Taco Bell revealed more than 20 upcoming menu items at its Live Más Live gala.
New dishes coming in 2026 include Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets, Cheesy G Sliders and, for dessert, a Crème Brulee Crunchwrap and Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie – the successor to last year's Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie.
Upcoming new beverages include the Salt & Straw Tacolate Chiller, a drink inspired by 2005's Tacolate ice cream taco, a chocolate-dipped waffle shell filled with cinnamon ancho ice cream, created with Salt & Straw.
The fast-food franchise also announced that Nacho Fries would be joining the menu permanently.
Here's more about the new items coming to the Taco Bell menu in 2026.
What new items are coming to Taco Bell this year?
Here are the new items coming to the Taco Bell menu this year, according to a news release:
- Flamin’ Hot Nacho Fries: Nacho Fries with spicier Flamin’ Hot Nacho Cheese.
- Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets: All-white meat chicken nuggets get dusted with fiery Diablo seasoning.
- Doritos Cool Ranch Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets with Doritos Cool Ranch dipping sauce: These nuggets are coated in Doritos Cool Ranch seasoning and can be dipped in a Doritos Cool Ranch-flavored dipping sauce.
- Flamin’ Hot Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets: A third dusted nuggets dish comes in Flamin’ Hot seasoning.
- Cheesy G Sliders: Two soft flatbreads wrapped around white corn shells, layered with mozzarella, pepperjack and cheddar cheeses, lettuce, pico de gallo and creamy chipotle sauce. Available with grilled marinated steak or slow-roasted chicken.
- Mexican Pizza Empanadas: Three or six bite-sized, crispy empanadas filled with seasoned beef, a three-cheese blend and Mexican Pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
- Fire Queso Sauce Packet: The hot sauce is packed in a crispy edible sauce packet, allowing fans to create more flavor combos.
- Queso Cracked Cantina Bowl: This new bowl is made of seasoned rice, slow-roasted chicken, black beans, lettuce, purple cabbage, reduced-fat sour cream, pico de gallo, cotija dip and topped off with chile lime seasoning and crispy cheddar cheese chips.
- Flamin’ Hot Mini Taco Salad: Seasoned beef, Fritos Flamin’ Hot corn chips, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and refried beans in a tortilla bowl rimmed with Flamin’ Hot seasoning.
- Firecracker Burrito: A red flour tortilla shell is filled with seasoned rice, Nacho Cheese sauce, seasoned beef, Fiesta tortilla strips, Creamy Chipotle sauce, reduced-fat sour cream and a sprinkling of cayenne poppin’ crystals.
- Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Pie: This new pie has Mountain Dew Baja Midnight's passionfruit flavor, resulting in a sweet, citrusy taste.
- Milk Bar Birthday Cake Empanada: A crispy empanada filled with birthday cake batter, topped with pink frosting and rainbow sprinkles.
- Chocolate Fudge & Caramel Empanadas (available now nationwide): Served in pairs, customers get one chocolate fudge and one caramel empanada per order.
- Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap Slider: A crispy cinnamon sugar tostada with a creamy vanilla filling, grilled with a caramelized cinnamon sugar crust and wrapped in a warm tortilla.
- Strawberry & Cream Mexican Pizza Bite: A dessert tostada with a scoop of cheesecake filling, filled with chopped strawberries macerated with cinnamon sugar and topped with white chocolate shavings.
- Mountain Dew Baja Midnight Zero: This drink blends passionfruit flavor with the tropical lime taste of Mountain Dew Baja Blast, now with zero sugar.
- Strawberry Horchata Refresca: A creamy sweet drink inspired by traditional Mexican horchata, made with cinnamon and vanilla, swirled with strawberry syrup, topped with real freeze-dried strawberry pieces and served ice-cold.
- Cold Brew with Purple Horchata Cold Foam: Cold brew topped with signature purple cold foam – cool and creamy with a hint of warm cinnamon and vanilla.
- Mountain Dew Baja Blast Under Eye Patches: Patches infused with caffeine and a refreshing boost of citrus to cool and energize the skin.
With the Live Más Live event, Taco Bell showed how it is "constantly pushing the limits – not just on the menu, but in how we show up across culture and entertainment," said Taylor Montgomery, global chief brand officer at Taco Bell. He joined CEO Sean Tresvant and global chief food innovation officer Liz Matthews in appearing on stage at the Live Más Live event.
"From permanent fan favorites to creations no one saw coming, this unhinged Hollywood night was built around the energy our fans bring every single day," he said. "And if this was the opening act, 2026 is going to be one of our boldest years yet."
Menu items will drop throughout the year. For the latest menu updates, follow Taco Bell on its social media platforms, download the Taco Bell app and sign up for the Taco Bell Rewards loyalty program.
How to watch Taco Bell's Live Más Live
Taco Bell's Live Más Live event, recorded Tuesday, March 3 at the Hollywood Palladium in a live-to-tape format, can be streamed on Peacock until April 9.
The event, hosted by actor and rapper/singer Vince Staples, included appearances by Jason Sudekis, Fernando Mendoza, Ariana Madix, Ashley Park, Benson Boone, Ciara Miller, Davante Adams, Devon Walker, DJ Pee .Wee (aka Anderson .Paak), Doja Cat, Ego Nwodim, Myke Towers and Yeat.
"We harnessed that fan energy on stage and turned it into a must-watch moment. I’m excited for everyone to catch it on Peacock," Staples said in a news release.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
