Finding fast food restaurants that offer diet-friendly options can be tricky. Taco Bell’s menu offers choices that are keto-friendly, and you can tweak some of what they offer to better fit your keto diet needs.
Eating keto isn’t always easy, especially if you’re busy. It can be tough to find the time to meal plan, shop, and cook for this low carb, high fat diet.
That’s why it’s a great idea to be aware of the keto options you can grab on the go at fast food restaurants.
Taco Bell is one really popular fast food choice. Although your meal will most likely require some modifications, it’s totally possible to eat keto there.
Here are our favorite keto-friendly choices at Taco Bell. They all contain 10 grams or fewer of net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) per serving.
We’re including items that you can order straight off the menu as well as menu items you can ask to have modified.
If you want the full Taco Bell experience, you can order one of these three items as-is and still clock in at 10 grams or fewer net carbs each.
Keep in mind that these items on the small side and may not make a good stand-alone meal.
1. Crunchy Taco
Taco Bell’s Crunchy Taco contains seasoned beef, shredded cheese, and lettuce on a crunchy corn tortilla shell. Tortillas are generally too high in carbs for a keto diet, but this one is on the small side.
Even with the shell, this item contains (1,
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Total carbs: 13 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net carbs: 10 grams
2. Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Tacos
Like the regular Crunchy Taco, the Doritos Locos Taco contains seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheese. However, the shell is dusted with Nacho Cheese Doritos flavoring.
It contains (3):
- Calories: 170
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Total carbs: 13 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net carbs: 10 grams
3. Black Beans
Taco Bell offers a small bowl of seasoned black beans as a side option. Although beans are typically too high in carbs for a keto diet, this small serving can fit into a keto diet in a pinch.
It provides (4):
- Calories: 50
- Protein: 2 grams
- Fat: 1 gram
- Total carbs: 8 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net carbs: 5 grams
The rest of the keto options at Taco Bell will require a few modifications to make them keto-friendly, but they’ll provide a more substantial meal than the small crunchy tacos or side order of black beans.
In the case of burritos, when you order them without a tortilla, they’ll be served in a bowl.
All the nutrition info for these customized meals came from the nutrition calculator on the Taco Bell website. This is a valuable tool that you may want to play around with if you’re planning a keto Taco Bell meal (5).
4. Chicken Power Menu Bowl (no beans or rice)
A Power Menu Bowl is probably your best option for a keto-friendly meal at Taco Bell.
Although this usually comes with beans and rice, you can remove these items and still get a bowl containing chicken, shredded cheese, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, and an avocado-ranch sauce. Best of all, it’s only got 4 grams of net carbs.
One bowl provides (5):
- Calories: 240
- Protein: 21 grams
- Fat: 14 grams
- Total carbs: 7 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Net carbs: 4 grams
5. Steak Power Menu Bowl (no beans or rice)
You can get the Power Menu Bowl with steak instead of chicken, although it’s a tad higher in net carbs.
It contains (5):
- Calories: 250
- Protein: 20 grams
- Fat: 16 grams
- Total carbs: 8 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 6 grams
6. Beefy 5-Layer Burrito (no tortilla)
The Beefy 5-Layer Burrito consists of seasoned ground beef, refried beans, sour cream, cheese, and cheese sauce on a large flour tortilla.
However, if you remove the tortilla from the equation it’s a fairly keto-friendly meal. It clocks in right at 10 grams of net carbs.
It contains (5):
- Calories: 200
- Protein: 10 grams
- Fat: 11 grams
- Total carbs: 16 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Net carbs: 10 grams
7. Burrito Supreme (no tortilla)
The Burrito Supreme contains seasoned beef, sour cream, onions, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, red sauce, and beans in a large flour tortilla. Without the tortilla, it contains 10 grams of net carbs — making it an OK choice for keto.
It provides (5):
- Calories: 190
- Protein: 10 grams
- Fat: 9 grams
- Total carbs: 17 grams
- Fiber: 7 grams
- Net carbs: 10 grams
8. Crunchwrap Supreme (no tortilla or shell)
The Crunchwrap Supreme is a Taco Bell specialty that contains seasoned beef and cheese sauce, a crunchy taco shell, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream — all wrapped in a large flour tortilla and grilled.
To make it keto, you’ll need to remove the shell and the tortilla. With these changes, it contains (5):
- Calories: 180
- Protein: 6 grams
- Fat: 10 grams
- Total carbs: 10 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 8 grams
9. Chicken Quesadilla (no tortilla)
Taco Bell’s Chicken Quesadilla contains grilled chicken, shredded cheese, and a creamy jalapeño sauce in a large grilled tortilla. With no tortilla, it’s one of the most protein-packed keto-friendly items you can get at Taco Bell.
