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Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe brings the fast food drive thru dessert home in 10 minutes flat with golden puffed spiral duros tossed in a bath of cinnamon sugar, the exact crispy sweet treat the kids beg for after every Taco Bell run. The first time I made these on a *quiet Sunday afternoon* Maddie called dibs on tossing the duros and Lizzie ate the first batch straight out of the bowl before they hit the serving tray. Pair them with our copycat butterbeer for a full copycat dessert flight.
Three pantry ingredients, one skillet of hot oil, and the same crispy sweet dessert the whole family asks for after every taco night.
Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 5 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 10 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 4 servings
- ⚡ Calories: ~170kcal per serving
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Crispy puffed duros tossed in warm cinnamon sugar, the exact Taco Bell drive thru dessert texture and flavor at home
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy weeknight dessert, on par with our individual frozen key lime pies
Quick Answer
Heat about 1.5 inches of vegetable oil in a high-sided skillet to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Working in small batches, drop spiral-shaped duros (the dry pasta product) into the hot oil and let them puff up dramatically, about 15 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined tray. Repeat until all the duros are puffed. Toss batches of the puffed twists in a large bowl with cinnamon sugar until fully coated. Serve immediately for the iconic Taco Bell texture and flavor. Three pantry ingredients, 10 minutes total, the exact drive thru dessert at home.
Jump to:
- Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe FAQs
- Other Recommended Copycat Recipes
- Copycat Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Spiral duros are the actual Taco Bell pasta. Most copycats use churro dough or biscuits, which taste nothing like the real thing. Spiral-shaped duros (a Mexican wheat pasta sold dry in Hispanic grocery stores) ARE what Taco Bell uses. Substituting any other shape ruins the copycat.
- 350 degrees, not 325 or 375. Too cool and the duros do not puff, they just absorb oil. Too hot and they brown before puffing fully. 350 is the only temperature where the dry pasta puffs into the airy crispy spirals Taco Bell makes.
- Cook in SMALL batches. Adding too many duros at once drops the oil temperature below 350 and they stop puffing. Cooking 5 to 10 at a time keeps the oil at temperature so every batch puffs identically.
- They puff in 15 seconds, no longer. Leaving them in the oil past 20 seconds turns them brown and bitter. Pulling immediately when the puffing peaks (about 15 seconds) gives you the white-gold color that matches Taco Bell.
- Toss in cinnamon sugar while hot. Cold puffed duros do not grab the sugar coating. Tossing them in the cinnamon sugar mixture while still warm and oily means the sugar adheres in a thick even coat instead of slipping off.
- Serve immediately. Cinnamon twists get stale within an hour as the puffed structure absorbs ambient moisture. Eating them within 30 minutes of frying is the difference between Taco Bell crisp and chewy disappointment.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes like the drive thru. Three pantry ingredients hit the same crispy sweet copycat texture without a fast food run, the exact dessert the kids ask for every taco night.
- Ten minutes flat. Heat the oil, drop the duros, toss in cinnamon sugar, done, the same fast dessert energy as our candied grapes.
- Three ingredients. Spiral duros pasta, cinnamon sugar, and vegetable oil, you probably already have two of three at home.
- Family approved. Kids love tossing the duros in the sugar, grown ups love that it takes less time than a Taco Bell drive thru line.
- Cheaper than the drive thru. One bag of duros costs less than a single Taco Bell side and makes 4 to 6 generous servings.
- No special equipment. One skillet and a slotted spoon, no air fryer, no deep fryer, no special pans needed.
- Crowd pleaser dessert. Stack a serving bowl on a movie night spread and watch them disappear in 5 minutes.
- Bag of duros stays cheap. Find them at any Latin grocery store or online for a couple dollars a bag, one bag makes several batches.
Key Ingredients
- Spiral-shaped duros: The signature ingredient. Duros (also called duritos or pasta para sopa) are spiral-shaped wheat pasta that puff up dramatically when fried. Find them at any Latin grocery store, in the Hispanic foods aisle, or online. About 4 ounces (one small bag) makes 4 servings.
- Cinnamon sugar: The classic 4-to-1 sugar-to-cinnamon ratio is the Taco Bell signature. Mix 1 cup of granulated sugar with 4 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, or buy pre-mixed at the grocery store.
- Vegetable oil: For frying. Use a neutral oil that handles 350 degrees Fahrenheit, like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. We use the same oil base in our southern fried chicken.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Air fryer version: Toss duros in a thin layer of oil and air fry at 400 degrees for 2 to 3 minutes, then toss in cinnamon sugar. Same crisp, less oil.
- Honey roasted twist: Drizzle with warm honey alongside the cinnamon sugar for a sweeter sticky version that pairs with vanilla ice cream.
- Chocolate dipped: Dip half of each twist in melted chocolate after the cinnamon sugar coats, then chill on parchment for 5 minutes.
- Without duros: Roll flour tortillas with cinnamon sugar, slice into strips, twist, then fry until golden as a quick swap if duros are hard to find locally.
- Pumpkin spice fall version: Swap regular cinnamon sugar for pumpkin spice sugar (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice) for a fall flavor flip.
