High-Fiber Tacos: 8 Fillings Ranked by Fiber Per Serving
Two beef tacos in hard shells with lettuce and cheese carry about 2.2 grams of fiber. The beef and the cheddar contribute nothing; the shells and a little lettuce do all the work. Swap the beef for lentils, use soft corn tortillas and add salsa and cabbage, and the same two tacos carry 16.5 grams, seven and a half times as much.
The tortilla is not where the fiber lives. The filling is. Below are eight fillings ranked by fiber for a two-taco serving, plus which tortillas and toppings actually move the number.
The short version
- Lentil tacos lead at 16.5g of fiber for two, with 17.4g of protein and 309 calories
- The usual beef, lettuce and cheese filling adds 0.4g; the tortillas and toppings supply nearly everything
- Half beef, half pinto beans keeps the beef and lands at 11.8g, more than two and a half times the all-beef version
- Corn tortillas carry 2.9g of fiber per 100 calories; 6-inch flour tortillas carry 1.1g
- Avocado is the best topping, at 3.4g for a quarter; cheese and sour cream add none
8 taco fillings ranked by fiber
Every row is two tacos: two corn tortillas, 2 tablespoons of salsa and a quarter cup of shredded red cabbage, plus the filling. Those shared parts supply 4.1 grams, so the differences between rows are entirely the filling. Figures from USDA FoodData Central.
| # | Filling (two tacos) | Fiber | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lentil taco ‘meat’ | 16.5g | 17.4g | 309 |
| 2 | Black bean and sweet potato | 14.9g | 13.2g | 324 |
| 3 | Beef and pinto, half and half | 11.8g | 21.5g | 339 |
| 4 | Chicken and black bean | 11.6g | 32.9g | 350 |
| 5 | Portobello and pinto | 10.6g | 11.4g | 217 |
| 6 | Breakfast: eggs and refried beans | 9.5g | 21.9g | 394 |
| 7 | Shrimp with corn and black bean salsa | 8.8g | 28.4g | 315 |
| 8 | The usual: beef, lettuce and cheddar | 4.5g | 30.8g | 432 |
What goes into each filling:
| Filling | Amount for two tacos |
|---|---|
| Lentil taco ‘meat’ | ¾ cup cooked lentils + ¼ cup chopped onion |
| Black bean and sweet potato | ½ cup black beans + ½ cup baked sweet potato |
| Beef and pinto, half and half | half a cooked ¼-lb beef patty (42g) + ½ cup pinto beans |
| Chicken and black bean | ½ cup chopped roast chicken breast + ½ cup black beans |
| Portobello and pinto | 1 cup sliced grilled portobello + ¼ cup pinto beans |
| Breakfast: eggs and refried beans | 2 scrambled eggs + ½ cup fat-free refried beans |
| Shrimp with corn and black bean salsa | 16 large shrimp (88g) + ¼ cup corn + ¼ cup black beans |
| The usual: beef, lettuce and cheddar | one cooked ¼-lb beef patty (83g) + ½ cup iceberg + ¼ cup cheddar |
Two things stand out. First, every filling with beans or lentils clears 8 grams, and the top two clear 14. Second, protein and fiber rank differently: the chicken and black bean tacos have the most protein on the list at 32.9 grams and still carry 11.6 grams of fiber, because half a cup of black beans adds 7.5 grams. For the full bean ranking, see high-fiber beans; for more ways to pair chicken with fiber, see high-fiber chicken recipes.
Corn or flour tortillas?
Per tortilla the difference is small. Per calorie it is not:
| Tortilla | Weight | Fiber | Calories | Fiber per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corn tortilla | 24g | 1.5g | 52 | 2.9g |
| Flour tortilla, 6-inch | 30g | 1.1g | 92 | 1.1g |
| Flour tortilla, 7-8 inch | 49g | 1.7g | 150 | 1.1g |
| Hard taco shell | 13g | 0.9g | 63 | 1.4g |
A corn tortilla carries about two and a half times the fiber of a flour tortilla for the same calories, and it weighs less, which leaves room for more filling. Hard shells sit between the two per calorie. USDA’s reference data has no generic whole-wheat tortilla, so if you buy those, check the fiber on the label; it varies by brand.
