8 Del Taco Burritos, Ranked

If you're in the mood for fast food with a homemade quality, then Del Taco should be your first stop. It features items such as house-made guacamole and beans, or cheese that's grated in-store rather than bought pre-shredded. While not every ingredient is scratch-made or chopped in-house, it still tastes more elevated than at certain other Mexican-inspired fast-food chains, namely Taco Bell. 

I previously tasted 19 popular Del Taco menu items to find my favorite, and three of the top five were burritos. So, I wanted to consume more of the brand's burritos to put them head-to-head. Would they all be enjoyable, or would some be failures? For this taste test, I selected everything from my local store's classic burrito menu (Epic burritos will have to wait their turn for another day) and judged them on their taste, texture, temperature, and if I'd recommend them to the average consumer. Offerings, naming conventions, and prices may vary by location, so please take that into consideration.

I'm a massive fan of burritos (bean and cheese ones, specifically), so I was more than happy to dedicate space in my stomach to various Del Taco's burrito iterations. Let's find out which one makes it to the top of my list this time around.

Okay, so, spoiler alert: None of the burritos are unpleasant. All eight turned out to be pretty tasty, but ultimately, something has to rank last, right? Therefore, my last pick is the vegetarian 8 Layer Veggie Burrito. The reason is quite minute, too. Because the burrito is fully loaded with beans, cilantro lime rice, guacamole, grated cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, red sauce, and sour cream, it has a mix of warm and cold temperatures. 

The chilly sour cream is the biggest culprit here, transforming an otherwise warm burrito into a lukewarm one with very clear, cold splotches throughout. Other than that, the flavors still work. I'd like more guacamole added to the concoction, but the other ingredients create a dynamic texture as you bite into it. Because there are eight elements, though, they all kind of blend together flavor-wise. This option is ideal if you want a meat-free burrito with some creaminess from sour cream and freshness from crisp lettuce and juicy tomato. 

The beef and cheddar burrito offers exactly what it sounds like. There's mostly seasoned beef (which includes onions, chili pepper spices, tomato powder, garlic powder, and a few other ingredients) with some cheddar cheese and the zesty red sauce mixed in. While it's considerably more one-note than the previous 8 layer option, I prefer the warmer burrito and heartiness of the beef. Protein isn't a factor in my ranking, but it could be a big reason why you'd select this burrito — it has 28 grams of protein thanks to the sheer amount of beef and cheese, potentially making it enticing to some. 

The ingredients are minimal and hard to get wrong, yet they feel filling; the beef is salty and nicely seasoned, while the cheese offers a creamy mouthfeel to break up the monotony of beef. It's a smidge repetitive — which also feels more traditionally fast-food-y — so I can't rank it any higher.

You can't tell from this particular photo, but there's a pleasant amount of chicken in the Grilled Chicken Burrito (I ate the couple of pieces that were falling out of the opening). Here we have a more captivating blend of textures than the beef and cheese to give it a boost in the ranking. The texture has more variety with the crisp pieces of lettuce, juicy diced tomatoes, and pieces of marinated chicken. All of which brings a more enriching mouthfeel as you chew. 

Sometimes the texture of chicken gives me the ick, but luckily, this Del Taco offering is easy to eat without any woody, chewy bits. Then we have a touch of milky richness from the cheddar cheese and secret sauce. The white sauce blends into the nooks and crannies rather than gathering in one area, like the cold sour cream — so, the temperature is more agreeable, too. If you're in the mood for pollo, this is the only classic burrito I tried that had any. 

Much like chicken, the texture of shrimp can easily put me off. You likely know what I mean: The little crustacean can quickly turn rubbery and chewy, no matter whether you're dining out or making it at home. So, I went into this tasting not thinking too highly of the Jumbo Shrimp Burrito, but it took me by surprise. The shrimp is delicate and easy to bite into, with no odd textures. Better yet, the pieces are breaded to offer added flavor and a mildly crisp texture. I'd deem Del Taco's breaded shrimp lightyears better than Popeyes' version, which is a top item to avoid from the chicken chain.

I also like the cabbage, which imparts a fresh-but-not-wet aspect that lettuce tends to offer. This burrito also has cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, and some of the savory secret sauce. If you like shrimp tacos, this is similar — just in burrito form. I think the shrimp, rice, and cabbage are very strong here to give it a lead over the chicken burrito. I'd also get this over Del Taco's beer-battered fish taco, which ranked toward the bottom of my previous taste test. This selection is a perfect seafood item for Lent, too.

