What To Know About Taco Bell's Soft Tacos Before Ordering Them

At just about any burger-focused fast food chain, the flagship items are going to involve beef patties on buns accompanied by french fries and soda. But with all of the viral innovation on the Taco Bell menu, this chain is likely to offer a few items you've never heard of — or at least don't know much about. Taco Bell's soft tacos are hardly new (they've actually been on the menu for over 50 years), but they do differ from the chain's signature crunchy tacos in a few important ways.

The biggest difference between Taco Bell's soft tacos and crunchy tacos is, well, the texture. The crunchy tacos' base is a crisp corn shell, whereas the soft tacos come wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. In addition to offering different textural experiences, this also means that the two differ in their nutritional and allergen content. The soft taco's flour tortilla means that the item isn't suitable for anyone with gluten allergies. Both of these menu items also contain milk products, unless you order your tacos "fresco style," which replaces the dairy products with fresh pico de gallo. Additionally, both the flour tortillas and Taco Bell's standard beef filling contain soy products, another potential allergen.

Finally, you might end up paying a slightly higher price for soft tacos. It isn't much, but in some markets, Taco Bell's flour tortilla-wrapped tacos do cost about $0.10 more than their crunchy corn counterparts.

Delving into the nutritional facts of chain restaurants' menus can be off-putting, but you may be pleased to learn that Taco Bell's tacos are actually pretty healthy, at least in the realm of fast food. And while the nutritional facts of the soft tacos diverge a bit from those of the iconic crunchy tacos, they aren't far off.

Each Taco Bell soft taco contains 180 calories comprised of 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of fat (4 of which are saturated fat), 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 500 milligrams of sodium. That's just 10 more calories than the crunchy taco, plus around 200 more milligrams of sodium and an extra gram of sugar, but the soft tacos do boast 1 gram less fat and an extra 2 grams of protein. Neither of them are quite the healthiest option at Taco Bell, but they aren't too far off the mark, either. And if you make some simple swaps, like replacing the beef with beans and ordering them "fresco style," those numbers look even better.

There really aren't too many surprises with Taco Bell's soft tacos. They're filled with the same meat, lettuce, and cheese that you'll find in the crunchy version, and the nutrition facts are pretty similar, too. If you prefer a less crispy taco experience, these are a clear choice — and both versions pair equally well with Taco Bell's fan-favorite Fire sauce.