- Brown sugar twist: Use half brown sugar and half white sugar in the cinnamon mix for a deeper molasses note.
- Pair with our copycat menu: Stack the twists next to our Copycat Chipotle Bowl Recipe for the full Tex-Mex copycat dinner.
How to Make Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe
- Heat about 1 and 1/2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in a high-sided skillet. Use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to confirm the temperature, the right heat is what gives you the signature puffed texture.
- Place a few spiral duros into the hot oil at a time, do not crowd the pan. Let them puff up dramatically, about 15 seconds per batch.
- Remove the puffed duros from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined tray to drain any excess oil for 30 seconds.
- Repeat the frying process with the remaining duros, working in small batches so the oil holds its 350 degree temperature, until all duros are puffed and drained.
- In a large bowl, toss batches of the warm puffed duros in the cinnamon sugar mixture until evenly coated, then transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Oil temperature matters most. 350 degrees Fahrenheit is the magic number. Too cool and the duros get greasy and chewy, too hot and they burn before they puff.
- Work in small batches. Crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and gives you flat, oil-soaked duros instead of crispy puffed ones.
- Toss while warm. The cinnamon sugar sticks best when the duros are still warm and slightly oily from the fryer. Cool duros lose half the sugar coating.
- Pre-mix the cinnamon sugar. Whisk the cinnamon and sugar together in a large bowl before frying starts so you can toss the moment the duros come out of the oil.
- Use a thermometer. A candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of the oil temperature and saves a whole batch from turning out flat.
- Skim the oil between batches. Use a fine-mesh skimmer to lift any cinnamon sugar that drops off into the oil between batches, otherwise it burns and adds a bitter taste to the next batch.
- Serve fresh. These are at their best within an hour of frying, the crispy texture is what makes the recipe shine.
- Double the batch. Make extra for a movie night spread, alongside our loaded tater tot nachos, they disappear faster than the main course.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pile a serving bowl of Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe next to a stack of our Copycat Chipotle Bowl Recipe for the full Tex-Mex copycat dinner the whole family asks for again the next weekend.
Pair the twists with a small dish of warm caramel or chocolate sauce for dipping, or serve alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a quick dessert sundae that takes 10 minutes start to finish.
If you are running a game day or a movie night, build a copycat dessert spread with these twists, our copycat butterbeer, and finish with our strawberry earthquake cake for a sweet flight that hits every craving.
For breakfast leftovers, toss any leftover twists with extra cinnamon sugar and serve alongside vanilla yogurt and fresh berries for a fun copycat fast food breakfast bowl the kids will request again the next morning.
Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe FAQs
Duros (also called duritos or pasta para sopa) are spiral-shaped wheat pasta that puff up dramatically when fried. Find them at any Latin grocery store in the Hispanic foods aisle, at well-stocked supermarkets, or online. About 4 ounces (one small bag) makes 4 servings.
Yes, if duros are hard to find locally, roll flour tortillas with cinnamon sugar, slice into strips, twist, then fry until golden. The texture is slightly different but the flavor is the same Taco Bell copycat sweet crisp.
The twists are at their best within an hour of frying when the crispy texture is at its peak. You can pre-mix the cinnamon sugar in advance and have everything ready to go, but the actual frying needs to happen close to serving time.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. The crispy texture softens overnight but the cinnamon sugar flavor stays great, and any leftovers are wonderful tossed with vanilla yogurt for breakfast.
Use a neutral oil that handles 350 degrees Fahrenheit well, like vegetable, canola, or peanut oil. Avoid olive oil or butter, both have low smoke points and will burn before the duros puff properly.
Yes, toss the duros in a thin layer of oil and air fry at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. The texture is slightly less puffed than the deep fried version but the flavor is the same.
Other Recommended Copycat Recipes
If you tried this Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below to let us know how your family liked it. We love hearing your copycat dessert wins, and your reviews help other home cooks find this recipe too.
Round out copycat dessert night with our Copycat Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe.
Pair copycat dessert night with another Italian classic, try our Lady Finger Cookies Recipe.
Copycat Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists Recipe
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 4 ounces spiral-shaped duros
- 1 cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Heat about 1 ½ inches of oil to 350 degrees in a high-sided skillet.
- Place a few duros into the oil and let them puff up, about 15 seconds.
- Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined tray.
- Repeat with the other duros.
- In a large bowl, toss batches of the duros in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t overcrowd the oil: Give your duros space to puff up—frying too many at once can make them stick together.
- Hot, but not too hot: Keep an eye on your oil temperature. If it’s too high, you could end up with burnt spots. If it’s too low, your twists may become oily.
- Little bowls help: Use a small bowl of cinnamon sugar for tossing a few twists at a time. This way, each twist gets a nice coating.
- Taste test as you go: Not sweet enough? Add more sugar. Want it spicier? Throw in a dash of cayenne. This is your chance to customize.
- Store properly: For best results, let them cool and then store them in an airtight container if you have any leftovers.
- Kids love to watch: If you have kiddos around, let them watch the duros puff up in the oil—they’ll think you’re a wizard!
Nutrition
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