Toppings: which ones add fiber
| Topping | Amount | Fiber | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avocado | ¼ avocado (50g) | 3.4g | 80 |
| Refried beans | 2 tbsp | 1.4g | 23 |
| Corn | ¼ cup | 1.0g | 33 |
| Salsa | 2 tbsp | 0.7g | 10 |
| Red cabbage, shredded | ¼ cup | 0.4g | 5 |
| Onion, chopped | 2 tbsp | 0.3g | 8 |
| Iceberg lettuce, shredded | ¼ cup | 0.2g | 3 |
| Cheddar, shredded | 2 tbsp | 0.0g | 57 |
| Cotija | 2 tsp | 0.0g | 18 |
| Sour cream | 2 tbsp | 0.0g | 48 |
Avocado is in a class of its own: a quarter of one adds 3.4 grams, more than the two corn tortillas together (3.0). A spoonful of refried beans used as a base layer adds 1.4. Cheese, cotija and sour cream add flavor and calories but no fiber at all, so treat them as the finish, not the filling.
How to build each one
Lentil taco “meat”
Simmer brown or green lentils until tender but not falling apart, then cook them in a skillet with the chopped onion, chili powder, cumin and a spoonful of tomato paste until the mixture is dry enough to hold in a tortilla. Three-quarters of a cup fills two tacos generously.
Black bean and sweet potato
Roast cubed sweet potato until browned at the edges, then toss it with warm black beans, cumin and lime. Pickled red onion and a few crumbles of cotija finish it.
Beef and pinto, half and half
Brown the beef, then stir in the pinto beans with taco seasoning and a splash of water and mash a few of the beans against the pan so the mixture holds together. It tastes like a beef taco and carries 11.8 grams instead of 4.5.
Chicken, shrimp and breakfast tacos
The protein carries no fiber, so add it beside the meat. For chicken, fold black beans into the shredded chicken. For shrimp, spoon a corn and black bean salsa over the top. For breakfast, spread refried beans on the tortilla before the scrambled eggs. More fiber-first breakfasts are in high-fiber, high-protein breakfast.
Frequently asked questions
Are corn tortillas high in fiber?
Moderately: 1.5 grams each. Their real advantage is per calorie, at 2.9 grams per 100 calories against 1.1 for flour. Two corn tortillas give a taco meal a 3-gram head start, but the filling decides whether it ends up at 4 grams or 16.
Are street tacos high in fiber?
Not usually. Street tacos are small corn tortillas with meat, onion and cilantro, so nearly all the fiber comes from the tortillas, about 3 grams for two. Adding beans or a spoonful of avocado is the quickest fix.
What is the highest-fiber taco filling?
Of the eight here, lentils: three-quarters of a cup for two tacos adds 11.7 grams on its own. Any bean filling comes close. Black, pinto and lentils all carry about 15 to 16 grams per cooked cup.
How do I make tacos high in protein and fiber?
Keep the meat and add beans to it. The chicken and black bean filling gives 32.9 grams of protein and 11.6 of fiber for two tacos. More meals built that way are in high-protein, high-fiber meals.
For more weeknight ideas, see high-fiber dinner ideas, high-fiber chili and lentils nutrition.
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Emma Hartwell
Emma Hartwell is the home cook and recipe developer behind Fiber & Fork. After years of dealing with sluggish digestion and endless afternoon energy crashes, she rebuilt her kitchen around one simple idea: hit 30 grams of fiber a day without eating a single boring meal. Every recipe on this site is cooked, photographed, and taste-tested in her own kitchen — beans, lentils, whole grains, and vegetables turned into food you'll actually crave. When she's not stirring a pot of something cozy, Emma is testing new ways to sneak fiber into desserts her family can't tell apart from the 'real thing'.
