Del Taco Menu: What Should You Avoid? (2024)

Most Nutritious Option

If you're looking for the most nutritious option at Del Taco, order the restaurant's signature crunchy snack taco, which is low in calories and sodium compared to other items.

Del Taco Breakfast

When you grab breakfast at a fast food drive-thru, the best bet is to skip processed meat fillings like sausage, bacon, and chorizo. At Del Taco, you can opt for simple egg and cheese breakfast burritos and “rollers," which are skinny, tightly wrapped tortillas with egg, cheese, and red sauce.

In general, it's best to order breakfast items à la carte rather than the meal options, which come with a side of hash brown sticks and a drink.

✓ Egg and Cheese Breakfast Roller

The egg and cheese breakfast roller offers 250 calories, 12g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 24g carbohydrate, 10g protein, 600mg sodium. This simple breakfast—which includes scrambled eggs and shredded cheddar cheese rolled in a tortilla—is the most nutritious on Del Taco's menu.

✗ Epic Scrambler Burrito With Bacon

The epic scrambler burrito with bacon (eggs, bacon, cheese, hash brown sticks, and salsa wrapped in a tortilla) comes in at 990 calories, 58g fat, 21g saturated fat, 71g carbohydrates, 34g protein, and 2140mg sodium.

Del Taco also offers a sweet breakfast option: Four donut bites, which have 240 calories (mostly from fat and sugar) per order.

Del Taco Salads

Del Taco offers four versions of a taco salad, each with a different protein. With cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips, the salads can be high in fat. But they offer more veggies than some other menu offerings.

✓ Taco Salad With Fresh Guac and Grilled Chicken

The taco salad with fresh guac, grilled chicken option includes grilled, marinated chicken, grated cheddar cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, cilantro, sour cream, and tortilla chips layered over shredded lettuce. It provides 420 calories, 26g total fat, 10g saturated fat, 22g carbohydrates, 26g protein, and 1140mg sodium.

✗ Taco Salad With Fresh Guac and Seasoned Beef

The taco salad with fresh guac and seasoned beef comes in at 500 calories, 33g fat, 16g saturated fat, 23g carbohydrates, 27g protein, and 1150mg sodium. It comes with a side of salsa as well. This salad has the same ingredients as the grilled chicken version but is topped with ground beef.

Del Taco's Tacos

Del Taco's menu offers more than 10 types of tacos and tostadas. Depending on the shell you pick and what you fill it with, tacos can be a Del Taco low-calorie option. Choose crispy taco shells rather than soft flatbread, which adds 100 to 200 processed, high-carb calories.

✓ Crunchy Snack Taco

The crunchy snack taco offers 120 calories, 7g fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 8g carbohydrates, 6g protein, and 140mg sodium per taco. With only seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheese on a hard taco shell, this item is also the most nutritious option on the Del Taco menu.

✗ Crispy Chicken & Guac Stuffed Quesadilla Taco

The crispy chicken and guac stuffed quesadilla taco packs in breaded chicken pieces, cheese, guacamole, and lettuce, and serves it all inside a cheesy quesadilla taco. This single taco will deliver 480 calories, 26g fat, 10g saturated fat, 37g carbohydrates, 22g protein, and 1,180mg sodium.

If you're looking for a chicken-based taco, consider the Chicken Del Carbon taco, which has chicken, onion, cilantro, and sauce, and provides 110 calories, 3.5g fat, 0g saturated fat, 13g carbohydrates, 9g protein, and 300mg sodium.

Del Taco Burritos

Del Taco’s burritos range from the relatively low-cal, low-fat cheese and chicken rollers to hefty “Epic” burritos packed with rice, creamy sauces, and tons of meat. If you choose fillings carefully, burritos can be a reasonable meal option—especially if you share an order or save half for later.

One of the easiest ways to reduce fat, calories, and carbs is to pack extra veggies while skipping meat, cheese, and heavy sauces. You can customize a burrito at Del Taco with ingredients like lettuce, onion, tomatoes, avocado, black beans, and salsa.

