On June 7, 2023, Taco Bell made an announcement that they will be testing a Vegan Crunchwrap beginning the next day in 3 locations across the United States.
Immediately, I updated our Taco Bell Vegan Guide
on the website and VeggL App to share where these locations are for our VeggL users who want to support it:
- Vegan Crunchwrap. Available at participating Taco Bell locations for a limited time; while supplies last. Locations include: Los Angeles (6741 Hollywood Blvd, Ca 90028, New York City (976 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018), and Orlando (11893 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32826)
Ryan then comes to me and says, “Let’s go!”
I said, “Go where? Orlando?” Mind you, we can be spontaneous but generally not that spontaneous. But if we can take 3 days to visit, try the Vegan Crunchwrap AND go to a theme park so we can add to one of our Vegan Theme Park Guides, why not!?
And that’s exactly what we did!
What Does The Vegan Crunchwrap Consist Of?
Taco Bell’s Vegan Crunchwrap has every ingredient that would be apart of their animal-based Crunchwrap Supreme but with NO animal.
It has a vegan seasoned beef (which we tried during Taco Bell’s test in August 2022), vegan nacho cheese sauce, vegan sour cream (or as they are calling it, a vegan blanco sauce), tomatoes and lettuce.
Do We Know What The Ingredients Are?
Technically, I learned what the ingredients are for the Vegan Seasoned Beef during the Alabama trial but I made a promise to not share them. What I can tell you is it is a soy/pea protein combo.
We do not have any information for the Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce or Vegan Blanco Sauce. Until Taco Bell releases these options nationwide, they are proprietary.
What Is The Cost Of Taco Bell’s Vegan Crunchwrap?
The price tag is always going to be at the forefront of our minds because at restaurants, making something vegan typically costs more.
Taco Bell has always been one of the chain restaurants we can rely on for a vegan option at a decent cost. And that has not changed during this Vegan Crunchwrap trial.
The cost of the animal-based Crunchwrap Supreme is $4.89 whereas the Vegan version is $4.99. I do not have a breakdown of what each individual component would cost since we could not modify the vegan crunchwrap during this trial.
For even more comparison, at the 2022 Alabama test, we could SUB the plant-based protein (vegan seasoned beef) for zero dollars ($.00) on any menu item.
If this is the decision they are making with their vegan ingredients, this could make a huge impact on not only those of us choosing to eat here but hopefully on the cost of vegan options at other restaurants moving forward.
And to add to the comparisons from a nutritional standpoint, the screen inside the restaurant said the Vegan Crunchwrap is 570 calories. According to Taco Bell’s website, the animal-based Crunchwrap Supreme, it is 540 calories. Again, not far off from each other.
How Long Will Taco Bell’s Vegan Crunchwrap Be Available?
At the Orlando location, we were told the test will go thru June 14, 2023 or until supplies are gone. The test only began one week prior (on June 8, 2023), so this was a bit surprising to hear.
I do have a fun bonus fact… we were also told that on the first day, they sold 756 Vegan Crunchwraps, whereas a normal animal-based Crunchwrap day would be around 150. <– That was a guesstimate though.
Should Taco Bell Release The Vegan Crunchwrap To All Locations?
Yes! As the title of this article states, “Taco Bell’s Vegan Crunchwrap is Legit! (Put It On The Menu)”
I didn’t know how else to make that point any clearer. When we tried the Vegan Seasoned Beef in 2022, we both said the same thing. It is that good.
And now that we have tasted the incredibly oozy gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce and the slightly tangy Vegan Blanco Sauce, we are asking them to make it happen.
The amount of happiness that was all over our faces was undeniable. It’s almost like we forgot what a complete meal tasted like from Taco Bell. We were always ok with getting our bean burritos fresco style or black bean chalupa fresco style but to think of the possibilities if there was vegan beef, vegan nacho cheese and vegan sour cream available?
We could order one of our favorites, a Nachos BellGrande or Chalupa Supreme but fully vegan!
How incredible would that be?
In fact, when we made the trip to one of the test locations in Alabama in 2022, I modified the Nachos BellGrando just so I could have something close to it but with the vegan beef.
In Conclusion…
We are asking Taco Bell to add all three of these ingredients to their menu; the Vegan Seasoned Beef, Vegan Nacho Cheese and Vegan Blanco Sauce (aka vegan sour cream). We are also asking all of you who would like to see this happen to reach out to Taco Bell and let them know you would like it too.
Taco Bell has always been one of the most vegan-friendly chain restaurants in the United States. Let’s make our options expand even more. Here is a link to Taco Bell’s customer contact for you to share your thoughts with them.
And if all of this Taco Bell talk has you craving some, here is the link to our Vegan Taco Bell Guide. We have it broken down by each type of food (burritos, tacos, etc) and even share with you what ordering fresco style is referring to if you are new to ordering vegan here.
Circling back around–the theme park we chose to go to was Universal’s Islands Of Adventure. Hello, VelociCoaster. If you like rollercoasters like we do, it is a GOOD one. We also got Dole Whip for the first time (yum!) and Vegan Meatball Kebabs. If you are vegan going here, you have a decent amount of options. Use our guide to help you out. 🙂
