Taco Bell Breakfast Menu Review: Fast Food Breakfast Taco Bell

Fast food breakfast typically means cutting corners; eggbeaters, microwaved frozen patties, orange juice from concentrate. Hardly anything made fresh and most items either look like a hockey puck or is the same color as an egg yet has an unfamiliar color, texture, and taste.

When I first started seeing the Taco Bell commercials for their breakfast menu, I have to admit I was intrigued. Not only that they decided to go from Mexican to bacon and eggs, but that there was as Ronald McDonald from my hometown of Rochester, NY! I also liked the funny take on all the Ronald McDonalds that liked the new Taco Bell menu items. But in the back of my mind, as always, sat the thought, Could all those Ronald McDonalds be onto something? Is the Taco Bell breakfast menu really worth checking out?

The answer to that is yes and no. Some items are truly good breakfast, if you look past the nutrition facts, and others really need some help.

If you’re a curious diner, like myself, you have some questions you want answered. Is that real cheese on my food or cheese product? Do you use real eggs and how to do prepare them? What’s frozen and what’s not?

I asked two employees at Taco Bell these questions and found out that yes, it is real cheese, and yes, they do use real eggs (VERY different than many other fast few chains that use egg beaters). The way they prepare the eggs is extremely complex as well.

The eggs come in a plastic bag, frozen, and are put into hot water for 35-40 minutes to warm them up. After the hot water, they are kept warm until you order them. Once you place your order, the eggs are put into a skillet to heat them up some more and give them a little crust. There were some other steps they mentioned to show what an extensive and important process “cooking” the eggs is, but I summarized the general process above.

The hash brown patties and sausage patties come in frozen and most of the prep consists of putting ingredients on top of one another and heating them up in various ways.

As with any chain, some excel and some are flops. I would say the Taco Bell near my house mostly does a good job; definitely better than other TB’s I’ve visited. So which items are worth the money and which should have stayed home? If you’re going get any of these items, make sure you’re driving to a place with a microwave. You’ll definitely need it to avoid food poisoning from undercooked/still cold food and to warm up the items so they’re actually hot. I had to microwave every item to get it hot enough to eat.

Taco Bell’s Breakfast Menu

To feed your Taco Bell obsession, check out the Chicken Quesadilla with Chipotle Sauce Recipe.

Waffle Taco with Sausage ($1.99):

I wanted to like this Waffle Taco. I’m obsessed with breakfast and waffles and pancakes and all of it but this version basically tasted like a fried waffle with way too much grease. The sausage patty took over the waffle and egg and it was messy. There was a small amount of cheese, the eggs were thrown around as if they went on a roller coaster ride, and the middle of the sausage patty was still cold.

This taco had much less egg than the Waffle Taco with Bacon, the waffle itself was mostly soggy except for a few fried parts, and it was barely crunchy at all like the commercial. The sausage needed more flavor but the waffle taste itself, besides the grease, was actually not bad. I liked the eggs, too, and they were relatively warm. Each Waffle Taco also comes with a side of syrup for dipping.

Recommendation: Don’t Buy

Nutrition Info for Waffle Taco with Sausage:

Serving Size (g): 117
Calories: 370
Calories from Fat: 210
Saturated Fat (g): 7
Total Fat (g): 23
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 115
Sodium (mg): 550
Carbohydrates (g): 28
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 8
Protein (g): 12

Waffle Taco with Bacon ($1.99):

This Waffle Taco was much hotter, had more cheese, had the right amount of egg and bacon, and was overall much better than the sausage version. Why that is, I can only guess. Maybe they were made by two different people. Maybe the ingredients were prepped differently, I’m not sure. But I would recommend this taco over the other.

