Taco Bell has a pretty die-hard fan base. For good reason — the food brand is unique in the fast food space in that it combines a loose interpretation of American Mexican food with the sort of form factors only a stoner could dream up. “What if we wrapped a tostada in a giant tortilla?” “What if a taco shell was made out of Doritos?” “What if there were multiple flavors of Mountain Dew!?”
The fact that Taco Bell is able to spin these ridiculous ideas into fast food that sober people actually want is a testament to the brand’s skill. The commitment to vegetarian fare is admirable. But even the most die-hard Taco Bell fans have to agree, Taco Bell has been slipping.
They’ve ditched the Fritos stuffed burritos, axed the Mexican pizza, and even killed off the 7-layer burrito (sort of). Who even is Taco Bell anymore? We ranked the whole menu last year, and that list is already obsolete!
By producing a menu that is more streamlined and focused, Taco Bell has created something a whole lot less fun. Thank god for menu hacks. Considering the Bell’s menu is completely customizable, it still has a lot of potential to be chopped, screwed, and remixed into uniquely delicious dishes. But since many of the vintage menu hacks aren’t possible anymore (bring back those Fritos!) we had to hit TikTok, ask Taco Bell obsessed friends, and even create some of our own riffs, all in an attempt to take Taco Bell’s menu and make it even better.
Here are the best current Taco Bell menu hacks, ranked, plus exactly how to order them.
12. Double Decker Cheesy Taco
Ever since Taco Bell dropped the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, which features a thick tortilla smothered in melted cheese and wrapped around a taco, this assemble-it-yourself menu hack has felt a little obsolete, which is why it ranks last on our list.
The idea here is a combination of the quesadilla and the taco. It’s not a bad idea, but Taco Bell has this ground covered now with the Cheesy Gordita Crunch which is superior because the Gordita shell is thicker and more hearty, whereas this hack relies on Taco Bell’s Cheesy Roll-Up which features a thinner tortilla. Plus you have to assemble this yourself, which is always a pain.
How To Order It:
One Cheesy Roll-up and two hard shell tacos. Open up the cheesy roll up and wrap it around two crunchy tacos.
The Bottom Line:
Skip it, order the Cheesy Gordita Crunch instead. You don’t get to eat two hard shell tacos at the same time, but you do get a better tasting thicker tortilla wrapping your taco.
11. California Sunset
@ceotacobellhacks tacobell drink hack (California Sunset) #tacobell #tacobellhack #fyp #foryoupage
I get it, this looks and sounds really delicious, but trust me it really fails to deliver. The California Sunset tastes like little more than slightly fizzy fruit punch. It has an overly candied flavor that sticks to the tongues and teeth and makes you feel like you should be drinking it out of a box with a bendy straw.
How To Order It:
Half G2, which is awful tasting low-sugar Gatorade, one-quarter Mountain Dew, and one-quarter Brisk Mango Iced Tea. Do as this TikTok user says and be sure to stir it up. It won’t help to make it taste that much better, but at least it’ll taste consistent.
The Bottom Line:
Not worth the effort, and if you’re not at a self-serve fountain you’re just asking for the Taco Bell employee who has to make this for you to hate you.
10. Cheesecake
I found this hack courtesy of TikTok user JessicaLipStickScience and I was pretty convinced I was being pranked about this one before I had it. Sour cream and cream cheese are not the same, yes, they share some similarities, but sour cream has a flavor that is overwhelmingly…well sour.
So when I first reluctantly dipped a cinnamon twist into a side of sour cream, I winced until it actually hit my palate. Strangely, the sugary dust that is applied to these twists tamed the more sour notes and made this taste just like a slice of New York cheesecake. Not a good cheesecake mind you, but I have to hand it to Jessica, it does certainly taste like cheesecake.
Cheesecake that is rotting.
How To Order It:
Cinnamon twists with a side of sour cream. They just let you order it, no questions asked.
The Bottom Line:
Yes, it tastes like cheesecake, not it isn’t good. Don’t order it, there is something about dipping the cinnamon twist into the sour cream that makes you feel ashamed to be alive.
9. Any Burrito Grilled!
This is the sort of menu hack that has become so widespread that now it’s been added as a customization option on Taco Bell’s app. Taco Bell diehards have known for years that you can get any burrito on Taco Bell’s menu grilled and on every occasion, you should!
