18 Taco Bell Copycat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What does Taco Bell use in their tacos? ›

We use 100 percent USDA premium beef in our seasoned beef. We prepare it much the same way you prepare taco meat at home: after simmering, it is drained of excess fat and pre-seasoned with our signature blend of 7 authentic seasonings and spices.

The largest order in Taco Bell history was 349 Beef Burrito Supremes, 201 Chicken Burrito Supremes, 101 Steak Burrito Supremes, and one Crunchy Taco. While Taco Bell has introduced an array of creative items to its menu, the top-selling item at the chain is the original crunchy taco.

The Taco Lite (also known as the Tacos for broke people) was a menu item at Taco Bell restaurants during the 1980's. The taco consisted of an extra long white flour tortilla shell filled with double the meat (when compared to normal tacos), along with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Taco Bell's relatively inexpensive ingredients and small serving sizes — plus its own focus on value — help put it in a sweet spot. And in the third quarter, customers didn't only go for the cheapest items, helping keep the Taco Bell's margins high.

Also, addressing a widespread rumor, Taco Bell beef is not grade D beef, according to the website. "We use the same quality beef used in all ground beef (like you'd find in the grocery store), only USDA-inspected, 100% premium real beef, period," the website says.

Taco Bell's primary meat mix consists of 88% USDA-inspected premium real beef. The remaining 12% is made up of a signature recipe that includes water, spices, and a blend of oats, starches, and other ingredients to enhance the flavor, texture, and moisture.

Taco Bell competitors include Graze, Chipotle, Freshly, Wendy's and Del Taco. Taco Bell ranks 3rd in Diversity Score on Comparably vs its competitors.

Our History

Glen opened his first taco stand, Taco Tia in 1954, selling tacos. Before Glen Bell created Taco Bell, he started Bell's Drive-In and Taco Tia in the Southern California area. Glen Bell opens his first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, CA, serving what his customers called "Tay-Kohs".

The shell that Taco Bell uses is called a "crispy taco shell" and it is made from a mixture of corn and wheat flour that is formed into a U-shape and deep-fried until crispy. This type of shell is different from the traditional hard-shell tacos that are made from just corn and are baked or fried until crispy.

What are soft tacos called? ›

Soft-shell tacos

Traditionally, soft-shelled tacos referred to corn tortillas that were cooked to a softer state than a hard taco – usually by grilling or steaming. More recently, the term has come to include flour-tortilla-based tacos mostly from large manufacturers and restaurant chains.

Made with stone-ground organic yellow corn and expeller-pressed oils, these crunchy yellow taco shells are cooked to crispy perfection. Simply fill with seasoned ground beef and all of your favorite toppings for a fiesta of flavor in every amazing bite.

Mannur said this experience is common for the South Asian diaspora — especially as families find ways to assimilate. She believes Taco Bell gave South Asians a way to eat something familiar and filling but still uniquely American.

The boycott began in April 2001 and lasted until March 2005. In addition to agreeing to the one-penny-per-pound wage increase, Taco Bell also agreed to introduce a code of conduct for its growers to ensure “more humane labor standards” according to reporting of the agreement in The Guardian.

Taco Bell is apologizing for its breakfast menu. In recent years, it has been littered with questionable foods, such as the Naked Egg Taco or even the Waffle Taco, that have since been discontinued. Turns out, people just want the basics and the chain is finally accepting that.

At its website, Taco Bell lists the following as the comprehensive ingredients in its “seasoned beef” mixture: “Beef, Water, Seasoning [Cellulose, Chili Pepper, Onion Powder, Salt, Oats (Contains Wheat), Maltodextrin (Corn, Potato, Tapioca), Soy Lecithin, Tomato Powder, Sugar, Soybean Oil, Sea Salt, Yeast Extract ( ...

The pushback worked and the suit was dropped. In the process, we all learned what is actually in Taco Bell's beef. Which, it turns out, is mostly beef, but not entirely; 12% of the "beef" the chain uses is actually a blend of other ingredients and spices.

We Use High Quality, Sustainable Ingredients.

For us, it's not enough to offer affordable, craveable, innovative choices. It also has to be food you feel good about, made with ingredients you can understand. Over the years, we've made significant improvements to our food to offer you just that.

Where do your ingredients come from? We buy many of our ingredients for our restaurants from the same brands that you see in the grocery store and your kitchen: for example, lettuce from Taylor Farms, tortillas from Mission, Hass avocados and poultry from Tyson.