8 Of The Healthiest Menu Items To Order At Taco Bell In 2026

Taco Bell is well-known for its tantalizing menu, filled with indulgent Mexican-inspired meals. While the Crunchwrap Supreme and Cheesy Gordita Crunch are certainly delicious, though, the chain isn't exactly well known for its nutritious options. However, as it turns out, most of Taco Bell's menu items are less than 500 calories, and with some quick and easy customizations, you can actually reduce the calories and fats by up to 25%. The good news is that just because you're watching your diet doesn't mean you have to miss out on grabbing a bite to eat with your friends.

Taco Bell's menu has a reputation for being extremely customizable, offering several ways to make traditional menu items a little more nutritious and less caloric. A couple of simple ingredient swaps or inclusions can help make a meal more filling and overall better for you, as long as you know what to order. For instance, order any menu item fresco style to replace the fatty dairy ingredients with fresh pico de gallo, or swap out the seasoned beef (that's high in saturated fats) for a leaner protein source, like chicken. We explored the nutrition menu and recommendations from fans online to identify the ways you can order at Taco Bell in 2026, that rank the chain among those fast food restaurants with surprisingly healthy options.

The Cantina Chicken Bowl is one of the best options for those looking for a high-protein, filling meal from Taco Bell. The bowl comes with two sources of lean protein: Chicken and black beans, as well as rice, veggies, cheese, and guacamole. As is, the bowl comes in at 480 calories and boasts 24 grams of protein, 23 grams of fat, 44 grams of carbs, and an impressive 10 grams of fiber.

Even dieticians approve of this order, as it's one of the most balanced meals you can get from the chain. The high fiber and protein help slow digestion to keep you satiated for longer and give you energy throughout the day. It's already one of the more macro-balanced meals on the menu, but you can customize it further to make it fit your own health goals as well. You can eliminate the cheese and add more protein to replace some of the calories from fat. Or get extra veggies and add jalapeños for more volume and a bit of spice.

Starting your day with a high-protein meal is one of the best ways to stay energized and satiated, and helps prevent over-snacking later in the day. In comparison, carb-heavy breakfasts can cause a blood sugar crash in the afternoon. Of Taco Bell's breakfast items, the breakfast quesadilla with steak is one of the most nutritious ways to bulk up the protein. You can also order this menu item with bacon or sausage, but the steak option provides the highest protein and lowest fat.

The quesadilla is 500 calories with 23 grams of fat, 43 grams of carbs, and a whopping 28 grams of protein. The meal is simple: Steak, cheese, and egg, wrapped up in a flour tortilla. Some ways that customers like to customize the meal are by adding pico de gallo, and adding some hot sauce gives effectively no additional calories. Taco Bell serves breakfast until 11 a.m., so if you're swinging through the drive-thru for a quick bite, the quesadilla is one of the best protein options you'll find on the menu.

The burrito supreme is a stacked meal that comes with cheese, refried beans, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, red sauce, sour cream, and seasoned beef. For a leaner protein source, you can swap the seasoned beef for steak or chicken and swap the refried beans for black beans. The macros are well balanced in this meal, which clocks in at 390 calories with 16 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, and 50 grams of carbs. It also boasts 6 grams of fiber.

According to customers, the best way to order a Taco Bell burrito is to ask for it grilled, which creates a crispier outer tortilla with no impact on calories. Of course, you can also order it fresco style, which replaces the dairy products with pico de gallo, and brings it down to 345 calories. Customers appreciate all the veggies added to the meal, which makes it taste fresher than some of the other burritos on the menu. Not to mention, this is one of the lowest-cholesterol fast-food menu options.

If you're a tacos-over-burrito type of person, one of the lighter options is the crunchy tacos with chicken or steak. You can order three crunchy tacos for around 500 calories total, and the meal would ring in at 21 grams of protein, 27 grams of fat, 9 grams of fiber, and 39 grams of carbs. And in the words of one Reddit commenter, "The crunchy taco is the best item on the menu ... reliable, simple, cheap, tasty, classic, and really just a [Taco Bell] staple for any order. It's amazing how unique yet simple it is."

