What oil does Laredo Taco Company fry in?
Laredo Taco Company cooks with Per the chain's own 80-page Nutritional, Ingredient and Allergen guide (Revised Feb 13 2020, the only guide it links): flour tortillas are made with PALM OIL (a regional South Texas flour tortilla uses beef tallow); refried beans use interesterified soybean oil, not lard; the griddle and fryer fat is a soybean oil blend (high oleic soybean oil and soybean oil, fraction undisclosed) in which the fresh chips are fried; packaged chips are cottonseed/corn/palm; barbacoa is beef cheek meat and salt with no added oil; Cilantro Verde and Habanera salsas list soybean oil..
The 5 cleanest things to order at Laredo Taco Company
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Pico de Gallo | 0.0g |
| Shredded Cheese | 0.5g |
| Bean & Cheese Taco | 1.5g |
| Diced Potatoes | 1.8g |
| Barbacoa Taco | 2.2g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Why the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the Laredo Taco Company report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does Laredo Taco Company use beef tallow?
Yes, at least for some items. Laredo Taco Company uses: Per the chain's own 80-page Nutritional, Ingredient and Allergen guide (Revised Feb 13 2020, the only guide it links): flour tortillas are made with PALM OIL (a regional South Texas flour tortilla uses beef tallow); refried beans use interesterified soybean oil, not lard; the griddle and fryer fat is a soybean oil blend (high oleic soybean oil and soybean oil, fraction undisclosed) in which the fresh chips are fried; packaged chips are cottonseed/corn/palm; barbacoa is beef cheek meat and salt with no added oil; Cilantro Verde and Habanera salsas list soybean oil.. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.