Gluten-free Taco Bell Menu Items

Find out what menu items from Taco Bell do not contain gluten and what you need to know about gluten-free options from fast food restaurants.

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If you love tacos and fast food, Taco Bell has likely been a friend of yours at some point in your life. Quick drive thru options anywhere are a great place to get a meal when you’re on the go or need a dinner option fast.

However, if you’re following a gluten-free diet or you’re just getting started with one, you probably have realized that a lot of fast food restaurants use wheat and gluten in a lot of their foods.

Sadly, that often translates to cross contamination in kitchens and making a lot of fast food places a little risky for folks who are gluten-free.

But! I’m here today to tell you that you don’t have to live without tacos forever while steering clear of gluten. In fact, I wanted to help you navigate the Taco Bell menu so you can easily know what your options are next time you need a quick dinner on the go.

Before we get to the gluten-free menu items, let’s make sure that we’re all on the same page as it relates to what gluten is, where you can find it, and where you’re most likely to encounter it at a fast food restaurant.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape.

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Where can you find gluten in food?

Gluten can be found in the form of wheat and grain products, like bread of flour in the more obvious places. You can also find gluten as a binding ingredient, an ingredient added for texture like to make a food more crispy, or as a thickening agent.

Where can you find gluten in many fast food restaurants?

Depending on the fast food restaurant you’re visiting, you may find gluten in a variety of places. Hamburger buns, the breading of crispy chicken sandwiches or chicken nuggets, some French fries, salad dressings, croutons on salad, and chili or soup options.

At fast food restaurants that serve Mexican food, like Taco Bell, you’ll find gluten in tortillas, tortilla chips, and many side options.

Where gluten is found in the menu items will vary from restaurant to restaurant. That’s why it’s always a good idea to review menus from home, and see if you can find any allergen information before you get to the restaurant itself.

Being able to review nutritional information and allergen statements before visiting a fast food restaurant can be the difference between ordering something that you think is safe for your gluten-free diet and getting sick, and being knowledgeable about what specific menu items you’ll be able to eat without any worries of later reactions.

Taco Bell allergen statement

Taco Bell does a great job disclosing their allergens on their website. They even have a dedicated page for allergen information on their products. You can choose the allergens you want to avoid and it will filter the menu items based on your preferences.

This is the statement that they share related to allergens in their restaurants on their website:

“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. Neither Taco Bell®, our employees, nor our franchisees assume any responsibility for a person’s sensitivity or allergy to any food item provided in our restaurants.”

It goes on to say:

“Taco Bell® does not claim “gluten-free” for any of its food. Some Taco Bell® items are made without gluten containing ingredients but are prepared in common kitchen areas, including common fryer oil, risking gluten exposure. Taco Bell® does not recommend products for customers with celiac disease. Customers with gluten sensitivities should exercise judgment when ordering.

If you have a food allergy, please consult with your healthcare professional about which Taco Bell® products are right for you. We recommend checking the ingredient and allergen section of this website frequently as our menu and/or certain ingredients may change. If you have any questions regarding allergens in our restaurants, please contact us at https://www.tacobell.com/contact-us.”

Taco Bell is forthright in stating that if you have Celiac disease, you should probably not eat food prepared at their restaurants. They also recommend that if you have a gluten intolerance to be very cautious as the risk for cross contamination is high due to shared equipment and surfaces in their kitchens.

What to know about cross contamination at fast food restaurants

Most fast food restaurants are not considered gluten free establishments so it’s useful to keep this in mind when making decisions about where to go and what to order.

It’s important to know that even if a fast food restaurant claims that their menu items do not contain gluten, that the possibility and probability of gluten in their products is going to be high if there is even one menu item with gluten available.

Depending on your level of sensitivity to gluten, this can be make or break information for you. If you are Celiac and are allergic to trace amounts of gluten, you’ll likely want to avoid most fast food restaurants that offer any bread products or French fries that are cooked in a shared fryer with other gluten-containing ingredients. The same is true for Mexican fast food restaurants, like Taco Bell who use a lot of flour tortillas in their menu items.

