Ranking Every Taco Bell Breakfast Menu Item From Worst To Best

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day (or so the saying goes), so it's only fitting that you'd want to get some fuel even on those mornings when you're running late. Perpetual alarm snoozers are probably all too familiar with the routine: wake up at the last possible second, wrestle clothes on, grab your keys, and head out the door, breakfast forgotten. Fortunately, when it's just one of those days, your local Taco Bell is ready with some quick-fix sustenance to get you through until lunchtime.

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Sure, Taco Bell's breakfast menu isn't quite as extensive as its lunch menu, but it still offers plenty of options for those needing a quick and filling morning meal. Best of all is the variety — each of the chain's breakfast offerings can be ordered with different protein options depending on your preferences. But how good is Taco Bell's breakfast, really? I headed to my local store to try and rank all 14 of its offerings, and while I wasn't floored by any of them, some were definitely better than others. I tried each variety of its breakfast offerings (in most cases there were three different choices per item) and have grouped the items on this list accordingly — for example, all three of Taco Bell's Breakfast Quesadillas ranked at the bottom of my list. I ordered each based on how filling it was, how it tasted, and how balanced its ingredients were. 

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14. Steak Breakfast Quesadilla

At the bottom of my list, you'll find all three of Taco Bell's Breakfast Quesadilla offerings. While none of the chain's meals floored me, I was particularly underwhelmed by the quesadillas, and the steak quesadilla was my least favorite of the three. Taco Bell's quesadillas are probably the least filling of its breakfast meal options, but I wouldn't call them scant — they just aren't as hearty as some other foods on the chain's menu. 

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Given that I liked the steak in some of the restaurant's items, I was surprised not to like it here, and the steak is the sole reason this meal ranks last on my list. Firstly, the quesadilla was absolutely loaded with steak, which would have been fine had the steak actually tasted good. Unfortunately, it was way too rubbery to be palatable. It didn't taste well-seasoned here, either. The whole quesadilla seemed fairly bland (as did each quesadilla on this list), and since some other items boasted quite a bit of flavor, the steak quesadilla didn't stack up. To top it all off, there was something very artificial and almost chemical-tasting about this quesadilla, and I wouldn't recommend it for a Taco Bell breakfast. 

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13. Sausage Breakfast Quesadilla

Up next is Taco Bell's Sausage Breakfast Quesadilla. If you asked me to describe this meal in one word, I'd have to say "fine." There's really nothing notable about this quesadilla, and there's nothing downright bad about it, either. Overall, it ranked lower than my next choice mostly because it didn't contain a lot of sausage. Since I actually really enjoyed most of the chain's sausage offerings, that was definitely a letdown here. 

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There was hardly any sausage, so this breakfast quesadilla was mostly egg and a little cheese. It made for a very one-note breakfast with an unappealing, mushy texture that just wasn't enjoyable. At least it didn't have the odd flavors and rubbery texture of the last selection, and when I did manage to find a piece of sausage, it added a nice bit of spice to the dish. You're better off finding your Taco Bell breakfast elsewhere on this list. 

12. Bacon Breakfast Quesadilla

Taco Bell's Bacon Breakfast Quesadilla took me by surprise — up until trying this, the bacon versions of each of its other offerings hadn't been my favorite. When it came to the quesadillas, however, I far preferred the bacon to the other protein options. I'll also say that I think this quesadilla was more balanced in general. Comparing the above picture to the others, you can tell that this quesadilla was a little thinner and not as loaded with eggs and cheese.

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I wouldn't say Taco Bell makes the best eggs for quesadillas, but they were better in the bacon quesadilla than the other two. The bacon added some much-needed texture that fortunately wasn't rubbery like the steak — instead, it was almost crunchy and a nice contrast to the eggs and cheese. Unlike other of the chain's bacon dishes that I tried, I didn't find the bacon to be too salty in the quesadilla.

11. Cheesy Bacon Breakfast Burrito

Should you get one of Taco Bell's Cheesy Breakfast Burritos as your morning meal, I'd recommend at least elevating the breakfast burrito with some of your own additions. There was nothing special about any of these burritos and they all begged for something extra. That being said, if you need a base burrito that you can take home and dress up to your liking, these could be a good fit.

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Though I didn't enjoy the Cheesy Breakfast Burritos, the bacon burrito was my least favorite. Despite having "cheesy" in its name, the cheese was barely detectable in this burrito (you can hardly see it in the above picture, either). The real nail in the coffin for this burrito was its bacon, which was overwhelmingly salty. It tasted like bacon bits rather than actual pieces of bacon, and neither the eggs nor the mediocre amount of cheese could counteract it.

10. Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Burrito

It was immediately apparent upon cutting this burrito open that it was way cheesier than the previous one. Thus, the Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Burrito lived up to its name — almost. Unfortunately, the balance of ingredients was off again in this one, and had there been more sausage, it could have been quite good. When pitted against the chain's other two cheesy burritos, this was a no-brainer choice for the middle spot. 

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The sausage that was there had been well-seasoned and added some much-needed flavor to the otherwise bland burrito without being overwhelmingly salty. I also wasn't big on the textures of the egg and cheese in this burrito — it felt way too creamy, and there wasn't enough sausage to add ample structure to the dish. Otherwise, this was promising, and I think it could have ranked a spot or two higher had there been more sausage. 

9. Cheesy Potato Breakfast Burrito

Finally, my favorite of Taco Bell's Cheesy Breakfast Burritos was its potato variety. I didn't expect to like this one, and I certainly didn't expect it to have more flavor than the other two cheesy burritos, but the seasoning on the potatoes gave this burrito everything the other two lacked. It also helped that there was a tomato included. Though it didn't give a lot in terms of textural contrast, it did add an aspect of freshness to the meal. 

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My biggest qualm with this burrito was that it was slightly dry. It didn't seem to have as much cheese as the other two and the potatoes didn't add any saucy appeal. In terms of flavor, though, it blew the other two burritos out of the water solely because of the potatoes. I'm not sure what seasoning Taco Bell uses on its potatoes, but I have no notes. If you absolutely have to get one of the cheesy burritos, I'd advise you to pick the potato one.

8. Grande Bacon Breakfast Burrito

Next up on my Taco Bell breakfast list is its Grande Toasted Breakfast Burritos. All versions of this breakfast burrito are slightly larger than the Cheesy Breakfast Burrito, and each of them includes potato bites and tomatoes along with eggs, cheese, and your choice of protein. These are ranking higher than the previous burritos purely because they're heartier. The potatoes and tomatoes helped bring some balance to each.

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My least favorite of the grande burritos was the chain's bacon option, and I didn't like it for the same reasons I didn't enjoy the bacon cheesy burrito. Again, the bacon was far too salty and tasted more like bacon bits than actual cooked bacon pieces. It was also a fairly dry burrito that didn't seem to have much cheese. On the plus side, the potatoes were yet again seasoned very well and gave some more life to this dish than it would have had otherwise. 

7. Grande Sausage Breakfast Burrito

If you're looking at the above photo of Taco Bell's Grande Sausage Breakfast Burrito and wondering where the sausage is, we understand. I tasted tiny bits of sausage here and there, but there wasn't nearly enough to make it a prominent feature of this burrito. I thought that was a shame — Taco Bell's sausage is tasty (when you can find it), and I didn't appreciate that the chain seems to skimp on the protein option in its breakfasts. 

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However, I'll take too little sausage over a plethora of salty bacon any day, so I enjoyed this better than the last. It wasn't enjoyable, though. The whole burrito was dry, and there were way too many eggs to let the other components get any attention. Had the chain held back on the eggs and upped the amount of sausage slightly, I would have enjoyed it more; as it stands, this was a lackluster dish. 

6. Grande Steak Breakfast Burrito

My favorite of Taco Bell's Grande Toasted Breakfast Burritos was its steak version. However, it suffered a similar pitfall as the previous burrito — way too many eggs in this one and the ingredients were totally out of balance. If there had been more steak, and fewer eggs in this one it would have been easy to rank it higher, but as it stands, I found all of the Grande Toasted Breakfast Burritos too unbalanced to give them much acclaim.

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Unlike the steak in Taco Bell's Breakfast Quesadilla, I thought the steak here was quite good. It had enough flavor to stand out even though there wasn't a lot, and while I wanted more, I liked the steak better than the other two protein options. The steak didn't taste as rubbery as it did in the quesadilla, though I'll admit that could be because it was less present in this dish. 

5. Cinnabon Delights

The only reason Taco Bell's Cinnabon Delights didn't rank closer to the top of my list is that I can't classify it as a meal. However, if I had ranked solely based on flavor, these would have been an easy top choice. The mini stuffed cinnamon bites are, as their name proclaims, delightful. I was glad I only got two — I could have easily eaten the 12-pack the chain offers in one sitting. 

