With the new Crunchwrap, Taco Bell continues to think outside the beef

Taco Bell's vegan Crunchwrap is a great example of what the future of fast food could be. | Taco Bell

Taco Bell has long been hailed as a beacon for vegetarians, the lone fast-food option where, on a road trip, one might be able to get a hearty meal and not just a sad selection of fries and biscuits. And though it has toyed with its vegetarian options over the years, removing and bringing back the Mexican pizza, they’ve remained plentiful. The current Veggie Cravings menu includes potato tacos, bean-and-cheese burritos, and a black bean Crunchwrap Supreme.

Taco Bell previously stated that it was not interested in using “fake meat” in its vegetarian offerings. “We’ve met with Beyond, we’ve met with Impossible,” Julie Felss Masino, Taco Bell’s president of North American operations, told CNBC in 2019. “But I think what we’re proud of is that we’ve been doing vegetarian for 57 years.” But clearly, something has changed. Earlier this month, Taco Bell began testing a vegan Crunchwrap Supreme at select locations, made of “vegan seasoned beef, which is a proprietary, boldly seasoned plant-based protein that has been in the works for years,” along with vegan blanco sauce and vegan nacho sauce.

I’m not vegan, but like many people, I’m an increasingly guilty carnivore trying to make my meat and dairy consumption as limited and ethical as possible. I also just like vegetarian and vegan food. So when a vegan friend texted me saying that we needed to head to the Taco Bell Cantina in Midtown Manhattan and give it a try, it seemed like a perfect lunch date.

I write this still zooted from my medium Baja Blast. Like many vegan offerings, especially those with faux-meat fillings, the vegan Crunchwrap did not look any different from its meat counterpart. And on first bite, it didn’t taste any different either. The queso was yellow and oozing and slightly plastic-y; the vegan beef was warmly spiced and had the bouncy, crumbly texture of fast-food ground beef; the tostada was perfectly crunchy.

The thing is, I don’t really want to eat the meat that is used in fast-food restaurants. But there are still few satisfying vegetarian and vegan fast-food options. Chipotle has its sofritos, and Burger King has the Impossible Whopper, but most meatless or “plant-based” options, like the McPlant, Wendy’s spicy black bean burger, or KFC’s Beyond nuggets, have only been available in select markets or for a limited time. And when the burgers are cooked on the same griddle as beef, any vegan claims go out the window. But my companion and I agreed fast food is a wonderful vehicle for vegan food, it being easier to approximate the taste and texture of artificial cheese sauce and cheap ground meat than it is to do so for “real” cheese and steak.

The vegan Crunchwrap felt like a look into what the future of fast food could be. Junky deliciousness without the meat that barely tastes like meat anyway. Like so many other fast-food vegan experiments, it’s only available for a limited time in Los Angeles, New York City, and Orlando. I’m crossing my fingers it makes it out. — Jaya Saxena, Eater correspondent

Additional links:

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