The Big Problem With Taco Bell's Beans, According To Employees
Everyone has their favorite Taco Bell order, like classic crunchy tacos or layered burritos, which you can enjoy with some of the new menu items dropping this year. It's the home of endless customization with an already large menu, tons of combo boxes, and a variety of toppings. You really can "think outside the bun" at Taco Bell, and the company's employees know the menu best. Past and current Taco Bell employees have highlighted some of their favorite recipes and creations on Reddit, and they've also spilled some secrets on the not-so-appetizing side of food prep. While many modify a Crunchwrap to make a tasty lunch, there are Taco Bell items its own employees won't eat. Beans are on that list because of how they are prepared.
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Taco Bell's beans arrive dehydrated and are reconstituted with boiling water, and the process landed in the spotlight with a 2020 TikTok video. In the video, someone pours a bag of dehydrated brown pellets into a metal steam table pan and covers them with hot water. Text captioning on the video points out that the beans look like "rabbit food". Since then, more videos have come out showcasing Taco Bell's bean prep method, some even showing water taken from a Bunn hot water system, with more than one person wrinkling their nose at the thought.
So, what's in Taco Bell's beans?
Beans are in a ton of the menu items at Taco Bell, and they're a go-to option for vegetarians. Black beans are used for stand-alone sides, while pinto beans are used for the refried beans found in burritos. Other ingredients include water, soybean oil, and a seasoning blend of salt, onion powder, sunflower oil, maltodextrin (processed plant starch), trehalose (a type of sugar), and other proprietary spices. The beans do arrive dehydrated in large bags, and Taco Bell's prep guide spells out how they're reconstituted. One bag of seasoned beans gets 3 quarts of hot water. Stir with a spatula for 30-45 seconds, and they're ready after sitting for 45 minutes.
Both the pinto beans and black beans at Taco Bell are vegan because they aren't made with lard. They also have relatively few ingredients compared to other fast food options, like McDonald's 19-ingredient French fries. Dried beans also generally contain a bit more protein and have a significantly lower sodium content than canned versions. So, while Taco Bell's bean prep might be off-putting for some, the beans aren't necessarily anything to avoid. You might actually want to use them as a vegan protein hack for your next Taco Bell order, right alongside the sauce hack for even tastier Taco Bell Nacho Fries.