Taco Bell Vegan Crunchwrap: Where to buy revealed as fast-food giant tests new item

Taco Bell has "unwrapped" its first fully Vegan entree item, the Vegan Crunchwrap. The vegan version of the franchise's iconic Crunchwrap launched on Thursday, June 8, for a limited-time run, as confirmed by a statement on their official website and Twitter handle. The Vegan Crunchwrap will be offered at a price parity to the traditional Crunchwrap Supreme.

The Vegan Crunchwrap is currently only available in areas with a sizeable vegan population. The areas listed in the statement are Los Angeles (6741 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028), New York City (976 6th Ave, New York, NY 10018), and Orlando (11893 East Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32826). The menu item will only be available until supplies last.

The Vegan Crunchwrap is extremely similar to the traditional Crunchwrap. It features vegan seasoned beef, which is a proprietary, boldly seasoned plant-based protein that Taco Bell claims to have been working on for years. It comes topped with vegan blanco sauce and vegan nacho sauce, another thing that they claim to have developed and refined.

Along with that, you get the traditional fillings, such as shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, all packed together into a crunchy tostada shell. Since the product was crafted with perfection by Taco Bell, the proprietary plant-based ingredients won't be available for other individual orders.

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"We wanted and needed to get it exactly right, to get it mouth-watering.": Director of Global Nutrition and Sustainability at Taco Bell, Missy Schaaphok

A statement made by Missy Schaapok, who is the RDN Director of Global Nutrition & Sustainability Los Angeles, also revealed that their vegetarian options made up a whopping 23% of total items sold in 2022. Global Chief Food Innovation Officer at Taco Bell, Liz Matthews, reiterated their commitment to vegan Taco Bell fans. She said:

“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.”

The franchise claims to have worked for years to perfect the Vegan Crunchwrap (Image via Instagram/@tacobell)

She also said that the Vegan Crunchwrap was something that they had worked excruciatingly long enough on to get it perfect. She added:

“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."

Taco Bell already boasts an impressive 30 vegetarian ingredients, out of which nearly one million combinations can be customized. Even non-vegetarians have the option to swap their meat for some beans or potatoes.

Missy Schaaphok stated that they were aware of fans always "hacking our customizable menu to try new options," but according to her, a right-off-the-menu vegan product was a way superior option. She said:

“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.”

The delicacy will only be available in outlets within three test locations (Image via Instagram/@tacobell)

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According to a statement released on The Taco Bell website, all ingredients of the Vegan Crunchwrap were certified vegan by the American Vegetarian Association(AVA), but there are a few things consumers should keep in mind.

It was further written in the statement that although vegan items do not contain animal products, the oil used to fry them may or may not have animal products, depending on the restaurant. Cross-contact is also something to keep in mind as vegetarian and non-vegetarian food are handled in common. Neither the franchise nor AVA will take responsibility for any cross-contact.