In These 4 States, The Most Popular Taco Bell Item Isn't Even Food

Baja Blast lovers, this one's for you — and really, it's for us, too. Here at Tasting Table, Baja Blast is our all-time favorite Mtn Dew flavor (and there are more flavors of the soda than you might think). NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. even raced a neon teal-hued Baja Blast Chevy in 2015 ... so yeah, it's kind of a big deal. Now, according to a recent study by High Risk Pay, Mtn Dew Baja Blast has dethroned food itself as the most popular Taco Bell menu offering in four U.S. states. Based on Google trends and customer data, foodies in Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, and Pennsylvania are choosing Baja Blast as their favorite T-Bell item. In the beverage sphere, we're also digging the chain's new line of Refrescas, particularly the Strawberry Lime Refresca Freeze.

The figures are especially impressive considering the fact that, with the exception of Illinois (302 restaurant locations), the other three states don't even rank within the top 10 states with the most Taco Bells. That's a small but intensely devoted tribe of Baja Blast lovers. According to data analytics firm ScrapeHero, as of March 2025, there are 8,101 U.S. Taco Bell locations, 879 of which are in California. For the record, Cali foodies are digging the Mtn Dew Baja Blast Dream Freeze as their favorite T-Bell item, per the High Risk Pay study. California is the only U.S. state to name the bold Dream Freeze as its most popularly-ordered item.

If this neon turquoise sipper's figures are any indication, savory doesn't always reign supreme at Taco Bell. According to the study, four more states (Arkansas, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Washington) named Cinnamon Twists as their favorite menu item from the chain. Still, at the time of publication, the Crunchwrap Supreme remains the No. 1 most-ordered menu item at Taco Bell locations nationwide. If you feel like branching out, we've rounded up 15 ordering hacks that every Taco Bell fan should know.

Maybe folks are lamenting the brief, gone-too-soon stint in which Baja Blast saw a grocery store release for an entire year. Either way, what's clear is that folks everywhere are hitting the drive-thru en masse. According to an official March press release, the company hit a record-breaking $1 billion in operating profit in 2024, outperforming the entire QSR category. Taco Bell even ranked fourth in Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report for the highest-grossing chains of the year (via Restaurant Business). As CEO Sean Tresvant shared in the press release, "The bold swings will only get bigger as we continue to chase greatness. We had an impressive year thanks to fans and team members, so we're grounding our 2025 strategy around them." Still, if you don't feel like hitting the drive-thru, it only takes three ingredients to whip up a DIY Baja Blast copycat dupe at home.