My favorite burrito to get grilled is the Cheesy Bean and Rice burrito, which adds a nice bit of crunchy texture to this soft mouthfeel burrito.
How To Order It:
Order any burrito, and then ask for it grilled! You’re making a good thing better.
The Bottom Line:
You can’t go wrong with this simple hack that works on multiple menu items.
8. The 7-Layer Burrito/ 10-Layer Burrito
@damntastyvegan How to order the 7 layer burrito from @tacobell for half the price. #tacobell #tacobellhack #veganhacks #vegantips #vegan
Taco Bell has always been incredibly friendly to vegetarians, not only do they have more vegetarian options on their menu than any other fast food chain, you can customize almost every item into something vegetarian friendly, but for whatever reason last year Taco Bell ditched the vegetarian-favorite 7-Layer Burrito. Sort of.
The 7-Layer consists of beans, tomatoes, rice, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and lettuce, all ingredients that Taco Bell still has on hand, so why get rid of it? We can’t say, but as a burrito its good, not great. The problem here is that Taco Bell’s beans aren’t very good to begin with, and they supply most of the flavor here. The guacamole and sour cream turn each bite into a textureless mushy mess.
Luckily we have a hack that’ll take this to the next level.
How To Order It:
Bean, cheese, and rice burrito add guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, jalapeños, red strips, and potatoes. Bam, 10 layer burrito, a little bit of crunch, a little bit of spice, and a whole lot heartier while still being vegetarian.
The Bottom Line:
The 7-Layer Burrito might not be on the menu anymore, but it still lives on! Add three more layers of flavor and texture, and you’ve got a damn good burrito on your hands that should be a permanent menu item.
7. Nacho Cheese Jalapeño Chicken Quesadilla
@ogdaddydyke Thank my later #tacobell #foodhack #tacobellhack #tacobellhack #quesadilla #chicken #foodporn #food #tiktokfood
I came across this hack via TikTok and it’s one of the simpler to put together. Flavor-wise it’s pretty good, the jalapeños bring some sour heat to Taco Bell’s bland and rubbery grilled chicken and the inclusion of nacho cheese alongside the three cheese blend helps to keep each bite gooey, molten hot, and extra salty.
That saltiness is a bit too much, I’d suggest you offset that by dipping each bite into some warm green sauce.
How To Order It:
Chicken Quesadilla, add jalapeño peppers, add nacho cheese sauce.
The Bottom Line:
The nacho cheese makes this one a bit too salty and one-note for it to rank highly, but adding jalapeño peppers to your chicken, steak, or cheese quesadilla is an instant way to make it into a more flavorful quesadilla. Do that and skip the nacho cheese or order this alongside a side of green or red sauce.
6. Mexican Calzone
Some time ago, Taco Bell ditched the fan-favorite Mexican Pizza for some reason and it has sent Taco Bell fans scrambling to find a replacement. The old play used to be to order two tostadas with ground beef and smash them together. Then Taco Bell got rid of tostadas, which means the Mexican Pizza is dead until Taco Bell resurrects it.
The tostada still lives in the Crunch Wrap though, so theoretically you can build a Mexican pizza inside of a Crunch Wrap, which is kind of like a calzone if you think about it. You get the beefy crunch of the Mexican pizza, with the savory flavor of hot red sauce, melted cheese, juicy tomato, and earthy refried beans.
How To Order It:
Crunchwrap Supreme, no sour cream, no lettuce, no nacho cheese sauce, add beans, add three cheese blend, add red sauce.
The Bottom Line:
It’s not quite the Mexican Pizza, and it’s not really a calzone either — it’s more like eating a giant nacho wrapped in a tortilla — but it’s as close as we’re going to get and tastes delicious.
5. Cloudy Skies
@ceotacobellhacks taco bell drink hacks ( cloudy skies ) #tacobell #tacobellhack #foryoupage #fyp
Another TikTok sourced menu hack, the Cloudy Skies, aka Baja Haze consists of a mix of Mountain Dew Baja Blast and Tropicana pink lemonade and while I’m not one for soda fountain mixology, this is pretty damn good. It’s refreshing, tangy, slightly sour, and candy sweet.
I have to admit I didn’t think I was going to like this one, but it surprised me.
