2 Doritos Flavors Came Before Nacho Cheese, But Only Sometimes Make A Comeback

Far back in the mists of Doritos' history, there was once an era that few today recall: B.N.C, or "Before Nacho Cheese." This variety is widely regarded as Doritos' best and arguably most famous offering. However, before its 1972 release, Nacho Cheese was preceded by two earlier Doritos flavors: the original unflavored chip and the Doritos Taco flavor, which are known to make an occasional comeback.

Frito-Lay executive Archibald "Arch" West recognized the potential of tortilla chips in the 1960s, though accounts vary as to how. In one version of the story, West discovered that Disneyland's Casa de Fritos restaurant was frying fragmented tortillas and selling them as chips. In another, West first encountered tortilla chips while travelling in Southern California, where he sampled them at a retail store. Regardless, West urged Frito-Lay to put these chips into production.

Doritos were unveiled in 1966 in an unseasoned form marketed as "Toasted Corn." The following year, a second flavor was released: Taco, which was mildly spiced with taco seasoning. They might not have made the list of the 20 wildest Doritos flavors to ever exist, and were eventually discontinued and overshadowed by the success of the Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch flavors, but one cannot deny either flavor's historical significance. That said, neither disappeared for good.

Products that have vanished from the grocery store shelves can exert a powerful, nostalgic attachment on those who remember them — like these 18 discontinued snacks that '90s kids are still mourning — so perhaps it is no surprise this was not the end for these two original Dorito flavors. In 2010, Frito-Lay announced the return of Taco Doritos for a limited time, complete with a retro 1960s-style design to emphasize its throwback status. Due to popular demand, the flavor became a fixture in the Doritos lineup. Unfortunately for its fans, however, they didn't last forever.

In early 2026, a fan contacted Frito-Lay after having difficulty finding Taco Doritos and received confirmation that the product was once again being discontinued. "A dagger through my heart! My childhood favorite," the disappointed customer lamented on Reddit. While some highlighted the continued availability of Doritos' Late Night Loaded Taco flavor, which took the number two spot on our ranking of 13 Doritos flavors from best to worst, others argued they didn't compare. One Redditor complained that the more modern flavor "tastes like wet grass and black pepper."

As for the Toasted Corn flavor, there have been intermittent sightings over the past seven years, though its availability appears limited — one TikTok user described the single bag he managed to find as a "unicorn." Until Toasted Corn becomes a permanent part of the Doritos family again, your best bet may be to learn how to make tortilla chips in the air fryer with almost no effort.