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While some staples like the Cheesy Gordita Crunch, the Chalupa, and the Crunchwrap Supreme are classics, a few items have come and gone over the years. Here are all of the discontinued Taco Bell Menu items we just can’t forget!
Over the years, Taco Bell has tried to expand beyond Cinnamon Twists. Case in point: the Kit Kat Chocadilla of 2017.
Made with melted Kit Kats grilled in a flour tortilla, we’re not sure if it’s the most brilliant thing we’ve ever heard of or just gross?
It was only sold for $1, and it definitely got people talking. Sure, it’s gross, but we can’t fault Taco Bell for trying.
From the ’70s to the ’90s, Taco Bell put their own spin burgers. It was called the Bell Beefer, and, according to Taco Bell fans, it was glorious.
It used everything in a crunch taco (beef, lettuce, cheese) except on a bun. They also added tomatoes, diced onion, and mild sauce.
They discontinued the item in the mid-’90s, but a lot of fans are still asking for it to be brought back. Give the people what they want!
When Taco Bell made the jump into breakfast foods, we were elated. Seriously, can there be anything better than a breakfast burrito?
Enter 2017’s Naked Egg Taco. The taco — well taco-type thing — forgoes a tradition shell and instead uses a fried egg to hold potatoes, bacon, and cheese.
It was greasy, hard to hold, and didn’t have that “fresh-cooked egg” taste we needed. We’re still not sure how they got the eggs in that shape.
Taco Bell started out with nacho fries, which were not only bursting with flavor, but they gave other fast food fries a serious run for their money.
Taco Bell expanded to Reaper Fries in 2018. The fries were made with Carolina Reaper, which is apparently the world’s hottest chili pepper.
They also came with a side of sour cream, though we’re told they weren’t that spicy. Sadly, these fries never made it to the national menu.
Following the fallout from Supersize Me, many companies tried to incorporate healthier foods. While that’s a good idea in theory, it doesn’t really work out in practice.
In 2003, Taco Bell created the Chicken Caesar Grilled Stuft Burrito. It was made with all of the classic ingredients, with red tortilla strips thrown in.
The item was supposed to be a fresh and modern alternative, but most people didn’t really buy it. Still, it definitely doesn’t sound too bad.
The Volcano Taco seems to be remembered more for its color than for its flavor. People really seem to miss its iconic, bright red coloring.
The taco came with the classic ground beef, lettuce, and shredded cheese combo the chain has become known for. It was discontinued back in 2013.
We think that Taco Bell should definitely give it another go. With a name and a color like that, it’s bound to make a splash.
A genius collaboration? Or too confusing to eat? The jury’s still out on the Enchirito. The item was half burrito, half enchilada.
It was made with a tortilla filled with beef, beans, cheese, and onions — then smothered in a red enchilada sauce and topped with melted cheese.
The item was a Taco Bell staple since the late ’60s, but was discontinued in 1993. There was a brief return in 2000, before it got removed in 2013.
During the mid to late-’80s, there was a rise in fast food restaurants offering Lent-friendly options. Taco Bell offered a very…unique option.
The Seafood Salad came with whitefish, snow crab, and shrimp in a tortilla shell, which was then covered with cheese and olives.
Sound weird? Well, it tasted even weirder, and people remember the weird smell it gave to the restaurants. No offense, but you’re better off with a Filet-O-Fish.
The Cinnamon Crispas were fried tortilla chips covered in cinnamon and sugar. They were only 39 cents, which is just another reason Taco Bell reigns supreme.
They were taken off the menu in the late ’80s and replaced with Cinnamon Twists. But the silver lining is cinnamon sugar chips are now pretty common.
While it’s not the same, you can make them at home. Bake a tortilla, melt some butter over it, and sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar.
In 2017, Taco Bell unleashed this beast of a meal. The shell was stuffed so fully that it was served in a holder to prevent it from collapsing.
Double Chalupas had double the beef, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream. They’ve come and gone over the years, so they may still make a comeback.
While it definitely sounds good, we’re also advocates of being able to hold your food without it completely falling apart on you.
In 1995, Taco Bell launched their Sizzlin’ Bacon Menu, which should’ve been the biggest game-changer to ever hit the franchise. Tacos and bacon? Yes, please!
However, the Cheeseburger Bacon Burrito flopped. It was essentially a cheeseburger stuffed inside a grilled tortilla, and no one seemed to go for it.
The menu item was discontinued only a year later. We commend them for trying to branch out, but this one just wasn’t it.
Taco Bell’s Hot Sauce gained praise for their delicious flavor and cheeky sayings. It’s not often we get complimented by a condiment, but we don’t hate it.
While most of their sauces have always been red, they did used to have a Verde sauce. The green topping was Taco Bell’s answer to tomatillo.
However, the sauce was pulled in 2016 since it was the least popular salsa, which was a pretty big bummer, if you ask us.
Taco Bell is best when it perfects the menu items it already offers. And who doesn’t love some good nachos? We miss this one.
Have you ever wanted to eat nachos without being tied down to a table? Well, Taco Bell thought so, hence the Grilled Stuft Nacho of 2013.
