How to make Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme at home — only better

Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme is a fast food icon. For the uninitiated, it features seasoned beef, nacho cheese sauce, lettuce, tomatoes and a crunchy tostada, wrapped up in a flour tortilla that is then griddled on both sides to hold it all together. Introduced as a limited-time offering in the summer of 2005, “the Crunchwrap Supreme was a runaway success, quickly becoming Taco Bell’s most successful product introduction ever,” according to QSR Magazine. It became a permanent fixture of the chain’s menu the following year.

“It is the perfect food,” a friend emailed me after I put out a call on social media asking people why they love them. The crunchwrap’s many fans praise its crunchy center and the ability to enjoy it with one hand while driving, pushing a stroller or performing any number of tasks. After two decades on the menu, the dish has built up a certain nostalgic appeal and comfort for those of us who’ve been enjoying them for much of that time.

To some fans, the crunchwrap is representative of their love of the fast food chain as a whole. “It’s the flavor of Taco Bell, distilled and concentrated into a single item,” another X user said.

Although the fast food chain’s version is the blueprint, making your own version can lead to even better results because you can customize it to your liking.

This version skews close to the original to lean into the nostalgia. It starts with ground beef seasoned with chili powder, cumin and a little cayenne for a touch of heat. You could swap out the beef for another ground protein of your choice, or skip the seasoning step by opting for fresh chorizo. Or use whatever filling your heart desires. A store-bought shredded Mexican cheese blend offers convenience and real cheese flavor, but you can also use nacho cheese sauce, store-bought or homemade queso, or whatever melty cheese you can find.

The crunchy layer is a must, as its name implies. A crisp corn tostada is traditional, though tortilla chips, corn chips or various flavors of Doritos are all viable options to achieve the same — or greater — effect. For the creamy layer, instead of sour cream you can use crema, guacamole or avocado mousse (the whipped fruit is combined with yogurt or sour cream). Shredded iceberg lettuce and diced tomatoes are standard, but you could supplement or replace them with pickled jalapeños or your favorite salsa.

When it comes to making crunchwraps at home, the possibilities are endless. Just don’t forget hot sauce for serving.

Taco Bell-Style Crunchwrap

1 pound ground beef, preferably 90% lean

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

¼ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

5 burrito-size (10-inch) flour tortillas

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend

Four (5-inch) tostada shells

½ cup sour cream

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

½ cup diced fresh tomatoes

Neutral oil, such as peanut or vegetable oil, for brushing

Hot sauce, for serving

Set a medium (10-inch) or larger nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the beef, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne and cook, breaking the beef apart with a spoon and stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, as desired. Transfer the meat to a medium bowl, then rinse and wipe out the skillet and keep it nearby.

Cut 1 of the tortillas into quarters.

Place 1 whole tortilla on a cutting board. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the cheese in a 5-inch circle (the same size as the tostada) in the middle of the tortilla, followed by one-quarter of the ground beef. Top with 1 tostada, 2 tablespoons of the sour cream, ¼ cup of the lettuce, 2 tablespoons of the tomatoes, another ¼ cup of the shredded cheese and finally with one of the cut tortilla quarters. Starting with the edge closest to you, fold the bottom tortilla up and over the tortilla quarter and hold it in place with your hand. Continue to make overlapping folds all the way around until the crunchwrap is sealed. Set it seam side down and repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Brush the reserved skillet (or griddle, if you prefer) with oil and set over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, as needed, place the crunchwraps in the skillet seam side down, and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Flip the crunchwrap over, and cook until browned on the other side, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining crunchwraps. Serve hot, with hot sauce.

Makes 4 crunchwraps (4-8 servings).

Substitutions: For ground beef, use fresh chorizo, another ground meat or a plant-based alternative. For shredded Mexican cheese blend, use any melty cheese, or store-bought or homemade queso. For tostadas, use tortilla chips. For spices, use taco seasoning. For sour cream, use crema or crème fraîche. Want more heat? Add fresh or pickled jalapeños.

Nutritional information per serving (½ crunchwrap), based on 8 | 410 Calories, 23g Fat, 10g Saturated Fat, 28g Carbohydrates, 635mg Sodium, 71mg Cholesterol, 23g Protein, 3g Fiber, 1g Sugar.

— Aaron Hutcherson