Some of the most popular types of salads at fast-food restaurants are Caesar salad, chicken Caesar salad, club salad, Cobb salad, southwest salads, and taco salads. Most fast-food restaurants have at least some variation of one of these types of salad on their menu to appeal to the health-conscious consumer.
Taco Bell, one of the largest fast-food companies worldwide, had carried a taco salad since 1984 but discontinued that option in early 2020. It now gives consumers the option of a “power bowl”, which contains almost the same ingredients as its famous Fiesta Taco Salad, but without the shell.
Does Taco Bell Have Salads In 2024?
Taco Bell has high-protein power bowls that include all the same ingredients that are included in a taco salad, but with emphasis on the protein toppings and minus the crispy shell bowl and tortilla strips.
These bowls come in two types: regular and veggie.
Taco Bell doesn’t call its Power Menu Bowls salads, but with less than 500 calories each and including all the add-ins of a traditional taco salad, there is little doubt that is what they are. You can even customize them to your specifications and add in extras like refried beans, jalapenos, or potatoes.
When Did Taco Bell Start Having Salads?
In 1984, Taco Bell introduced its customers to the Fiesta Taco Salad. It was a perfectly fried tortilla shell filled with ground beef, refried beans, lettuce, tomato, rice, cheese, sour cream, and crunchy red tortilla strips.
It was a menu hit for over 35 years before it was taken off the menu in 2020.
For short amounts of time, Taco Bell had a Seafood Salad and a Cantina Bowl, but neither were very popular or lasted too long and were discontinued. The Power Menu Bowl
was introduced in 2014 and is now the sole-surviving salad menu option.
What Types of Salads Does Taco Bell Have?
The Power Menu Bowl brings together high-protein with lower calories. It can be customized to fit your needs and offers a variety of add-ons. You choose your protein between chicken, steak or opt for no meat at all. It also comes with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and a delicious avocado ranch dressing.
Also in the option of add-ons are jalapeno peppers, refried beans, potatoes, three cheese blend, and their seasoned beef. Customize further with special sauces like chipotle sauce, green sauce, or nacho cheese. It seems you can have these Power Menu Bowls just about any way you would like.
How Much Are Taco Bell’s Salads?
The Power Menu Bowl averages around $6.00 across the US. In some places in California, it is around $6.19, while in some Colorado locations it goes for $5.99. In some New York City restaurants, that same Power Menu Bowl is as much as $6.99.
The price will vary depending on the location, the price set by the franchisee, and what you have added to your bowl, but the range is usually between $6 and $7 nationwide. Add-ons carry an additional $0.29 to $0.69, and extra meat is around $0.99 added to that price.
How Many Calories Are In A Taco Bell Salad?
The Power Menu Bowl at Taco Bell can greatly vary in calories depending on what you add or subtract from it during customization. If you don’t change it at all, the veggie version is only 410 calories. It has 19 grams of fat, 860 milligrams of sodium, and still offers up 12 grams of protein even without meat.
The Chicken Power Menu Bowl is only 450 calories, 20 grams of fat, 1.250 milligrams of sodium, and 26 grams of protein. This salad-like option is a popular choice as a healthy alternative with all the tastes of Taco Bell.
The Steak version of the Power Menu Bowl has only 470 calories, 22 grams of fat, 1.270 milligrams of sodium, and 25 grams of protein. The nutritional value of these Power Menu Bowls is quite a breath of fresh air at this notoriously unhealthy fast-food chain. Although they are mostly high in fat, simple removal of the cheese and avocado ranch sauce remedies that issue.
Did Taco Bell Stop Selling Salads?
Even though Taco Bell offers The Power Menu Bowls, which are essentially salads and include all the same ingredients of a salad, they no longer sell their popular Fiesta Taco Salads. These salads were very popular for over 35 years. Although a few salad options came and went, this salad was overwhelmingly a Taco Bell favorite.
A mix of many of the ingredients you would find in a taco inside a tortilla shell, consumers were taken aback when it suddenly disappeared from the menu. The Power Menu Bowls are decidedly more nutritious than the Fiesta Taco Salad was. With chicken added, the Fiesta Taco Salads were around 720 calories.
Taco Bell has no plans on bringing back its Fiesta Taco Salad, nor any of the other items it removed from its menu in 2020, claiming factors of cost and speed of service for their decision to streamline their menu.
Does Taco Bell Have/Still Have Salads in 2024?
Taco Bell carries a line of salads known as their Power Menu Bowls. These contain the ingredients of taco salads like lettuce, tomatoes, beans, rice, cheese, and protein and can be customized with multiple options and add-ons. These protein-packed bowls have been increasingly popular since their introduction in 2014.
When ordering a Power Menu Bowl from Taco Bell, how nutritious it is will depend on how you customize it. The cheese and avocado ranch sauce are high in fat and are unnecessary since they already come with guacamole and reduced-fat sour cream. If you are looking to cut on carbohydrates, asking for it without the seasoned rice is a smart choice.
With the introduction of the Power Menu Bowls, Taco Bell has a salad alternative that can be better for you than their taco salad ever was, and healthier than a salad at many other fast-food restaurants.