If you are not sensitive to gluten at the trace level and have adverse reactions to gluten due to a food intolerance, you may decide that these trace amounts of gluten from cross contamination are worth risking for a quick, easy, and convenient food option.

Being aware of how you have reacted to gluten in your diet in the past and how much gluten it takes for your body to react is useful knowledge when it comes to situations like these. Use your best judgment about what you know about your body, how you react to gluten, and what the risks are for you specifically.

Gluten-free Menu Items from Taco Bell

Using the Allergen information on the Taco Bell website, I was able to find the following products are considered free of gluten, but none of them are considered to be “gluten-free” due to cross contamination in the restaurants.

While researching this post, I was also surprised to find an article on the Taco Bell website with tips on what to order from their restaurant when you’re following a gluten-free diet. They don’t have a big list, but having the company itself call out some menu options for us gluten-free folks tells me they’re at least paying attention.

Since I also follow a dairy-free diet and you might too, I’ve noted those without milk ingredients in this list as well. These items are marked with an asterisk (*) and are both without wheat or milk ingredients.

New

Cherry Sunrise Freeze*
Kalua Pork Power Bowl
Wild Cherry Freeze*

Tacos

Crunchy Taco
Crunchy Taco Supreme
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme

Specialties

Crunchy Taco – Specialties
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco – Specialties
Power Menu Bowl – Specialties
Veggie Power Menu Bowl – Specialties

Sides & Sweets

Black Beans & Rice*
Black Beans*
Diablo Sauce Packet*
Hot Sauce Packet*
Mild Sauce Packet*

Drinks

Blue Raspberry Freeze*
Cherry Sunrise Freeze*
Cinnabon Delights Coffee – Hot
Hot Coffee with Creamer
Lowfat Milk
Mtn Dew Baja Blast Freeze*
Orange Juice*
Premium Roast Coffee – Hot*
Wild Cherry Freeze*
Wild Strawberry Freeze*

Veggie Cravings

Black Beans*
Black Beans & Rice*

Power Menu

Power Menu Bowl – Chicken
Power Menu Bowl – Steak
Power Menu Bowl – Veggie

Breakfast

Cinnabon Delights Coffee – Hot
Hash Brown*
Hot Coffee with Creamer
Mtn Dew Kickstart Orange Citrus*
Orange Juice*
Premium Roast Coffee – Hot*
Vanilla Creamer

Fountain Beverages

7-Up*
Brisk Dragon Paradise Sparkling Iced Tea*
Brisk Mango Iced Tea*
Brisk Unsweetened No Lemon Iced Tea*
Diet Dr Pepper*
Diet Mtn Dew*
Diet Pepsi*
Dole Strawberry Lemonade Squeeze*
Dr Pepper*
G2 – Fruit Punch*
Mtn Dew*
Mtn Dew Baja Blast*
Mtn Dew Baja Blast Zero Sugar*
Mtn Dew Kickstart Orange Citrus*
Mug Root Beer*
Pepsi*
Pepsi Wild Cherry*
Pepsi Zero Sugar*
Sierra Mist*
Tropicana Pink Lemonade*

FAQ’s about gluten and Taco Bell menu items

Since there are so many favorites from Taco Bell, I thought it would be useful to call out some of the specific menu items to make sure you get the answers you need from this post. Let’s go through some of the popular menu items to find out if they’re gluten-free.

Are Taco Bell tacos gluten-free?

Taco Bell offers a few tacos that do not have any specific gluten ingredients. These include these menu items:

Crunchy Taco
Crunchy Taco Supreme
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco
Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme

Though they don’t have any gluten ingredients, they are not considered gluten-free by the company itself due to the high risk potential of cross contamination of gluten with other ingredients in the kitchen prep area.

Are Doritos Locos tacos gluten-free?

The Doritos Locos tacos from Taco Bell aren’t considered gluten-free by the company as there is a high likelihood of cross contamination at their restaurants.

That said, both the Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco and Nacho Cheese Doritos Locos Taco Supreme are two of the taco options from Taco Bell that do not have any specific gluten ingredients.

