Crunchwrap Supreme
 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nutritional value per 1 Crunchwrap Supreme | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 530 kcal (2,200 kJ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
73g | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sugars | 6g | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 6g | ||||||||||||||||||||
20g | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Saturated | 7g | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Trans | 0g | ||||||||||||||||||||
15g | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cholesterol | 20mg | ||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies[2] Source: "Crunchwrap Supreme®". Taco Bell. Retrieved June 21, 2025. | |||||||||||||||||||||
The Crunchwrap Supreme is a hexagonal burrito item sold at the fast-food chain Taco Bell. The shape is formed from a crunchy tortilla wrapped in the middle. Within the burrito is beef, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and nacho cheese sauce. It was introduced in 2005 and became one of the most popular items on the menu.[3] The concept has inspired indie knock-offs by restaurant chefs and social media users.[4]
History
[edit]The Crunchwrap Supreme was created by Lois Carson, a former member of Taco Bell's food innovation staff.[5] The idea was to create a menu item that could be easily eaten on the go or in the car without making a mess.[5] It was introduced as a special menu item on June 22, 2005, and became a permanent part of the menu in 2006.[4][6] It sold 51 million units in its first six weeks—the fastest-selling item in Taco Bell history.[4][5]
The Crunchwrap Supreme has influenced chefs and social media users;[7] in 2025, one cook said that it is no longer a gimmick sold by Taco Bell but "an acceptable form, like the burrito."[4] For example at a restaurant in Brooklyn, the "Cwunch Wap Supweme" includes halal ground beef and homemade queso (cheese sauce).[4] A restaurant in Oregon folds bulgogi and pickled banchan into a "Munchwrap Extreme". A restaurant in Los Angeles makes a "Grapow Crunchwrap Supreme" that replaces the tostada with a fried wonton wrapper and the ground beef with pad grapow gai. "As long as you have that crunchy thing in the middle and you know how to fold it, you can put anything in there," said one cook.[4] Taco Bell does not enforce its patent and sees indies as free advertising.[4] Further capitalizing on the trend, Taco Bell sold Crunchwrap Supremes with ingredients inspired by 3 chefs—Reuben Asaram, Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, and Lawrence Smith—at New York City locations in 2024 prior to selling them nationwide.[8][9][10]
After a 2011 class action lawsuit claimed that its "seasoned beef" filling did not use enough beef to be called beef, the company began an aggressive marketing campaign in which it defended its filling as 88% beef and briefly offered Crunchwrap Supremes for 88 cents from the normal cost of $2.39.[11][12] The amount of meat used in the company's products, including the Crunchwrap Supreme, was a focus of a class action lawsuit filed in New York in 2023.[13][14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "TABLE 4-7 Comparison of Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in This Report to Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in the 2005 DRI Report". p. 120. In: Stallings, Virginia A.; Harrison, Meghan; Oria, Maria, eds. (2019). "Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. pp. 101–124. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. NCBI NBK545428.
- ^ Schaltegger, Megan (February 7, 2022). "These Are the Most Popular Taco Bell Menu Items in Each State". Thrillist. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fortney, Luke (June 20, 2025). "The Fast-Food Gimmick That Became an Unlikely Muse for Chefs". The New York Times. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c Hitchens, Antonia (April 17, 2023). "Taco Bell's Innovation Kitchen, the Front Line in the Stunt-Food Wars". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ "Taco Bell History". Taco Bell. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Dennis (November 3, 2022). "The Enduring Legacy Of Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme". The Takeout. Static Media. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Navarro, Marian (November 7, 2024). "San Antonio chef puts a Thai spin on her version of Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme". Texas Public Radio. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Forman, Beatrice (October 16, 2024). "Taco Bell asked Philly chef Reuben Asaram to reinvent the Crunchwrap Supreme. Here's what he did". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Fontanez, Endia (February 15, 2025). "This top Phoenix chef is putting his own spin on Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ "Taco Bell takes to airwaves to defend their beef". NBC News. February 28, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Onl (February 28, 2011). "Employees offer impartial Taco Bell defense". Adweek. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Madani, Doha (August 1, 2023). "Taco Bell accused of skimping on beef for Crunchwraps and Mexican Pizzas in class action lawsuit". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Rosen, Evan (August 1, 2023). "Man sues Taco Bell for $5M+ on behalf of all NY customers; claims false advertising, lack of beef". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 21, 2025.