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The morsels are simple in theory and (in my humble opinion) very well executed. What you'll get is a fried cinnamon dough ball stuffed with a thin, classic cream cheese frosting. Will I try making these at home the next time I need to satisfy a sweet tooth? Absolutely, and you won't be able to stop me from ordering some the next time I'm in a Taco Bell drive-thru. Don't try these if you don't need another sweet treat in your life — otherwise, eat with abandon.

4. Hash Brown

Similarly to my previous selection, Taco Bell's Hash Brown isn't ranking higher purely because it's not a whole meal; otherwise, it would have been an easy number two choice on my list. Of the fast-food hash browns I've tried, I'd call this one of the better ones. This could be due to personal preference — if you like your hash browns to be ultra thick and amply full of soft potatoes, you'd probably be disappointed. 

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On the other hand, if you're looking for a super crispy hash brown, look no further than your local Taco Bell. My hash brown was mostly crispy without much soft interior to speak of. As a lover of all things fried and crispy, I found this to be a delightful change of pace from the sometimes-soggy, too-soft hash browns I've had from other fast food chains. I didn't even eat it with any sauce, because it was gone before the thought of adding sauce ever crossed my mind. 

3. Bacon Breakfast Crunchwrap

Finally, onto my overall favorites of Taco Bell's breakfast options. Does it come as any surprise that I'd get a Breakfast Crunchwrap over any other dish in a heartbeat? Probably not. The biggest difference between these three Crunchwraps and the other options on this list is that these boasted way more balance than any other breakfast menu item. It's apparent just from looking at the picture — all elements are equally visible, and a single bite will give you a taste of all the ingredients. 

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Of the Breakfast Crunchwraps, my least favorite protein was — you guessed it — bacon. While the bacon in this was better than in the chain's other bacon offerings, it still wasn't anything to write home about. I appreciated that there wasn't too much bacon in this Crunchwrap, as that kept it from being too salty. The sauce added a nice zing to the meal while the hash brown provided some textural variety. 

2. Sausage Breakfast Crunchwrap

When it comes to the fast food breakfast market as a whole, we've preferred Taco Bell's Crunchwraps to other breakfast options before, and we're not going to stop now. I really like the sausage Crunchwrap and thought it would be my top choice until I tried the next (and final) item on this list. I was very pleased to cut this open and see a thick sausage patty in the middle — it was clear that where other sausage breakfast options were severely lacking, this one might finally be balanced.

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Indeed it was, and the seasoning on the sausage tied the whole wrap together. It added a firm textural component that the bacon Crunchwrap lacked, making it feel like a more cohesive meal, and the hash brown's crunch only added to the textural interest of this breakfast item. It's easy to taste every part of the Crunchwrap in a single bite; moreover, I was happy that there wasn't an overwhelming amount of eggs. 

1. California Breakfast Crunchwrap

Finally, it may come as no surprise that my favorite of Taco Bell's breakfast options was its California Crunchwrap. Thank you, Taco Bell, for giving me the formula for a perfect homemade Crunchwrap. The secret ingredient is, without a doubt, guacamole. The guac on this Crunchwrap took it to new heights that the other two didn't dare reach, and though I was slightly upset that the cheese hadn't melted, it was a small price to pay for a thick layer of yummy guacamole. 

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The Breakfast California Crunchwrap comes with bacon, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, eggs, and a hash brown. It felt like a well-rounded breakfast. The guacamole and tomatoes brought some freshness to the dish, and there was just the right amount of bacon — it was identifiable without being overwhelming. As always, the has brown gave a pleasant crispy texture to the wrap. It was a very well-rounded breakfast that will be an easy choice the next time I visit Taco Bell in the morning. 

Methodology

I tried at least a couple bites of each of Taco Bell's 14 breakfast items to do this ranking. Fortunately, I hadn't had any of the chain's breakfast selections before, so I was able to be pretty objective when it came to rating these. Since the biggest variable between each item was its choice of protein, I grouped all like items together in this ranking and differentiated between the protein choice for each item within that grouping. This means that while I liked the bacon quesadilla more than the steak quesadilla, I still found Taco Bell's quesadillas as a whole to be my least favorite breakfast option.

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I based my ranking primarily on taste, texture, balance of ingredients, and how filling it was. Smaller, less substantial items (like the cheesy burritos or the quesadillas) ranked toward the bottom of my list, while items with more ingredients ranked higher. The outliers here are the Cinnabon Delights and the Hash Brown. Though they were neither very filling nor did they boast different flavors, they aren't supposed to, so I gave those a pass when choosing to rank them higher simply because they were very enjoyable for what they offered. 

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