Copycat Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme Recipe

It's hard to believe, but the Crunchwrap Supreme has been a Taco Bell staple since it was introduced in 2005. In no time, it became a legend; the combination of a soft shell with a crunchy interior, easy to eat on-the-go, and balanced with a hot and cold mix — plus, it's just delicious. It's a genius invention, and super simple to make. There are a few steps involved to make it just right, but your patience will be rewarded with your very own Crunchwrap Supreme.  

A Crunchwrap is a brilliantly named item created specifically for drive-thru service. The name is quite genius when you consider they almost called it a "Origami Tostada," which is pretty awful. But Taco Bell wanted to develop something to satiate their incredible drive thru traffic — which is upwards of 70 percent of all business. The Crunchwrap is sturdy enough to eat while driving, without spilling it all over yourself. Ever try to eat pinto beans from the driver's seat? It's not a pretty sight. So the concept is simple — big enough to hold with one hand and consume, but strong enough not to whittle over and end up in your lap.   

The outside shell is a 12 inch burrito shell.  Those are available everywhere, so just pick up your favorite brand (or the one on sale), and that's your outside base. Taco Bell's shells are fairly sturdy, so don't go with a thin one if you can avoid it.  

Taco Bell uses shredded lettuce, and if you want to get it authentic, buy a bag of shredded iceberg lettuce. That's what they do — the lettuce comes pre-shredded so all they have to do is take two fingers worth and add it to the item. It's a time-saver.

If you're thinking to yourself, "you know, I'd love a Crunchwrap Supreme but I'm concerned about those hidden calories in the sour cream," well, you're not going to believe this — are you sitting down? Taco Bell uses low-fat sour cream in the Crunchwrap. So instead of those dangerous fats you get things like corn starch and a bunch of words that scientists use to impress their neighbors. In reality, kinda like skim milk, which is watery, light sour cream — with its non-viscous texture — really works in the Crunchwrap.  

I'm not going to plagiarize my own work, but did you read the Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos build?  Well, we're going to do the same thing here.

Achieving Taco Bell ground beef is pretty simple. Yes, you really need oats. And yes, really, cocoa powder. It might seem unconventional, but I assure you, this is going to taste exactly like Taco Bell meat.  

Throw all that into a pan and cook it up, bringing it to a boil and then reducing to a simmer, adding in the cornstarch, and letting it come together. The whole process should take four to five minutes, depending on how your stove top cooks.  

The famous Crunchwrap fold can trick even a seasoned paper airplane maker, but once you understand the dynamics of the fold, it actually makes a lot of sense. Start on the top, and fold that to the center of the Crunchwrap. Next, take the top right corner, and fold that to the center.

Do the same thing from the bottom, so it almost looks like a cape. We're just going to continue to work clockwise and fold the right side up to the middle just as we did from the top. Continuing our way around, take that next corner and pinch it into the middle as we did with the top two folds. Keep working that fold around until you have created a "star" like shape.  

Trust me, this tastes just like the real thing. The key is the layering; the flavors really meld together, and the whole thing holds up shockingly well considering it's just a tortilla shell in the middle for stability. Surprisingly, the sour cream even tastes just like Taco Bell's, and that sour punch mixed with the zesty cheese is what gives this such a unique flavor.