How You Can Make (Almost) Any Taco Bell Item Vegan

When you think of Taco Bell, what comes to mind? Delicious late-night drive-thru tacos on the cheap? The "yo quiero Taco Bell" doggie from years past? Insanely slurpable Baja Blasts? While all valid associations, "vegan friendly" might not be the first attribute you associate with the Mexican-inspired chain. But maybe it should be. Surprisingly, of all the fast-food joint options, Taco Bell is near the top of the list of accommodating menus for plant-based diners. Outside of some blink-and-you'll-miss-it, limited-time promos like a vegan cheese sauce with its famed nacho fries, almost every item on its regular menu can be turned plant-based with a few easy swaps, subs, and one magic word. 

Taco Bell's app and online menu have a dedicated category of "veggie craving" options for vegetarians, but you can easily make your orders fully vegan — and you're not limited to the choices listed there. If you're saying no quiero to animal products, the basic equation is swapping meat for beans, holding any cheese, queso, or sour cream, and uttering or clicking the phrase "fresco" when ordering.

The ease of making just about any Taco Bell menu item vegan is as easy as that, largely thanks to the fact that the chain's refried and black beans are both vegan. (You can't assume all refried beans are vegetarian, so this is a win!) When ordering a crunchy or soft-shell taco, a burrito, or even a crunch wrap, opt for either type of bean instead of an animal protein, and you're halfway there. To add some heft and delicious carby goodness to your meals, add seasoned rice or the fan-favorite potatoes — which were pulled from the menu at one point but, due to a widespread outcry, were, blessedly, brought back. 

Then, pile on extras to your heart's content, like onions, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, and guacamole to add a rich, creamy goodness to your meal. Along with your main dishes, load up on the hot sauces — the mild, hot, fire, diablo, and red sauce options are all 100% plant-based, so go wild. To round out your meal, grab a dessert of cinnamon twists, which are totally vegan as is, and wash it all down with a Baja Blast or soda.

Taco Bell goes the extra mile to make it easy to order according to your dietary preferences at its restaurants, publishing comprehensive blog post guides to ordering vegetarian or vegan at the establishment. Perhaps even more helpful, the chain has a "secret code word" for making your ordering process that much smoother. Whether ordering in person or on the app, specify to make it "fresco" style — which automatically tells employees to remove any dairy-based sauces, cheeses, or sour cream and add chopped tomatoes. 

This option can be checked in addition to all the other substitutions you make — so don't assume fresco automatically makes your whole meal fully vegan; you'll still need to substitute in beans, for example. If only all dining establishments had such a magic word that cut through lengthy explanations and customizations. When ordering on the app, choose "fresco" on the drop-down menu under the "style" options for each menu item and dine easy, knowing no matter when the craving hits, whether you've got the late-night munchies or are on a road trip, you're probably never far from one of Taco Bell's thousands of restaurants across the U.S. and abroad. And therefore, you're never far from a customizable, vegan-friendly meal, whether you're 100% vegan or simply opting to eat more plants.