Taco Bell is a fan favorite across America and beyond, with a somewhat cultish following of loyal customers. But as beloved as the fast food joint is for on-the-go Tex-Mex grub and late night snacks, let’s face it – like most fast food, it’s not exactly nutritious.
And like most fast food restaurants, the menu items at Taco Bell are unfortunately made and processed with high levels of sodium. So if that’s particularly something you’re watching in your diet or trying to avoid, Taco Bell may not be the best place to eat.
Your options are slim in terms of low-sodium items at the popular chain, but we’ve gathered everything on the menu that qualifies as low-sodium so you know what your choices are.
Low sodium food and drink choices on the Taco Bell menu
If you’re cruising through the Taco Bell drive thru looking for a low-sodium meal, unfortunately you won’t find anything substantial to eat that fits the bill. To clarify, by a low-sodium meal we mean a menu item that contains 140 mg or less of sodium per serving, which is the amount defined as low sodium by the FDA. This is based on the daily recommended value of 2,300 mg of sodium or less per day.
Because all of the tacos, burritos, and specialty items at Taco Bell contain various meats or other ingredients that hike up the sodium levels, there are no true entree items that will pass as a low-sodium meal, and most of Taco Bell’s snack items are off limits as well. The lowest amount of sodium you’ll find in a taco is 300 mg in the Crunchy Taco, while Quesadillas and most Burritos on the menu will run you upwards of 1,000 mg of sodium per serving.
So in terms of food items on the menu, you really only have a couple of options, and they are all side items: either the side of black beans, the cinnamon twists, or the Cinnabon Delights. These three items all fall below that 140 mg threshold and will be lower in sodium. Aside from those, most of Taco Bell’s infamous sauce packets are also fairly low in sodium – however, unfortunately you won’t be able to order much to drizzle them on.
However, when it comes to beverages you have many more choices at Taco Bell. So if you’re simply after something refreshing, you’re in luck. The coffees, fountain sodas, and most of Taco Bell’s specialty drink creations like the Baja Blast Freeze are all low enough in sodium to enjoy.
Below is the complete list of items on the current Taco Bell menu that you can order as a low-sodium snack or drink.
| Sides, Sauces + Sweets | Sodium Amount | Serving Size |
| Mild Sauce Packet | 30 mg | 1 Packet |
| Diablo Sauce Packet | 35 mg | 1 Packet |
| Hot Sauce Packet | 45 mg | 1 Packet |
| Breakfast Salsa Packet | 50 mg | 1 Packet |
| Fire Sauce Packet | 55 mg | 1 Packet |
| Avocado Salsa Verde Packet | 70 mg | 1 Packet |
| Cinnabon Delights | 70 mg | 2-Pack |
| Cinnamon Twists | 115 mg | 1 Side Order |
| Black Beans | 140 mg | 1 Side Order |
| Beverages | Sodium Amount | Serving Size |
| Hot Coffee | 5 mg | 12 oz |
| Hot Coffee w/ Creamer | 10 mg | 12 oz |
| Iced Coffee w/ Creamer | 15 mg | 16 oz |
| Iced Coffee | 20 mg | 16 oz |
| Orange Juice | 20 mg | 1 Bottle |
| Pepsi | 50 mg | 20 oz |
| Pepsi Wild Cherry | 55 mg | 20 oz |
| Starry | 55 mg | 20 oz |
| Wild Strawberry Freeze | 55 mg | 20 oz |
| Mtn Dew Baja Blast Freeze | 55 mg | 20 oz |
| Dragonfruit Freeze | 60 mg | 20 oz |
| Brisk Mango Iced Tea | 65 mg | 20 oz |
| Dr. Pepper | 75 mg | 20 oz |
| Cinnabon Delights Hot Coffee | 75 mg | 12 oz |
| Mtn Dew Zero Sugar | 80 mg | 20 oz |
| Mtn Dew Baja Blast | 80 mg | 20 oz |
| Mtn Dew | 85 mg | 20 oz |
| Mtn Dew Baja Blast Zero Sugar | 85 mg | 20 oz |
| Cinnabon Delights Iced Coffee | 85 mg | 16 oz |
| Brisk Unsweetened No Lemon Iced Tea | 85 mg | 20 oz |
| Diet Pepsi | 95 mg | 20 oz |
| Mug Root Beer | 95 mg | 20 oz |
| Lowfat Milk | 100 mg | 7 oz |
| Brisk Dragon Paradise Sparkling Iced Tea | 100 mg | 20 oz |
| Pepsi Zero Sugar | 105 mg | 20 oz |
| Diet Dr. Pepper | 120 mg | 20 oz |
At Taco Bell, some tacos contain far less sodium than others – however, as a whole the list of tacos on the menu are all relatively moderate or high in sodium. The tacos on the menu range from 300 mg of sodium for the Crunchy Taco to 890 mg of sodium for the Doritos Cheesy Gordita Crunch Nacho Cheese Taco.
As far as food items on the menu, the item with the least amount of sodium is Taco Bell’s Cinnabon Delights, which come in a 2-pack and contain 70 mg of sodium. The Cinnamon Twists are also a lower-sodium choice with 115 mg of sodium for one order.
The various types of Baja Blast order at Taco Bell contain varying levels of sodium. The Mtn Dew Baja Blast Freeze contains the lowest amount with 55 mg of sodium in a 20-ounce cup, followed by Mtn Dew Baja Blast soda with 80 mg of sodium in a 20-ounce cup, and Mtn Dew Baja Blast Zero Sugar with 85 mg of sodium in a 20-ounce cup.
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