Taco Bell value menu guide
The Cravings Value Menu is Taco Bell's lineup of low-cost items designed to build a budget-friendly meal. This guide lists the items typically on the value menu, what's actually cheap right now, the cheapest two-item combinations, and how Taco Bell's value pricing has shifted from the old $1 menu to today's $2–$3 entry points.
Items typically on the value menu
- Crunchy Taco — $1.49 - $2.29
- Soft Taco — $1.59 - $2.39
- Spicy Potato Soft Taco — $1.39 - $2.19
- Bean Burrito — $1.79 - $2.49
- Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito — $1.29 - $1.99
- Chicken Burrito — $2.49 - $3.49
- Black Bean Burrito — $1.79 - $2.49
- Beefy Melt Burrito — $2.49 - $3.49
- Chips and Nacho Cheese Sauce — $1.49 - $2.29
- Nacho Fries — $1.99 - $2.99
- Loaded Nacho Taco — $1.99 - $2.69
- Cheesy Roll Up — $1.00 - $1.59
- Spicy Potato Soft Taco (Value) — $1.39 - $2.19
- Chicken Chipotle Melt — $1.99 - $2.79
- Bean Burrito (Value) — $1.79 - $2.49
- Spicy Tostada — $1.29 - $1.99
- Build Your Own Cravings Box — $5.99 - $7.99
- Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito – Bacon — $1.49 - $2.29
- Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito – Sausage — $1.49 - $2.29
- Hash Brown — $1.00 - $1.79
- Cinnamon Twists — $1.00 - $1.79
- Black Beans — $1.00 - $1.49
- Pintos 'n Cheese — $1.29 - $1.89
- Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito (Fresco) — $1.79 - $2.49
- Loaded Beef Nacho Taco — $2.19 - $2.89
From the $1 menu to the Cravings Value Menu
For most of the 2010s, Taco Bell ran a true $1 menu (the "Dollar Cravings Menu") with more than a dozen items. Inflation and franchise pressure pushed prices upward, and the brand rebranded the lineup as the "Cravings Value Menu" with most items now in the $2 to $3 range. A small number of stores still list a handful of true $1 items — most often the Cheesy Roll Up or the Cinnamon Twists — but coverage is spotty and franchise-dependent.
Cheapest meals you can actually build
- ~$4 meal: Bean Burrito + Crunchy Taco + tap water.
- ~$5 meal: Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito + Crunchy Taco + small drink.
- ~$6 meal: Spicy Potato Soft Taco + Bean Burrito + Cinnamon Twists.
- ~$7 meal (best value): $5–$7 Cravings Box (entrée + snack + side + drink, all bundled).
The Cravings Box almost always beats hand-picking the same items off the value menu once you factor in the drink.
App-only value plays
The Taco Bell app frequently runs digital-only value deals — free items with a $15 purchase, $1 Doritos Locos Tacos on certain weekdays, BOGO offers, and the rotating "Discovery" deals targeted to your account. Stacking an app deal with two value-menu items is usually the cheapest possible way to eat at Taco Bell.
Tips to stretch the budget further
- Order water — soft drinks are the highest-margin item and easily double your total.
- Skip the chips. A side of chips and nacho cheese can cost more than two value entrées.
- Substitute meat for beans on bigger items if your store doesn't carry the cheaper bean version separately — beans are essentially free as a swap.
- Compare per-item prices in the app vs the store. Some stores price digital orders 5–10% lower to encourage app use.