Does Taco Bell Reheat Well? (Is It Still Good?) 


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Taco Bell is a popular American fast-food restaurant that serves delicious tacos. Often people will take home some leftovers from Taco Bell or want to save some for later. Can you reheat your tacos if you have leftovers? 

You can reheat Taco Bell and have it still taste good but you won’t want to just pop it in the microwave. Ideally you will use the oven or air fryer to reheat your tacos. 

Although using an air fryer or oven to reheat your tacos is far less convenient it will allow you to have them taste almost as good as they did when you get them fresh. Reheating your tacos in the microwave will leave them soggy, and generally tasting far worse. 

How Do You Reheat Hard Tacos From Taco Bell? 

Soft shell tacos can be reheated in a variety of ways. Many people will even put them in the microwave (although even soft shell tacos won’t taste the best this way). 

When it comes to hard shell tacos though you definitely don’t want to put them in the microwave. But how should you reheat them? 

The best way to reheat your Taco Bell hard tacos is to actually separate your cold items from the hot items and then warm it in the oven. 

Sour cream, salsa, cheese, guacamole, and other fresh or cold items should be removed from your taco before you reheat it. These items should not be warmed up.

 Once you remove your fresh items you will then want to remove your beans and meat. Once you remove your beans and meat you will then reheat your hard-shells in the oven. 

Preheat your oven to four hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Then find an oven safe dish and carefully wrap your taco shells in aluminum foil and place them in your oven safe dish. 

The shells will take fifteen to twenty minutes to reheat in the oven. While the shells are warming up you will want to reheat your meat and beans. You can either do this in the microwave or on the stovetop. If you’re going to use the microwave then all you need to do is place it in a microwave safe container and heat it for a minute. 

If it needs additional time then add thirty seconds at a time until your meat and beans are heated through. If you’re heating your meat and beans on the stovetop then simply place them in a pan and warm them over a medium low heat. 

Be sure to stir it so that it does not burn on the bottom of the pan. 

Once your taco shells have been reheated in the oven and your meat and beans have also been reheated it is time to reassemble your taco. Don’t forget to add all your cold, fresh ingredients once your meat and beans are back in the taco shell.

Another way to reheat your hard-shell Taco Bell tacos is to use the stovetop. With the stovetop method you will still want to separate your ingredients. Remove all of your fresh, cold items and put them in the fridge. 

Then remove your meat and beans and set into a smaller saucepan or in a microwave safe bowl to reheat it as well. Place a small amount of oil in the bottom of a pan to keep your taco shells from sticking. 

Over medium low heat you will reheat one side of your taco shell then flip it to warm the other side as well. You can also place a lid on the pan to let the heat circulate and help thoroughly reheat the shell. 

Once your shell has been reheated and you have reheated your meat and beans you can reassemble your taco.

Alternatively, if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to bother with the oven or the stovetop you could use the microwave. If you use the microwave to reheat your Taco Bell hard shell taco you will end up with a soggy taco. If you do use the microwave, just remember you will still need to remove the cold, fresh items like lettuce, cheese, and sour cream before you put it in the microwave.

How Do You Reheat A Taco Bell Burrito?

Reheating a burrito from Taco Bell is far easier than doing the same thing with a hard shell taco. 

You can reheat a burrito from Taco Bell three different ways. You can use the oven, the stovetop, or the microwave. 

All of these methods will produce good results. Many people (myself included) insist that the best way to reheat a burrito is in the oven as this will give a nice crisp burrito instead of a soggy one. 

However if you are short in time then the microwave will work fine (although you won’t get as good of results). 

You will need aluminum foil to reheat your burrito in the oven. Preheat your oven to three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit. 

Loosely wrap your burrito in aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet in the oven. It will take your burrito around fifteen to twenty minutes to be thoroughly reheated. 

You can also use a meat thermometer to check to see if it is heated properly. The internal temperature of your burrito should be one hundred and sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. 

Once your burrito has reached this temperature it is ready to eat. 

You can also reheat your burrito on the stovetop. To reheat your burrito on the stove you need a pan with a lid and a little bit of oil or nonstick cooking spray. 

Over a medium low heat, you will want to reheat one side of your burrito, place the lid on the pan to keep the heat inside of the pan. Flip your burrito over once the first side has heated. 

It should take about five minutes for your burrito to thoroughly be reheated. 

You can also use the microwave to reheat your Taco Bell burritos. The microwave is going to save you just a few minutes but will give you a soggier burrito. 

Use a microwave safe plate and heat the burrito for one minute. Allow the burrito to sit for forty-five seconds to allow the heat to spread through the burrito. Then microwave it for another minute and allow it to sit for thirty seconds. 

Your burrito is ready to eat once the filling is thoroughly warmed through.

How Do You Reheat Taco Bell Nachos?

With so many different options for food at Taco Bell it’s important to know how to reheat each one that you might take home as leftovers. Nachos are no different. 

The best way to reheat nachos is in the oven. The oven will keep your nachos nice and crispy. 

Preheat your oven to two hundred and twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. While your oven is heating up you will want to remove any fresh items such as sour cream, salsa, and lettuce from your nachos and place them in the fridge. 

Make sure that your nachos are on an oven safe plate or dish. Cover the nachos with aluminum foil and place in the oven for anywhere from five to twenty minutes. 

The amount of time that you leave the nachos in the oven depends on how crispy you want your nachos. Remove the nachos from the oven once they are to your desired crispness and heated through. 

Allow them to sit on the counter for a minute or two to cool, replace any of your fresh, cold ingredients and enjoy!

Taco Bell is great reheated and will taste just as good if you take the time to reheat it properly.

Hannah R.

Hey, I'm Hannah and I'm the founder of Get Eatin'.

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