Taco Bell and Salt & Straw Launch Churro Ice Cream Taco

Taco Bell has reintroduced a popular frozen dessert in collaboration with ice cream maker Salt & Straw, launching the limited-edition Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco nationwide. This new offering is a reimagining of their viral ice cream taco, the "tacolate," which first debuted and sold out during its launch weekend last year. The overwhelming positive reception from customers last year prompted the brands to develop a new iteration. Tyler Malek, co-founder and head ice cream maker at Salt & Straw, stated in a press release that the "response completely blew us away—and our guests made it clear they wanted it to stick around." He further elaborated on the desire to "dream up something completely new" when given the opportunity to expand the concept beyond Salt & Straw's own shops and into Taco Bell locations. The Churro Ice Cream Taco aims to "bring together what both brands do best," with Malek expressing excitement for its national availability.

The Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco features a waffle cone shell shaped like a taco, filled with Churro-flavored ice cream. The dessert is then topped with puffed rice and dark chocolate pieces, adding textural and flavor complexity. This frozen treat is available for purchase at Taco Bell restaurants across the United States with a price point of $3.99. Liz Matthews, Global Chief Food Innovation Officer at Taco Bell, commented on the collaboration, noting that last year's partnership demonstrated "how much joy there is in reimagining a nostalgic favorite." She expressed enthusiasm for working with Salt & Straw again to introduce this new ice cream taco to Taco Bell's menu. Matthews added that the Churro Ice Cream Taco "builds on everything fans loved about the original collaboration, with a flavor that feels right at home on our menu."

Beyond the Churro Ice Cream Taco, the partnership between Taco Bell and Salt & Straw also includes a new beverage option: the Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller. This milkshake is crafted with a vanilla ice cream base, incorporating churro crumbles and waffle cone pieces. It is served with a chocolate crackable shell and whipped cream. The Choco-Waffle Chiller is exclusively available at Taco Bell's Live Más Cafés, indicating a more limited distribution compared to the ice cream taco. The return of the ice cream taco and the introduction of a new chiller highlight Taco Bell's ongoing strategy to innovate its menu with unique, limited-time offerings, often through collaborations with established brands in complementary sectors like desserts and beverages. These partnerships aim to generate buzz, attract new customer segments, and leverage the existing fan bases of both participating companies. The success of the initial tacolate collaboration, which sold out rapidly, underscores the potential for these co-branded items to drive significant customer interest and sales.