I Tried 10 Of Taco Bell's Unhinged But Masterful New Items (Even The Edible Sauce Packets)

Taco Bell hosted the third annual Live Más Live event in Los Angeles, California, in early March 2026, where it unveiled 15 new products that it plans to release to locations across the country. Hosted by Vince Staples and full of guest appearances from celebrities like Demi Lovato, The Bella Twins, and Tara Lipinski, Live Más Live was nothing short of a taco-seasoned spectacle. Devoted fans (like myself) also got a sneak peek — and a sneak taste — at the new releases. 

Not everything was available for tasting, including the Cheesy Gordita Sliders, which looked like delicious miniature versions of Taco Bell's famous Cheesy Gordita Crunch. Similarly, the Flamin' Hot Nacho Fries garnered applause from the audience but were nowhere to be found afterward. Taco Bell also announced the continuation of its partnership with Milk Bar and unveiled a Birthday Cake Empanada that is also seemingly being kept under lock and key. Despite these omissions, I was still able to try 10 new items that Taco Bell presented to the world during Live Más Live 2026. Here's what I thought about them and what Taco Bell fans should be on the lookout for this coming year.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

The tastings were fast and furious and immediately followed the Live Más Live show. People grabbed whatever snacks they could get their hands on as servers hurriedly brought out as much as they could carry. I was pretty darn hungry by the time the tastings came around, and frankly had already consumed a Baja Blast margarita or two on an empty stomach. But what is more authentic than eating copious amounts of Taco Bell after a few stiff drinks? It was all part of the research.

I did try to eat as many of the new novelty items as I could get my hands on, and ended up with 10 taste tests before the night was over. In each new menu item, I was looking for what I thought tasted the best. More importantly, I kept in mind which items I would likely order from Taco Bell again during a late-night drive-thru run. Here's what I thought of these ten items that I tasted. 

The Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie was a fan favorite over at Taco Bell, and this new iteration is also sure to have people talking. Introduced by Anderson .Paak and the Taco Bell Choir, the Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie is inspired by the drink of the same name introduced during last year's Live Más Live event in New York City. 

Taco Bell plans to release this around November, perhaps making it an alternative to classic pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Like the original counterpart, the Midnight pies can be purchased whole, leaving enough purple pies to pass around. 

The pie certainly tastes purple — unlike any pie that I've tasted before. The mousse-like texture is heavy on the passion fruit flavoring. The crust was by far my favorite part of this dessert; it was made of a fine graham cracker crumb that added a much-needed crunch to this otherwise super sweet invention. 

There really isn't anything mini about the Flamin' Hot Mini Taco Salad. It's a meal in itself, stuffed with everything you know and love from the mini taco salad of days past: seasoned beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and beans. 

Therein lies my problem with the new Flamin' Hot version: It doesn't really feel like anything new. In fact, I was surprised to hear at Live Más Live that this spicy taco salad didn't already exist on the Taco Bell menu. The edge of the taco shell bowl is dusted with Cheetos' Flamin' Hot seasoning — like Tajín on the rim of a spicy margarita. The bowl also includes Taco Bell's Fiesta Strips, a crunchy add-on that is already available to add to the original mini taco salad for a $0.50 markup. 

Out of all the new, inventive items that Taco Bell debuted during Live Más Live, this one felt a little like a last-minute addition. Flamin' Hot fans out there will no doubt prefer this new iteration, but I'll probably stick to the OG taco salad. 

I'll be the first to say that I love a Taco Bell chicken nugget. I also am a big fan of spicy foods. But Taco Bell's Diablo Crusted Nuggets are just too much for me. And I wouldn't be surprised if others have the same reaction when they finally release to the public later this year. 

The small pieces of white meat chicken, coated in jalapeño buttermilk and rolled in Taco Bell's signature Diablo seasonings, certainly pack a ton of flavor — and a ton of spice. It's a bit reminiscent of Wingstop's Louisiana dry rub, but truly way spicier. At the Live Más Live event, the nuggets were served in pairs alongside a packet of Taco Bell's Fire Ranch sauce, which truthfully did not help balance out the spice at all. Maybe this dish would be more manageable with regular ranch, but as is, I was not able to finish my small plate. While I probably won't be placing a late-night order for the Diablo nuggets, I will be anxiously awaiting Taco Bell's new Cool Ranch Doritos-flavored nuggets, which I was not able to try at this event.

The Mexican Pizza Empanadas are one of three new innovations that Taco Bell is inviting into the Mexican Pizza ecosystem. Later this year, they will join the menu alongside the new Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza and the bite-size Strawberry and Cream Mexican Pizza Bites. 

While the dessert Strawberry and Cream Bites are obviously the most liberal usage of the "Mexican Pizza" name, the empanadas, on the other hand, are pretty true to form. The seasoned beef and refried beans are tucked into the steamy empanadas. The shell offers a satisfying crunch and a beautiful shell-to-filling ratio.

When Ego Nwodim introduced the Fire Queso Sauce Packet as part of the "Made or Made-Up" game show, I thought she was joking. I was sure that this edible hot sauce packet had to be fabricated — but I was wrong.

This new puff pastry, filled with hot queso seasoned with Taco Bell's Fire Sauce (which Tasting Table ranked as one of the best at the chain) was described as the "sustainable" solution to Taco Bell's plastic hot sauce packets. It's served alongside a regular crunchy taco, allowing customers to take a bite of the "packet" and pour some of the spicy queso onto whatever else they're eating. 

