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Review by Anneta Konstantinides
- Taco Bell just released theBig Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It Tostada.
- Both menu items feature a Cheez-It cracker 16 times bigger than the original.
- I was a huge fan of the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme, an exciting mash-up of two delicious items.
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Its motto hasn't been "Think Outside the Bun" for over a decade, but Taco Bell continues to make waves with its out-of-the-box creations.
The chain that's given us everything from nacho fries to grilled cheese dipping tacos is back with a brand-new collaboration — and this time, it involves one of the most famous snacks in America.
Taco Bell and Cheez-It have spent years creating the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and the Big Cheez-It Tostada, a wild mash-up we never saw coming.
Here's how they tasted.
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Taco Bell and Cheez-It’s groundbreaking collaboration has been four years in the making.
During a recent visit to Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, California, I learned more about the development of the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It Tostada.
Chef Nola Krieg, who's been part of Taco Bell's food innovation team for 10 years, told us that Taco Bell first tried to turn the iconic Cheez-It cracker into a toasted cheddar taco shell, but it just didn't work. The cracker was far too brittle.
Then, a new idea hit.
"Let's just make it a bigger cracker," Krieg recalled.
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The new Crunchwrap Supreme and tostada both feature a Cheez-It cracker that’s 16 times bigger than the original.
The Taco Bell team tinkered with different Cheez-It sizes, including one 25 times bigger than the classic cracker — but it was far too large.
"So we landed on a Cheez-It 16 times the size, and they've been working on this product for four years," Krieg said.
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Developing the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It Tostada was no easy feat.
Taco Bell's test kitchen worked to ensure the texture and amount of salt in the cracker would pair well with the beef. The chain also had to develop new packaging to protect the fragile Cheez-It crackers —no one likes a broken tostada!
All the hard work paid off.
Both menu items were an instant hit when Taco Bell tested them for a limited time in July 2022 at a single location in Irvine, not far from the chain's headquarters. The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It Tostada sold out in four days.
But did they live up to the hype? Let's give them a try!
The first new Cheez-It item I got to try was the Big Cheez-It Tostada.
The $3.99 Big Cheez-It Tostada features the Big Cheez-It cracker topped with seasoned beef, diced tomatoes, lettuce, shredded cheese, and reduced-fat sour cream.
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The massive Cheez-It cracker was a delight to eat, but it was missing something.
Biting into a Cheez-It cracker as big as your hand is such a fun and playful concept, and I love that Taco Bell isn't afraid to give us a little whimsy in these cynical times.
The cracker stays true to the taste of your classic Cheez-It, but I found the toppings to be a bit basic. The veggies were a little limp and lackluster, and I thought the tostada needed a dash of sauce.
I recommend adding purple cabbage and pico de gallo —two new ingredients at Taco Bell thanks to its very good Cantina Chicken Menu —and one of the chain's delicious sauces (perhaps avocado ranch or creamy jalapeño) to really amp up the flavor.
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Next up was the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme.
Taco Bell swaps out a classic tostada shell for the massive Cheez-It in its Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme.
The $5.49 menu item also features seasoned beef, lettuce, diced tomatoes, warm nacho-cheese sauce, and reduced-fat sour cream, all wrapped inside a grilled tortilla.
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The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme is a deliciously fun twist on a Taco Bell classic.
As a huge Cheez-It fan and a Crunchwrap Supreme loyalist (it's my go-to Taco Bell order without fail), I was extremely excited to try the Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme.
Still, it didn't rank in the top five of my list when I tried 15 new menu items at Live Más Live — Taco Bell's first-ever superfan convention — back in February. The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme was the last dish I tried that day, and it just didn't blow me away.
But I recently gave it a second chance (with a fresh palate) and had a completely different experience. The massive cracker added a delicious burst of cheesiness, which was perfectly distributed throughout the Crunchwrap thanks to the well-designed cracker.
Drizzling some Taco Bell hot sauce on top brought a kick of heat and depth to the overall flavor, creating an unquestionably fun and exciting menu item.
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