The Traditional Mexican Wheat Snack That Inspired Taco Bell's Cinnamon Twists

If you are one of those chronically online foodie types, like many of us here are, the odds are pretty good that you have seen how Taco Bell's cinnamon twists are made. There was a viral TikTok a while back that showed the whole process. An employee scoops a cup of what appears to be rotini pasta out of a bag and then tosses it into the fry basket. A few seconds after it hits the oil, the little corkscrews puff up into the airy, crunchy treats that we know and (maybe) love (Taco Bell's cinnamon twists came in dead last on our ranking of fast food desserts). To the untrained eye, it looks like tossing pasta into the fryer. But for those in the know, these are actually more similar to a popular Mexican snack called duros.

Also known as duritos, duros de harina, or chicharrones de harina — with "de harina" meaning "made of flour" — these snacks are made from wheat and look like dried pasta before they are puffed up in hot oil. They have a light and crunchy texture, similar to pork rinds (chicharrones), but they are, of course, vegan — just like Taco Bell's cinnamon twists. Duros de harina are most often square-shaped, like a chicharron, or shaped like a wheel and are typically a savory snack, often served with lime and hot sauce. At Taco Bell, of course, things are slightly different, with the corkscrew shape and the churro-like cinnamon sugar topping. But despite these minor differences, the two are quite similar.

If you are someone that loves Taco Bell cinnamon twists: First, you're probably a sagittarius (the zodiac sign we assigned to that fast food dessert), and second, you probably got a little excited knowing that Taco Bell's uncooked duros look exactly like the plain old rotini pasta that you buy at the grocery store. There have actually been rumors circulating on the internet for years that it might be possible to make your own cinnamon twists at home using store-bought pasta. These rumors are, unfortunately, unfounded.

The ingredient list for a standard rotini pasta is typically just semolina and durum wheat flour (and maybe some minerals). The ingredient list for Taco Bell's cinnamon twists, on the other hand, contains not just wheat flour, but also corn meal and rice flour. Regrettably, the different compositions mean that they do not behave the same way when subjected to a bath in hot oil. But when Taco Bell closes a door, it opens a drive-thru window.

While you may not be able to pick up a box of any old rotini in order to make your own Taco-Bell-style cinnamon twists at home, there is a supplier out there to fulfill that desire. In addition to the traditional square and wheel shaped duros, you can also buy them in little corkscrews. Just grab a bag of these Duritos Twists from Don Turino, whip up a batch of cinnamon sugar with a perfect ratio, and you're good to go.