The Waffle Taco with Bacon had a great mix of egg, cheese, and bacon, the waffle was, again, greasy, but it was hot and crunchy like fried dough. I’m not sure how they heat up the waffles but my guess is they throw them in fryer. The middle of the Waffle Taco was still semi-cold, had to microwave it, eggs were fluffy and tasty, and the waffle itself tasted good. The bacon had a nice smoky flavor to it and was well-cooked; not slimy or greasy.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Waffle Taco with Bacon:

Serving Size (g): 103
Calories: 320
Calories from Fat: 160
Saturated Fat (g): 5
Total Fat (g): 18
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 110
Sodium (mg): 670
Carbohydrates (g): 28
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 9
Protein (g): 13

Nutrition Info for Waffle Taco with Egg and Cheese Only:

Serving Size (g): 88
Calories: 260
Calories from Fat: 110
Saturated Fat (g): 3
Total Fat (g): 13
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 95
Sodium (mg): 420
Carbohydrates (g): 27
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 8
Protein (g): 8

A.M. Crunchwrap with Steak ($2.99):

Overall the mix of ingredients of the A.M. Crunchwrap with Steak was good. This wrap was almost the warmest out of all the options and it had a great chipotle sauce that I really enjoyed. The Crunchwrap was also a great idea. A hash brown patty, eggs, cheese, bacon/sausage/steak, wrapped in a tortilla…doesn’t that just make your mouth water?

I loved the idea but the presentation needed some help. Not all the cheese was melted, there were still a lot of shredded strands around the edges and the middle was warm and the outside was cold. The steak was mostly warm but still not hot enough to consume. This means your first bite is cold and you have to work your way towards the warm center. Definitely microwave this option and make sure it’s hot all the way through.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for A.M. Crunchwrap with Steak:

Serving Size (g): 235
Calories: 650
Calories from Fat: 340
Saturated Fat (g): 11
Total Fat (g): 38
Trans Fat (g): 0.5
Cholesterol (mg): 140
Sodium (mg): 1240
Carbohydrates (g): 51
Dietary Fiber (g): 4
Sugars (g): 3
Protein (g): 26

A.M. Crunchwrap with Sausage ($2.49):

This was a huge let down. I thought since the steak version was pretty good after it was microwaved that this would be as well. Fail. There was way too much sausage and it overpowers the entire Crunchwrap. There wasn’t as much egg on this one as there was on the other options; very low amount of cheese, the actual temperature out of the bag was not ok to eat. It HAD to be warmed up. Again, sausage patty needs more flavor and needs to be heated up properly before it’s served to customers, especially if you’re going through a drive-thru.

Recommendation: Don’t Buy

Nutrition Info for A.M. Crunchwrap with Sausage:

Serving Size (g): 221
Calories: 710
Calories from Fat: 420
Saturated Fat (g): 14
Total Fat (g): 46
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 135
Sodium (mg): 1150
Carbohydrates (g): 51
Dietary Fiber (g): 4
Sugars (g): 3
Protein (g): 21

A.M. Crunchwrap with Bacon ($2.49 Crunchwrap only, $4.49 with combo deal with Cinnabon 4 pack and regular coffee):

Again, excellent idea, needed some help with execution. Out of the 3 options, I would pick the steak over the sausage and the bacon. The bacon had a great smoky flavor, good mix of ingredient amounts (every ingredient was in good proportion to the others), the sauce added a great topping, and the hash brown was nice and crunchy. The hash brown patty on the other two sandwiches was soggy.

This was the hottest out of the three choices as well. I’m guessing that the ingredients are added at whatever temperature they’re held at and then warmed more as a group. I think since this is the thinnest option, since the steak and sausage patty are thinner than the bacon bits, that’s why this was the hottest temperature option. Make sure you heat this in a microwave before eating. And yikes with the sodium! Be careful with what you eat for the rest of the day if you pick this option.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for A.M. Crunchwrap with Bacon:

Serving Size (g): 207
Calories: 660
Calories from Fat: 370
Saturated Fat (g): 12
Total Fat (g): 41
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 130
Sodium (mg): 1280
Carbohydrates (g): 51
Dietary Fiber (g): 4
Sugars (g): 3
Protein (g): 22

Cinnabon Delights ($1 for 2 pack, $1.49 for 4 pack, $4.49 for 12 pack):

Of course Cinnabon items are highly delicious and full of fat and sugar, which is what makes them desirable. The lady I was ordering from asked me if I “would like to add a dessert to my breakfast with Cinnabon Delights?” So now dessert is a part of breakfast, too?

