12 Discontinued Taco Bell Items That Deserve A Revival

Although there are constantly old items coming and going off the menu, there are still some great discontinued Taco Bell items that deserve a comeback that haven't yet had their day. In fact, there are quite a few tacos, burritos, gorditas, wraps, breakfast items, sauces, sides, and desserts that people still wish would make a return. While some items haven't been seen since as long ago as the 1980s, others are more recent limited-time menu offerings that were too good to not become permanent or have a limited return.

Many of these items have online petitions for their return. Sometimes, it's possible to hack the menu to get something sort of similar, but if a sauce or the seasoning isn't right, it just doesn't hit the same. Although, after hacking the menu, you often end up spending way more than the original price once you make additions and subtractions. But for most of the items on our list, experiencing them again would require a complete re-release. These 12 discontinued Taco Bell items live on in our flavor and texture memories and are well worth a revival.

Starting in 2012, there have been a few different flavors of Doritos Locos Tacos, which are tacos with Dorito-flavored shells. The original one, which is still on the menu, has a traditional nacho cheese flavored shell. While the Flamin' Hot and the Cool Ranch flavors have had returns, the Fiery flavor hasn't been back since it was discontinued in 2019.

After the chain was wildly successful in selling 600 million Doritos Locos tacos products in their first 18 months, it decided to try new flavors. The Fiery Doritos locos taco flavor arrived in 2013. This time with a bright red shell that featured chili and lime flavors with plenty of fiery heat. It was meant to be similar to the Flamas Doritos flavor, with a name that would appeal to those looking for a fiery flavor experience.

Unfortunately, the company discontinued the flavor in 2019 to add new items and new flavors to the menu. Meanwhile, the Fiery Doritos locos flavor has maintained plenty of fans who still pledge their love for this taco. Some people on social media say they stopped eating at Taco Bell after these left the menu. There's also a Change.org petition for its return, which already had 4,800 votes as of the writing of this article.

For vegans and those with dairy allergies, vegan nacho cheese with its base of soy and chick peas was very welcome when it made its debut on the menu in 2023. It performed well enough in test locations that Taco Bell rolled it out at every restaurant when it hit the main menu. Unfortunately, this limited-time item was only available for a couple of weeks.

Not surprisingly, once Taco Bell whisked this item off the menu, people started petitioning the company to bring it back. As of the writing of this article, the Change.org petition for it has over 3,500 signatures on it. Customers said that this was one of the best non-dairy cheese products they'd ever tried, and it was immediately missed once it was gone. 

It's not likely that people with dairy-free diets are going to stop going to Taco Bell any time soon. After all, Taco Bell has long appealed to vegans because of its wide variety of items that are already vegetarian and that can be altered to become vegan. If you've tried eating at other fast food chains as a vegan or vegetarian, you know just how rare this is. Those who miss cheese say they'd even be willing to pay a little extra for this cheese if they had to — if only it were still available.

You probably remember the naked chicken chalupa since it made a comeback in 2021, but lots of us have forgotten about the naked chicken chips. Granted, there are over 3,300 signatures from people over on Change.org who haven't forgotten about this menu item and wish it were a permanent one. Customers got their first taste of naked chicken chips in 2017, and they were discontinued after only being on the menu for just over a month.

Naked chicken chips were breaded, white-meat chicken nuggets that were flat and came in a triangle shape, like tortilla chips. As such, they were the perfect size and shape for dipping into the nacho cheese sauce that came with them. Just like chicken nuggets, they came in 6-piece or 12-piece sizes. However, fans of these chips remember them to be much better than any chicken-nugget-type menu item or other fried chicken items that have hit the menu since then. Part of the appeal was that they came with nacho cheese. The other part of the appeal was their tender and crunchy texture. To make a spicy version, some people would add their favorite Taco Bell hot sauce to the nacho cheese sauce.

The fiesta veggie burrito really brought the party to the Taco Bell Veggie Cravings menu, and it's certainly been missed. The burrito started with black beans, seasoned rice, tomatoes, and a three-cheese blend. Then, it was topped with the chain's deliciously smoky chipotle sauce, guacamole, and reduced-fat sour cream. However, the star was the fiesta strips that gave it a delightful crunch. It was a filling and inexpensive vegetarian addition to the Cravings Value menu when it first came out in 2022 for just $2.

