For those embracing a carnivore diet, the world of fast food might seem off-limits. However, with a bit of creativity and knowledge, it's entirely possible to navigate the Taco Bell menu and create satisfying, carnivore-friendly meals. This guide provides the ultimate resource for enjoying Taco Bell while staying true to your dietary goals. It demonstrates that you can enjoy fast food without compromising your dietary goals with some creativity and proper knowledge.
Introduction: Taco Bell as a Carnivore-Friendly Destination
The carnivore diet, which primarily consists of animal products, may seem incompatible with fast food chains like Taco Bell. However, Taco Bell's customizable menu allows for strategic ordering to create meals that align with carnivore principles. By focusing on protein-packed options and avoiding high-carb ingredients, you can enjoy a quick and convenient meal without straying from your diet.
Core Principles for Carnivore Ordering at Taco Bell
The key to enjoying Taco Bell on a carnivore diet lies in customization. Taco Bell is open to menu modifications. In fact, they invite you to “customize” any of the items on their menu, so don’t be afraid to get creative with your order. The most important adjustments involve eliminating plant-based ingredients and focusing on meat and animal-derived toppings.
Essential Modifications
- Skip the Tortilla, Beans, Rice, and other Plant-Based Fillers: These are the highest-carb items in most Taco Bell meals, so avoiding them will effortlessly make most of the Taco Bell menu carnivore-friendly, with the exception of desserts and sugary drinks.
- Focus on Meat: Prioritize menu items that feature beef, chicken, or steak.
Top Carnivore-Friendly Options at Taco Bell (with Modifications)
Here are several Taco Bell menu items that can be modified to fit a carnivore diet:
Power Menu Bowl (No Beans or Rice): This bowl typically includes chicken or steak, shredded cheese, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, and avocado-ranch sauce. By removing the beans and rice, you're left with a protein and fat-rich meal.
Read also: Eating Keto at Taco Bell
- Chicken Power Menu Bowl (no beans or rice): A Power Menu Bowl is probably your best option for a carnivore-friendly meal at Taco Bell. One bowl provides: Calories: 240, Protein: 21 grams, Fat: 14 grams, Total carbs: 7 grams, Fiber: 3 grams, Net carbs: 4 grams
- 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: Calories: 250, Protein: 20 grams, Fat: 16 grams, Total carbs: 8 grams, Fiber: 2 grams, Net carbs: 6 grams
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 carnivore-friendly meal. It clocks in right at 10 grams of net carbs. It contains: Calories: 200, Protein: 10 grams, Fat: 11 grams, Total carbs: 16 grams, Fiber: 6 grams, Net carbs: 10 grams
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 :Calories: 190Protein: 10 gramsFat: 9 gramsTotal carbs: 17 gramsFiber: 7 gramsNet carbs: 10 grams
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 carnivore, you’ll need to remove the shell and the tortilla. With these changes, it contains : Calories: 180Protein: 6 gramsFat: 10 gramsTotal carbs: 10 gramsFiber: 2 gramsNet carbs: 8 grams
Chicken Quesadilla or Steak 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 carnivore-friendly items you can get at Taco Bell. It contains : Calories: 310Protein: 22 gramsFat: 21 gramsTotal carbs: 5 gramsFiber: 2 gramsNet carbs: 3 grams. The Steak Quesadilla contains grilled steak, cheese, and a creamy jalapeño sauce. Like the Chicken Quesadilla, it’s a great carnivore option if you ask for no tortilla. It provides : Calories: 320Protein: 21 gramsFat: 22 gramsTotal carbs: 5 gramsFiber: 2 gramsNet carbs: 3 grams
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 :Calories: 100Protein: 10 gramsFat: 6 gramsTotal carbs: 1 gramFiber: 0 gramsNet carbs: 1 gram
Read also: Low-carb taco pizza: a must-try!
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 :Calories: 180Protein: 6 gramsFat: 12 gramsTotal carbs: 12 gramsFiber: 2 gramsNet carbs: 10 grams
Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito (No Tortilla): If you’re hitting the drive-through for a carnivore-friendly breakfast, you can still make Taco Bell work. The Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito is loaded with carnivore-friendly ingredients: bacon, eggs, and cheese sauce. Just ask for no tortilla. It contains :Calories: 150Protein: 8 gramsFat: 11 gramsTotal carbs: 3 gramsFiber: 0 gramsNet carbs: 3 grams
Maximizing Flavor and Satisfaction
Even without the usual Taco Bell staples, you can still create flavorful and satisfying meals.
Carnivore-Friendly Sauces and Toppings
- 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. Keto-Friendly Sauces Creamy Jalapeno Sauce - 1g carbGuacamole - 1g net carbNacho Cheese Sauce - 1g carbCreamy Chipotle Sauce - 0g carbAvocado Ranch - 1g carbSpicy Ranch - 1g carbRed Sauce - 2g carb
Additional Tips for Carnivore Success at Taco Bell
- Order Online: Use Taco Bell’s website or app to customize your order, ensuring accuracy and minimizing potential misunderstandings. It allows you to totally customize your order, including the ability to remove tortillas and view the nutrition information.
- Add 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.
- Get your order over lettuce: Most of these carnivore-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.
Sample Carnivore-Friendly Taco Bell Orders
Here are a few examples of how to combine the above strategies into complete meals:
- Modified Mini Skillet Bowl: Order the Mini Skillet Bowl, but replace the potatoes with a meat of your choice. Up the fat with some guacamole, extra cheese, or a drizzle of any of the low-carb sauces. This meal costs about $3.45. Bowl: Eggs, steak, cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole, creamy chipotle sauce. Calories: 490, Fat: 46g, Protein: 14g, Carbs: 6g, Fiber: 1g, Net Carbs: 5g
- Modified Fiesta Taco Salad with Chicken: Order the Fiesta Taco Salad and ask for no beans, no rice, no shell, and no Red Stripes (chips). This ensures your salad is filled with only the good stuff - lettuce, cheese, chicken, sour cream, tomatoes and salsa. Don't forget to add guac if you want more fat. This meal costs about $5.95. Bowl: Lettuce, chicken, cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, salsa. Calories: 210, Fat: 9g, Carbs: 10g, Protein: 21g. Feel free to sub seasoned beef for chicken.
- Modified Power Menu Bowl: Power up with a carnivore version of the Power Menu Bowl. Omit the rice and beans and you’re left with a high fat, high protein keto taco bell lunch. We added lettuce and bacon for more volume. Wash it down with water or any of the diet sodas available for purchase. This meal is about $5.65. Bowl: Lettuce, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream, guacamole, bacon, Avocado Ranch Sauce. Calories: 330, Fat: 24g, Protein: 21g, Carbs: 8g, Fiber: 2g, Net Carbs: 6g
A Word of Caution: Processed Foods and the Carnivore Diet
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 carnivore-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. While this guide provides strategies for making informed choices, it's essential to prioritize whole, unprocessed foods as the foundation of your diet.
Read also: Customize Your Keto Taco Bowl