✓ Original Chicken Roller

Del Taco's original chicken roller provides 220 calories, 8g fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 26g carbohydrates, 12g protein, and 680mg sodium. These smaller-size burritos come with chicken, cheese, and sauce in a flour tortilla, and skip the added sauces and meat of the other Del Taco burrito options.

✗ Epic Loaded Queso Burrito With Carne Asada

The epic loaded queso burrito with carne asada comes in at 900 calories, 44g fat, 19g saturated fat, 76g carbohydrate, 47g protein, and 2920mg sodium. It's no surprise that this burrito has the highest amount of sodium in all of the options. It is made with meat, cheese, pico de gallo, and crinkle cut fries in an extra-large tortilla.

Del Taco Quesadillas

Quesadillas can be made fairly basic with cheese and a tortilla or can include popular taco or burrito fillings. If you’re craving a cheesy quesadilla, look for lighter, smaller sizes. You can then customize to include healthy additions like veggies and salsa that will add taste without adding as many carbs, fat, and calories as some of the standard menu items.

✓ Snack Queso Quesadilla

The snack queso quesadilla is a smaller-sized quesadilla that provides 230 calories, 9g fat, 5g saturated fat, 27g carbohydrates, 8g protein, and 480mg sodium. Combine this mini quesadilla with one of Del Taco's healthier sides and have a solid meal.

✗ Chicken Cheddar Quesadilla

The full-size chicken cheddar quesadilla is the least nutritious option with 540 calories, 30g fat, 16g saturated fat, 36g carbohydrates, 29g protein, and 1,250mg sodium.

Del Taco Nachos

While nachos are a menu standard at Tex-Mex style restaurants, the crunchy, salty, favorite can be one of the least nutritious options. Slathered with cheese, meat, and sauces, nachos can be high in sodium, calories, fat, and carbohydrates. However, given the highly customizable nature of Del Taco’s menu offerings, you can make a healthier, snack-sized version of the chip dish.

While nachos are often thought of as a side or appetizer, based on calories, they often constitute an entire meal on their own—sometimes more.

✓ 3 Layer Queso Nachos

The 3 layer queso nachos offer a smaller portion of the Tex-Mex favorite with 270 calories, 11g fat, 3g saturated fat, 36g carbohydrates, 9g protein, and 680mg sodium. A simple ingredient list—it includes tortilla chips, beans, queso, and green sauce—helps keep this menu item nutritious.

✗ Queso Loaded Nachos With Seasoned Beef

A regular-sized queso loaded nacho with seasoned meat will run you 580 calories, 32g fat, 13g saturated fat, 52g carbohydrates, 23g protein, and 1480mg sodium. Size up to a large and you'll get 1060 calories, 55g fat, 20g saturated fat, 100g carbohydrates, 43g protein, and 2510mg sodium. Consider sharing with a friend to keep the calorie and sodium intake lower.

Del Taco Combos & Fiesta Packs

Unless you’re throwing a party (and can watch your portions carefully), avoid the combos and fiesta packs.

Del Taco’s menu offers tacos and sauce-drenched burritos with side orders of rice and beans and chips and salsa. Each meal on the Combos menu has 1,000 calories or more and each has more than 3,000mg of sodium.

Del Taco Burgers

Like most fast-food burgers, the select few on Del Taco's main menu are high in calories and fat. Order from the kid's menu if you want a classic fast-food meal with burger and fries lower in calories.

✓ Kid's Menu Hamburger

The kid’s menu hamburger offers 330 calories, 15g fat, 5g saturated fat, 34g carbohydrates, 13g protein, and 520mg sodium. This smaller burger doesn't feature the added toppings of some of Del Taco's other offerings and keeps the calories, carbohydrates, and sodium lower.

✗ Bacon Double Del Cheeseburger

The Bacon Double Del Cheeseburger comes in at 760 calories, 51g fat, 20g saturated fat, 35g carbohydrates, 37g protein, and 1,840mg sodium.

