We tried every item on Taco Bell's value menu, where everything costs $3 or less, and ranked them from worst to best

The $2.49 chips and nacho supreme dip are among the five new items on Taco Bell's Luxe Value menu. The dip features seasoned beef, refried beans, nacho cheese sauce, sour cream, pico de gallo, and a three-cheese blend, served alongside tortilla chips.

There's plenty of cheese to enjoy in this dip, but the strong smack of the sour cream overpowered the first bite. And while the seasoned beef tasted delicious, we thought there wasn't enough of it — the flavor got lost among the other ingredients.

Taco Bell offers plenty of delicious dips and sauces on its menu, so we'll be giving this one a skip.

The $1.19 cheesy roll up is definitely the simplest item on Taco Bell's value menu. It features a three-cheese blend melted into a soft flour tortilla.

This dish instantly reminded Anneta of the quesadillas she used to make when she was a broke 20-something in New York City, surviving on Trader Joe's tortillas, cheese, a microwave, and a dream.

Erin thought the roll up tasted light and cheesy but lacked the exciting flavors of the other value menu items.

While we wouldn't order it again, we could see kids enjoying this palate-friendly snack.

The $2.79 cheesy double beef burrito first debuted on Taco Bell's 2024 value menu. Designed to be a heftier version of Taco Bell's discontinued beefy melt burrito, it features more meat alongside rice, nacho cheese sauce, tortilla strips, a three-cheese blend, and sour cream.

Erin generally prefers Taco Bell's chicken products, but she thought the meat in the cheesy double beef burrito was well-seasoned and flavorful.

Anneta, who also wasn't a fan of Taco Bell's original beefy melt burrito, believes this version gives you way more bang for your buck. It's packed with tons of meat, and the tortilla strips are a nice crunchy touch.

We just wish the flavor was more distinct — it needs some acid or heat to keep things interesting.

The $2.29 3-cheese chicken flatbread melt was also part of Taco Bell's 2024 value menu. It features a flatbread stuffed with grilled chicken and a three-cheese blend topped with the chain's creamy chipotle sauce.

Erin enjoyed the flatbread's juicy chicken and thought the blend of cheeses helped elevate the overall flavor compared to Taco Bell's usual quesadilla.

Anneta thought the flatbread was the strongest component of the dish thanks to its soft, pillowy texture, but overall, she felt the dish was a bit flat. The filling could have used an extra vegetable or some avocado salsa to help it look and taste less beige.

Taco Bell's $1.29 spicy potato taco first debuted on the chain's value menu in 2020. It features seasoned potatoes, lettuce, cheese, and chipotle sauce in a soft flour tortilla.

The potatoes were nicely cooked and had a slight kick from the chipotle sauce, though they easily slipped out of our tacos because of their small, square shape. We wonder if the dish would work better with a hash-brown patty instead, which would add some crunchy potato to every bite.

The $2.99 avocado ranch chicken stacker is another new item on the value menu. It features grilled all-white-meat chicken, a three-cheese blend, lettuce, tomatoes, and the avocado ranch sauce. The ingredients are stuffed inside a tortilla that's been grilled and folded for easy eating.

Anneta and Erin were both excited by the stacker's fresh flavors. The tender and well-seasoned chicken paired with the creamy avocado sauce reminded Anneta of Taco Bell's discontinued chipotle ranch grilled chicken burrito, while the crisp veggies were reminiscent of Erin's beloved McDonald's ranch Snack Wraps.

There's a lot of tortilla layered within each bite, so we both wished there had been more filling to balance the flavors and textures. It was delicious, so why not add more of it?

The $1.49 cheesy bean and rice burrito features beans, seasoned rice, nacho cheese sauce, and creamy jalapeño sauce.

While the ingredient list sounds simple, this burrito has a surprising amount of flavor. The oozing cheese sauce tasted warm and comforting, pairing well with the plentiful beans. We were also pleasantly surprised by how hefty this burrito was for its price point.

Erin thinks this would be a great choice for those who are trying to eat a more plant-based diet, while Anneta believes it'd be the cure for a bad hangover. Now that's multifaceted.

Taco Bell's brand-new $1.99 salted caramel churros are dusted in salted caramel sugar and come in a pack of three.

We both thought the salted caramel churros were a delicious and inspired treat. Their crunchy shell gave way to the sweet and creamy middle, while the salted caramel sugar added some lovely and unexpected depth to the flavor.

Dessert isn't the first thing that comes to mind with Taco Bell, but we would happily get these churros again and again.

We were both huge fans of the $2.49 beefy potato loaded griller, which features seasoned beef, crispy potato bites, nacho cheese sauce, chipotle sauce, and sour cream, all wrapped up in a grilled tortilla.

Taco Bell purposely designed the griller for on-the-go eating, but this smaller burrito still packs plenty of punch. The grilled tortilla had a satisfying crunch, adding a contrast of textures to the juicy beef and soft potato bites in the middle. The creamy chipotle sauce also added a hit of extra tang, tying everything together.

This feels like a fresh new direction for Taco Bell, and we're here for it.

If you had told us the mini taco salad would be our favorite item on Taco Bell's new value menu, we wouldn't have believed you.

Alas, the $2.49 dish — which features seasoned beef, refried beans, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and chipotle sauce piled up in a mini tortilla bowl — was full of surprises.

Neither of us is a fan of traditional taco salads, but Taco Bell found a way to upgrade and elevate the typically lackluster dish. It turned the tortilla shell into a crispy and salty delight, adding plenty of crunch without being dry. The refried beans provided a strong base to the deliciously warm beef, which paired well with the fresh veggies and zesty chipotle sauce.

Plus, you have to give this dish bonus points for being pretty adorable!