All Of Taco Bell's Sauces Ranked Worst To Best
Sometimes your appetite thinks inside the bun, but other times that angry beast puts all its energy outside the bun, and there's only one thing to do when that happens: Head straight to the nearest Taco Bell and get your grub on. Taco Bell has a plethora of quick and affordable Mexican food that gives your appetite a stern talking to and calms it down before all hell breaks loose in your belly.
The first decision you have to make when you walk into any Taco Bell is figuring out what you're going to order. That takes precedence over anything else. But soon after you lock in your order, the next burning question suddenly strikes: What sauces are you going to pair your food with? This question is always huge, because dabbling in the wrong sauce will immediately take an item that you know you love and plunge it down into the depths of the inedible. That's a realm no one ever wants to cross into. So to help steer clear, pay close attention to this ranked list of all the sauces Taco Bell offers.
10. Mild
When it comes to the word mild, unless you're talking about the weather, it implies that something is just okay. The show was mildly entertaining. The food was mildly tasty. You get it. It's not something you want prevalent in your vernacular, that's for sure. And when it comes to food especially, you want whatever you're eating to smack you across the mouth with great flavors. A tasty tongue walloping is always the goal when you eat, and that's exactly why the Mild Sauce at Taco Bell is one to avoid.
It's important to note that this sauce doesn't have an off-putting flavor. The big issue here is that it has almost no flavor at all. It just feels like you're biting into a runny tasteless liquid that's not adding anything to your food. Plus, as we all know, any sauce has a habit of seeping into the crispy taco shells and giving them a somewhat unappealing mushy texture. If you're going to get your taco shells saturated in something, you want that something to at least pack a punch of flavor to make up for the texture of the wet shell.
9. Nacho Cheese
A plate of nachos just isn't the same without a creamy portion of melted yellow cheese nearby. The cheese is almost a necessity because plain chips have a tendency to be quite boring on their own. Obviously a spot like Taco Bell that has nachos on the menu carries that melted gooey stuff. But the cheese isn't confined to only the nachos. There are several other menu options that include a drizzle of nacho cheese. Unfortunately, you might almost wish they didn't.
The fact that Taco Bell's nacho cheese is nothing to write home about is a huge letdown. The texture of the cheese is exactly what you crave in a cheese sauce. It's rich, creamy, and it does a great job of coating your mouth. But there's barely any cheese favor here, and that makes it totally pointless. Maybe if you guzzled down the cheese on its own you'd pick up traces of cheddar, but hopefully no one in their right mind is thinking about doing that.
8. Spicy Ranch
Even though ranch is a well known salad dressing, it seems like the ingredient creeps into, or onto, a lot of food you wouldn't expect it to, like pizza. But it makes sense because ranch offers a creamy, coat-your-mouth, cooling flavor that pairs great with a lot of savory ingredients. Since most of the items at Taco Bell are savory, it makes sense that ranch is floating around the menu. But Taco Bell steps it up a bit, adding a kick of heat to make a Spicy Ranch condiment.
However, it falls short of success. The big issue here is with the level of spice in the sauce. There simply isn't enough heat to send those taste buds a much needed wake-up call. People who enjoy spice don't want to settle for something that barely singes their tongue. They want each bite to sound the alarm in their mouths, and this just doesn't manage to do it. The flavor of the ranch is alright, but it's definitely not tasty enough to make up for the fact the word spicy shouldn't be in the name.
7. Hot
For those who prefer food with a hefty kick of heat, it's a total letdown when they see the word hot in a dish's name or description only to find out that the heat level is nowhere near what they were expecting. Great spice really elevates a dish to another level, and it can help bring out the flavors of the other ingredients if balanced appropriately. But, ironically, if you want your Taco Bell food imbued with some great heat, best to choose something other than the Hot Sauce.
If you're going to plaster the word hot on a packet of sauce, it should absolutely hit hard. It doesn't necessarily have to scorch your tongue and have you running for the nearest glass of milk, but your palate should definitely take a hit. Here, however, you're just left craving something hotter. The flavor is okay, and the sauce doesn't ruin any of the food you pour it on, but heat-seeking Taco Bell-goers will likely feel disappointed after that first bite.
6. Avocado Ranch
When you take two already creamy foods and combine them together, you run the risk of creating something way too rich. This might turn people away from the Avocado Ranch sauce at Taco Bell. Avocados have a super creamy consistency and ranch, as we all know, certainly falls into the incredibly creamy category. But this sauce actually isn't an overpowering amount of rich flavor. It's a decent version of ranch that can definitely enhance your Taco Bell order.
