Taco Bell’s Vegetarian Menu

By: Lili Zecevic, Mico Evangelista - @inquirerdotnet

Inquirer Los Angeles / 11:16 AM February 02, 2021

Taco Bell’s vegetarian menu is steadily becoming a go-to for vegetarians and vegans. And now, it plans to step things up a notch.

In this article, we discuss why the restaurant is noteworthy amongst vegetarianism for its famous menu options.

Taco Bell is Great for Vegetarians

The fast-food chain has had an early association with beefy burritos and tasty tacos. At the same time, they also have long been friendly to vegetarians and plant-based eaters. Have you ever noticed how a variety of ingredients in Mexican cuisine happen to be veggies? This strong lineup includes beans, guacamole, rice, and tortillas.

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Why?

As part of the ‘Tacos With a Side of Purpose’ initiative, they debuted a dedicated vegetarian menu. During breakfast hours alone, you can make a thousand veggie items with their thirty vegetarian ingredients. Their goal is to cater to more animal-friendly eaters by featuring exciting healthy yet high-quality options.

Customizing orders to suit the vegetarian lifestyle is also trouble-free at the Bell. They have an option in their app and website where items have a meatless makeover. To activate Veggie Mode, all that’s needed is to tap the ‘Make It Meatless’ feature.

Taco Bell’s Vegetarian Menu Items

Photo Credit: TacoBell.com

Let’s map out the fast-food chain’s healthiest fast food options:

Meatless Options

Crunchy or Soft Tacos
- Taco fans can enjoy either its crunchy or soft-shell deliciousness without beef. Just ask for beans instead, order ‘fresco style,’ then add toppings like guacamole, lettuce, and onions. Fiber and protein from beans help in feeling full and staying satiated longer.
Bean Burrito
- These refried beans are the second most sold item on the menu. That means even non-veggie people eat veggie at Taco Bell. So go ahead, order that burrito fresco style, skip the cheese, then load it up with lettuce, rice, or salsa. Adding on extra vegetables helps nutrient intake and increases fiber content.
Power Menu Bowl – Veggie
- The Veggie Power Bowl is for those who want to cut carbohydrates. Nix the avocado ranch dressing, cheese, and sour cream. Don’t worry; the bowl is filling as there’ll be plenty of fiber from vegetables. Add guacamole for more fat and add an extra scoop of beans for more protein. Add an extra scoop of guac, red sauce, and rice for more flavor.
Veggie Power Burrito
- A more weighty option, the Power Burrito packs black beans, guac, and lettuce. Say no to the avocado ranch sauce, chicken, and sour cream to make it vegetarian.
Veggie Burrito Supreme
- Saying no to beef, cheese, and sour cream can make it a little less ‘supreme’ sure. For all that, this veggie and bean number still satisfies when you add some chopped onions and vegan sauce.
Black Beans And Rice
- Enjoy the classic side dish as much as your heart desires because this is the preferred choice of registered dietitians. It is relatively low in calories and fat so top it with guacamole and lettuce to have a hearty lunch.
Black Bean Chalupa
- If the craving for something fried, try this shell filled with tomatoes, lettuce, and beans. Even if without cheese and sour cream, rest assured the black bean chalupa is still tasty. Up the flavor ante with some pico de gallo and diablo border sauce, both of which add flavor and nutrients. A bonus for anyone with sodium-restricted diets: this chalupa has lower sodium than most others.
Chips And Guac
- The good news is that the chain’s chips and guacamole are vegan friendly. Stirring in black beans to give your fat-filled dip an extra oomph is always a good idea.
Cinnamon Twists
- Order it as is because the churro-like dessert option is accidentally vegan! It doesn’t count as an entire meal, of course, so enjoy it as a flavorful and sweet end after the main.
Hash Browns
- While hash browns are not Tex-Mex inspired food, they’re available at the Bell. Appreciated along with a veggie power bowl, dip them in salsa to raise nutrition. Tomatoes being high in the antioxidant lycopene, potassium, and vitamins A & C.

Other menu items that can be ordered fresco style include Mexican Pizza, Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes, and Potato Soft Taco.

New Items and Upcoming Menu Items

Plant protein
- The chain launched a partnership with Beyond Meat to offer a new protein going on sale later this year. The Chief Food Innovation Officer says it’s done with a twist in a way never seen before. It’s probably something more like plant-based ground beef. A product that can fool, at the same time, is delicious and crave-able.
Potato bites
- The restaurant also announced the permanent return of its beloved potatoes on the 11th of March. This following customers’ outcry after menus were axed to streamline processes in response to COVID-19 spread. Taken off in the interest of speed as drive-throughs became crowded. Now operations have stabilized, the protein alternative will be back in carb explosions such as Spicy Potato Taco.

The team used this time during the pandemic to rethink their approach in paring back the menu. Many items still aren’t brought back, such as the pico de gallo.

Other Dietary Items to Consider

Photo Credit: TacoBell.com

It gets even better as Taco Bell provides ingredients certified by the American Vegetarian Association, such as:

Proteins such as black beans and refried beans.
Sauces like the Diablo Border sauce, fire border sauce, hot border sauce, green chile sauce, green tomatillo sauce, and red sauce.
Sides such as express nacho chips and seasoned rice.
Toppings like cilantro, guacamole, jalapeños, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, onions, pico de gallo, fire-roasted salsa, and tomatoes.
Other ingredients including flour tortilla, Gordita flatbread, taco shell, and tostada shell.

Don’t Forget Taco Bell’s Breakfast

March of last year was when the chain joined the fray of breakfast wars by debuting their Breakfast Burritos Menu. These offerings feature scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, and a choice of either bacon or sausage.

For vegetarians, however, one without meat could be made.

Crunchwrap (Double Decker Taco) – The Breakfast Crunchwrap is a part quesadilla, part heaven, and all yours to try. Yes, a vegetarian can enjoy the Crunchwrap Supreme (ask for black beans instead).
- Remove seasoned beef, sour cream, and nacho cheese sauce. Doing this reduces the amount of fat and number of calories from the meal. Worried about missing out on protein, fret not as the beans provide plenty.
Cinnabon Delights – These clutch breakfast items feature crispy donut holes dusted with cinnamon sugar. It’s filled with sweet cream cheese frosting that will be delightful at any time of the day. Good thing these deep-fried delights are on the menu all day long.

Summary

Admittedly, fast food isn’t entirely the healthiest course of action. However, if we are to indulge ourselves once in a while, why not do it without hurting animals. By replacing meat with beans, vegetarians can customize menu items at the Bell.
In the end, the company isn’t dictating to eat less meat.

It puts forward alternatives to those who choose to eat less meat. Taco Bell is always listening to fit its customer’s needs. And this year, they’re more than excited about bringing new lineups to further their vegetarian/vegan menu.