Customers were quite upset when the fiesta veggie burrito disappeared in 2024 when the chain made changes to its Cravings Value Menu. There's a similar black bean grilled cheese burrito available. However, it's nearly triple the price, and you have to make some adjustments to turn it into a fiesta veggie burrito, taking away the nacho cheese sauce, adding guacamole, and ordering it in person so you can request for it not to be grilled. Subbing out the nacho cheese sauce for guacamole also raises the price by nearly a dollar, making it even less affordable. Even with the black bean grilled cheese burrito available, plenty of people are still signing the petition over on Change.org for the reinstatement of this menu item, and it already has nearly 1,200 signatures as of the writing of this article. Guacamole just hits differently than nacho cheese, making the fiesta veggie burrito a fresher-tasting menu item.

If you remember Taco Bell's classic cinnamon crispas, you know just how different they were from the cinnamon twists the chain has on its menu now. They go back to 1979, when you could add them to your order for a mere $0.39. They were on the menu for nearly 10 years, being discontinued in 1988. The next year, cinnamon twists arrived on the menu as their replacement.

Cinnamon crispas were shaped like tortilla chips and fried before being covered in cinnamon sugar. They were more substantial and had a better flavor than today's cinnamon twists. Even if you can't quite remember what the original tasted like or its texture, every time you bite into today's airy styrofoam-like cinnamon twists, your brain tells you there used to be something better.

One person on social media says that, although the original crispas were made with tortillas, they tried a Siete grain free cinnamon churro cassava strip and found them similar. Another person mentioned that ChiChis adds cinnamon triangles to its fried ice cream that are similar as well. You know all the fans of this classic dessert would be more tempted to order a dessert with their meal if they made a comeback.

Among the Taco Bell menu items from the '90s that many people would like to see return is the bacon cheeseburger burrito. While we've seen lots of classic Taco Bell menu items make a return, the bacon cheeseburger burrito has been neglected. It was part of a short-lived bacon menu that the chain had for a single year between 1995 and 1996. While the menu didn't last, the memory of this burrito did, as it has hundreds of online petition signatures from fans who remember it fondly and wish for its return.

Fans of this burrito remember that it had all the ingredients you'd expect on a hamburger. It started with the chain's seasoned beef. Plus, it contained tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and bacon, like a regular bacon cheeseburger would have. There was also a smoky sauce that helped bring out the smokiness in the bacon. If anything on the bacon menu ever comes back, like the B.L.T. soft taco or the chicken club burrito, we hope this one makes a comeback, too. With the chipotle sauce being smoky, it would be a good stand-in for the original sauce if the original recipe has been lost to time. Although, those who remember the sauce say it was both sweet and smoky and closer to barbecue sauce with bacon. Although, someone else referred to it as a Mexican version of Thousand Island sauce.

Taco Bell changed up its menu in 1998 when it began offering its gorditas for the very first time. The gorditas were distinctive for their soft, pita-like flatbread. You likely remember the cheesy gordita crunch, which is still on the menu. However, the original gorditas didn't have the crunch layer, and they came in other flavors like supreme and fiesta. One that was especially memorable, however, was the Santa Fe gordita. It might be gone, but it's certainly not forgotten, with over 100 people signing the online signature for its return. For many, it was their favorite gordita, and they still think about it wistfully all these decades later. Some may even remember it being part of the gorditas sing-a-long song led by the Taco Bell chihuahua in the 1998 commercial.

The Santa Fe line of products, including the Santa Fe gorditas, included a black bean and corn salsa. Copycat recipes include red bell peppers and sometimes onions and cilantro in the salsa along with the black beans and corn. However, not everyone who has tried the copycat versions thinks the copycat salsa is quite right. There was also a creamy Southwest sauce. Copycat versions of it probably aren't right either, but they include mayo, chili sauce, vinegar, and lemon juice. You also had your choice of beef or chicken. Plus, it included lettuce and cheese.

When Taco Bell added its new chicken fajita nacho fries and fajita street chalupas to the menu in 2026, it reminded us that Taco Bell once had fajita wraps that were discontinued in the 1990s. You could choose from marinated and grilled chicken or steak. Plus, they came on flour tortillas with grilled onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. They also came with a sauce that customers on social media say they find unforgettable and one of the best sauces Taco Bell ever had.

The fajitas first showed up on the menu in 1992, with Little Richard singing in the commercial for their big reveal. While having fajita toppings for nacho fries and chalupas are nice, it would be even better to have the fajita toppings come on something that's not fried like the nacho fries and street chalupas are. As long as there are fajita toppings on the menu, though, you can sorta recreate the fajita wraps. Start with a soft taco supreme, sub out the seasoned beef for chicken or steak, subtract lettuce and sour cream, add fajita veggies, and add creamy jalapeño sauce. Some people just hack the burritos and add fajita veggies instead. While it's not the same, one person says the creamy jalapeño sauce is the closest sauce to Taco Bell's fajita sauce. Unfortunately, all these upgrades can be pricey, which is why it would be better if there were just one on the menu.

