We Tried Taco Bell’s New Crunchwrap Slider — Our Review

Have you ever had an insatiable craving for a Taco Bell Crunchwrap but don’t want to actually deal with eating the whole thing? It wouldn’t come as a surprise, as Crunchwraps are pretty huge, though we’re sure many people have tried to have just “a bite or two,” and ended up eating the whole thing. Still, the desire for a small Crunchwrap is definitely there, which is why we’re pretty psyched that Taco Bell is now offering us just that.

The Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Slider — which is now available at all Taco Bell locations nationwide for a limited time — is a smaller, palm-sized take on the classic dish. But Taco Bell didn’t just shrink down the dish and call it a day, it’s being paired alongside the brand new Green Chili Queso.

Generally, fast food restaurants don’t have the best track record when it comes to queso (see Chipotle), so while we’re excited about the Crunchwrap slider, consider us cautiously optimistic about the queso. Still, we’re glad Taco Bell put in a little effort to make this dish seem truly new. So is it any good? We found out so that you don’t have to waste your money.

Here are our thoughts on the Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Slider.

Steak & Queso Crunchwrap Sliders

Thoughts & Tasting Notes:

If you’re looking at this palm-sized Crunchwrap thinking “that looks too small,” we’re with you on that. These Crunchwrap sliders are tiny, maybe as small as 1/8 the size of a normal Crunchwrap. They’re so small that it’s almost comical.

Luckily, each order will get you two sliders, which sort of remedies the size issue, but just barely. You might leave this dish feeling hungry still, and that’s a problem.

We opened one up and found what was essentially a Mission Tortilla Round topped with a few pieces of steak, hot and tangy chipotle sauce, pico de gallo, and cheddar chese, all wrapped up in likely the same tortilla Taco Bell uses for its soft tacos. All the ingredients are pretty standard Taco Bell staples. The beef has a nice flavor, but is a bit chewy, but there is so little actual meat contained in this thing, that I never found it distracting or off-putting, like I do with a full serving (ground beef for the win).

Since nothing about the build of this Crunchwrap is new, aside from the small size, you might be asking yourself, what the hell is the point of this dish? It’s the queso.

Having a Crunchwrap in this form factor allows us to do something we haven’t been able to do with a Crunchwrap before — dip it. The queso is very cheesy and salty, with a sharp white cheddar and creamy Monterey Jack — possibly mozzarella — flavor. We don’t know that those are the cheeses Taco Bell uses, but it certainly tastes like it.

I was a bit surprised just how runny the cheese was. It has a sort of watery texture to it, rather than the thick, luxurious, and fatty consistency you want from a good queso. Still, the infusion of mild green chiles blended in this queso gives it a nice mild heat and a slightly vegetal vibe. It works quite well to elevate and accentuate the stock flavors of the Crunchwrap, so much so that I have a hard time imagining going back to a regular-sized Crunchwrap without the dip.

Overall, while I wish this dish were a bit bigger, I can’t say it wasn’t thoroughly enjoyable, and due to its small size, you can now pair this dish with another one of your Taco Bell favorites. You’ll never have to choose between a Crunchwrap or a few tacos, or a burrito again!

The Bottom Line:

The Steak & Queso Crunchwrap takes classic Taco Bell flavors, and elevates them by way of a new form factor that makes it easily dippable. It’s not as indulgent as a Classic Crunchwrap, but the queso helps this small snack comes across like a real treat.