13 Discontinued Taco Bell Items We Desperately Miss

Taco Bell's menu is as fickle as the changing seasons. One minute you're pitying people from hundreds of years ago as you scarf down a modern fast-food treat designed to hit every human's dopamine centers like a truck — and the next minute? That treat is long-gone from the menu, and you suddenly realize that your favorite Taco Bell item was never the permanent lunch pillar you thought it was. Why didn't you spend more time savoring each bite while you still could? If only you had a time machine.

Taco Bell has rocked the world of burrito and empanada fans everywhere with its merciless menu management. The reasons are thick with mystery like the steam from a recently uncovered quesadilla grilling on the stove. The good news is that from time to time, many of its discontinued items show up as temporary specials. It's the closest thing you can get to a time machine, so when those Enchiritos inevitably return, buy 'em up and relish them before they're gone again. And in the meantime, enjoy a mild sense of validation as you read through this list of Taco Bell's most popular discontinued items that have left frustrated, hungry fans in the wind. R.I.P. to these high-sodium wonders that Taco Bell tooketh away before their time.

This one seems to come and go from the Taco Bell menu as it pleases. The caramel apple empanada is one of T-Bell's most beloved offerings, so it's a bit of a mystery why the restaurant keeps pulling it off the menu. It could be that this item simply brings better profits by playing on hungry folks' alternating excitement and disappointment. Maybe Taco Bell waits just long enough for customers' empanada grief to peak, and then it brings it right back and watch the numbers go up.

Whatever the reason, this delicious, golden-brown pastry pocket was a fruity, caramel-infused treat that hit just the right spot alongside a glass of milk. It's basically a handheld fruit pie. And while some participating Taco Bells may currently sell it as part of the temporary "Decades Menu," it's a bit of a crapshoot which locations those are. But don't be surprised when it disappears again, and it's back to waiting. It's not like there's a great substitute, either — as one Reddit user put it, Taco Bell "should just make [the caramel apple empanada] permanent. Their dessert options are lackluster." Hear, hear.

Like nostalgia made manifest, the Taco Bell Bell Beefer (kind of a mouthful) was one of the more creative items to disappear from T-Bell's lineup. Fans reflect longingly on this unusual cross between taco and hamburger that has since gone the way of the buffalo. The Bell Beefer was kind of like a sloppy joe with Taco Bell's signature seasoned ground beef and the sort of semi-Mexican toppings you might find on a taco. It sounds a little weird, but it worked. The Bell Beefer is actually one of Taco Bell's oldest items, and it went through some changes during its sadly truncated lifetime.

Originally known as the "chili burger," it may have been an attempt to offer something that could help Taco Bell compete with other, popular fast food places like McDonald's. The hamburger is almost synonymous with fast food, so a "burger" like this could have supported Taco Bell's emerging market presence. Later, in the 1970s, it was known as the "Bell Burger." Eventually, it was removed from the lineup entirely. The Bell Beefer may be an older item, but its fanbase remains strong — there's even a Facebook page named after the commonly shared desire for the Beefer's return.

This perfectly grilled, stuffed-to-the-brim burrito used to be one of Taco Bell's heaviest offerings. It had this beautiful light-brown grilled strip along each side of the burrito, and washed down with a big cup of Baja Blast, it was the perfect way to relax at the end of a long, stressful day (assuming you didn't want to move for 12 hours after eating).

The Grilled Stuft Burrito's flavor was a departure from that of classic Taco Bell meat — this was due to something called "Baja sauce," a creamy campfire-style stuff that elevated the burrito to a straight 10 out of 10. Baja sauce was kind of like liquid gold on its own, but combined with chicken, steak, or ground beef, it turned the Grilled Stuft Burrito into a fast food masterpiece. It has been discontinued as an official item, but Taco Bell likes to keep people guessing with its expanded line of specialty Grilled-Stufts that come back as limited-time offerings. In the meantime, fans continue to lament the burrito-shaped hole that has been left in their hearts.

In 2015, Taco Bell debuted yet another ill-fated Meximerican goody: the Boss Wrap. Much like a boss, it was difficult to refuse this eminent offering among grilled steak quesadillas. It was actually a heavier version of another Taco Bell item called the Crunchwrap Supreme. But while the Crunchwrap remains to this day, its bulkier, bossier sibling was sadly discontinued. Rife with a double helping of steak chunks, avocado ranch sauce, guacamole, and soft little seasoned potato bits, the Boss Wrap was only ever intended to be a temporary offering.

