Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme is one of its most unique and iconic menu items thanks to the unique hexagonal shape, layers of ingredients, and crunchy tostada shell tucked inside the flour tortilla. But between the seasoned beef, nacho cheese, and sour cream, the popular product isn’t exactly friendly to the chain’s vegan customers…until now. Taco Bell just announced that it will launch a brand-new Vegan Crunchwrap in select American cities starting tomorrow, June 8, after spending years of testing and tasting.
The new vegan version features plant-based seasoned beef, vegan blanco sauce, and vegan nacho sauce, layered with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. Taco Bell said that the vegan beef and new sauces have been in development for some time in order to refine the proprietary flavors.
“Such a large part of our fandom is vegan or vegetarian, and we’re as committed to them as they are to us and our menu,” Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell, said in a statement. “That’s why we took so long, months and years, to release something this special; we wanted and needed to get it exactly right, to get it mouth-watering. Because let’s admit it, we’ve all eaten plenty of products on today’s market that don’t taste great and certainly aren’t craveable.”
Taco Bell touted the Vegan Crunchwrap as its first-ever “fully vegan entree item,” though customers can also customize other Taco Bell items to make them vegan by substituting the meat with black beans, refried beans, or potato bites and ordering them “fresco style,” which replaces any mayo-based sauces, cheeses, and sour cream with diced tomatoes. Customers will not be able to order those special plant-based ingredients on other menu items since the Vegan Crunchwrap was “crafted as the perfectly complementary combination,” Taco Bell said.
Taco Bell also noted in the announcement that some restaurants may use the same frying oil to prepare non-vegan menu items so cross-contact is possible.
The Vegan Crunchwrap will only be available for a limited time and while supplies last in Los Angeles, New York City, and Orlando, Fla. Crunchwrap prices vary depending on the Taco Bell location, but the chain said that the vegan version will be priced the same as the original non-vegan Crunchwraps wherever they’re available. Though Taco Bell fans in other parts of the country will miss out on the new menu item for now, they can hold out hope that the test is successful enough to support a national release further down the line.
“Like its other product tests, Taco Bell will be trialing this innovation to gauge customer feedback and inform future menu developments,” the company said.
Aside from the original Crunchwrap, Taco Bell currently offers a black bean version and a few different Breakfast Crunchwraps that include scrambled eggs, cheese, hashbrowns, breakfast meats, and other toppings depending on the flavor option.
The Vegan Crunchwrap is the latest in a string of recent, exciting Taco Bell menu launches. It recently brought back its popular Enchirito for a limited time, though some customers have been disappointed in the look and taste of the menu item since its return. Late last month, the chain introduced two new burritos and two new loaded fry dishes that all incorporate it’s Nacho Fries and green chile verde sauce. Taco Bell customers can also look forward to limited-time relaunches of the Volcano Menu on June 29 and the Beefy Crunch Burrito in early August.
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Zoe Strozewski
