We Tried Taco Bell's New Cheesy Dipping Burritos And They Live Up To The Hype
In the world of fast food, things move pretty fast, and that includes advances in the innovation department. Snack wraps in particular are having a moment in 2024, with several fast food chains adding them to their menus. For a limited time, Taco Bell has decided to throw its own spin on this classic handheld snack by introducing Cheesy Dipping Burritos.
On June 7, food blogger Snackolator drew attention to the pint-size burritos after featuring them in an Instagram post, writing, "I would absolutely destroy these dipping burritos." Obviously we had to get our hot little hands on them to see for ourselves if they were really worth such enthusiasm. Has Taco Bell struck out or are these Cheesy Dipping Burritos a home run?
Read on to learn everything you need to know about this new cheese-tastic menu item, including where to find it and if it's even worth the search.
What's in Taco Bell's new Cheesy Dipping Burritos?
What are these new half-sized burritos all about and more importantly, what makes them so cheesy? A few things. But before we dive in, we have to mention there are actually three varieties to choose from: steak, slow roasted chicken, and seasoned beef. Beyond that, the ingredients are the same.
They come in pairs, with the same choice of meat in both. Your choice of protein is wrapped in the flour tortillas with a savory avocado ranch sauce and a special blend of three cheeses. The two burritos are then topped with cheese and grilled, almost but not quite marrying a burrito with a grilled cheese sandwich.
The new burritos are mostly being advertised with nacho cheese sauce, which offers maximum cheese factor. But when ordering, you can swap it out for any of Taco Bell's sauces, including creamy chipotle, spicy ranch, avocado ranch, reduced fat sour cream, creamy jalapeño, or for an extra fee, guacamole or Yellowbird dip.
How much do they cost?
The price for the Cheesy Dipping Burritos may vary by location. The ground beef might also be priced lower than the steak and slow roasted chicken, which is on par with other items on Taco Bell's menu that allow you to choose the meat. For the steak burritos and one standard dipping sauce, we paid $4.99 plus tax. The chicken burritos with a sauce was the same price as the steak, however, the seasoned ground beef with one standard dipping sauce only came out to $3.99 plus tax.
If that isn't enough food for you, all three varieties of Cheesy Dipping Burritos are available as part of the Deluxe Cravings Box for $10.49. This includes the pair of mini burritos, one dipping sauce, a Crunchy Taco, a Chalupa Supreme, Cinnamon Twists, and a medium fountain drink. Both the taco and chalupa can be customized, and the dessert can be swapped out for chips and nacho cheese or chips and guacamole.
Where and when are they available?
As you may have guessed from the lack of fanfare on Taco Bell's part, the new Cheesy Dipping Burritos are currently being tested in select markets. If you happen to find yourself near the Metro Detroit area, get excited as you'll have first dibs on these tasty little treats.
For this review, we purchased burritos from a Taco Bell in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is located right down the street from Eastern Michigan University, which is probably intentional since college students seem like the ideal population for testing new burritos. The new menu item has also been spotted in Berkley, Michigan, located just outside Detroit, with just the steak and slow roasted chicken options. Meanwhile, a Taco Bell in Royal Oak only had the ground beef dipping burritos on its menu.
Since meat options seem to vary by location, check your local Taco Bell's menu online ahead of time to avoid being disappointed.
How do they compare to other Taco Bell menu items?
All three of the Cheesy Dipping Burritos fall in line with what customers have come to expect from Taco Bell. The seasoned ground beef, steak, and slow roasted chicken are available as options in most menu items, such as tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. Based on size, the burrito flour tortilla looks to be the same as the one used to make soft tacos.
But the different combination of ingredients is what makes this dish fun and new. It isn't just a miniature version of Taco Bell's already existing burritos. The ingredients are fewer, simpler, and the smaller size turns it into finger food. Basically, Cheesy Dipping Burritos are to the burrito what snack wraps are to chicken wraps. Considering they're nicely rolled up, the burritos are less messy to eat than folded over tacos and chalupas, which is really quite convenient. This makes them easy to munch on, and we suspect, overindulge in.
What did we think?
Since the three meats were available at our location, we ordered and tasted them all along with three dipping sauces. We chose creamy chipotle, avocado ranch, and of course, the nacho cheese sauce.
Pitting the meats against each other, chicken is by far the weakest and easiest to blend with other flavors. That's not a bad thing though; if you want to put the flavors of the dipping sauces on full display, chicken is a good choice. All three of the sauces greatly improved the flavor of the meat, but the creamy chipotle was a particularly satisfying pairing.
Without any sauce, the seasoned ground beef burritos had the most flavor. Dipping it into the avocado ranch gave it an extra tang that only enhanced the flavor. The steak burritos tasted great solo too and held their own against all three sauces. When dipped in the nacho cheese, it tasted a bit like a Philly cheese steak.
All in all, when considering the price, flavors, and dangerous snackability of these dipping burritos, they are 100% worth the purchase! We can't wait until they officially join Taco Bell menus, and hope they stick around for a good long while.