Why not keep such a well-loved item on the menu? Doesn't Taco Bell care about the feelings of hungry Boss Wrap devotees everywhere? It's a real disappointment, and to discontinue it after so brief a time on the menu? This is some of the more disheartening news to emerge from the fast food industry. At least there's the Crunchwrap Supreme to console you, but it might be wise to order two if you want to match the robustness of the Boss Wrap.

A later entry in the so-called Volcano Menu, this dearly departed burrito brought a nuance of flavor practically unprecedented in the world of fast food joints. The explosive beauty of its spicy beef interior was akin to a volcanic eruption. Customers willingly transformed their mouths into miniature versions of Pompeii as advertised by the Taco Bell tagline, "Get ready for the good hurt." But when the Volcano Burrito quietly disappeared from the menu, it was hard to see the good — only the hurt remained. Taco Bell's trademark seasoned beef made its usual appearance alongside rice, and it was all mixed with little red strips of tortilla for texturing.

But there was one ingredient in this bad boy that made it such a hot giant among burritos: Lava Sauce. There is some speculation about this mysterious goop, but its flavor is uncontested. It's kind of like a mixture of mayo and fire sauce — a spicy, creamy nectar of the gods that lent the Volcano Burrito its signature ferocity. Fans vent online to one another about how much they miss the Volcano Burrito, with one Redditor going so far as to say that the "Volcano Menu is the best thing Taco Bell Has ever done IMO."

Red-hot on the outside and more so on the inside, the Volcano Taco was the true beginning of Taco Bell's Volcano Menu. It came to define a new style of craveable caliente that left fans burning for more. The taco shell was vibrant red, and like the Volcano Burrito that would follow it, this guy was stuffed with a healthy dose of Taco Bell's savory, seasoned ground beef. And, of course, as a true volcanic treat, it was slathered in that hellishly good Lava Sauce that fans have been trying to recreate since the destruction of the Volcano Menu.

The Volcano Taco was originally released alongside 1995's "Congo," a movie about an expedition terrorized by aggressive gorillas guarding a diamond hoard. Taco Bell ought to thank its lucky stars that fans of this taco did not become as volatile as the apes from the movie after learning that their beloved volcano snack had been expunged. One Redditor, thinking fondly back on his time spent with the Volcano Menu, called it "heaven on earth." Strong words for strong flavors.

The Meximelt was a delicious amalgam of soft taco and quesadilla. It was comprised of seasoned ground beef (like everything else on Taco Bell's menu), a three-cheese blend, and pico de gallo, all wrapped in a flour tortilla. It's understandable that so many fans are outraged that this offering is now one of those limited-time specials that quietly arrives when you're not looking. There is literally a petition on Change.org to bring the dang thing back as a permanent part of the menu.

The Meximelt is a gooey, cheesy product of the 1980s, and it represents that 10-year period on Taco Bell's Decades Menu. It's a hot item whenever Taco Bell brings it back, so why did the restaurant drop it in the first place? Maybe it's just more "let-the-demand-peak" business strategy, or maybe it's because the steamed tortillas took too long to prepare in the oven. Whatever the reason, the Meximelt is another fan favorite that makes people gush almost as much as a sauced-up burrito in a loosely folded tortilla.

The year 2010's Beefy Crunch Burrito was ground beef, rice, nacho cheese, sour cream, and (brilliantly), a crunched-up handful of Flamin' Hot Fritos. It's the kind of food that sounds so good that you wonder how it wasn't invented before the 21st century. But like the best items on Taco Bell's menu, beauty is often a short-lived thing. Yet where time's ravages are an impersonal force, Taco Bell consciously excises the most interesting parts of its menu, surely knowing how this will rile up pitchfork mobs of burrito-craving foodies all over the world.

Is Taco Bell a force for good because it brought us the Beefy Crunch Burrito in all its cheesy, spicy-chip glory? Or is it a malevolent corporation because the burrito was Macbeth-style ripped untimely from the menu? It made a comeback in 2016, then again in 2018. Just enough to bring a little light into the world before it's gone again. When will the Beefy Crunch Burrito return next? There is talk of its resurrection under a new guise: The Flamin' Hot Burrito. Call it whatever you like — just bring it back. It's been tested at participating locations around Oklahoma, so if this thing never goes steady on the menu again, blame the Oklahomans.