Some fans like to order the tacos fresco style to minimize the calories from fat. Although some prefer the soft taco shell, dieticians say the crunchy corn tortilla is preferable because the flour tortilla is highly processed, which can spike your blood sugar. Adding lettuce, cabbage, tomatoes, and/or onions can help boost the volume and micronutrients in the meal, while adding some zero-calorie hot sauce packets can add to the flavor profile. This is a fan-favorite Taco Bell menu item, and you can also add black beans to it, for some additional fiber and texture.

Taco Bell also has some great vegetarian options on the menu, and while the veggie bowl isn't the most protein-dense item on the menu, it still boasts some excellent nutritional value. The veggie bowl is 420 calories with 12 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, and 49 grams of carbs. The meal is a great source of fiber between the rice and beans, with 12 grams in each bowl. It comes with seasoned rice, assorted veggies, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, and cheese.

The key to making this bowl even more nutritious is to swap the sauces. Sauces are one of the sneakiest ways that meals from Taco Bell rack up the calories, so opting for a low-calorie hot sauce instead of the avocado ranch sauce that comes with the meal is one way to reduce calories. Some customers like to swap out the sour cream and guac for extra beans and lettuce. One dietitian notes that the veggie bowl is actually quite balanced for a fast food meal, especially if you make the right customizations.

The chalupa supreme might not sound like a very nutritious menu item, but this unique taco actually has a well-balanced macronutrient profile, and it tends to be popular among customers. The meal contains 350 calories, with 12 grams of protein, 20 grams of fat, and 32 grams of carbs. It's made from a flaky flatbread shell filled with seasoned beef, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, and a three-cheese blend.

Nutritionists recommend swapping the beef for leaner protein sources like chicken or black beans to reduce the amount of saturated fats and help keep you full for longer, and some fans find that the slow-roasted chicken is even tastier than the seasoned beef. Alternatively, you can add a side of chicken and beans to make the meal more balanced. Adding jalapeños and/or cabbage can also help increase the fiber intake for virtually no additional calories.

The bean burrito is an old-school menu item that's long been lauded by Taco Bell fans for its delicious flavor and texture as well as its affordability. It's simply refried beans, cheese, red sauce, and onions wrapped in a warm soft tortilla for 360 calories, 13 grams of protein, 10 grams of fat, 54 grams of carbs, and 8 grams of fiber. However, one of the simplest ways to increase the nutrition is to order it fresco style, replacing the cheese with pico de gallo.

Fans of this menu item appreciate the crunchy texture that the onions provide, and the combination of protein and fiber is an excellent source of fuel to keep you feeling full for longer. You can also order "easy" cheese to reduce the fats and sodium. One recommendation, for those looking for more protein, is to add steak, which will bring the protein intake up to 20 grams and 400 calories.

If you're looking for something on the lighter side, instead of a whole meal, one of the most nutritious things you can get at Taco Bell is the black beans. These are high in fiber and pair well with rice to give a complete source of protein. You can dress this up a bit by adding pico de gallo, guacamole, or sour cream, which will all add volume without excessive added sodium.

Dieticians explain that high-quality sources of fiber, like black beans, help reduce the risk of heart disease while simultaneously keeping blood sugar low. Plus, it's a great plant-based protein source for those who don't eat meat. A side of black beans and rice at Taco Bell rings in at 160 calories with 4 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbs, and 4 grams of fiber. Order this alongside a couple of crunchy tacos or a chalupa supreme to make a surprisingly well-balanced fast food meal.

Whether or not a food item is "healthy" can vary based on individual health objectives, so I evaluated items based on the total number of calories as well as the main macronutrients. I reviewed proteins, fats, carbs, and fiber to establish which menu items offered the most balanced nutrient profile, paying close attention to high-protein and high-fiber meals that help provide energy and keep customers full for longer.

I also included common ingredient swaps, customizations, and ordering hacks that can improve the overall nutritional value of the menu items. Simple swaps like leaner protein options, lower-calorie sauces, and fresco style can make a huge difference in just how healthy a menu item can be at Taco Bell, so I offered several options to improve the nutritional value of each menu item listed here.