Neither Del Taco nor Taco Bell is a clear-cut “healthier” chain overall. Both serve fast-food Mexican fare with similar calorie ranges, and the healthiest meal at either place depends more on what you order and how you customize it than on which logo is on the building. That said, the two chains differ in ingredient preparation, menu flexibility, and specific nutritional standouts in ways that matter if you’re trying to make a smarter choice at the drive-through.
How the Standard Tacos Compare
Taco Bell’s most basic option, the Crunchy Taco, contains 170 calories, 8 grams of protein, and 310 milligrams of sodium. It’s one of the leanest items on any fast-food menu. Del Taco’s classic hard shell taco lands in a similar range, typically running slightly higher in calories because the portion of seasoned beef tends to be a bit larger. The difference between the two on a single taco is small enough that it won’t make or break your diet.
Where the gap widens is when you move up to burritos and combo meals. Taco Bell’s menu is built around layered, sauce-heavy items that can climb past 500 or 600 calories quickly. Del Taco’s burritos follow the same pattern. An 8 Layer Veggie Burrito at Del Taco, for instance, hits 540 calories. The calorie ceiling at both chains is high if you aren’t paying attention.
Ingredient Quality and Preparation
This is where Del Taco pulls ahead in a way that doesn’t show up on a nutrition label. Del Taco cooks its beans from scratch in-store every day, while Taco Bell’s beans arrive as a dehydrated product that gets reconstituted with water. Del Taco also shreds its cheddar cheese on-site rather than using pre-shredded bags. These differences don’t change the calorie count dramatically, but they do affect fiber content, sodium levels, and the amount of anti-caking agents and preservatives in your meal.
Freshly prepared beans retain more of their natural fiber and have a simpler ingredient list. If you’re choosing between a bean burrito at each chain, Del Taco’s version gives you a more whole-food source of plant protein. Taco Bell, for its part, switched all of its frying oil to canola oil with zero grams of trans fat back in 2007, replacing the partially hydrogenated soybean oil it had used before. Both chains now fry in zero-trans-fat oils, so neither has an edge there.
Best Lower-Calorie Orders at Each Chain
At Taco Bell, the Crunchy Taco at 170 calories is the go-to starting point. You can also customize almost any item to cut calories significantly. Swapping beef for grilled chicken and dropping cheese and sour cream from a Doritos Locos Taco Supreme, for example, brings it from 190 calories and 11 grams of fat down to 140 calories and 6 grams of fat. The Soft Breakfast Taco with egg and cheese runs 170 calories, and removing the cheese while adding pico de gallo drops it to about 150. Taco Bell’s app makes substitutions easy, which is a genuine advantage for calorie-conscious ordering.
At Del Taco, the CrunchTada Tostada is a strong pick at 350 calories with 13 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber. The Bean and Cheese Cup is even leaner: 300 calories, 17 grams of protein, and an impressive 14 grams of fiber, which is more than half the daily recommended intake in a single side dish. If you’re looking for a filling, fiber-rich option that keeps calories moderate, Del Taco’s bean-based items are hard to beat in the fast-food world.
Vegetarian and Vegan Options
Both chains offer more plant-based choices than most fast-food competitors, but they take different approaches. Taco Bell lets you swap beans for beef on virtually any menu item and has marketed itself as vegetarian-friendly for years. The flexibility is real, and it means you can turn dozens of items into meatless versions without much effort.
Del Taco has a dedicated vegetarian and vegan section on its menu with items designed from the ground up around beans and vegetables. The Bean and Cheese Burrito delivers 500 calories, 24 grams of protein, and 15 grams of fiber. That fiber number is unusually high for fast food and comes directly from those daily-cooked whole beans. For someone eating plant-based who cares about fiber and protein density, not just calorie count, Del Taco’s dedicated options have a nutritional edge.
Sodium Is the Hidden Problem at Both
The biggest health concern at both chains isn’t calories or fat. It’s sodium. Even Taco Bell’s leanest item, the 170-calorie Crunchy Taco, contains 310 milligrams of sodium. Order two or three tacos with a side, and you can easily approach the full 2,300-milligram daily limit in one sitting. Del Taco’s burritos follow the same pattern, with most items landing between 800 and 1,200 milligrams of sodium each. If you have blood pressure concerns, portion control matters more than which chain you choose.
The Bottom Line on Each Chain’s Strengths
Del Taco’s advantage is ingredient quality. Freshly cooked beans, on-site shredded cheese, and a lineup of high-fiber vegetarian items give it a more whole-food foundation. If your definition of “healthy” centers on how processed your food is and how much fiber you’re getting, Del Taco wins.
Taco Bell’s advantage is customization. The ability to swap proteins, remove cheese, add vegetables, and fine-tune nearly any menu item through the app means a knowledgeable customer can build a surprisingly lean meal. If your definition of “healthy” is about hitting specific calorie or macro targets, Taco Bell’s flexibility gives you more control. A customized Taco Bell order can easily come in under 400 calories with solid protein, which is competitive with any fast-casual chain.
For most people eating a quick meal without obsessing over modifications, Del Taco’s default menu items tend to be slightly better nutritionally, thanks to higher fiber counts and less processed ingredients. But a thoughtful order at Taco Bell can match or beat that. The chain matters less than the choices you make once you’re there.