It contains (5):
- Calories: 310
- Protein: 22 grams
- Fat: 21 grams
- Total carbs: 5 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 3 grams
10. Steak Quesadilla (no tortilla)
The Steak Quesadilla contains grilled steak, cheese, and a creamy jalapeño sauce. Like the Chicken Quesadilla, it’s a great keto option if you ask for no tortilla.
It provides (5):
- Calories: 320
- Protein: 21 grams
- Fat: 22 grams
- Total carbs: 5 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 3 grams
11. Chicken Chipotle Melt (no tortilla)
The Chicken Chipotle Melt is a Value Menu item that contains grilled chicken, cheese, and a creamy chipotle sauce on a flour tortilla. Without the tortilla, it contains only 1 net carb per serving.
A Chicken Chipotle Melt with no tortilla provides (5):
- Calories: 100
- Protein: 10 grams
- Fat: 6 grams
- Total carbs: 1 gram
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Net carbs: 1 gram
12. Nachos BellGrande (no chips or beans)
Taco Bell’s popular Nachos BellGrande are usually loaded with carbs from tortilla chips and a hefty serving of refried beans. If you order it without the chips or beans, you’ll get seasoned beef with sour cream, tomatoes, and cheese sauce.
It provides (5):
- Calories: 180
- Protein: 6 grams
- Fat: 12 grams
- Total carbs: 12 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Net carbs: 10 grams
13. Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito (no tortilla)
If you’re hitting the drive-through for a keto-friendly breakfast, you can still make Taco Bell work.
The Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito is loaded with keto-friendly ingredients: bacon, eggs, and cheese sauce. Just ask for no tortilla.
It contains (5):
- Calories: 150
- Protein: 8 grams
- Fat: 11 grams
- Total carbs: 3 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Net carbs: 3 grams
Here are a few more tips to help you make Taco Bell fit your keto diet:
- Nix the tortilla, chips, and beans. These are the highest-carb items in most Taco Bell meals, so avoiding them will effortlessly make most of the Taco Bell menu keto-friendly, with the exception of desserts and sugary drinks (
2 ,6 ,7 ). - Add guacamole. Taco Bell offers guacamole, which contains fat and fiber from the avocado it’s made with. This is a great addition to your keto Taco Bell order because it adds fat, fiber, and calories without adding lots of net carbs (
8 ). - Add sauces. Taco Bell offers a variety of sauces that are all low in carbs. These include hot sauces, cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream, and creamy sauces like their Jalapeno Ranch Sauce. They’re a great way to add flavor and extra fat and calories (
9 ,10 ). - Ask for extra meat or cheese. To get an extra dose of protein and fat in your meal, ask for extra meat or cheese. Note that Taco Bell meats do contain small amounts of carbs from their seasonings and additives (5, 11).
- Get your order over lettuce. Most of these keto-friendly options will be served in bowls, so you can ask for the whole meal to be served over lettuce to add bulk without too many extra carbs. You can also add tomatoes, onions, or jalapeños (5).
Remember to use the nutrition calculator on their website, as well. It allows you to totally customize your order, including the ability to remove tortillas and view the nutrition information.
It’s important to note that Taco Bell is probably not the best food to eat regularly.
Although you can make lots of Taco Bell menu items keto-friendly, they’re still highly processed — and highly processed foods appear to contribute to excess weight gain, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic health conditions much more than unprocessed foods (
Taco Bell is a great option in a pinch or every once in a while, but try not to make it a regular part of your diet.
Overall, focus on a keto diet that’s based on unprocessed, whole foods.
Most Taco Bell menu items aren’t keto friendly when ordered as-is, but a few simple changes can reduce the net carb count to an acceptable 10 grams or fewer.
To make nearly any item at Taco Bell keto, ask for it without:
- tortillas
- beans
- chips
To add extra fat, protein, and calories, ask for:
- extra meat
- guacamole
- sour cream
- cheese
- creamy sauce
To bulk up your meal without adding lots of extra carbs, add:
- lettuce
- tomato
- onion
- jalapeños.
Just remember, even the keto-friendly foods at Taco Bell are still highly processed, so try to have Taco Bell and other fast food meals only occasionally.
Just one thing
Try this today: If you know a fast food visit is in your future, check out the restaurant’s website in advance and plan your meal before arriving. That way, you’ll know for sure that what you order fits your dietary needs.