How To Order It:
Don’t ask for “Cloudy Skies,” you’re just going to annoy whoever is taking your order. Instead, politely ask if they can give you a drink that is half Baja Blast half Pink Lemonade. If you’re at a Taco Bell with a self-serve fountain, definitely mix this one yourself following a 1:1 ratio.
The Bottom Line:
Think Sprite or 7-Up mixed with pink lemonade, but with a sweet key lime forward flavor.
4. Nacho Fries (sort of)
One of my favorite Taco Bell menu hacks is one of my favorite southern California Mexican Food staples — carne asada fries. Unfortunately, Taco Bell keeps taking their delicious and crispy fries off the menu. Luckily there is a hack utilizing Taco Bell’s Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes that work as a delicious appetizer or side to your meal.
Texture is where this hack really shines, you have the crispy and fluffy texture from the fried potatoes, gooey cheesy goodness from nacho cheese sauce and the melted three-cheese combination, and the occasional juicy burst of sweet tomato.
How To Order It:
Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes no sour cream, add three-cheese blend, tomatoes, and the meat of your choice. I went with chicken last time and it did not disappoint.
The Bottom Line:
This is a must-order as a side to any Taco Bell meal. It’s almost macaroni and cheesecake with a crispier more pleasing texture.
3. California Burrito
This is another hack that would taste better with Taco Bell’s discontinued fries, but hey, we’ll make do with what we’ve got. The California Burrito is exactly what it sounds like, a California Burrito, meaning it consists of fried potatoes, carne asada, sour cream, cheese, and guacamole.
Taking a bite out of this burrito is a delicious experience, you’re greeted with a nice audible crunch followed by a slight tang with nutty limey notes from the guacamole, which is a lot easier to focus in on without being distracted by beans. Carne asada helps make this burrito a bit more satisfying. We took things to the next level by using Taco Bell’s Spicy Double Steak Grilled Cheese burrito as our base, which features fried cheese and jalapeños grilled onto the tortilla. That added more crunch to the burrito with a bit of spice from the jalapeño.
How To Order It:
The Most Affordable Way: Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito, remove beans, add potatoes, steak, guacamole, and sour cream.
The Most Delicious Way: Spicy Double Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito remove rice, chipotle sauce, red strips, and nacho cheese, add guacamole and potatoes.
The Bottom Line:
As close as you’re going to get to a California Burrito at Taco Bell until they bring the French fries back.
2. Wet Burrito/Enchirito
This is essentially what Taco Bell used to call the Enchirito, it’s basically what is known as a wet burrito, a burrito that is doused in enchilada sauce, only in this case it’s Taco Bell’s red sauce which is pretty much enchilada sauce but a little bit runnier. It’s fucking delicious. Messy, but delicious. I imagine Taco Bell ditched the Enchirito because of how much of a mess it makes, but all you need to make it happen is a side of red sauce, a plate, and any Taco Bell burrito.
How To Order It: Any Taco Bell burrito plus a side of red sauce and a side of nacho cheese sauce or cheese. Toss both ingredients on the burrito. Eat with a knife and fork.
The Bottom Line:
Dousing your burrito in red sauce will instantly make it more savory. The red sauce adds heat and a depth of flavor to your burrito that makes each bite taste decadently indulgent.
1. Proper Nachos
How did Taco Bell fuck up nachos? No really, all you need is a bag of tortilla chips, a block of cheese, and a can of refried beans to make better nachos than Taco Bell’s Nachos Bell Grande. The Nachos Bell Grande makes movie theater nachos seem downright gourmet.
I know that living in Los Angeles has spoiled me with some of the best Mexican food in the country, but the Nachos Bell Grande are the saddest attempt at nachos I’ve ever come across, and it’s especially maddening because Taco Bell has all the necessary ingredients to make proper nachos, they just don’t do it. So I guess we’re going to do it for them.
How To Order It: Nachos Bell Grande, remove seasoned beef and nacho cheese sauce (so tacky), add steak or chicken, guacamole, jalapeños, extra three cheese blend, and hot red or green sauce. It’s crunchy, filling, flavorful, and spicy.
The Bottom Line: It’s not rocket science it’s just fucking nachos! It’s probably the most obvious Taco Bell hack but it’s really something that should be part of the permanent menu. We shouldn’t have to do this shit for you Taco Bell. These nachos have what good nachos need — layers of flavors. Taco Bell’s regular Nacho Bell Grande tastes like road kill and are truly an insult to nachos everywhere.