The flavor of the avocado here comes through, which is relieving since ranch can have a strong taste that overpowers other ingredients added to it. You may wish the avocado taste was a bit stronger here seeing as they have a great subtle flavor that pairs well with so many savory ingredients, but it still works. This is a decent sauce to help add an additional layer of texture and taste to your Taco Bell items.
5. Fire
Even though the experience can sometimes be painful, people who love hot food get a certain joy out of setting their tongues ablaze. Not everyone can stare a spicy dish in the eye without fear, but those who can know just how fulfilled their palates will be after taking down a dish that causes others to cower down. Taco Bell offers customers a Fire Sauce, and it does a pretty good job of replicating the sensation that the roof, the roof, the roof (of your mouth) is on fire. But, you don't need a soft drink. Just let that bad boy burn.
Now the Fire Sauce is definitely hot, but it's not so hot that it's unenjoyable, which is nice. It's never fun when you ruin your entire afternoon because you decided that dunking your food in Carolina reaper glaze was a smart idea. The sauce pairs well with just about everything on the menu because it offers pepper flavor as opposed to just painful heat. If hot food is your thing, you should definitely explore this stuff.
4. Creamy Chipotle
Chipotle peppers add an awesome spice to whatever food you're eating them with. They're hot, but they also add flavor, which is something many hot sauces neglect to do. You don't want a dish to taste like nothing but pain, and that's why incorporating chipotle peppers is a great idea. Taco Bell makes really good use of chipotle peppers, adding an additional layer of texture with its Creamy Chipotle Sauce.
The fact that this sauce is creamy really takes it up several rungs on the flavor ladder. The sauce coats your whole mouth and ensures no part of your placate misses out on the great chipotle spice. The sauce isn't overly hot, but it has enough heat to satisfy spice-enthusiasts while at the same time giving those who don't like their food with too much heat a great option as well. Slap some of this on your next Taco Bell order for a rich and zesty experience.
3. Red Enchilada Sauce
When you mix sweet and spicy together you end up with a fantastic flavor combination that pairs well with so many savory foods. Both tastes ensure neither one overpowers your palate, and that's always ideal when trying to balance out a dish. That is exactly what makes the Red Enchilada Sauce from Taco Bell a great option to dump on just about anything the menu has to offer. Don't think just because the word enchilada is in the name that you can't venture down another path with it.
The sauce has an enticingly bright red color that adds a great aesthetic to the food, so that's an added perk outside of the flavor. The sauce is sweet thanks to the tomatoes and a bit spicy from chili peppers, and it finds a wonderful balance between the two. This stuff really helps a rich, meaty dish hit all three fantastic notes on your palate: the sweet, the heat, and the savory.
2. Diablo
When you start venturing into spice territory that includes the word diablo, it's safe to assume you're entering a very dark realm full of torturous infernos and epic levels of pain. So eater beware when testing the boiling waters of the Diablo Sauce from Taco Bell. Just the deep, viciously red color of it is enough to send some people running for the hills. So you can only imagine what it's like when your tongue enters the ring.
To say this sauce is a scorcher is an understatement. It doesn't reach the level of ghost pepper or Carolina reaper, but it will definitely have you grabbing for a cold drink if you go too heavy with it. A light-handed drizzle on your food will do just fine for those with a high spice tolerance, and those without one should just turn the other cheek. However, even though the sauce torches the tongue, there's still a great punch of pepper flavor that enhances your food quite well. That is, if you can handle it.
1. Creamy Jalapeno
A fantastic sauce can sometimes be difficult to come by. There are so many different condiments available but many of them are lackluster. So when you find one that really stands tall among the rest you remember it long after it hits your palate. This is exactly what the Creamy Jalapeno sauce from Taco Bell does in your mouth. It coats it with a perfectly rich texture and sends your taste buds tingling with a fantastic punch of jalapeno flavor.
What's great about the jalapeno taste here is that it's quite prevalent but doesn't singe the skin off your tongue. Jalapenos aren't the spiciest of peppers, but this sauce manages to still pack a solid punch of heat. However, the creamy texture almost cools off some of the spice while you eat, so you get this rising-lowering heat sensation that really makes your dining experience super enjoyable. This is a sauce you'll definitely regret missing out on the next time you're at Taco Bell.