Taco Bell Debuts First-Ever Vegan Menu Item To Go Nationwide
The new nacho fries with vegan nacho sauce are launching at over 7,000 Taco Bell restaurants across the US, in a sign that major brands are continuing to add animal-free menu items to meet consumer demand.
Taco Bell’s new vegan fries and sauce. Credit: Taco Bell
Taco Bell has added its first-ever vegan menu item that’s available nationwide, in a move that shows how major brands are continuing to add new vegan options to meet changing consumer tastes.
The new Nacho Fries with Vegan Nacho Sauce features the brand’s signature seasoned fries paired with a cheesy nacho sauce that’s completely free of animal ingredients.
While customers can customize existing menu items to make them vegan, this is the first nationwide product that Taco Bell has launched that’s vegan by default. Launching October 12th, the brand called the new vegan nacho sauce a “milestone” in making its menu more accessible. For now, the item is only available for a limited time.
Changing tastes across the US have seen consumers increasingly choose meat- and dairy-free options for environmental, health, or animal welfare reasons, and brands have responded by adding more and more vegan choices. Taco Bell says that nearly a quarter of all the menu items it sells are vegetarian or vegan.
The new vegan menu item comes after Taco Bell trialed a vegan version of its iconic crunchwrap earlier this year. The Vegan Crunchwrap featured vegan seasoned beef, topped with blanco sauce and nacho sauce, and was only available for a limited time in cities with notable vegan populations - Los Angeles, New York City, and Orlando.
The Vegan Crunchwrap which was available earlier this year for a limited time. Credit: Taco Bell
"We're thrilled to reintroduce Nacho Fries, now with a larger-than-life flair, and our beloved Vegan Nacho Sauce," Liz Matthews, Global Chief Food Innovation Officer at Taco Bell, said in a statement. "This sauce, born from the success of our Vegan Crunchwrap, represents Taco Bell's commitment to providing delicious, craveable food for a variety of lifestyles – whether you're vegan, flexitarian or want to try something new, there's a place for you at our table."
How to Eat Vegan at Taco Bell
While Taco Bell can be a great option for a vegan meal, it does require you to customize your order to make sure that you’re all good to go.
But the process is fairly simple if you know how. Just order any item “fresco style”, which replaces mayo-based sauces, cheeses, and sour cream with prepared diced tomatoes. Then, swap out the animal protein with your choice of plant-protein - choose black beans or refried beans - or you can go for potato bites.
Through this method you can make your own custom vegan meal and create the likes of a black bean crunchwrap, a bean burrito, and a crunchy or soft filled taco.
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