It sounds unlikely, but this groundbreaking innovation actually worked really well. The cheese poured like liquid gold and added a hot and flavorful layer to the taco. I imagine the filling probably would coagulate into an unpleasant paste if it sat for too long, but I actually really enjoyed it while fresh and hot from the makeshift kitchen at the Hollywood Palladium. That being said, it is simply a puff pastry with slightly spicy cheese inside, so I wouldn't order one and eat it alone. However, it would be a delicious complementary side to your favorite Taco Bell order.

One of the drinks I tried at Live Más Live was an addition to the Refresca menu: the Strawberry Horchata Refresca. This refreshing drink is heavy on the horchata flavor, is topped with freeze-dried strawberries, and is served over ice. It's a nice combination of flavors and mixes sweet strawberry with a milky horchata. It's not too sweet and is something I could see myself sipping at any point during the day. The freeze-dried strawberries — which are known for adding color to desserts — add freshness to every sip.

I very much enjoyed this drink and look forward to trying a full-size one for myself when it is released at Taco Bell later this year. While it probably won't compare to a classic Mexican horchata or agua fresca found at one of the better Mexican restaurant chains, this is certainly a good and convenient alternative. 

The chocolate fudge and caramel empanadas were the first item Taco Bell unveiled at the Live Más Live event, and they're the only new items that is already available at locations across the country. At the top of the show, Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant was happy to announce that customers don't have to choose between chocolate or caramel, as they get one of each with every order. 

The caramel empanada reminded me of a warm apple pie: sweet and a little tart, paired with a soft and cinnamon-y shell and filled with salted caramel. It's a simple and straightforward treat that rounds out any Taco Bell meal. The chocolate fudge empanada is decadent and is best served hot and melty. It tastes almost like an invert chocolate donut with the fudge frosting on the inside of a chocolate shell. While pricing information was not yet revealed for any of Taco Bell's new items during Live Más Live, two empanadas are listed at Hollywood Taco Bell locations for $3.49, which isn't a bad price.  

The Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap was my favorite dessert of the admittedly treat-heavy lineup. The new twist on an old-school Taco Bell favorite was the last menu item revealed for the night and was met with much fanfare. Even Benson Boone couldn't resist performing one of his signature flips as the Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap revealed itself to the world for the first time.

The sweetness of the caramel lent itself well to the soft and cinnamon-topped tortilla wrapper, making for a wholly pleasant snack. Unlike some other Taco Bell desserts, the Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap is not sickeningly sweet. It has a nice balance of flavors all stuck together with a mild caramel. Its superior quality comes from its simplicity; it was the only one of the new desserts that anyone could feasibly replicate at home. 

The tacodilla is just what it sounds like — part taco, part quesadilla — all wrapped up into an excessively large tortilla. It was probably the most popular item of the night, as people joined the increasingly long line for seconds or thirds. 

The tacodilla is filled with stewed meat and plenty of cheese. It's called the tacodilla, but the outer shell is almost like a chalupa — lightly fried but still soft and pillowy. It's very similar to the Steak Grilled Cheese Burrito, which happened to be my favorite thing on the menu prior to Live Más Live 2026. 

This hefty new addition to the menu uses actual chunks of meat instead of the ground beef featured in many other Taco Bell dishes. It's stuffed to the brim with steak and cheese, making each bite as delicious as the last. This item in particular would hit at the Taco Bell Cantina, where you can pair the fast-food favorite with an ice-cold beer or margarita. 

The Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl was another item that I thought was too good to be true — and it only partly was. The new bowl was presented on-screen topped with a large Parmesan crisp that customers crack open with a purple hammer. Even Lil Jon, one of the "Made or Made-Up" celebrity contestants, expressed his concerns about serving up mini-weapons to unsuspecting Taco Bell customers. Unfortunately for us, Taco Bell followed Lil Jon's advice and served the Cantina Bowl pre-cracked and sans hammer. Fortunately for us, it tasted just as good. 

Of all the new products unveiled, the Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl is one that I could imagine eating at a nice Mexican restaurant. Fresh ingredients like pico de gallo, black beans, lettuce, Cantina Chicken, and a whole lot of guacamole make for a delicious meal in an easy-to-carry bowl. The Parmesan crisps on top were broken into smaller pieces, perfect for scooping up globs of guacamole and eating them like nachos. This was one of the last things that I tried at Live Más Live, but I still ate every bite. The Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl was the standout of the night and is my personal favorite new item. 

I was living it up at Live Más Live. 15 new items in a single year is a lot for any restaurant to unveil, but Taco Bell pulled it off masterfully. I went into each tasting with an open mind and an increasingly full stomach, looking to see how Taco Bell managed to elevate or bring its brand even further.

A word that the Taco Bell C-Suite and celebrities kept repeating throughout the night was "unhinged," which could not have been exemplified better than by the edible Taco Bell sauce packet. From bizarre fan service foods to restaurant-quality meals like the Tacodilla and Cracked Cantina Bowl, the fast-food restaurant delivered with an impressive new lineup for 2026.  

Of everything, I really enjoyed the Cracked Cantina Bowl and the Tacodilla the best. Drinks like the Strawberry Horchata Fresca were good too, but didn't leave an impression quite like the food items. Some also fell short, like the Baja Blast Midnight Pie, which I know I will never try again, thank you very much.