Here's another item so beloved by the public that it found its way onto Change.org. Not to be confused with its mainstay sibling, the regular-sized chicken quesadilla, this was just about the exact same thing writ small. The Shredded Chicken Mini Quesadilla (SCMQ) featured shredded chicken, a three-cheese blend, and a creamy, spicy sauce that may have used either chipotle or jalapeño as its base. It came in a snackable size, which made it weirdly cute for something you intend to viciously grind between your teeth.

Sure, Taco Bell has plenty of other grilled chicken offerings on its menu, but are they shredded chicken? For some, this was one of the greatest appeals of the SCMQ: that juicy, fluffy texture particular to shredded meats. Add the cheese and the sauce, and you've got a winner. Or so fans thought. The SCMQ departed from the menu in 2020, and these are dark times indeed for Taco Bell's dedicated mini quesadilla lovers. One Redditor describes the SCMQ as having given them a "zest for life."

As you have guessed from its name, this burrito boasted no fewer than seven layers, each layer granting the distinct prestige of its flavor in harmony with the others. Any kind of hot sauce was a killer addition to the 7-Layer Burrito, and that awesome balance of sauce to contents made this entry a delightful little snack.

Those seven layers were beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, and tomatoes. In one Reddit thread, the 7-Layer was described as a "lost comrade," and one commenter noted that the discussion was simply "too painful" to talk about. Who would have thought an adult could feel so much emotion about a fast-food burrito. But those 7-Layers were the brave little burritos that could — they weren't fancy or dripping in nacho cheese, and they weren't injected with inventive sauces from diabolical Taco Bell testing chambers. They didn't even have meat — they were entirely vegetarian. The 7-layer was just some good stuff wrapped in a tortilla. It deserved better than its abrupt 2020 dismissal.

Culinary creativity or culinary excess? This is the question brought about by the Double Decker Taco, which is nothing if not creative. Basically, it's a regular Taco Bell taco, only outside the corn tortilla shell is a layer of refried beans, and beyond that is a flour tortilla. It's a pretty fun soft/crunch combo that seems to just add layer after layer. Is it truly necessary to have both a hard and a soft shell, though? Could you not simply choose hard or soft, then put the refried beans in the taco? You could, but that's not as much fun, is it?

There's a joy in the silly design, and that's worth paying for. Or at least it was until the Double Decker Taco was discontinued. It came back for a brief stint in 2024, but is that enough for its fans? Hardly. One Redditor said, "There is absolutely no excuse for keeping the double decker taco off the menu. They obviously have a soft shell and beans all of the time. They don't even have to bring in extra products to make it." They're not wrong.

There were three main variants of the loaded griller: the Beefy Nacho Griller, Chipotle Griller, and Loaded Potato Griller. There have been some other versions, but these are pretty much the big three. First introduced in 2012, the loaded grillers featured on the dollar menu, which meant that customers got excellent bang for their buck, and you could easily scarf down all three in one sitting while enjoying three distinct griller flavors. But then you and a friend could also just grab two and eat them on the go.

Whether you treated it as a light snack or a bigger meal, the price was low, and the taste was terrific. One of the coolest things about these little guys was how they were made to imitate popular appetizer flavors. For instance, the Loaded Potato Griller consisted of fried taters, nacho cheese sauce, bacon bits, and sour cream. Sound familiar? It's basically the burrito version of a loaded baked potato. Perhaps it was just too creative for Taco Bell. Or maybe the Taco Bell executives get bored with the menu, kind of like people who change the furniture arrangement every couple of months.

Ah, the Enchirito. Not quite an enchilada, and not quite a burrito. Yet in the realm of flavor, it accomplished so much more than either of its parents could alone. The only downside was that you'd sound kind of goofy ordering it out loud. But many fans would embrace worse humiliation to enjoy just one more bite of a delicious Enchirito. Those fans tend to be a little further on in life because the Enchirito is a truly classic Taco Bell item, officially released in 1970.

You can tell just by looking at it that the Enchirito is from a different time. It looked like an enchilada in a tinfoil tray, topped with melted shredded cheese and black olive slices. It was invented by former Taco Bell cook Dan Jones, who was inspired by his trip to the East Coast where he witnessed something called the "enchilada burrito." Thus was a well-loved baby born, only to be discontinued in 1993. It dutifully served the bellies of hungry customers for over 20 years before its retirement.