The outside of these treats is very crunchy and covered in cinnamon sugar. Medium heat so it would have been better if they were warmed just slightly more. Unlike the commercial where it shows the Cinnabon delights bursting with icing, they look basically empty when you break them open. The icing is absorbed into the interior dough so when you bite in, the Delight is empty with a slightly sugary inside. If they’re going to advertise heaping amounts of icing in the middle, they should look like that when you open them up. Not like they’re nothing inside and they’re just dough balls with an empty center.

However, if you’re in the mood for a sweet treat with your breakfast, these will hit the spot just like a donut would. I actually ordered 4 and got 6…bonus!

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Cinnabon Delights (2 pack):

Serving Size (g): 35
Calories: 160
Calories from Fat: 80
Saturated Fat (g): 2
Total Fat (g): 9
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 5
Sodium (mg): 80
Carbohydrates (g): 17
Dietary Fiber (g): 0
Sugars (g): 10
Protein (g): 2

Nutrition Info for Cinnabon Delights (4 pack):

Serving Size (g): 69
Calories: 310
Calories from Fat: 160
Saturated Fat (g): 4.5
Total Fat (g): 18
Trans Fat (g): 0.5
Cholesterol (mg): 15
Sodium (mg): 160
Carbohydrates (g): 35
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 20
Protein (g): 3

Nutrition Info for Cinnabon Delights (12 pack):

Serving Size (g): 208
Calories: 930
Calories from Fat: 480
Saturated Fat (g): 13
Total Fat (g): 53
Trans Fat (g): 2
Cholesterol (mg): 40
Sodium (mg): 480
Carbohydrates (g): 104
Dietary Fiber (g): 3
Sugars (g): 59
Protein (g): 9

Sausage Flatbread Melt ($1):

This would be the last choice if I had to buy something off the new Taco Bell breakfast menu. When I first bit in, I hit a hard part. Not sure what it was but I couldn’t chew the bite since I kept hitting it and I had to spit it out. I thought that maybe that was just one little problem so I took another bite. Had the same thing happen where I hit a hard part and had to spit it out. This entire flatbread was very cold, poorly constructed, and barely had any cheese. There was so little cheese that the top of the tortilla that was folded down didn’t stick to the cheese to seal the melt together. With all the bites I couldn’t chew and the lack of flavor this item had, I wouldn’t recommend the Sausage Flatbread Melt.

Recommendation: Don’t buy

Nutrition Info for Sausage Flatbread Melt:

Serving Size (g): 89
Calories: 300
Calories from Fat: 150
Saturated Fat (g): 6
Total Fat (g): 17
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 25
Sodium (mg): 410
Carbohydrates (g): 27
Dietary Fiber (g): 2
Sugars (g): 3
Protein (g): 11

Steak and Egg Burrito ($2.49, $4.99 with combo deal with hashbrown and orange juice):

For a fast food “Mexican-style” breakfast, the Steak and Egg Burrito was great. There was a good ratio of steak to egg, they were mixed together well, and there was a good amount of cheese and jalapeno sauce. All of the ingredients blended well and tasted good. The entire burrito needed to be heated up in the microwave (again) but after it was hot, it was pretty tasty.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Steak and Egg Burrito:

Serving Size (g): 173
Calories: 450
Calories from Fat: 210
Saturated Fat (g): 9
Total Fat (g): 23
Trans Fat (g): 0.5
Cholesterol (mg): 135
Sodium (mg): 960
Carbohydrates (g): 37
Dietary Fiber (g): 3
Sugars (g): 2
Protein (g): 24

Breakfast Burrito with Bacon ($1.69):

The Breakfast Burrito with Bacon was also a pretty good option, if you look past the sodium content. The bacon has a good smoky flavor, there was a good portion of eggs and cheese, and it was overall pretty warm. Just swap the bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit for the bacon, egg, and cheese tortilla and you’ve got something just a little better than McDonald’s. All of the ingredients were mixed well together and all the cheese was melted. This would be great for someone who’s on-the-go who wants to eat and type at the same time.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Breakfast Burrito with Bacon:

