IRVINE, Calif.—Taco Bell is launching a Vegan Crunchwrap—its first fully vegan entrée item. The fast-food chain said the menu item took years to create and is now available in cities with “notable vegan populations,” including Los Angeles, New York City and Orlando, for a limited time.

The Vegan Crunchwrap features “vegan seasoned beef,” which is Taco Bell’s proprietary plant-based protein that “has been in the works for years,” according to a statement. The Crunchwrap is topped with vegan blanco sauce and vegan nacho sauce, which have also long been in development to refine proprietary flavors.

"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," said Liz Matthews, global chief food innovation officer at Taco Bell. "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. Because let's admit it, we've all eaten plenty of products on today's market that don't taste great and certainly aren't craveable."

Taco Bell says that access to delicious, affordable vegan and vegetarian options has long been important to the company, so it decided to price the Vegan Crunchwrap the same as its signature Crunchwrap during this limited time run. Like its other product tests, Taco Bell will be trialing the menu item to gather customer feedback and inform future menu developments.

"Our fans are always hacking our customizable menu to try new options, especially veggie-forward," said Missy Schaaphok, director of global nutrition and sustainability at Taco Bell. "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."

Taco Bell's vegetarian options made up over 23% of products sold in 2022, according to the statement.

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