Taco Bell quietly discontinued five fan-favorite menu items this year

For budget-conscious fast food fans, there’s nothing better on the scene than Taco Bell’s Cravings Value Menu. With 10 items all costing less than $3, you can inexpensively put together as big or small a meal as you want.

There has been some turmoil recently regarding the Cravings Value menu. Earlier this year, Taco Bell quietly discontinued five items to make room for new ones. The chain confirmed: Eat This, Not That! that the older items have been replaced by six newer ones, including three that have previously only been seen in test markets.

Discontinued Taco Bell menu items in 2024

1. Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito

For many fans, the biggest miss among the Chipotle Ranch’s five dishes was the Grilled Chicken Burrito. The loss inspired more than one Change.org petition calling on Taco Bell to reinstate it.

One poster lamented, “The removal of this popular burrito has affected not only me, but countless other customers who enjoyed its unique flavor profile.” The petition reached 788 signatures.

What was so great about the Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken Burrito? “It was cheap and dangerous,” said a poster on the petition site. “Two of these made a great lunch for less than $5.” The burrito combined grilled chicken, rice, cheddar cheese, sour cream, crunch tortillas (fiesta strips), and chipotle ranch sauce.

2. Beefy Melt Burrito

The simple burrito combines seasoned ground beef. seasoned rice, nacho cheese sauce, fiesta strips, a three-cheese blend and sour cream. According to the Taco Bell Wiki, it’s no longer available in its original form, but it’s still available, albeit with a new name – Cheesy Double Beef Burrito. According to Redditors, the updated version is slightly more expensive but contains more beef, although there are fewer fiesta strips and cheese.

3. Fiesta Veggie Burrito

According to Change.org’s petition to return this menu item, it was a rare treat for vegetarians who struggle to find fast food options. “We challenge Taco Bell not only as customers, but also as advocates for accessible, plant-based dining options in mainstream restaurants,” the original poster said. “Please bring back our beloved Fiesta Veggie Burrito or introduce another equally satisfying vegetarian burrito option.”

The Fiesta Veggie Burrito consisted of black beans, seasoned rice, Fiesta strips, sour cream, a three-cheese blend, tomatoes, guacamole and a creamy chipotle sauce. “This was the absolute best fast food meal ever created, it had deep flavor and lots of ingredients to keep it fresh,” declared a Change.org signatory.

4. Chicken Chipotle Melt

Chipotle sauce was also the centerpiece of the now-discontinued Chicken Chipotle Melt, a flour tortilla filled with grilled chicken and cheddar cheese. When it launched, the Melt cost just $1 and attracted a huge following.

Fans took to TikTok to express their dissatisfaction with Taco Bell’s decision to halt production. “This item was the only thing I would get here,” said one Reddit user, “It made me love Taco Bell. ”

5. $5 Classic Combo

This combination was less an item and more a collection of favorites and included a drink; a specialty (e.g. Black Bean Crunchwrap Supreme, Black Bean Chalupa or Cheese Quesadilla); a smaller classic dish (like the Bean Burrito, Spicy Potato Soft Taco or Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito); and your choice of side or dessert, all for $5. One Redditor commented that there is now a “worse version for $6.99 in the app.”

What’s new on the Taco Bell Cravings Value Menu in 2024?

We’ve already established that the Cheesy Double Beef Burrito is just an evolution of the Beefy Melt Burrito, but what other items have replaced some of the others? Here’s the overview.

The forklift

This twist on a quesadilla features seasoned beef, a melted three-cheese blend, and nacho cheese, stacked in a grilled flour tortilla.

Double stacked taco

Nacho cheese sauce also plays an important role in this taco – it’s the glue that binds a crispy taco shell to a flour tortilla (double-decker style) filled with seasoned beef, lettuce, fiesta strips and cheddar cheese .

3-Cheese Chicken Flatbread to Melt

The fluffy flatbread used for this melt (yes, the same one featured in our favorite Taco Bell menu item of all time) is thicker than a tortilla, making it slightly more substantial than a quesadilla. It’s filled with marinated and grilled chicken, a melted three-cheese blend, and creamy chipotle sauce—a possible replacement for the retired Chicken Chipotle Melt.

Chicken Enchilada Burrito

Unlike a traditional enchilada, this wrap has the red sauce in the tortilla rather than being poured over it, making for an easier on-the-go option. It’s filled with marinated and grilled chicken, sour cream, seasoned rice and a three-cheese blend.

Loaded Beef Nachos

At $2.99, the most expensive new addition is exactly what it sounds like: a layer of tortilla chips topped with seasoned beef, refried beans, sour cream, nacho cheese sauce, red sauce and guacamole.

Since adding these six items, Taco Bell has also added a Decade section to the Cravings Value menu featuring vintage favorites from the 1960s. It includes Tostada, Green Sauce Burrito, Meximelt, Gordita Supreme and Caramel Apple Empanada. While we’re grateful for all of these new menu additions, we’ll be keeping an eye out to see if these discontinued fan favorites return.