3 min read- Taco Bell used its 2026 Live Más LIVE event to unveil more than 20 new menu items, drinks, and wild limited concepts.
- Big reveals included permanent Nacho Fries, new dusted crispy chicken nuggets, multiple desserts, and several Baja Blast-adjacent drinks.
- Some items are already out now, while others are slated to roll out later in 2026.
Live Más LIVE is basically the Oscars for me. I remember last year watching Taco Bell roll out its big menu roadmap and immediately starting to rank what I was willing to leave my apartment for. So after trying some of the chain’s 2026 drops already, my expectations were pretty high this time around. I wanted to know what was actually going to pull me back to Taco Bell and be washed down with a nice, crisp Baja Blast Zero.
The answer, apparently, is: a lot.
Taco Bell used this year’s Live Más LIVE: A Night at The Palladium event to pull back the curtain on this year’s menu roadmap. The chain unveiled more than 20 innovations, ranging from national menu additions to test kitchen creations to drinks and desserts that sound like they were invented during a very productive fever dream.
One of the biggest headlines of the night was that Nacho Fries are finally becoming permanent later this year, which feels like Taco Bell finally giving in to years of begging. The chain is also spinning that win into a few new variations, including Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries, which pair the fries with a spicier nacho cheese situation.
Chicken is getting a big push, too. Taco Bell is rolling out a whole line of dusted crispy chicken nuggets, and honestly, this feels like one of the smarter moves of the bunch. There’s a Diablo Dusted version for people who want heat, a Doritos Cool Ranch Dusted one with matching dipping sauce, and a Flamin’ Hot Dusted version that sounds like it was built specifically to wreck your mouth in a way some people will love.
In a semi-surprising move, they’re also leaning heavily into the dessert side of things. Taco Bell showed off a Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap Slider, which has vanilla filling, a crispy cinnamon-sugar tostada, and a caramelized sugary shell. There’s also a Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada, plus a Strawberry & Cream Mexican Pizza Bite that sounds like a cheesecake-adjacent tosada. The already-released Chocolate Fudge & Caramel Empanadas were also part of the showcase, and Taco Bell is even getting into pie again with Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie.
And yes, Taco Bell is still finding new ways to make the Mexican Pizza a thing. There’s a Cantina Chicken Mexican Pizza with Jalapeño Citrus Salsa, which layers slow-roasted chicken and black beans between crispy tortillas, and Mexican Pizza Empanadas, bite-sized crispy pockets filled with seasoned beef, cheese, and sauce.
Here are a few more reveals that deserve their own moment: the Flamin’ Hot Mini Taco Salad comes in a crunchy tortilla bowl rimmed with Flamin’ Hot seasoning. The Cheesy G Sliders stack steak or chicken, three cheeses, lettuce, pico, and chipotle sauce into a strange flatbread-meets-shell setup. And then there’s the Firecracker Burrito, which packs in beef, seasoned rice, nacho cheese, tortilla strips, chipotle sauce, sour cream, and cayenne-popping crystals, because apparently, Taco Bell decided your burrito should crackle.
Last but not least, there’s the drink side, which Taco Bell wasn’t exactly quiet either. They previewed Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Zero (be still, my heart), a Strawberry Horchata Refresca, Cold Brew with Purple Horchata Cold Foam, and a Salt & Straw Tacolate Chiller. Also filed under “sure, why not”: an Edible Fire Queso Sauce Packet, a Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl, and even Mountain Dew Baja Blast under-eye patches.
Taco Bell looked at 2026 and decided subtlety was not on the menu—and I will not be subtle when I order absolutely everything.