Taco Bell has many appeals—it’s quick, there’s a drive-thru, the meals is constant, and with over 7,000 Taco Bell places within the US alone, there’s at all times one close by.
In July 2020, the chain brought about an uproar by eradicating its beloved potatoes—along with different gadgets—to make means for brand new plant-based choices within the then-undetermined future. Fortunately, after greater than a six-month hiatus, the model reintroduced this starchy staple (the chain’s vegan menu simply wouldn’t be the identical with out it).
Soar to the ordering information
Is vegan meat coming to Taco Bell?
Taco Bell has launched quite a lot of revolutionary vegan eats, full with plant-based meat—albeit, for a restricted time solely in choose markets.
One such take a look at occurred in Irvine, CA for simply 4 days. Beginning on June 23, 2021, Taco Bell examined the Bare Chalupa with a Crispy Plant-Based mostly Shell at a lone Irvine location. Developed as a meat-free model of the Bare Rooster Chalupa, the take a look at merchandise featured a shell made totally from a pea protein-based vegan rooster.
Taco Bell
The next 12 months, in August 2022, the fast-food chain examined its personal proprietary vegan beef throughout choose places in Birmingham, AL. And simply two months later, Taco Bell started testing a vegan carne asada possibility within the Dayton, OH space for a restricted time.
Taco Bell’s vegan Crunchwrap and nacho fries
In June 2023, the fast-food chain rolled out its first, totally vegan entrée: the Vegan Crunchwrap with plant-based beef, dairy-free bitter cream, and heat vegan nacho cheese sauce. Taco Bell’s Check Kitchen labored for years tasting and testing to ensure the vegan model, licensed by the American Vegetarian Affiliation, might stand as much as the unique.
Taco Bell
For this limited-time launch, Taco Bell selected to check the Vegan Crunchwrap in cities with sizable vegan populations: Los Angeles, New York Metropolis, and Orlando. The Vegan Crunchwrap was out there for every week, and the chain has since mentioned that the take a look at was “overwhelmingly optimistic.” The outcomes of those exams will decide the nationwide viability of future vegan rollouts, Taco Bell has mentioned.
The cult-favorite chain adopted up the Vegan Crunchwrap with yet one more limited-time launch: vegan nacho fries. Launched in October 2023, the dairy-free tacky fries formally grew to become the very first nationwide vegan launch in Taco Bell’s 61-year historical past. Whereas this can be a step in the suitable path, we’re nonetheless ready for the day Taco Bell completely provides a vegan-as-is merchandise to its menu.
Is Taco Bell’s Veggie Construct-Your-Personal Cravings Field vegan?
In January 2024, Taco Bell launched the Construct-Your-Personal-Cravings Field, a $5.99 meal that features a selection of a speciality merchandise, basic merchandise, facet, and drink. When ordering the veggie field, clients can choose from quite a lot of the chain’s meatless menu gadgets. However you’ll have to make a couple of customizations if you’d like an all-vegan field. Extra on this beneath
The right way to order vegan at Taco Bell
Die-hard plant-based Taco Bell followers will keep in mind how ordering “fresco-style” used to make getting vegan meals at Taco Bell decidedly simpler. This is able to let staff know to interchange all of the dairy-based components and mayo-based sauces with tomatoes. The time period was basically code for “make it vegan.” Nevertheless, the fast-food chain not makes use of this terminology.
Regardless of Taco Bell retiring “fresco-style,” ordering vegan requires only a few swaps. Ask for beans instead of beef, and keep in mind to forgo cheese and bitter cream. Make your order even heftier by asking for further tomatoes or including potatoes or guacamole.
We love ordering for pickup by way of the web site or the app. Why? As a result of it makes customized orders—which it’s worthwhile to do numerous whenever you’re ordering vegan—as straightforward as the faucet of a button. You may take away, or add, any ingredient from any merchandise on the menu. That beats asking for a Crunchy Taco Supreme with beans as a substitute of beef together with any add-ons you’re craving.
Listed here are 14 vegan menu gadgets and extras to order the following time you’re at Taco Bell.
Taco Bell
1Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme
Taco Bell managed to invent a meals merchandise much more transportable than the burrito: the Crunchwrap. Go for the Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme with out the bitter cream and nacho cheese sauce. You’re left with a sizzling, freshly pressed mushy tortilla full of black beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and a crunchy tortilla shell. Ask for a facet of guacamole for dipping. Professional tip: add potatoes, too.
