Updated 2021! Taco Bell is a massive Mexican fast food franchise with more than 7000 locations worldwide. It is a U.S. company, but they also have restaurants in Canada, Australia, Europe, Asia, and beyond. They only have one main allergen database, that we could find. It is possible that menu items and allergens may differ across the countries.
Most menu items at Taco Bell can be made dairy-free with substitutions. That said, in 2020, they scaled their menu and toppings way, way back. So many of those menu items end up being very similar when ordered without dairy. Your best bet is to pick the simplest menu items and pay for upgrades, like guacamole, onions, or tomatoes, if desired. Our list below includes items that are dairy-free as is, dairy-free when ordered “fresco,” and the core ingredients to help you build your own!
No Dairy (Milk-Based) Ingredients (see disclaimer below)
In store and online, you can “Make it Fresco” with most Taco Bell menu items. It’s a lower calorie option that replaces any mayo-based sauces, cheeses, and sour cream with freshly prepared diced tomatoes. It consequently makes many Taco Bell items dairy-free by ingredients, too.
Taco Bell Menu Items
- Breakfast – Hash Brown, Potato Bites, Fresco Breakfast Crunchwrap, Toasted Breakfast Burritos (ordered with no cheese or cheese sauce)
- Tacos ordered FRESCO – Soft Taco, Soft Taco Supreme, Crunchy Taco, Crunchy Taco Supreme, Loaded Nacho Taco, Bacon Club Chalupa, Chalupa Supreme
- Burritos ordered FRESCO – Bean Burrito, Burrito Supreme, Crunchwrap Supreme, Quesarito (makes it just a beef & rice burrito), Beefy 5-Layer Burrito (makes it a beef & bean 2-layer burrito)
- Sides – Beans & Rice, Seasoned Rice, Seasoned Fries (from the Nacho Fries but with no cheese sauce), Tortilla Chips
- Sweets – Cinnamon Twists
- Freezes (regional) – Beach Berry, Blue Raspberry, Dragon Fruit, Ginger Mule, Margarita, Midnight Berry, Mtn Dew Baja Blast, Party Punch, Wild Strawberry
Components to Help Customize Your Order
- Wraps & Shells – Chalupa Shell, Flour Tortilla, Gordita Flatbread, Red Strips, Taco Shell, Tostada Shell
- Proteins – Bacon, Black Beans, Chili, Eggs, Grilled Chicken, Refried Beans, Sausage Crumbles, Seasoned Beef, Marinated Grilled Steak
- Vegetable Toppings – Lettuce, Jalapenos, Onions, Tomatoes
- Sauces – Diablo Sauce, Fire Sauce, Hot Sauce, Mild Sauce, Red Sauce, Breakfast Salsa, Guacamole
Other Allergen Notes for Taco Bell
- Peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish are not used in Taco Bell’s regular menu items, but they may be produced in common manufacturing facilities with these ingredients.
- Their proteins (meats and beans) seem to be made without top allergens, except that the Seasoned Beef contains soy lecithin and the Refried Beans are made with soybean oil.
- Their Chips, Taco Shell, and Tostada Shell are made without wheat.
Taco Bell Certified Vegan Menu Items
To make menu items vegan, you do need to customize them, but some are quite simple. For example, you can order a Bean Burrito “Fresco Style.” Taco Bell also provides this list of certified vegan sides and menu ingredients.
- Breakfast – Hash Brown, Potato Bites
- Beans & Rice – Black Beans, Seasoned Refried Beans, Seasoned Rice
- Wraps & Shells – Chalupa Shell, Gordita Flatbread, Tortillas, Red Strips, Taco Shell, Tostada Shell, Nacho Chips
- Vegetable Toppings – Lettuce, Jalapenos, Onions, Tomatoes
- Sauces – Breakfast Salsa, Diablo Sauce, Fire Sauce, Hot Sauce, Mild Sauce, Red Sauce, Premium Guacamole
- Sweets – Cinnamon Twists
More Details from Taco Bell
Allergen Disclaimer from Taco Bell: Like most restaurants, we prepare and serve products containing egg, milk, soy, wheat or other allergens. The Food Allergy & Sensitivity information on this site is based on standard product formulations and is current as of the last update. While a particular ingredient may not contain these allergens, our products may be prepared on the same equipment and in the same kitchen area as those that do. We cannot guarantee that cross contact with allergens will not occur.