Serving Size (g): 167
Calories: 490
Calories from Fat: 250
Saturated Fat (g): 11
Total Fat (g): 28
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 210
Sodium (mg): 1070
Carbohydrates (g): 36
Dietary Fiber (g): 3
Sugars (g): 3
Protein (g): 23

Breakfast Burrito with Sausage ($1.69, $3.69 for combo deal with hash brown and medium diet pepsi):

Sausage crumbles, Taco Bell? More like minuscule sausage pellets. When you first bite into this burrito, you taste egg and cheese, but no sausage. You can keep taking bites but you’ll never find a bit of sausage. It just mixes in with everything else because they’re so tiny. The picture on Taco Bell’s website is enhanced or magnified because those pellets are even smaller than what they have pictured. You’re basically paying for sausage here that you don’t taste and only see. I would have liked it to be warmed up more and if they had made sausage strips or made the crumbles bigger, that would be a big improvement. I know this is supposed to be food you can eat in the car without making a mess, but that doesn’t mean you make ingredients so small you can’t taste them. If you get a breakfast burrito, go for the bacon version instead; at least you get your money’s worth of bacon.

Recommendation: Don’t buy

Nutrition Info for Breakfast Burrito with Sausage:

Serving Size (g): 167
Calories: 470
Calories from Fat: 250
Saturated Fat (g): 11
Total Fat (g): 28
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 210
Sodium (mg): 930
Carbohydrates (g): 36
Dietary Fiber (g): 3
Sugars (g): 2
Protein (g): 20

A.M. Grilled Taco with Bacon ($1):

Out of all the options, this one was my favorite. It’s easy to hold and eat, everything is melted together so it won’t fall all over your car, and the mix of ingredients and portions is great. It’s, of course, still a fast food breakfast with more fat, sodium, and cholesterol than you would like, but if you’re going to eat a fast food breakfast, this is a great option. I liked the soft and fluffy eggs mixed with the bacon and the tortilla was toasted perfectly. Again, had to microwave because it wasn’t hot enough but the tortilla was crunchy on the first bite before I zapped it. The A.M. Grilled Taco with Bacon is also one of the most low calorie options on the menu.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for A.M. Grilled Taco with Bacon:

Serving Size (g): 78
Calories: 230
Calories from Fat: 130
Saturated Fat (g): 5
Total Fat (g): 14
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 105
Sodium (mg): 580
Carbohydrates (g): 15
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 1
Protein (g): 12

Nutrition Info for A.M. Grilled Taco with Egg and Cheese Only:

Serving Size (g): 64
Calories: 170
Calories from Fat: 80
Saturated Fat (g): 3
Total Fat (g): 9
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 90
Sodium (mg): 330
Carbohydrates (g): 15
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 1
Protein (g): 7

A.M. Grilled Taco with Sausage ($1):

Out of everything I got at Taco Bell, the A.M. Grilled Taco with Sausage was the hottest. Maybe it’s because it uses a little bit of egg, a dusting of cheese, and those ugly sausage pellets making it easy to heat up, but I didn’t even have to microwave this one. This item had the same problem as the other with not enough sausage and cheese. There was a good portion of eggs but you basically don’t taste any other ingredients. If you just want eggs in a tortilla with a hint of something else, this is your best choice.

Recommendation: Don’t buy

Nutrition Info for A.M. Grilled Taco with Sausage:

Serving Size (g): 78
Calories: 220
Calories from Fat: 130
Saturated Fat (g): 5
Total Fat (g): 14
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 105
Sodium (mg): 440
Carbohydrates (g): 15
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 1
Protein (g): 9

Hash Brown ($1):

Taco Bell’s hash brown tastes almost identical to McDonald’s…except it’s greasier. If it weren’t so oily where I had to dry my hands with a paper towel after each bite, I would have enjoyed it more. I would still recommend getting this item since it is the ONLY THING ON THE MENU to come HOT. It wasn’t just warm, the hash brown was HOT! Probably because it took a nice dip in the deep fryer pool, but still, didn’t have to microwave it. It was crunchy and tasted pretty fresh. The oil amount though and the grease was distracting from the experience.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Hash Brown:

