Mexican food (and especially Mexican fast food) is not exactly known for being low carb, what with all of the tortillas, rice, and beans that abound within the many delicious specialties of the cuisine. But if you’re on the keto diet and you’re craving some Taco Bell, you’ve got more options than you may think!
The Tex-Mex fast food chain is a fan favorite across the nation, and one of the many reasons it’s loved is because Taco Bell has made strides to include diet-friendly items on their creatively filled menu — whether it’s turning menu items into vegan-friendly meals with the “make it fresco” ordering hack, dedicating a section of the menu to “Veggie Cravings”, or supplying solid gluten-free options.
The keto diet requires you to limit your carb intake while focusing on foods that contain high fat and moderate protein, to maintain a ketogenic state and keep your body burning carbs instead of fat. It can be hard to find keto-friendly meals at fast food chains, but you can still “Live Más” at Taco Bell. Here’s everything on the menu that you can order while on a keto diet.
Keto-friendly items available on the Taco Bell menu
While there aren’t any items specifically made to be keto and only a handful of orders are keto-friendly as is, it’s easy enough to modify the menu items at Taco Bell to cut down on or eliminate the carbs. Removing ingredients like rice and beans, tortillas and tortilla chips, and potatoes will make for a more keto-friendly meal that you can enjoy on the go.
One silver lining at Taco Bell is that there are a couple of tacos you can order that will keep the net carb count low. Most people on keto need to stay under 50 grams of net carbs per day, so each meal should fall somewhere under 18 total grams of carbs – and since Taco Bell’s corn tortilla taco shells are on the small side, so you can get away with one of those if you’re looking to indulge.
Taco Bell’s Power Menu Bowls are also great options for those on a keto diet, as they can be easily modified to be keto-friendly. Another good ordering tip to know: if you order a burrito without the tortilla, it’ll come as a bowl. And remember that you can always add keto-friendly ingredients (listed below) to bulk up the protein and fat, so customize away. Just note that when ordering meat and proteins, as with any diet it’s best to limit your intake of processed meats like bacon and sausage.
Sugar is a carbohydrate, so that’s something to watch out for when you’re ordering at any fast food spot. You’ll want to stay away from anything with added sugar, like Taco Bell’s sweet treats, milkshakes, and sugary beverages. Luckily, unlike many fast food chains, a lot of their sauces and condiments are low in sugar and carbs, so you have lots of options to spice up your order.
Next time you hit up the Taco Bell drive thru, here are all of the keto-friendly orders and ingredients at your disposal (along with any necessary modifications).
| Keto Breakfast Items | Necessary Modifications |
| Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito (Bacon or Sausage) | No tortilla |
| Grande Toasted Breakfast Burrito (Bacon, Sausage, or Steak) | No tortilla, no potatoes |
| Keto Tacos | Necessary Modifications |
| Crunchy Taco | |
| Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco | |
| Keto Burritos + Bowls | Necessary Modifications |
| Bean Burrito | No tortilla |
| Beef Burrito | No tortilla, no rice |
| Beefy 5-Layer Burrito | No tortilla |
| Burrito Supreme (Beef, Chicken, or Steak) | No tortilla, no beans |
| Grilled Cheese Burrito | No tortilla, no rice, no tortilla strips |
| Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito | No tortilla, no tortilla strips |
| Chicken Chipotle Melt | No tortilla |
| Power Menu Bowl (Chicken, Steak, or Veggie) | No rice, no beans |
| Keto Ingredients + Add-Ons | Necessary Modifications |
| Eggs | |
| Bacon | |
| Sausage | |
| Chicken (Grilled, Shredded) | |
| Seasoned Ground Beef | |
| Steak | |
| Jalapeno Peppers | |
| Lettuce | |
| Onions | |
| Premium Guacamole | |
| Tomatoes | |
| Cheese (Cheddar, Three Cheese Blend) | |
| Sour Cream | |
| Keto Sauces | Necessary Modifications |
| Breakfast Salsa | |
| Pico de Gallo | |
| Diablo Sauce Packet | |
| Fire Sauce Packet | |
| Hot Sauce Packet | |
| Mild Sauce Packet | |
| Red Sauce | |
| Green Sauce | |
| Nacho Cheese Sauce | |
| Mexican Pizza Sauce | |
| Creamy Chipotle | |
| Spicy Ranch | |
| Creamy Jalapeno | |
| Avocado Ranch | |
| Keto Beverages | Necessary Modifications |
| Coffee (Hot or Iced, Black or With Creamer) | |
| Unsweetened Iced Tea | |
| Diet Lemonade | |
| Diet Sodas |
The Power Menu Bowls at Taco Bell are not keto-friendly as is, but can be easily modified to be a good choice for those on a keto diet. Simply remove the rice and beans, and choose whichever protein you prefer.
Taco Bell has many sauces and condiments that are low-carb. These include the Mild, Hot, Fire, and Diablo Sauces, Red and Green Sauce, Breakfast Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Nacho Cheese Sauce, Mexican Pizza Sauce, Creamy Chipotle, Spicy Ranch, Creamy Jalapeno, and Avocado Ranch.
The lowest-carb menu item that you can order as is (without modifying) at Taco Bell is the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco. One taco has a total of 12 grams of carbs, which amounts to about 10 grams of net carbs.
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