privy to Chipotle's secret menu, you may have already heard of this double-decker hack. In order to create this Taco Bell copycat, order a hard shell taco (or, hacker's choice, soft taco), then order a second soft taco with cheese only. Then, wrap the cheesy soft taco tortilla around the regular taco. The resulting multi-layered taco is chock full of cheesy goodness and has the added texture of biting through two shell layers. Word of caution: The hacked Chipotle Double Decker can get a bit messy since the two tacos won't be completely fused together.
DIY Double Decker
Sometimes Taco Tuesday is better at home, where you can build a Double Decker copycat to your exact specifications. Simply make refried beans – or buy them canned and warm them up — and spread them on a flour taco shell. Wrap the flour shell around a hard taco shell and then stuff with your fave fillings.
You can do the OG version with taco-spiced ground meat, cheese, and shredded lettuce. Or, get creative and fill it with homemade carne asada, braised short rib, or smoked chicken. Make a vegan version by stuffing it with a spicy mix of cauliflower and poblano peppers. To elevate your homemade Double Decker to restaurant quality, consider making your own tortillas, and don't forget fun garnishes like cilantro or pickled red onions.
Don't have time for scratch-made? Pick up Taco Bell's Cheesy Double Decker Taco Dinner Kit, which features taco seasoning plus the two types of taco shells and a Velveeta cheese sauce to adhere them together. Or, use a heated can of Taco Bell refried beans to make the classic version and of course, don't forget the hot sauce.