To make your own homemade version of the Taco Bell cinnamon twists, youll need to purchase a bag of dried duros from a Latin American grocery store or online. Although it looks similar when dried, this ingredient is different from typical rotini pasta. Duros are made with wheat flour as well as cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. This helps them become puffed and airy when they are deep-fried. Do not attempt to make these cinnamon twists from regular noodles since pasta will simply sink to the bottom of the oil and burn.
The end result is a light and magical treat. Its hard to believe that the tiny pasta-like spirals could so quickly transform into these large puffed treats. While the Taco Bell cinnamon twists use the spiral variety of duros, they are also sold in 1-inch-square pieces and round wagon wheel shapes. It is fun to experiment with different shapes and sizes when cooking your own homemade version of this Latin American street food snack.
If you have ever ordered the cinnamon twists at Taco Bell, you probably wondered how they make these light and airy treats. They look like large puffs of rotini pasta, but they are actually made with a special ingredient called duros. Also known as “duros de harina” or “pasta para duros,” these are a popular Latin American snack food that are often flavored with chili and lemon or cinnamon and sugar.
“While our Cinnamon Twists may have the shape of rotini, you won’t get very far frying traditional pasta at home. The twists are a mixture of wheat flour, yellow corn meal, rice flour and salt.”
However, Justice, whose page is full of at-home Taco Bell recipes, shared that folks can make a version of the twists at home using “rice/wheat noodles or duros”—a puffed wheat snack. She posted a follow-up video for the viewers who thought her claim was fake, testing regular rotini, uncooked Taco Bell twists, and wheat chicharrones. The regular rotini, as predicted, burned when fried and sunk to the bottom of the pot. The other two ingredients puffed up.
Viewers are in awe of a viral TikTok showing how Taco Bell cinnamon twists are made.
Yes, the twists can be made at home but not with your average rotini noodle. If you try frying a normal piece of rotini, it won’t turn into a puffy, crunchy snack. Instead, it just burns.
In a comment, Justice shared a final tip for finishing the DIY twists off: “The key is to sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture on right after taking them out of the oil so it sticks!”
Can you make cinnamon twists with other types of noodles?
Save yourself some time on this one. The quick answer is … no. Regular spiral pasta noodles do not puff. Nor do most grocery store varieties. Cooked, left-over pasta does not puff up when cooked.
This twisty treat recipe is easily made if you have a deep fryer (any size is fine). You can also make them in your Dutch oven. Just make sure you heat up the frying oil to a temperature between 300-350°F. Then you need a small plastic bag, twisty duros noodles, sugar, and cinnamon.
FAQ
How does Taco Bell make the cinnamon twists?