Shaped like a triangle, the grilled tortilla was filled with nacho cheese, ground beef, and crisp red tortilla strips. Fingers crossed it makes its way back.
In 2016, Taco Bell collaborated with Air Heads to create the White Mystery Freeze. So, what exactly is a “white mystery flavor”?
Well, that’s what makes it so genius. It’s a surefire way to get people to try your product, if only to guess what it is.
While this was eventually replaced by the decidedly less ambiguous Air Heads Blue Raspberry Freeze, we’re still wondering about White Mystery.
The Black Jack Taco was a Halloween promotion from the late 2000s. It was made with beef, lettuce, and cheese, inside of a black taco shell.
Despite its supposed “spooky” nature, most people were just scared. Customers didn’t really want to eat something that looked so unnatural, and it was promptly removed.
If you’re one of the few that misses this, you won’t be able to find it at your supermarket. Your local goths have probably recreated this, though.
The XXL Chalupa was a true Taco Bell legend. It made its debut to many excited diners, promising an even bigger, bolder twist on the classic chalupa.
This absolute behemoth was packed with more beef, more cheese, and more toppings. It was like Taco Bell looked at their regular chalupa and thought, “Not good enough.”
Introduced in the early 2010s, the XXL Chalupa was a dream for those with a monstrous appetite but, alas, it was discontinued by the mid-2010s.
The Baja Gordita was a beachy twist on Taco Bell’s classic Gordita, delivering a wave of zesty freshness. It was introduced in the late 1990s.
This masterpiece featured a soft, pillowy flatbread filled to the brim with seasoned beef, lettuce, and cheese, all topped off with that tangy sauce.
Why did it disappear, you ask? Around the mid-2000s, Taco Bell decided to wipe out the Baja Gordita, possibly to make room for new innovations.
Launched in the early 2010s, this burrito was a sensation with its unique mix of rice, beef, zesty nacho cheese sauce, and—wait for it—crunchy Flamin’ Hot Fritos.
Yes, Fritos inside a burrito! This spicy, crunchy marvel was like a party in your mouth: the Fritos brought the crunch, and the beef brought the punch.
Sadly, the Beefy Crunch Burrito said its goodbyes in the mid-2010s. The discontinuation? Possibly due to the challenges of keeping those Fritos crunchy amidst such a steamy, beefy environment.
The French Toast Chalupa came full of eggs and sausage inside a French toast shell. It was coated in cinnamon and served with a side of syrup.
People didn’t respond to the whole “non-shell” taco idea. The breakfast chalupa never reached staying status on the breakfast menu, despite a small band of loyal followers.
We’d still prefer a regular breakfast burrito (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), but hey, at least this sounds marginally better than the Naked Egg Taco.
At first glance, the Firecracker Burrito may not seem like the most terrifying item Taco Bell ever invented, but rest assured, it is.
The burrito was full of beef, nacho cheese, rice, and sauce. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong. It had a candy-like substance that would pop in your mouth.
Yes. They literally wanted you to put spicy Pop Rocks on your burrito. We’re not sure what they were thinking, but the 2017 Taco Bell item failed.
Chicken nuggets are a childhood classic that are still popular with adults, and we can’t get enough. Nothing hits like a chicken nugget.
Taco Bell finally added their own unique version with the Naked Chicken Chips. They were spiced chicken nuggets shaped like tortilla chips.
Somehow, despite their wild popularity, they never made it to permanent menu status. They’ve been gone since 2017, and fans are petitioning to bring them back.
If the Enchirito sounded too good to be true, just wait until you hear about this. You’ll be just as mad as we are.
In 2016, the Quesalupa dropped. The shell was made of two tortillas fried into a taco shape, which was then stuffed with pepper jack cheese.
And trust us, it was good! The melty shell helped to highlight the chalupa’s traditional ingredients. Despite its popularity, it didn’t stick around for long.
In 1995, Taco Bell introduced the Chicken Club Burrito. It’s made with chicken, a tortilla, and lots and lots of ranch.
Taco Bell has never quite nailed the chicken game in their menu. In most things it just tastes bland, and the Chicken Club Burrito was no different.
Unfortunately, the burrito was just plain old forgettable, which is probably the worst thing that can happen to a discontinued menu item.
Given the name, Taco Bell seems like it would be known most of all for its tacos. And while that’s mostly true, the chain has been known for their far-out burritos.
The Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuft Burrito was way easier to eat than it was to say. It was added to the menu in 2005 and was made special by the crunch red strips and extra portion of nacho cheese.
It’s weird that an item that, at first glance, looks like it would’ve been ultra-popular with Taco Bell customers, was discontinued so quickly. Maybe it was too safe of a bet?
Do you ever order nachos and think, “hm, this would taste a lot better if it was loaded with every ingredient in my pantry?” You know what we mean.
The base was a crispy tortilla chip bowl and came equipped with double sized servings of beef, beans, cheese, chips, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.
While it sounds really delicious and filling, the Taco Bell execs apparently didn’t agree. Unfortunately, the item didn’t stand the test of time.