Serving Size (g): 54
Calories: 160
Calories from Fat: 100
Saturated Fat (g): 1
Total Fat (g): 11
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 0
Sodium (mg): 250
Carbohydrates (g): 14
Dietary Fiber (g): 1
Sugars (g): 0
Protein (g): 1

Premium Hot Coffee ($1.49):

Taco Bell’s Premium Hot Coffee is great for a fast food drive thru. It’s on par with the other fast food chain’s coffee…definitely no Starbuck’s but it’s good. It comes to you steaming hot and has great body. If you’re looking for fast coffee without all the sugary extras or foam or caramel, this is a cheap cup of joe with great taste.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Premium Hot Coffee:

Serving Size (g): 369
Calories: 10
Calories from Fat: 0
Saturated Fat (g): 0
Total Fat (g): 0
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 0
Sodium (mg): 0
Carbohydrates (g): 0
Dietary Fiber (g): 0
Sugars (g): 0
Protein (g): 2

Nutrition Info for Premium Hot Coffee with Creamer:

Serving Size (g): 374
Calories: 35
Calories from Fat: 15
Saturated Fat (g): 0
Total Fat (g): 1.5
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 0
Sodium (mg): 0
Carbohydrates (g): 3
Dietary Fiber (g): 0
Sugars (g): 3
Protein (g): 2

Tropicana Orange Juice ($0.50):

I personally LOVE Tropicana orange juice. I think it has the best flavor and it’s never from concentrate. This personal-sized version though, IS from concentrate, which is unfortunate. Doesn’t taste as good as regular Tropicana but is still a great option for juice in the morning. I much prefer Tropicana to the other brands like Minute Maid served at other fast food chains. The juice can be added to any combo meal if you ask.

Recommendation: Buy

Nutrition Info for Tropicana Orange Juice:

Serving Size (g): 296
Calories: 140
Calories from Fat: 0
Saturated Fat (g): 0
Total Fat (g): 0
Trans Fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 0
Sodium (mg): 20
Carbohydrates (g): 33
Dietary Fiber (g): 0
Sugars (g): 28
Protein (g): 2

For Taco Bell’s first attempt at breakfast, I think it went well. I love the fact that they use real eggs and not eggbeaters along with real bacon pieces and not teenie bits. I was disappointed with their take on sausage crumbles since you can’t taste them, but hopefully, this will change in the future.

I would definitely suggest after purchasing any of the food items that you run them through a trip in the microwave. Tons of people die from undercooked or improperly heated foods every year and you don’t want to be next just because you couldn’t wait an extra few minutes to eat your burrito. Only a select few items were actually heated to a hot temperature where all the ingredients were melted together and ready for consumption. I would rather wait a few extra minutes for my food to be hot and ready to eat than get my food fast and have it so cold that I need to drive somewhere else and cook it myself.

From a health standpoint, you’d need to remember you’re getting a fast food breakfast. The sodium, fat, and sugars will be high on whatever you get. Some of the items on this menu are over or approaching the maximum daily limit on sodium and cholesterol, which is dangerous. Additionally, a few items contain trans fats, which are a huge no-no and you should always consume 0 grams per day.

From a taste standpoint, some items shined and some items should be trashed. I would definitely pick up an A.M. Grilled Taco with Bacon, a Breakfast Burrito with Bacon, an A.M. Crunchwrap with Steak, a hash brown, coffee, or Tropicana juice.

If you’re in a rush for breakfast, Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu with REAL eggs, bacon, and cheese, is a great buy if you get the right items.

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Mandy Ellis

I am in deep-fried love with food and travel. With Italian roots, I have a weakness for bread, marinara, and mozzarella. I’ll try anything once and am constantly searching for intriguing places to visit. When I'm not savoring the last bite or organizing my next trip, I'm indulging my inner bookworm and writing about my adventures. If you turn on college football and give me a local craft beer, you’ll see the happiest Hokie on the West coast.