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Taco Calories by Shell, Filling and Topping

One beef and cheese taco on a corn tortilla has about 261 calories, a chicken street taco about 188 and a fish taco about 275. See USDA calories for shells, fillings and toppings, and what three tacos add up to.

By Ngoc Hoang

Tacos come in small portions, so the number that matters is the one you multiply. Here Dietfit takes one taco apart with USDA data: the shell, the filling and the spoonfuls on top. A regular beef and cheese taco on a corn tortilla has about 261 calories, so three of them come to about 783 before any sour cream or guacamole.

Taco calories at a glance: shell by filling

USDA lists tacos by tortilla and filling. Each number below is one regular taco (3.7 oz, 105 g) with cheese:

Filling

Corn tortilla

Flour tortilla

Beans

185

193

Chicken and beans

203

212

Chicken

222

231

Beef and beans

223

232

Beef

261

270

Pork

264

273

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS), taco with cheese, regular size.

In USDA's taco recipes, corn and flour versions land within about 10 calories of each other at the same weight. The filling moves the number more: a beef taco has about 40 calories more than a chicken one, and adding beans to the meat brings the total down (203 calories for chicken and beans, against 222 for chicken alone). Flour versions carry more sodium, about 470 mg a taco for beef against 394 mg on corn.

A large taco (5.6 oz, 160 g) scales up to about 338 calories for chicken and 398 for beef on corn. A fish taco, at 3.5 oz, has about 275 calories, more than a beef one, with about 12 g of protein.

Taco Calories Shell by Filling

Corn, flour or hard shell: calories per shell

On its own, the shell is where corn and flour really split. A flour tortilla weighs more and has more fat per ounce, so the same size runs about twice the calories:

Shell

Weight

Calories

Sodium

Corn tortilla, small

0.6 oz (18 g)

39

8 mg

Corn tortilla, medium

1 oz (28 g)

61

13 mg

Hard corn taco shell, medium (about 5 in)

0.5 oz (13 g)

63

43 mg

Hard corn taco shell, large (about 6.5 in)

0.7 oz (21 g)

100

68 mg

Flour tortilla, small

1.2 oz (33 g)

101

231 mg

Flour tortilla, medium

1.6 oz (45 g)

138

315 mg

Whole wheat tortilla, medium

1.6 oz (45 g)

140

278 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS and SR Legacy).

A hard shell looks like the heavier choice, but a medium one has about the same calories as a medium soft corn tortilla, because it weighs half as much. Ounce for ounce it is denser: 135 calories per ounce for a baked hard shell, 62 for a soft corn tortilla and 87 for flour. Whole wheat tortillas save no calories over white flour at the same size; their gain is fiber, about 4 g in a medium one against 1.6 g.

Two small corn tortillas stacked, as in the street tacos below, add up to 78 calories, still less than one small flour tortilla.

Street tacos: built from USDA values

USDA has no entry for a street taco, so these are built from its ingredient values: two small corn tortillas (1.3 oz), 2 oz of cooked filling, 1 tbsp of chopped onion with cilantro and 1 tbsp of salsa verde.

  • Grilled shrimp: about 150 calories and 12 g of protein.

  • Grilled chicken breast: about 188 calories and 19 g of protein.

  • Grilled sirloin, as used for carne asada: about 237 calories and 17 g of protein.

  • Pork carnitas: about 242 calories and 16 g of protein.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS): corn tortilla, pork carnitas, beef sirloin steak, grilled chicken breast, grilled shrimp, raw onion, salsa verde.

Each street taco lands near 350 to 400 mg of sodium, and the filling makes most of the difference in calories. A plate of three chicken street tacos comes to about 564 calories and 57 g of protein, less than three regular beef and cheese tacos (783). For the most protein per calorie, chicken and shrimp lead.

Other fillings from the same USDA taco data, per regular taco (3.5 oz, 100 g):

  • Beans, no cheese: about 167 calories and 5 g of protein.

  • Meat, no cheese: about 243 calories and 15 g of protein.

  • Fish: about 275 calories and 12 g of protein.

Toppings, by the spoonful

Toppings go on one spoonful at a time, so it helps to know what each spoonful adds to a single taco:

Topping

Amount

Calories

Shredded lettuce

1/4 cup

2

Taco sauce

1 tbsp

2

Chopped onion

1 tbsp

4

Pico de gallo

2 tbsp

5

Red salsa

1 tbsp

5

Salsa verde

1 tbsp

6

Guacamole

1 tbsp

23

Queso (cheese dip)

1 tbsp

24

Shredded cheddar

1 tbsp

29

Sour cream

1 tbsp

29

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

The fresh toppings stay under 10 calories a spoonful, while the creamy ones run 23 to 29. One spoonful each of cheddar, sour cream and guacamole adds about 81 calories to a taco, or about 243 across three. Salsas are light on calories but not on sodium: 1 tbsp of salsa verde has about 136 mg.

Taco Toppings Calories

Three tacos, two ways

Put together, the choices above decide whether a three-taco meal is a light dinner or a heavy one:

  • Three regular beef and cheese tacos on corn, each with 1 tbsp of sour cream and 1 tbsp of guacamole: about 939 calories.

  • Three chicken street tacos with onion, cilantro and salsa verde: about 564 calories and 57 g of protein.

The gap of about 375 calories comes from the filling, the cheese and the creamy toppings, not from the shell. Either way, tacos fit a calorie deficit when the count of tacos and spoonfuls matches the plan. Tacos are hard to eyeball once the toppings pile up; an AI calorie tracker like Dietfit can log the plate from a photo, and you can adjust the toppings it lists.

For where tacos sit among other dishes, see whether Mexican food is healthy and our guide to burrito calories.

FAQ

How many calories are in one taco?

A regular taco (3.7 oz) with cheese has about 185 to 275 calories, depending on the filling, according to USDA. A beef and cheese taco on a corn tortilla has about 261, a chicken one about 222 and a bean one about 185.

Are corn or flour tortillas better for tacos?

A medium corn tortilla has about 61 calories and 13 mg of sodium, against 138 calories and 315 mg for a medium flour tortilla, according to USDA. In USDA's finished taco recipes, the two land within about 10 calories of each other, but the flour versions carry more sodium.

How many calories are in a hard shell taco?

A medium hard corn taco shell has about 63 calories, close to a medium soft corn tortilla, because it weighs half as much. A fast-food hard-shell taco with beef, cheese and lettuce (2.4 oz) has about 156 calories, according to USDA.

How many calories are in a street taco?

Built from USDA values on two small corn tortillas with 2 oz of filling, onion, cilantro and salsa verde, a street taco has about 150 calories with grilled shrimp, 188 with chicken, 237 with carne asada-style sirloin and 242 with carnitas.

How many calories are in 3 tacos?

Three regular beef and cheese tacos on corn tortillas have about 783 calories, according to USDA, and about 939 with 1 tbsp each of sour cream and guacamole on every taco. Three chicken street tacos come to about 564.

Are tacos good for weight loss?

Tacos can fit weight loss when the filling is lean and the creamy toppings stay small. A chicken street taco has about 188 calories and 19 g of protein, while a spoonful each of cheese, sour cream and guacamole adds about 81 calories per taco.

References

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