Instead of making an entire meal from the main menu, you can also get an adult-sized hamburger with a kid's size side of fries, which have just 160 calories. The regular menu's sizes of crinkle-cut fries range from 210 to 470 calories. Avoid any fries slathered in cheese and toppings—those options aren't just high in calories, they also have a lot of saturated fat.

Del Taco Sides

In addition to the classic fast-food fries, Del Taco also offers Mexican-inspired sides, including bean and cheese dip. Del Taco's sides don't add much nutritional value to your meal. If you're craving a side, look to the kid's menu for smaller servings.

✓ Crinkle-Cut Fries

A small order of crinkle-cut fries (85g) provides 160 calories, 10g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 17g carbohydrates, 0g sugar, 2g protein, and 190mg sodium. A signature Del Taco item, the small portion of fries is your most nutritious option in this category.

While it has less fat than other side options and offers some protein, a side of beans and cheese adds 220 calories and 570mg of sodium to your meal.

✗ Carne Asada Fries

The carne asada fries come in at 760 calories, 56g fat, 14g saturated fat, 46g carbohydrate, 21g protein, and 1,180mg sodium.

Similarly, with 570 calories, 35g fat, and 920mg sodium, an order of chili cheddar fries stacks up more like a meal than a snack or side.

Del Taco Desserts

Del Taco's dessert menu includes milkshakes in both regular and mini sizes, churros, and cheesecake bites. Some offer Mexican-inspired flavors, like horchata.

✓ Mini Cinnamon Churros

A 2-piece mini cinnamon churros order comes with 200 calories, 10g fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 25g carbohydrates, 8g sugar, 1g protein, and 125mg sodium. This sweet and crunchy side is your most nutritious dessert option, thanks to its smaller portion size.

✗ Caramel Cheesecake Bites

The caramel cheesecake bites are a small, but calorie-dense and higher-fat dessert. A 2-piece order provides 410 calories, 23g fat, 8g saturated fat, 48g carbohydrates, 16g sugar, 7g protein, and 500mg sodium. Up that to a 4-piece and the counts double.

Del Taco’s large premium shakes are made with rich ice cream and topped with whipped cream. A large chocolate shake has 880 calories and is heavy in sugar, but you might be surprised to learn it also has 540mg of sodium.

The chain's mini shakes are a better choice if you're in the mood for ice cream; they come in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and have 240 to 270 calories per serving.

Del Taco Drinks

As with most fast-food restaurants, you’ll find bottled water at Del Taco, which is always the healthiest drink choice. Additionally, a cup of black coffee doesn’t add calories or fat to your meal and is a favorite for breakfast.

✓ Gold Peak Iced Tea

If you're looking for something other than water or black coffee, try unsweetened Gold Peak iced tea which offers 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g carbohydrates, 0g sugar, 0g protein, and 0mg sodium, but lots of flavor.

✗ Prima Java Iced Coffee

A medium Prima Java iced coffee comes in at 150 calories, 2g fat, 1g saturated fat, 29g carbohydrate, 26g sugar, 3g protein, and 65mg sodium. Make that a large and the totals increase to 250 calories, 4g fat, 2g saturated fat, 50g carbohydrates, 43g sugar, 5g protein, and 105mg sodium.

Del Taco also offers popular fountain sodas from Coca-Cola and Pepsi, many of which have diet versions. While these won’t add calories, diet soda may contain additives and more sodium than other options, like iced tea.

Del Taco Diet-Specific Options

Del Taco’s menu offers enough variety to select items that align with your dietary needs and preferences. In many cases, you can ask for customizations to help make a meal that suits your needs best.

The menu offers choices for gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets, but doesn’t have many low-carb, low-FODMAP, low-fat, or diabetes-friendly menu items.

