The Glory That is Taco Bell Nacho Fries

One of fast food’s best-kept secrets is taco bell nacho fries, a menu item that combines French fries with Taco Bell’s seasoned spices and creamy cheese sauce or nacho cheese to create a snack so addictive it has developed a cult-like following.

Taco Bell Nacho Fries are essentially seasoned French fries, then topped with cheese sauce or nacho cheese, or served as a base for other Taco Bell ingredients. They are exactly what you are craving late at night after a few drinks. Crunchy yet soft fries loaded with creamy, cheesy flavor.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about this unique menu item, including the secret recipe for how to make taco bell nacho fries at home.

Key Takeaways  

1. Taco Bell Nacho Fries are a limited-time seasonal menu item that come back each winter – thick-cut, crispy fries seasoned with tacos spices and topped with nacho cheese sauce. They have amassed a huge cult following.
2. The Nacho Fries Lovers Pass for 2023 offers fans a free order of Nacho Fries with any $1 purchase daily for 30 consecutive days via the Taco Bell app rewards program. This is the biggest Nacho Fries promotion yet.
3. Nacho Fries appeal lies in the contrast of crispy and salty fries smothered in creamy, cheesy nacho sauce. Customizations like adding meats, guacamole and tomatoes make them even more craveable.
4. At just 520 calories, Nacho Fries make an indulgent but balanced meal. Copycat recipes allow fans to recreate the taco fry magic at home using simple pantry ingredients.
5. While their limited availability adds hype each release, some Taco Bell fans hold hope that Nacho Fries will join permanent menus one day to satisfy all year long. For now, be sure to grab this temporally delicious snack before the season ends!

Do Taco Bell Nacho Fries Come Back Every Year?

Taco Bell first introduced nacho fries as a limited-time offer in January 2018, and they have made their triumphant return every year since. Over time, Taco Bell has introduced different varieties and serving suggestions for nacho fries to keep fans on their toes.

The 2023 Nacho Fries season promises to be the biggest and cheesiest yet. Taco Bell is launching the Nacho Fries Lover’s Pass this year, which allows fans to claim a free order of taco bell nacho fries with a minimum $1 purchase for 30 consecutive days.

Now more than ever, you can satisfy your taco bell nacho fries cravings without breaking the bank.

Taco Bell seems to strategically time the taco bell nacho fries season to the cold winter months to provide fans with a warm, cheesy comfort food fix. But as the dish grows more popular each year, many fans hold out hope that nacho fries will someday join Taco Bell’s permanent menu.

Why Are Taco Bell Nacho Fries So Obsessed Over?

Part of what makes taco bell nacho fries such an object of obsession is the anticipation that builds every year when they disappear from menus. The dish has amassed such a cult following that fans start buzzing about their return months ahead of the official nacho fries season.

Taco Bell Nacho Fries also serve as excellent carrier vehicles for other delicious Taco Bell toppings and ingredients. Fries loaded with seasoned beef, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole and more transform into craveable nachos.

Mostly, though, people just really love french fries. Adding cheesy, spicy taco seasonings and creamy sauces takes an already great dish and turns the flavor factor up to 11. Crunch into each crispy taco bell nacho fries loaded with melty cheese … then try telling yourself you don’t need fries for every meal.

What Do Nacho Fries Taste Like?

If you have never dipped your fry in a puddle of nacho cheese or chili, you’re missing out! Nacho seasoned fries provide the perfect balance of crisp, salt, spice and rich cheesy flavor in every bite. Some fans claim they can detect notes of paprika or cumin in the taco seasoning blend.

The fries themselves are thicker than McDonalds-style fries with crispier edges and fluffier potato insides. The taco spice blend adds depth, but doesn’t overpower the potato flavor of the fries too much.

Then drizzled nacho cheese sauce, smooth and liquidy with a mild spicy kick, pulls each component together into cheesy perfection.

Take your first bite of a taco bell nacho fries loaded up with all your favorite toppings and we guarantee you’ll be hooked!

What Ingredients Are in Taco Bell Nacho Fries?

While the exact spice blend remains a proprietary secret, the primary ingredients in taco bell nacho fries are:

• Potatoes
• Vegetable oil (for frying)
• Sea salt
• Paprika
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Cumin
• Nacho cheese sauce

The fries emerge from the fryer crispy and golden brown on the outside with fluffy, potatoey centers. Seasoning ingredients like paprika, cumin and chili powder give them a flavor boost evocative of tacos.

Finally, no order of nacho fries would be complete without a generous drizzle of smooth, melted nacho cheese sauce.

Copycat Recipe: How to Make Taco Bell Nacho Fries at Home

Making taco bell nacho fries at home saves you a trip through the drive thru while still giving you that salty, spicy, cheesy fix. This easy copycat recipe recreates the experience using just a few simple ingredients:

Ingredients:

• Russet potatoes
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• ½ cup nacho cheese sauce

Instructions:

1. Cut potato (peeled or unpeeled) into 1/4-inch fries and soak in cold water for at least 30 minutes to remove excess starch. Dry fries thoroughly with paper towel.
2. Heat 1-inch depth oil in skillet or pot to 350°F. Fry potatoes 6 to 8 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel-lined plate.
3. While fries cool slightly, mix taco seasoning with 2 teaspoons oil then toss with fries until evenly coated.
4. Top fries immediately with shredded cheddar and nacho cheese sauce. Serve while the cheese is still hot and melty!

For more crunch, use frozen fries instead and bake according to package instructions. Then toss in taco seasoning and coat with cheese. Optional toppings like sliced jalapeños, guacamole or sour cream round out the nacho fry experience. ¡Buen provecho!

Alternatives to the Taco Bell nacho fries Recipe

Feel like mixing up your fry recipe? Try one of these tasty alternatives using the same crispy fry base:

• Chili cheese fries – Smother fries in meaty chili, chopped onions and tons of melted cheddar cheese.
• Greek fries – Top fries with crumbled feta, diced tomatoes, Kalamata olives, olive oil and oregano.
• Poutine – Canada’s claim to fry fame features fries blanketed in hot gravy and fresh cheese curds.

Nacho fries also work great as a vegetarian meal. Load veggie fries with your favorite meatless taco fillings like sautéed peppers and onions, guacamole, vegan cheese, etc. ¡Provecho!

 FAQs

What is the Nacho Fries Lovers Pass?

The Nacho Fries Lovers Pass is a 30-day promotion Taco Bell launched in 2023 allowing rewards members to get one free order of Nacho Fries with any $1 purchase daily.

Can you make Nacho Fries at home in an air fryer?

Yes! Hand cut russet or sweet potatoes into fry shapes, coat with oil and taco seasoning, then cook at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, shaking halfway. Top with shredded cheese and nacho cheese sauce.

Do the fries contain gluten?

The fries themselves are potato-based so they don’t contain gluten. However, restaurants often cook different foods in shared fryer oil so this doesn’t guarantee an allergen-free meal.

Conclusion

Taco Bell Nacho Fries achieve an elusive fast food ideal: delivering comfort food flavors with an audaciously modern twist. These Mexican seasoned french fries topped with creamy nacho cheese prove irresistible time and again thanks to their craveable flavor balance.

Nacho Fries fans anxiously await their limited time return each winter season, and Taco Bell obliges with new varieties and bigger, better promotions.

One order of cheesy fries may never satisfy again once you dip into Nacho Fries perfection. So grab your Nacho Fries Lover’s Pass before time runs out! ¡Buen provecho!