Taco Bell is shaking up their menu, again, with new limited time food options: chicken nuggets. Complete with three new sauce offerings and Baja Blast Gelato, this limited time food could become permanent. We tried out the nuggets, the gelato and all three new sauces.
Baja Blast Gelato Dessert
Small but flavorful, the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Gelato is sold for $4. As you can see from the pictures, it is only 3.6 FL oz, but it does provide a satisfying texture and a smooth, fruity flavor that Baja Blast fans should love. Being in Florida for this taste test, it fit perfect, as this feels like a summertime treat.
While Taco Bell is usually leaning towards the more budget side of fast food, this isn’t the best bang for your buck. That being said, I don’t regret my purchase. As you will see with many of these limited-time items, the size isn’t what you should be buying them for. But this Taco Bell Baja Blast Gelato does seem it would sell well in grocery stores in a cheaper multi-pack.
Taco Bell trio of sauces • Bell, Jalapeño Honey Mustard & Fire Ranch
Along with a new dessert and chicken nuggets, a trio of new sauces have debuted as well. One sauce is included with a 5-pack of Chicken Nuggets, or two sauces come with a 10-pack. You can also buy additional sauces for $0.25.
Taco Bell states, “In its culinary journey to find the perfect complementary sauce, Taco Bell tested over 100 sauces to curate not one, but three irresistible dip pairings – introducing the exclusive new Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, and brand new signature Bell Sauce and sweet and hot Jalapeño Honey Mustard Sauce. The star of this trio is the new Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, a fiery twist on America’s Favorite Ranch inspired by the passion of Taco Bell and Hidden Valley Ranch fans.”
New Taco Bell flavors get saucy
“We’re thrilled to partner with Taco Bell on the new Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce, combining the bold flavors of Hidden Valley Ranch with Taco Bell’s signature heat” said CC Ciafone, Marketing Director at Hidden Valley Ranch. “Ranch and chicken nuggets are an iconic pairing, so it just made sense to create a ranch perfectly designed for Taco Bell’s unique twist on nuggets.”
Taco Bell lists out these new flavors as such:
- Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce: Taco Bell’s first-ever ranch partnership which blends two flavors, Taco Bell Fire Sauce and Hidden Valley Ranch.
- Bell Sauce: The all-new Bell Sauce offers a familiar, rich, creamy and tangy signature blend with subtle chili notes crafted with tomatoes, red chiles, and garlic.
- Jalapeño Honey Mustard: Rounding out the trio is the Jalapeño Honey Mustard that fuses sweet and heat, featuring honey mustard with a kick of jalapeño.
During our taste test, we were surprised with our favorite, the Jalapeño Honey Mustard. This flavor seemed like a good middle ground of nacho cheese and mustard. The Bell Sauce had the most heat, tasting like a combo of Thousand Island dressing and Sweet BBQ with an aftertaste of spicy flavor. Lastly the Hidden Valley Fire Ranch. Even though it was pushed the most in marketing, it had the most basic flavor. Even with multiple tests, it just tasted like normal Hidden Valley ranch, we didn’t seem to get the “fire” in this Fire Ranch.
Taco Bell Chicken Nuggets now for sale in the United States
Chicken nuggets are not new to the fast food world, but they are for Taco Bell. And now they are sold nationwide for a limited time (but potentially a permanent addition). You can buy a 5-pack or 10-pack with sauces, or in a combo with Nacho Fries and a drink.
The nuggets are made with all-white meat and coated in a crunchy tortilla chip breading. They vary greatly in size, from a standard nugget size to smaller “popcorn chicken” style bites. From our visit to a local Taco Bell (this was not a media invited taste test) we were informed it is by quantity, not by a select weight. As seen in the photo above, you may get a box of varied sizing.
The flavor was good, with the meat quality being the most noticeable. The nuggets’ texture and taste both came across as higher quality than many other fast food locations. We would put these in the category of Chick-fil-A nuggets, above the quality you expect from McDonald’s or Taco Bell.
Chicken Nuggets at Taco Bell – for now
Taco Bell specifically mentions that these Chicken Nuggets are for a limited time. There is no current posted end-date, but usually Taco Bell sticks to 3+ months for limited engagements. If you are tempted to try these out, it’s always better to go sooner than later.
If you are looking to save money we recommend getting the Taco Bell app. They do weekly deals on Tuesday and generally offer lower prices as opposed to buying it in-store or at the drive-thru. The cheapest version of the Chicken Nuggets entree is $4.
Taco Bell isn’t the only one going outside of their norm. McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme are working together to bring more donuts to more people by 2026, but the work has already begun.