Troubling to look at, and we’d imagine even more troubling to eat, the Waffle Taco was one of the first breakfast items Taco Bell ever debuted in 2014.
Call us traditional, but we just don’t want our waffles shaped like tacos. Apparently, most of the world felt the same way since the item was eventually discontinued.
This is another food that you could easily make at home (and it would probably taste better, too). Then again, maybe you’re not interested. We don’t blame you.
Taco Bell collaborations may seem out-there at first, but they tend to lead to the best items on the menu. Without a crazy idea, we would never have the Doritos Loco Tacos.
So when the brand announced its partnership with Cheetos, we had high hopes that a new age of snack related menu items was upon us. Sadly, the Cheetos Burrito fell a bit flat.
Call us crazy, but we still have hope. Maybe they can bring back this discontinued Taco Bell menu item but add some beef? Or have Cheeto-flavored tortillas?
Taco Bell’s effort to find a tortilla substitute hasn’t been limited to breakfast foods. Their Naked Chicken Chalupa might have been too “out-of-the-shell,” as this shell was made with fried chicken.
The Taco Bell item was filled with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese only, since the protein portion was already accounted for. We appreciate the risk-taking…
Seriously, it’s great that they’re being creative, but these decisions just don’t seem to end the way they want them to. Put the chicken back in the chalupa.
In an effort to bring a new twist on tradition breakfast foods, Taco Bell created the Chicken Biscuit Taco. According to their website, they wanted to “bring respect” to the classic Southern dish of chicken and biscuits. And they definitely…did something.
A cool idea at first glance, the item was confusing, hard to eat, and if anything just made us want some of the real thing.
The Chicken Biscuit Taco was released in 2015 in an effort to topple McDonald’s Egg McMuffin. Needless to say, it failed. It’s pretty hard to dethrone the king of fast food breakfast items.
This one was a win for the vegetarians. This big burrito was completely meatless, stuffed with beans, three different kinds of melted cheeses, tomatoes, and other veggies.
It had a good run, too, and rightfully so. It was introduced in the 90s, and people really seemed to like it!
Unfortunately for them, it was discontinued in 2020. If you ever travel to the UK, though, you’ll still be able to try it.
Now, this sounds like a fantastic dessert. Caramel, apples, empanadas…seriously, what’s not to love? What’s more, customers agreed. This was a favorite for over ten years.
While you can no longer find this at Taco Bell — they were discontinued in 2019 — tons of copycat recipes have cropped up in its stead.
Apparently, the empanadas took too long to fry, so maybe that’s why they were done away with. Whatever the case, we’ll still be making them at home.
Having a hard time picking between a hard and soft shell? This taco has your back…well, it did, until its eventual discontinuation in 2019.
This double decker was the best of both worlds. The inside was a crunchy beef taco, wrapped in a soft shell and glued together with beans.
After becoming a permanent menu fixture in 2006, it was discontinued after a 13 year-long run. We honestly can’t imagine why.
Like many of the previous items, the Meximelt met its demise in 2019, which seemed like a terrible year for Taco Bell menu items.
This delicious hybrid combined all the best things about quesadillas and tacos, two Taco Bell staples. It wasn’t a new or limited-time-only item, either.
In fact, the Meximelt had been around for decades by the time it was finally removed, having been first introduced in the 80s.
We’re definitely not over losing this one The shell for this taco was made out of none other than Cool Ranch Doritos.
Even though it was delicious (Cool Ranch Doritos are the best ones, after all), it didn’t last nearly as long as, say, the Meximelt.
After being introduced in 2013, this lasted only six years before being discontinued. There was a chance for its return in 2023, but it was beaten by…
In 2023, fans could vote on which item they wanted back, and they chose these. Even though the Cool Ranch Tacos were delish, we’re not mad.
So, what exactly made these so popular? It’s exactly how it sounds: a beef burrito stuffed with Fritos, rice, and nacho cheese.
These burned bright and went out fast. They were first introduced in 2010 and got discontinued a year later. Now, they’ve been made a limited-time-only item.
These burritos survived the Taco Bell menu culling in 2019, only to get nixed just a year later. And boy, are we annoyed.
Loaded Grillers had a simple premise: wrap the ingredients in a burrito, and grill it. They came in three different flavors: chipotle chicken, potato, and beefy nacho.
All of the options were a different kind of flavorful. The beef loaded griller sounds like the best, with red tortilla strips and nacho cheese.
While the steak definitely made this taco delicious, there was another special ingredient that really tied it all together: the avocado ranch.
This sauce was really good, and people loved it. Thankfully, you can still customer order this specific taco, so it’s not completely lost.
Unfortunately, the sauce costs extra, so it’s more expensive than it used to be. That might be why they ended up discontinuing the official menu item.
As a staple of Mexican cuisine, these were a Taco Bell favorite. They were an original part of the menu, dating back to the 1960s.
What’s more, they were super cheap. Back in their heyday, they sold for a dollar. They were discontinued in 2020, along with other classics.
They came back for a limited time in California, though…well, sort of. Instead of a regular shell, they were served on a giant Cheez-It.
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