Over the past few years, Taco Bell has reached out to sauce makers most have never heard of to feature their products on the fast food chain’s Nacho fries. Remember Yellowbird? How about TRUFF? Secret Aardvark? But for the latest, Taco Bell uses a sauce made in-house with its Jalapeño Ranch Nacho Fries.

The loaded spuds offering has seasoned beef, jalapeño ranch sauce, reduced fat sour cream, nacho cheese sauce, cheddar cheese, and pico de gallo on its Nacho Fries. There’s also a veggie version being advertised that swaps the seasoned beef with black beans.

The sauce du jour has a pleasant green color that makes it look like Taco Bell’s Avocado Verde Salsa, but it was not as tasty or spicy as the sauce that debuted with the chain’s Cantina Chicken Menu. I’m pretty sure I didn’t notice the jalapeño ranch because it was overwhelmed by the other gloopy condiments, the nacho cheese sauce and the reduced fat sour cream. At times, there was a minuscule level of heat, but for the most part it was tame.

I think my taste buds were more impressed with the addition of pico de gallo. It’s been on other limited-time Nacho Fries offerings, but this was the first time my mouth was experiencing it and I think it should be on all loaded Nacho Fries. Or I’ll just add it to whatever Taco Bell offers in the future since it’s so easy to customize via the app. The acidic punch from the tomatoes and the bite from the onions add a freshness that helps cut through the savoriness of all the sauces.

While I didn’t find the headlining sauce to be too noticeable, that doesn’t mean Taco Bell’s Jalapeño Ranch Nacho Fries are a complete fail. Yes, the combination of the seasoned beef, sour cream, and nacho cheese sauce makes these fries taste too similar to many other Taco Bell menu items. But overall, it tastes fine. Though, I’d recommend spending a little bit more to customize it with more jalapeño ranch.

Purchased Price: $5.99*
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 480 calories, 31 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 1080 milligrams of sodium, 41 grams of carbohydrates, 5 grams of fiber, 3 grams of sugar, and 9 grams of protein.

*Because I live on a rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, things are a bit pricier here. You’ll probably pay less than I did.

If you were to ask me what I thought was the best thing Taco Bell has ever done, I’d answer without hesitation: the Chalupa. There have been variations of the original, but rarely have they outshined the OG. When I went into the app to order, a pop-up informed me of the newest menu item: the Cheesy Street Chalupa. Originally a test menu item from October of 2023, the Cheesy Street Chalupas consist of smaller Chalupa shells stuffed with mozzarella and pepper jack cheese, either steak or Cantina Chicken, Jalapeño Ranch, fresh onions, and cilantro.

Ordering the item gets you two smaller Chalupas that I’d estimate are about half the size of a regular Chalupa but much more dense because they’re stuffed with cheese. Unfortunately, you cannot ask for one of each protein when ordering a pair. I get why (to keep the process easy for the employees), but for the sake of trying them, it would have been nice to mix and match. They come in branded, specialty packaging that helps to keep them from getting too messy in transit.

Starting with the Steak Cheesy Street Chalupa, I was impressed by its heft. Knowing it was smaller than the standard item, I worried it would also be less substantial. My first bite would prove that thought to be very wrong. The first flavor to hit was a familiar one of salty steak, followed by the brightness of the fresh onions and cilantro and the creaminess of the Jalapeño Ranch sauce. I could tell cheese was present between the shells, but it wasn’t strong enough to stand out. I was also (pleasantly) overwhelmed by the amount of bread in the bite.

I didn’t hate the Steak variety, but it didn’t wow me. The flavors all seemed to be working independently of one another and not creating a cohesive experience.

After a swig of Baja Blast, I tried the Cantina Chicken Cheesy Street Chalupa. The difference was like night and day. The flavor of the Cantina Chicken works so unbelievably well in this item. The roasted chicken works with the fresh onions, cilantro, and Jalapeño Ranch sauce to create what is probably the closest I’ve had to “authentic flavor” at Taco Bell. If I had to point to a negative, it would be the lack of pepper jack flavor in the cheese between the shells, but I don’t think it is missed much.

I would be failing you, dear reader, if I didn’t mention the bready nature of this item. While I loved it, some may not like the bread-to-toppings ratio. These items had an almost bao bun vibe in that the bread was very much a star.

The Taco Bell Cheesy Street Chalupas are a nice limited-time offering. While the Steak version didn’t quite meet my expectations, the Cantina Chicken knocked it out of the park. Both succeed in offering a new flavor profile to the menu and will (hopefully) lead to more uniquely flavored menu items. These little bread bombs are available for a limited time, so I would definitely recommend trying them while you can.

Purchased Price: $5.49 each
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Steak), 10 out of 10 (Cantina Chicken)
Nutrition Facts: Steak – 410 calories, 25 grams of total fat, 35 milligrams of cholesterol, 750 milligrams of sodium, 27 grams of total carbs, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of total sugar, and 19 grams of protein.

Cantina Chicken – 410 calories, 25 grams of total fat, 40 milligrams of cholesterol, 670 milligrams of sodium, 28 grams of total carbs, 4 grams of dietary fiber, 3 grams of total sugar, and 19 grams of protein.