What to Order for Kids at Taco Bell (That They’ll Actually Eat)
There’s more than meat and cheese tacos
Once upon a time, Taco Bell served kid’s meals. That era ended around the same time that flash mobs and feather hair extensions fell out of style (ahem, 2013). But that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of kid-friendly picks for your spawn, no matter how particular their tastes. (It also doesn’t mean you’re limited to meat and cheese tacos, though they certainly earned their spot on this list.)
After polling parents across the country, here are the top-recommended items to order kids at Taco Bell.
Breakfast
1. Breakfast Quesadilla with Sausage or Bacon
A simple mix of scrambled eggs, shredded cheese and crumbled bacon or sausage, it’s hard to go wrong with this simple (yet delightful) meal. For a creamier consistency, you can make it supreme (adding tomatoes and sour cream) or guac. You know, provided your kids aren’t in the I-only-eat-carrots-and-corn phase of life.
2. Hash Browns
These rectangular patties are just like Mom’s…if by ‘Mom,’ you mean McDonald’s. If you want to jazz them up, ask for the Breakfast salsa for dipping. It’s as mild as ketchup, with the consistency of hot sauce.
3. Cinnabon Delights
Imagine warm donut holes stuffed with tangy cream cheese icing. They barely count as breakfast, but then again, do cinnamon rolls?
Lunch & Dinner (& Fourth Meal)
4. Bean Burrito
- Modifications: hold the onions
Gone are the days of the chili cheese burrito—a dish many millennial parents told me they “lived on” growing up—but a close second was the bean burrito, with one key modification: no onions. If your kid doesn’t mind crunch, keep it as is. For many, it’s a polarizing addition.
5. Chicken Quesadilla
- Modifications: no Creamy Jalapeño sauce
This recommendation came up nearly as often as meat and cheese tacos and Cheesy Roll Ups. While chicken was the most popular of the quesadilla options—steak a close second, though some kids complained it was “too chewy”—one modification was made across the board. Hold the Creamy Jalapeño sauce. Most kids find it too spicy. For a milder take, you can always ask for sour cream or Avocado Ranch on the side.
6. Pintos and Cheese
Don’t sleep on the sides! While they aren’t as prominently displayed on the menu, many parents said their kids loved a cup of pinto beans and cheese.
7. Cheesy Roll Ups
Dining with a toddler? Make this your go-to. It doesn’t get simpler than melted cheese in a rolled-up soft flour tortilla. And at $1.19, it’s a pretty affordable option, too.
8. Fiesta Potatoes
Potatoes, nacho cheese and sour cream—what’s not to love? If your kids find the nacho cheese sauce spicy, you can swap it out with the Bell’s shredded three-cheese blend, which won’t be melty but will certainly be mild. And if they’re down with veggies, you can make it more of a side salad affair by adding pico de gallo and lettuce.
9. Soft Tacos
- Modifications: no lettuce
A classic soft taco is a go-to, and across the board, the most popular item among kids was one simply adorned with meat and cheese only. Eventually they’ll like lettuce, promise.
10. Crunchy Chicken Taco
- Modifications: no tomatoes
For a more health-conscious option, get your kids to try a crunchy taco with grilled chicken. Pair it with a side of black beans, and you have a nutritionist-approved lunch that delivers on “protein and fiber without topping the sodium charts,” as nutritionist and health journalist Lisa Drayer shared.
11. Chalupa Supreme
- Modifications: no tomatoes
For a heartier take on a taco—with a more pillowy shell—try a classic Chalupa. A few parents mentioned that their kids preferred them topped with sour cream, so it wasn’t so dry…but weren’t down with the diced tomatoes that come standard when you ask for it supreme. To each their own.
12. Black Beans and Rice
It’s a simple side—and a filling one. You could even turn this into a mini bowl by adding lettuce and chicken or pico de gallo for a couple bucks more (and still cost less than a full-blown veggie or Cantina Chicken bowl, with smaller, more kid-sized portions).
13. Chicken Enchilada Burrito
- Modifications: no red sauce
Some find the red sauce a bit too strong a flavor, so if your kid is trying it for the first time, you may want to ask for it on the side. Without it, you’ve got chicken, seasoned rice, three cheeses and reduced-fat sour cream, all rolled into a tortilla. A pretty safe bet, even for picky eaters.
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- Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
- Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business