We've reached the portion of the list where I think the bulk of customers would enjoy, which is a factor in the ranking. While the shrimp is successful, I don't know if the majority of people want a shrimp burrito, but you can't go wrong with a bean and cheese one with red sauce. This option has the same house-made beans and house-shredded cheese as many of the others on this list. I like that the minimal ingredients let the beans and salsa shine. 

The frijoles have a multi-dimensional texture with some whole, lightly smashed beans paired with the creamier, fully mashed or blended ones; this mix means it doesn't feel like you're eating pure mush. The red sauce is a combination of tomato paste, vinegar, chili pepper, oregano, black pepper, cumin, crushed red pepper, and other ingredients. The sauce further enhances the flavor with a touch of vinegary heat. I'd recommend the bean and cheese burrito with red sauce over the shrimp one to most people, and I'd prefer it for myself, too.

Now, when you want the previous burrito with some carne added to the mix, then you have to get the Combo Beef & Bean Burrito. It's like a marriage of the beef burrito and the bean and cheese one with red sauce, thanks to the meat inclusion. It's the same seasoned beef in the beef burrito, but it has more textural intrigue with the beans.

The beef is nicely ground, meaning that you don't have to do a whole lot of chewing to swallow it, so the occasional whole bean levels up the consistency while bringing a textural break from the monotony. Admittedly, the appearance of this burrito isn't a knockout, but luckily, the flavor, texture, and overall delivery are better than anything else I've talked about so far. It would be the first thing (and top burrito) I'd recommend to someone seeking meat. 

Del Taco's Bean & Cheese Burrito with Green Sauce is my go-to. I just had it a couple of days ago after a long day of work, where cooking from scratch didn't seem feasible. After all, cooking with pinto beans requires some forethought and time. And I appreciate the homemade nature of Del Taco's beans and the freshness of the cheese. It's a comforting, classic burrito with the same delicious frijoles and queso I've already mentioned, but this time around, there's green sauce. The sauce is bright with a spicy, tangy kick that brings a punchiness to the rest of the burrito. 

It is made with diced green chilies, jalapeño peppers, vinegar, green chili puree, garlic powder, cumin, and other ingredients. The sauce, rather than being ultra spicy, offers a fresh, uplifting heat to the beans and cheese, all while adding more flavor. Ultimately, though, I think the red versus green sauce debate is highly personal.

This burrito was my No. 1 pick among the 19 popular menu items I'd tried, so I'm surprised that it ended up in the second-place position this time around. But as it turns out, there's one burrito that's even better and more dynamic.

At the top of my burrito list is the crème de la crème, the Jack'd Up Beans, Rice, & Cheese Burrito, but you might also see it called the Spicy Jack Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burrito. The former is the name on the actual Del Taco website, but when I went to place an order online, the latter title popped up instead. That's something to keep in mind so you don't think you're ordering the wrong thing. 

This burrito has everything I loved in previous burritos, but all in one place. There's the cilantro lime rice, that's perfectly cooked — not too al dente, not too mushy. There's my beloved Del Taco beans and, of course, the green sauce I hold so dear. But for the first time, we have spicy jack cheese, which imparts a luxurious, rich, and creamy flavor and mouthfeel that the cheddar never offered. It's more melted and spread out, too. The rice brings added structure and texture that the bean and cheese-only options don't have. I'd endorse this to anyone on the hunt for a classic BRC (bean, rice, and cheese) burrito. I can't wait to order it again.

I purchased all the burritos in one day and tried them one after another. I had a couple of bites of each until I tried them all, then I did that a couple more times to better discover and understand the flavors (some burritos get better toward the middle because they're not fully mixed or incorporated). I didn't make any modifications and consumed them as-is without any added sauce packets. 

The ranking was determined by considering the taste, texture, and temperature of the burritos, as well as how likely I'd be to recommend them to the average person. The weight of these qualities may vary based on the burrito, as one element may be more relevant than the others. 

These are simpler burritos compared to the more involved and pricier Epic ones; I didn't factor in price because they are all relatively economical. No matter which burrito you decide to purchase, we strongly suggest washing it down with Del Taco's incredible strawberry shake.