Till Taco Bell makes the limited-time Vegan Crunchwrap a everlasting menu merchandise, we’re satiating our cravings with this filling black bean creation.
2 Black Bean Chalupa Supreme
This fluffy, fried, flour-based shell is fortunately vegan. Ask for this with out bitter cream and cheese and also you’ll get a crunchy chalupa full of black beans, tomatoes, and lettuce. We find it irresistible with jalapeños.
Taco Bell
3 Bean Burrito
Surprisingly, the bean burrito isn’t vegan as-is (it accommodates cheese). Nevertheless, order it sans cheese, and also you’re set with a heat flour tortilla wrapped round refried beans, crimson sauce, and diced onions. Add chopped tomatoes for just a little further sustenance. Not a fan of refried beans? Ask for black beans or potatoes as a substitute.
4 Spicy Potato Mushy Taco
This one-dollar marvel turns into vegan whenever you order it with out cheese and chipotle sauce. Including onions and jalapeño peppers is very really helpful.
5
Mushy and Crunchy Tacos
Other than the Spicy Potato Mushy Tacos, all tacos, mushy and crunchy, will be vegan as long as you swap the meat for black or refried beans and go away off the cheese, bitter cream, and chipotle sauce. Strive the Crunchy Taco Supreme with beans as a substitute of beef and cargo up on add-ons. Sadly, the Doritos Locos shells will not be vegan.
Taco Bell
6 Black Beans and Rice
Rejoice! The great ol’ black beans and rice is vegan and even higher whenever you load it up with toppings. However should you actually need a veggie bowl, then take a look at the following possibility.
7 Energy Menu Bowl – Veggie
All it’s worthwhile to do to make this rice bowl vegan is order it with out cheese, bitter cream, and avocado ranch sauce. Do this and also you’ll have an exquisite meal of seasoned rice, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and guac. If you wish to go the additional mile, then pile on all the veggie add-ons at your disposal.
8 Nachos and Nachos BellGrande
The nachos include cheese by default, however these salty, crunchy chips are vegan should you get them with guac and tomatoes. It’s also possible to make the Nachos BellGrande vegan by getting it with out cheese and bitter cream and swapping the meat with black beans.
9Veggie Mexican Pizza
Taco Bell’s Mexican Pizza made a a lot anticipated return to the menu in September 2022. The Veggie Mexican Pizza already omits beef, however order it with out cheese to make it vegan. It will go away you with a crunchy “pizza” shell, refried beans, tomatoes, and Mexican pizza sauce. Add jalapeños or a facet of guacamole for a heftier meal.
Taco Bell
10 Hash Browns
Want breakfast? You gained’t discover a lot at Taco Bell, however you’ll find hash browns and low. It might be humble, however potatoes and caffeine will get the job executed whenever you’re in a pinch with no different choices round you.
11 Cinnamon Twists
No disgrace should you order a couple of bag. These crispy, light-as-air snacks are barely harking back to churros and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
Taco Bell
12 Mountain Dew Baja Blast Freeze
That is the famed Baja Blast however in slushie type. Taco Bell is understood to launch limited-time slushie Freezes all year long, however keep in mind to verify the components because the chain has been recognized to make use of confectioner’s sugar in its Freeze drinks.
13 Veggie Construct-Your-Personal Cravings Field
Launched in January 2024, the Veggie Construct-Your-Personal Cravings Field permits clients to buy a four-item meal (speciality merchandise, basic merchandise, facet, and drink) for $5.99. To order an all-vegan Cravings Field, you’ll have to make a couple of modifications. On your speciality merchandise, select between the Black Bean Chalupa Supreme and the Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme—keep in mind to omit the bitter cream, cheese, and cheese sauce. On your basic merchandise, the Bean Burrito and Spicy Potato Mushy Taco will be made vegan by eradicating the cheese and chipotle sauce. On your facet, persist with the cinnamon twists or omit the cheese from the Tacky Fiesta Potatoes.
14 Extras
Aside from the whole lot else that we talked about above, the new sauces from Gentle to Diablo are all vegan, so you’ll be able to be at liberty to pour them over the whole lot. What a stunning factor. Make sure to avoid wasting on your home-cooked meals, too.
For extra vegan fast-food choices, learn:
Tanya Flink is a Digital Editor at VegNews in addition to a author and runner dwelling in Orange County, CA.