While Taco Bell still has quite a variety of sauces and hot sauces, customers still miss verde Border Salsa. These salsas showed up among the existing Border Sauce packets you could get in 2010. They stood out as mild sauces with lots of flavor but not a lot of heat.

The fire-roasted Border Salsa contained fire-roasted tomatoes, making it a salsa that was smoky but didn't have a lot of heat despite including chili peppers, onions, and garlic in the ingredient list. The smokiness made it similar to a chipotle sauce, but it also had a bit of tartness and sweetness. Plus, there was cilantro in it. It seems to have not been as popular as the verde salsa in some locations, but many people on social media remember it fondly as a unique favorite before it disappeared.

The verde Border Salsa was green because it was made with tomatillos and green chilis. The tomatillos and lime provided tartness, but the green chilis were mild ones. There was also garlic, onions and cilantro to prop up the flavor profile. It lasted a little while longer at the restaurant than the fire-roasted Border Salsa but seems to have been discontinued in 2016, which was a big disappointment for those who like tomatillo salsas and for those who counted it as a favorite. While you can still buy Taco Bell verde salsa online by the bottle, you can't get it at Taco Bell in a packet anymore.

One thing you might have noticed is that Taco Bell doesn't have a kid's meal anymore, but it once did. The kids meal we're thinking of came out in 1995, and it initially included a kid's taco and cinnamon twists. Plus, it came with a drink and a toy. Before 2009, it also included tortilla chips until people complained about how unhealthy they were. Unfortunately, Taco Bell discontinued kids meals in 2013 because it didn't feel the need to continue putting money into it since they didn't sell a significant enough number of them to impact sales in the way that expanding other choices for everyone might. Additionally, there were nutritional and health concerns for kids. Although, they're not necessarily ordering healthier options now off the regular menu either, especially if they're picky.

While perhaps not super healthy, the kid's taco was actually quite brilliant because it was a crunchy taco that substituted out the lettuce (which kids often didn't like) for a second type of cheese. So, it had both Monterrey Jack and cheddar cheese inside the shell with the seasoned meat.

We can imagine all sorts of Taco Bell merch we'd love to see in a kid's meal if it were to return today. There were plenty of branded franchise toy collaborations, but some early toys featured Taco Bell mascots, like a yellow cat named Nacho and a blue dog named Dog.

In the 1990s, Taco Bell had spicy tater tots called Mexi-nuggets. Customers still miss them. Folks on social media remember them being delightfully crunchy and salty, with a spice mix that hit just right. The shape was a little different than regular tots, as they were small and more of a short cylinder than a tall one. It always felt like you were getting a prize if you ended up with a Mexi-nugget that had a lot of the spice on it, kind of like getting that one special chip in the chip bag with the most seasoning. Not only were they good on their own, but they were also good in burritos.

Re-creations at home and in restaurants just haven't been the same. While there are some fast food places with tots, like Taco Time, Taco Johns, and Bojangles that have something similar, customers say they're just not the same. Those who miss these have tried putting tater tots in the air fryer (especially Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns) with taco seasoning to try to recreate the texture and flavor combo. One person found Z's Hot Sauce Southern style Cajun season-all to be fairly close to the right seasoning mix, but it's still not the same.

These have been gone for decades, but there are still people out there begging Taco Bell to bring these back. There's even a group on Facebook with several hundred members created for the sole purpose of requesting the chain to return them to the menu.

Taco Bell's mini skillet bowl is a fast food breakfast item that truly deserves a revival. It hit the Taco Bell breakfast menu in 2016, only cost $1, and was a tortilla-free and meat-free breakfast option. The bowl featured seasoned crispy potatoes and scrambled eggs as its base, with more potatoes than eggs. Plus, it included nacho cheese sauce and pico de gallo. So, it wasn't overly complicated, and it included ingredients still on the breakfast menu. There was only enough in the bowl for maybe six bites. So, it was small. Unfortunately, it left the menu in 2020, with nothing immediately taking its place.

Once they were gone, customers were distraught both because it was such a great deal (even if you needed more than one to fill you up), and they really liked the bowl in general. There have been a few people speculating about how to get it without it being on the menu anymore, like ordering cheesy fiesta potatoes from the regular menu but asking for them to add egg and pico de gallo and remove the sour cream (unless you want to keep it). 

There's also still a cheesy toasted breakfast potato burrito on the menu that has similar ingredients,. You couldn't just dump it into a bowl and have it be exactly the same, as it includes tomatoes instead of pico de gallo. Although, you could sub out those ingredients. Of course, none of these options are just $1.