You can decide what works best for your body with the knowledge that these have no gluten ingredients but are prepared in a kitchen that does.

Are Taco Bell chips gluten-free?

According to the Taco Bell allergen information site, their chips are flagged as wheat-free, but not gluten-free. Keep in mind when you order from Taco Bell that there is a high probability of cross contamination with gluten in their chips.

Are Taco Bell nachos gluten-free?

Taco Bell nachos do not show up on their allergen information on the Taco Bell website as containing no gluten or wheat ingredients. I’d steer clear of this menu option on a gluten-free diet and make a different choice instead or opt to go to a different fast food restaurant.

Is Taco Bell Mexican pizza gluten-free?

Both the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza and Taco Bell Veggie Mexican Pizza contain gluten according to the Allergen Info interactive menu on their website.

Make a different choice to stick with your gluten-free diet, knowing this won’t be a good option.

Is Taco Bell meat gluten-free?

Though there is no official statement from Taco Bell about whether or not their meat is gluten-free, we can assume there are no gluten ingredients in the meat. This is because a few of the taco menu items show up in the “does not contain” section when gluten is selected.

Because of this, I’d assume that Taco Bell meat doesn’t have any gluten ingredients, but isn’t necessarily gluten-free. Due to the high probability of cross contamination with gluten in the kitchen prep area, I’d assume the meat likely has come into contact with gluten.

Use your best judgment based on what you know about your level of sensitivity to gluten before ordering any menu items with meat in them while following a gluten-free diet.

Is Taco Bell sauce gluten-free?

Taco Bell lists the following sauces as not containing gluten or wheat ingredients:

Diablo Sauce Packet
Hot Sauce Packet
Mild Sauce Packet

Are Taco Bell Power Bowls gluten-free?

The Power Bowls from Taco Bell are considered to not contain any gluten ingredients. This includes the chicken, beef, and kalua pork options.

That said, these are not “gluten-free” as there is a risk of cross contamination in the kitchen with other gluten containing foods. Be aware of this before you make your decision on whether or not to order this menu item from Taco Bell.

Is Taco Bell rice gluten-free?

Taco Bell rice is considered to not have any gluten ingredients. That said, it’s not necessarily gluten-free as there is a risk of cross contamination like the rest of the menu items coming from the kitchen in Taco Bell restaurants.

On its own and in Power Bowls, rice is a generally safe option if you know that you can tolerate trace amounts of gluten. If you know you can’t, I’d avoid this menu item as well as most others from the Taco Bell menu.

Are Taco Bell Nacho fries gluten-free?

According to the Taco Bell allergen information on their website, their Nacho Fries contain gluten. Therefore, if you’re following a gluten-free diet, you’ll want to avoid this menu item.

Is Taco Bell nacho cheese gluten-free?

Since the nacho cheese sauce from Taco Bell is only listed with their chips in their Allergen Information online, it’s hard to tell if only the chips contain gluten or if the nacho cheese does as well.

Without knowing for certain and seeing that all menu items with nacho cheese sauce seem to contain gluten or wheat ingredients, I’d probably steer clear of this menu option.

Are Taco Bell cinnamon twists gluten-free?

The cinnamon twists are not considered gluten-free or wheat free by Taco Bell.

If you enjoy Taco Bell and have been wondering what foods you can order while staying away from gluten in your diet, I hope this post has helped you. Remember nothing from Taco Bell is considered gluten-free, but these are the items that you can know there are no gluten ingredients in them directly.

There is a risk of cross contamination of gluten with any menu item at Taco Bell so use your best judgment when deciding what to order from here or even to visit this fast food restaurant at all.

If you loved this post, I hope that you’ll share it with your friends on Facebook and pin it for future reference on Pinterest.

More Gluten-free Restaurant Menu Items

Gluten-free menu items from popular restaurants

If you’re looking at other popular restaurants and wondering what gluten-free menu items they offer, be sure to check out my Gluten-free Restaurant Guide. I’ve outlined all the gluten-free options from 45+ popular restaurants and fast food chains.

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