I Tried (Almost) Every Item Coming to Taco Bell in 2026
The brand showcased big flavors and ‘little treats’ at its star-studded Live Mas Live event.
Image Courtesy of Taco Bell
Taco Bell held its third annual Live Mas Live, the event at which it unveils many, if not all, of the foods it plans to introduce in the coming year, in Hollywood last week. (The live-to-tape event is streaming online starting today, March 10.) Fans, influencers, media and other invitees gathered at tables, Golden Globes-style, to watch an extravaganza featuring tons of celebs and Taco Bell execs.
Rapper Vince Staples hosted. Demi Lovato introduced something. Guests (some appearing onstage, some on the “purple carpet”) included singer-songwriter Benson Boone, NFL player Davante Adams, rapper Anderson .Paak, Olympic gold medalist Tara Lipinsky and "King of Crunk" Lil Jon. Plus, dancing sauce packets and purple-lame-clad showgirls with faux tacos on their heads paraded across the proscenium.
It was definitely a spectacle. Of course, the real stars of the night were the new menu items. I tasted everything I could, and these were the highlights.
Image Courtesy of Taco Bell
The standout items coming to Taco Bell this year:
Creme Brulee Crunchwrap Slider: Here’s the classic Crunchwrap reimagined as dessert, featuring a vanilla cream filling “grilled with a caramelized cinnamon sugar crust for a crackable, spoon-worthy finish, and wrapped in a warm tortilla.” Looked great, tasted sweet and creamy. The hexagon fit nicely in the hand. No complaints.
Taco Bell Global Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews says the item was “one of the trickiest” to perfect.
“We leaned on our in-house pastry chef and did a lot of testing to nail that caramelized top," she says. "It took time, but once we got it right, we knew we had something special.”
Cold Brew with Purple Horchata Foam: If it hadn’t been for the caffeine-at-night factor, I would have drunk this whole thing down with gusto. As it was, I probably drank too much, because it was absolutely delightful. Purple cold foam atop an icy, bold cold brew, flavored with cinnamon and vanilla — kinda perfect. I would definitely stop in regularly to Taco Bell for this one.
Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets: Spicy-food lovers (and I am one) will embrace these. Taco Bell has basically turned its Diablo seasoning into a dust to sprinkle on top of its chicken nuggets. I loved these very fiery, crunchy nuggets; they definitely pack a punch. Taco Bell is introducing them as the first of a new line of dusted nuggets, with Doritos Cool Ranch Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Doritos Cool Ranch dipping sauce up next and Flamin’ Hot Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets to follow.
Fire Queso Sauce Packet: This edible sauce packet (crispy pastry outside, Fire Queso sauce in the middle) was served alongside a Crunch Taco, but the sauce packet itself was the star of the show. Whoa.
Flamin' Hot Mini Taco Salad: This was one of my favorite items of the night. Taco Bell calls it a "new take on a classic, featuring seasoned beef, Fritos Flamin’ Hot corn chips, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and refried beans in a crispy, golden tortilla bowl rimmed with Flamin’ Hot seasoning.” I call it savory, smoky and delicious — a perfect lunch.
Image Courtesy of Taco Bell
Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries: Attention, Nacho Fries lovers. The seasonal fan-favorite, which perpetually leaves people begging for more, will join Taco Bell menus as a permanent item later this year. It will also get a new flavor: Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries will pair Nacho Fries with Flamin’ Hot Nacho Cheese sauce for what the brand says offers a “fiery kick in every dip.”
“Making Nacho Fries permanent is going to be huge,” Matthews says. “I remember when people didn’t understand why we had fries on the menu — and now they’re obsessed. Fans have asked us for years to make them permanent, and we never want to disappoint them.”
Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie: This pie’s super popular bright-green precursor, the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie, was introduced at the very first Live Mas Live event in 2024, but it didn’t actually debut until November 2025, when it arrived in time for Friendsgiving season and sold out swiftly. Now this deep-purple take on adds the passionfruit flavors of Mountain Dew Baja Midnight to the mix, resulting in a pie that is citrusy (think: key lime pie or sorbet) and sweet. Very, very, very sweet. I got one bite in and called it quits, but no matter — Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie looks almost as otherworldly as the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie and, once available, will surely be as big a hit.
Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl: Taco Bell gets into the bowl trend with this combo of seasoned rice, chicken, black beans, lettuce, purple cabbage, reduced-fat sour cream, pico de gallo, cotija dip, chile lime seasoning and crispy Cheddar cheese chips that are cheesy-crunchy heaven. This was probably my favorite menu item of the night.
Salt & Straw Tacolate Chiller: This drinkable version of the Tacolate, the Choco Taco-like dessert that Taco Bell and Portland-based ice cream brand Salt & Straw debuted in 2025, was one of my favorites. It basically takes all the elements of the Tacolate — ice cream, chocolate, waffle cone — and turns them into a creamy, shake-like sip, with bits of cone and chocolate and hints of cinnamon and salt. Super decadent and delicious.
Image Courtesy of Taco Bell
What are the trends coming to Taco Bell this year?
Matthews's team is leaning into Gen Z’s interest in exploration and “unexpected fusions and bold flavors” as it develops new drink options.
“Beverages have become a really fun new playground for us,” she says. “We’re taking decades of food innovation insights and looking at drinks through that same creative lens.”
She adds that the brand’s forthcoming dessert innovations are driven by fan demand for “‘little treats’ — something snackable or sippable that makes people smile.”
All the menu items coming to Taco Bell in 2026:
- Strawberries & Cream Mexican Pizza Bite
- Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie
- Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Zero
- Mexican Pizza Empanadas
- Chocolate Fudge & Caramel Empanadas
- Salt & Straw Tacolate Chiller
- Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries
- Creme Brulee Crunchwrap Slider
- Cold Brew with Purple Horchata Foam
- Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets
- Cheesy G Sliders
- Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza
- Strawberry Horchata Refresca
- Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada
- Flamin' Hot Mini Taco Salad
- Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl
- Fire Queso Sauce Packet
- Firecracker Burrito
- Mountain Dew Baja Blast Under Eye Patches
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