Taco Bell is taking its crunchwrap officially vegan – at least in a few test markets.
The new Vegan Crunchwrap becomes available Thursday in New York City, Orlando and Los Angeles, for a limited time, while supplies last. The crunchwrap consists of vegan seasoned plant-based protein, blanco sauce, warm nacho sauce, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes wrapped in a crunchy tostada shell.
All of the ingredients have been certified vegan by the American Vegetarian Association. Taco Bell has been testing various vegetarian options including a meatless Naked Chicken Chalupa and plant-based vegan meat as an option two years ago.
“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,” said Liz Matthews, Taco Bell’s global chief Food Innovation Officer at Taco Bell, 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.”
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Over the years, vegan customers at Taco Bell have used their own vegetarian hacks on their orders, shunning meat for beans and nixing cheese and sour cream.
“So now we’re hacking the hack, if you will, with a product that’s completely vegan as-is, right off the menu. I may be biased, but no veggie burger could compare,” said Missy Schaaphok, director of global nutrition and sustainability at Taco Bell.
Where is Taco Bell’s Vegan Crunchwrap available?
The participating Taco Bell locations are:
- Los Angeles – 6741 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, California
- New York – 976 6th Ave, New York, New York
- Orlando – 11893 East Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida
The Vegan Crunchwrap is available at these locations while supplies last. The Vegan Crunchwrap is priced comparable to the traditional Crunchwrap Supreme. Prices may be higher for delivery and other service fees may apply; taxes are extra.
By the way, you can also get a free Breakfast Crunchwrap on Tuesdays in June.
Will the Vegan Crunchwrap become available nationwide?
There’s no guarantee that the menu item – Taco Bell’s first offering to include vegan dairy products, according to VegNews – will be added to the chain’s national menu. But tests like these “are an efficient way for the company to check on how consumers respond to a product before potentially rolling it out on a larger scale,” Schaaphok told the veganism news site. “While we do not share details of test results, we are excited for what the Vegan Crunchwrap test will mean for future vegan and vegetarian menu developments.”
Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.