Gluten-Free

While not vast, Del Taco's gluten-free menu does offer a few options. The restaurant notes none of these items have gluten-containing ingredients, so consider the Beyond guacamole taco for a well-rounded pick. A few gluten-containing ingredients and offerings that might surprise you, such as pinto beans, seasoned beef, grilled chicken, and chipotle sauce.

• Beyond taco (crunchy)
• Beyond guacamole taco (crunchy)
• Signature taco salad with carne asada or Beyond meat
• Crinkle-cut fries
• Carne asada fries
• Chips and fresh house-made guac
• Chips and queso dip
• Snack queso quesadilla
• Milkshakes (all flavors)
• Hashbrown sticks
• Donut bites
  

Del Taco Low Calorie Options

Del Taco's low-calorie options include salads, and you can request no sour cream or cheese to reduce the fat content of your meal.

The chicken and carne asada tacos del carbon contain 3.5g of fat per taco. Adding guac to each version adds one gram of fat.

• Chicken taco del carbon
• Carne asada tacos del carbon
• Crunchy snack taco
• Soft snack taco
• Bean and cheese burrito
• Chicken roller burrito
• Snack queso quesadilla
• Egg and cheese breakfast roller

Low-Carb

Taco restaurants are not typically low-carb, but Del Taco offers some options, including salads. The grilled chicken salad contains 22g of carbohydrates. If you ask for no tortilla chips, you will save on carbs.

• Taco salad with fresh guac (any protein option)
• Crunchy snack taco
  

Vegetarian

In 2019, Del Taco partnered with Beyond Meat to provide a plant-based, meat-free substitute for any traditional meat-filling item on the menu. The chain currently designates an entire portion of its menu to vegetarian and vegan diets.

If you're looking for a nutritious vegetarian option, order the Beyond 8-layer burrito, filled with seasoned Beyond Meat, beans, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce, and has 540 calories and 26g protein.

• Epic Beyond fresh guacamole burrito
• Beyond 8-layer burrito
• 8 layer veggie burrito
• Beyond taco
• Beyond guacamole taco
• Bean and cheese burrito
• Crunchtada tostada
• Spicy jack or cheddar quesadilla
• Breakfast burrito
• Breakfast roller
• Hashbrown sticks
• Crinkle-cut fries
• Chips and fresh house-made guac
• Mini cinnamon churros
• Caramel cheesecake bites
• Milkshakes (all flavors)
  

Vegan

The addition of Beyond Meat to the menu has also given people who follow a vegan diet the option to customize their meals at Del Taco. The chain also uses vegetable oils in its fryers. For a nutritious option, order the Beyond guacamole taco, which includes Beyond Meat, guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes in a hard shell.

• Epic Beyond fresh guacamole burrito
• Beyond guacamole taco (soft or crunchy)
• Crinkle-cut fries
• Hashbrown Sticks
• Chips and fresh house-made guac
  

Food Allergies and Safety

Del Taco provides a helpful chart to help customers with food allergies and sensitivities navigate its menu. The chart lists:

• Meat
• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Soy
• Wheat
• Gluten
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

If you have food allergies, remember that even if a dish doesn’t contain the allergen, it may have been prepared near a food, with a tool, or on a surface that may have come into contact with the allergen.

For example, if you have celiac disease and cannot eat gluten, it's important to know that many items on Del Taco’s menu contain wheat. Order a meal with corn-based ingredients rather than wheat, but remember these items may have been produced, transported, stored, or prepared alongside items that contain gluten.

A Word From Verywell

Like other Mexican-inspired fast-food restaurants, Del Taco offers classic fare like tacos, burritos, nachos, and quesadillas which you can easily customize. It also offers American fast-food staples like burgers, fries, shakes, and salads. However, these options can be high in fat, calories, sodium, and sugar.

What sets Del Taco’s menu apart from the competition is the eatery’s partnership with Beyond Meat, which allows for a variety of vegetarian and vegan options.

As long as you keep track of portions and understand the nutritional information, Del Taco offers many satisfying ingredients you can use to build a fast food meal or snack that's part of a balanced diet.