Taco Bell's Burrito Supreme Vs Bean Burrito: What's The Actual Difference?

Taco Bell's classic bean burrito is a pretty simple handheld affair of refried beans, shredded cheddar, diced onions, and red sauce, all wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla. It's a menu staple thanks to its simple construction (what more do you need, really?), and it's a reliable and tasty go-to fast food order. Plus, we always have fun with our preferred burrito-eating technique. But admittedly, a regular burrito from Taco Bell might be a little plain for some folks since, for the most part, it's just beans and cheese. If you're looking for something a bit more interesting, you can always reach for a Burrito Supreme.

The Burrito Supreme has more bells and whistles to it, and it includes refried beans, seasoned beef, shredded cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sour cream, and red sauce. This is more of an all-in-one meal solution than a regular bean burrito is. It does come at a significantly higher price, as a bean burrito goes for $2.79 at the Taco Bell location by me (though it seems to be a bit less in other locales), while the Burrito Supreme is a much more expensive $7.39. Despite that massive cost difference, one thing is for sure: The Burrito Supreme is definitely more substantial than a bean burrito.

As The Takeout's resident Taco Bell obsessive — I mean, expert — I've learned that you can score a discount Taco Bell burrito by modifying certain base items to essentially create another item. In the case of a Burrito Supreme, you can start with a bean burrito and simply add seasoned beef and lettuce, then click the "Make It Supreme" option, which adds tomato and sour cream. When you do that, you have not just a ballpark reproduction but an exact duplicate of a Burrito Supreme. When you think about it, a Burrito Supreme is basically a bean burrito that's been totally decked out with a bunch of extra ingredients.

If I approach a Burrito Supreme that way, the price drops from $7.39 to a much more manageable $5.39 for the standalone item at my nearest location. That's a huge savings when compared to the original price, which means it really does pay to mess with the app just for fun. Granted, not every Taco Bell menu item can be tampered with; you can't magically make a Crunchwrap Supreme or a Mexican Pizza for cheaper since there are no lesser analogues of those things already on the menu. But still, saving money where you can is always good, especially if you want something a little more fun than just a plain bean burrito. Of course, if you're feeling really cheeky, you can always mess around even further and basically create Taco Bell secret menu items, but hey, that's just part of what makes Taco Bell so fun.