Crunchwrap Supreme

SO. I’ve been making this on my Instagram a whole lot lately, and y’all have been requesting over and over again for the recipe. While it’s very simple, IT’S FINALLY HERE!! For those of you who know me well enough, Taco Bell is like my favorite thing. I’ve missed it so much, but luckily it’s easy to recreate at home! Now don’t get me wrong, Taco Bell is actually one of the more vegan friendly fast food restaurants (most of their items can be made vegan by subbing beans for beef, and having no dairy, adding potatoes / rice / etc.), but you still can’t get the traditional crunchwrap with all the fixins made totally vegan.

*If you do want to order a crunchwrap from an actual Taco Bell though, here’s my recommended way to order one, trust me… it’s freakin delicious-

• Sub Black Beans for Beef
• No Nacho Cheese
• No Sour Cream
• Add Potatoes
• Add Rice
• Add Guacamole

So let’s talk about all that’s in a Crunchwrap, shall we? Seasoned Beef, Nacho Cheese, Sour Cream, Diced Tomatoes, Shredded Lettuce, a Crispy Tostada, & Burrito Sized Flour Tortillas. That’s it! It’s a relatively simple thing as far as toppings go, but you can always add avocado, red peppers, pickled jalapeños, beans, rice… anything you want! I’m just here to show you the classic menu item, veganized.

Let’s work on the Nacho Cheese sauce first. This is SUPER simple, so delicious, and honestly is a great easy queso to use for anything your little heart desires. Place a bag of shredded vegan cheese (I used Follow Your Heart Fiesta Blend Shreds) into a saucepan over medium-low heat, with a little less than 1/4 cup of regular unsweetened almond milk, and about 2 tablespoons of pickled jalapeño brine. You can season it to taste with salt if needed, but that all depends on what type of vegan cheese you use! You can also use slices, blocks, etc. of vegan cheese, just make sure you chop it up finely so it melts evenly & doesn’t burn. You want this to be a little on the thicker side, so start with less milk & as the cheese melts just keep adding a little at a time until the cheese is fully melty and you reach your desired consistency.

The ‘beef’ is also incredibly simple (are we sensing a theme for this recipe?). Now here’s the thing. Taco Bell makes “taco seasoning” packets that you can buy at the grocery store. And guess what? It’s vegan! I recommend using this to flavor your vegan beef because it’s obviously going to give that super authentic Taco Bell flavor. But you can use any vegan friendly Mexican / taco seasoning! For the beef itself, I used the Yves Veggie Grounds, but you can use any vegan ground beef you’d like! Brown up the beef in a little oil first, then add your seasoning packet and about 3/4 cup of water. Let this cook over medium heat until the “sauce” thickens up and isn’t just a bunch of water in the pan. If you’re not using a taco seasoning packet, I still recommend using a bit of water to create a sauce with the spices you did use. Trust me, it’s so delicious you’ll want to eat this on it’s own.

Now that you’ve got your nacho cheese & seasoned beef made, it’s time to assemble! Take a very large burrito sized tortilla & place some shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes in the center, about the width of the tostada shell. Then you’ll want to top that with the tostada shell. You can usually find these in the tortilla section, its just a crispy, flat corn tortilla. If you can’t find them, just pan fry a corn tortilla until crispy! On top of the tostada, add your seasoned beef, nacho cheese, and sour cream.

I have yet to find any tortillas that are genuinely big enough to fold and totally close this thing, so cut a small circle out of another tortilla (about the size of the tostada shell) and place that on top of everything, so that when you fold it up theres something closing it together in the center. Once you have that in there, start by grabbing parts of the burrito tortilla and fold it in on itself, over and over again going around, until its fully folded up and closed. Heat a dry pan over medium heat, and add your crunch wrap in there, seam side down. Be careful flipping this into the pan, make sure nothing falls open and everything stays how it is. Make sure you do this in a dry pan as well, as oil will make the tortilla too overdone. Cook for a few minutes until browned and everything is sealed shut, then flip and cook another minute or two until that side is browned as well.

That’s it! Now you have a vegan crunchwrap! All you need is some Baja blast (which by the way is just regular Mountain Dew mixed with blue Powerade syrup), and you’re good to dang go. This thing is SO easy to make, takes about 15ish minutes total, and is so beyond satisfying. I’ve been making it multiple times a week to be honest, haha.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I have a good feeling you will. As always, if you make this, make sure to tag me on Instagram @plvntfood / #plvntfood so I can see & share your recreations! Love y’all with my cold little heart.