Restaurant Website: www.tacobell.com
Allergen Information: www.tacobell.com/food/nutrition/allergen-info
Last Updated: February 10, 2021
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Great
Great info
A lot of options!
Surprising amount of options that are dairy free.
10 Comments
The Creamy Chipotle sauce is made with buttermilk….
I waited to respond on this until we did a full update on this post, which we just did! According to Taco Bell, the in-restaurant Creamy Chipotle Sauce does not contain dairy, but it does contain egg (which is not a milk product). Here are the ingredients for the Creamy Chipotle Sauce: CSoybean oil, water, vinegar, cage-free egg yolk, 2% or less of chili peppers, chipotle peppers, salt, sugar, roasted garlic, natural flavor, natural smoke flavor, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika extract (C), xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, sodium benzoate (P), potassium sorbate (P), calcium disodium edta (PF), citric acid, potassium chloride, maltodextrin.
I think you are referring to the bottle Creamy Chipotle Sauce by Taco Bell that you can buy in grocery stores. It DOES contain dairy and is a completely different recipe from the one they use in their restaurants.
I hope that helps!
Just as a heads up, Taco Bell’s beef has lactic acid in it, which is a form of milk. So please if you have dairy sensitivity DO NOT order any beef products! The chicken is perfectly ok, but the beef has lactic acid in it. Below, I have pasted the ingredients in Taco Bell’s beef from their website.
To the editors of this website: Please update this page with this information. This is a great source of information, and I want to make sure that everyone is aware of the presence of lactic acid in Taco Bell’s beef.
Seasoned Beef
Beef, water, seasoning [cellulose, chili pepper, maltodextrin, salt, oats (contains wheat), soy lecithin, spices, tomato powder, sugar, onion powder, citric acid, natural flavors (including smoke flavor), torula yeast, cocoa, disodium inosinate & guanylate, dextrose, lactic acid, modified corn starch], salt, sodium phosphates. Contains: Soy, Wheat
Link: https://www.tacobell.com/nutrition/ingredients
Hi Jeff, fortunately, lactic acid is rarely, if ever, derived from dairy. And in this case Taco Bell is confirming that it is not derived from dairy. Though the name is confusing, lactic acid is usually fermented form other carbohydrates and isn’t dairy itself. You can see this post we have on dairy ingredients for more information -> https://www.godairyfree.org/dairy-free-grocery-shopping-guide/dairy-ingredient-list-2
I have issues with Lactic acid due to the fact there is usually some of the protein left in there. There is no way to be 100% sure it isn’t dairy based lactic acid. I avoid lactic acid because many times even the suppliers don’t have a clue and take their best guess.
All manufacturers should have information on the source of each ingredient, and this includes lactic acid. Lactic acid is produced from the fermentation of carbohydrates – usually glucose or sucrose. It is rarely produced from galactose, and is never produced from milk protein. There is no way to be sure that any food is 100% safe from potential cross-contamination. It simply exists at some level. But if it is confirmed to be from another source, then the lactic acid would not have any relation to dairy.
Just wondering if the chalupa is dairy free? My son wants to try it..who has a dairy allergy. I don’t see it listed on your allergy site. Thank you..
If it isn’t on this list, then it wasn’t listed as dairy-free as dairy-free at our time of review.
We just left the Taco Bell in Wilsonville, Oregon. Ordered a tostado woth fresa sauce and reiterated ” no cheese”! Guess what–it came with the fresca sauce, topped with cheese.
You can easily order almost anything without dairy, provided you know what is in it. The kids working there have no idea, but I have always had a positive experience once I explain my allergy. I check ingredients beforehand and know what to tell them to leave out. They have always been very diligent and usually walk back to the prep line to be sure its prepared right.
Also, watch out for the avacado ranch dressing, it isn’t listed on the cashier’s screen for every item that actually contains it. They usually have the two separate so you can still get the yummy avacado. Anything that lists “ranch dressing” is on their keyboard as “avacado ranch”, it really helps them if you know that.
I’ve been to several locations across the south and always felt safe with the food I received.