Quick Answer: Taco Bell’s Churro Ice Cream Taco launched nationwide on September 1, 2026, in a second collaboration with Portland ice cream maker Salt & Straw. It’s a $3.99 dessert featuring a new creamy churro-flavored ice cream inside a crispy waffle cone shell shaped like a taco, finished with puffed rice and a dark chocolate-flavored coating. It’s available for a limited time, while supplies last, at Taco Bell restaurants nationwide. Alongside it, Live Más Café locations in California, Las Vegas, Houston, and Dallas are offering an exclusive Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller starting at $4.69, a vanilla ice cream drink blended with churro crumbles and waffle cone pieces inside a crackable chocolate shell.
In This Guide
- What Is the Churro Ice Cream Taco?
- Release Date and Availability
- Price
- The Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller
- The History Behind This Collaboration
- Whatever Happened to the Original Choco Taco?
- Where to Buy It
- Taco Bell Rewards Perks
- Other Recent Taco Bell Dessert Collaborations
- What to Know Before You Order
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Churro Ice Cream Taco?
The Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco is a taco-shaped dessert built around a newly created Churro Ice Cream flavor, developed specifically for this collaboration. It’s served inside a crispy waffle cone shell, finished with puffed rice and a dark chocolate-flavored coating that gives it a satisfying shell-crack bite similar to the discontinued Choco Taco that inspired the format.
The flavor profile leans into classic churro notes: cinnamon and sugar folded into a creamy ice cream base, rather than the fried-dough texture of an actual churro. That’s a deliberate departure from the first collaboration’s cinnamon ancho chili flavor, which leaned savory-spicy rather than sweet. Salt & Straw is known for building its ice cream flavors around unusual, often locally sourced ingredients, and its collaborations with fast food and retail brands typically aim to translate a familiar flavor into something that still feels distinctly like a Salt & Straw product rather than a simplified fast-food knockoff.
Taco Bell’s Global Chief Food Innovation Officer, Liz Matthews, described the release as a continuation of the brands’ first collaboration: “Last year’s collaboration showed us how much joy there is in reimagining a nostalgic favorite, and we’re thrilled to work with Salt & Straw to bring a new ice cream taco to Taco Bell restaurants. The Churro Ice Cream Taco builds on everything fans loved about the original collaboration, with a flavor that feels right at home on our menu.”
Release Date and Availability
The Churro Ice Cream Taco officially launched on September 1, 2026, and is available nationwide at participating Taco Bell restaurants. Like most Taco Bell dessert collaborations, it’s a limited-time item, meaning it will stay on the menu only until supplies run out. Based on how quickly last year’s Tacolate release generated buzz and sold through at Salt & Straw’s own retail locations, fans hoping to try it are being encouraged not to wait.
The September 1 launch date also lines up with the unofficial end of summer in the U.S., a timing choice that fits a pattern in fast food marketing where indulgent, nostalgia-driven desserts get pushed hardest around Labor Day weekend, when cookout and road-trip traffic through drive-throughs tends to spike. Taco Bell has used similar late-summer timing for previous dessert launches, positioning items like this one as a last taste of summer before menus shift toward fall flavors.
Price
The Churro Ice Cream Taco is priced at $3.99 at participating Taco Bell locations nationwide. As with most Taco Bell menu items, pricing can vary slightly by market and location, so it’s worth checking the price in the Taco Bell app before ordering if cost is a factor.
The Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller
Alongside the taco, Taco Bell and Salt & Straw are introducing an exclusive drink available only at Live Más Café locations: the Choco-Waffle Chiller. Starting at $4.69, it features a vanilla ice cream base blended with churro crumbles and waffle cone pieces inside a crackable chocolate shell, topped with whipped cream and additional waffle cone pieces.
The Choco-Waffle Chiller is exclusive to Live Más Café locations in California, Las Vegas, Houston, and Dallas, meaning it has a much narrower footprint than the Churro Ice Cream Taco itself. Customers who purchase a qualifying small Choco-Waffle Chiller or Churro Ice Cream Taco at a participating Live Más Café can also receive a Salt & Straw x Live Más Café sticker sheet while supplies last, a nod to the kind of collectible merch that helped drive buzz around last year’s Tacolate launch.
The History Behind This Collaboration
This isn’t Taco Bell and Salt & Straw’s first partnership. The two brands previously teamed up in 2024 on what was officially called the “Taco Bell x Salt & Straw Ice Cream Chocolate Taco,” a gourmet take on the Choco Taco featuring taco-shaped waffle cones filled with cinnamon ancho chili ice cream, dipped in chocolate, and topped with toasted brown rice.
That collaboration evolved into “The Tacolate,” which launched more broadly in fall 2025 across Salt & Straw shops in Oregon, Washington, California, New York, Florida, Nevada, Arizona, and New England, with nationwide shipping available through the company’s website and select delivery apps. Salt & Straw co-founder and head ice cream maker Tyler Malek said the concept had been nearly a decade in the making, tracing back to experimental ice cream tacos the company first tried at its Portland soft-serve offshoot, Wiz Bang Bar, in 2016. A limited 2022 run reportedly sold out in minutes, catching the attention of Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant and eventually leading to the first official collaboration.
The Churro Ice Cream Taco represents the next step in that partnership: rather than reworking the same cinnamon ancho chili flavor, the brands developed an entirely new Churro Ice Cream flavor for this release, while keeping the taco-shaped waffle cone format that made the original collaboration recognizable. Here’s how the two Salt & Straw collaborations compare:
| Detail | The Tacolate (2025) | Churro Ice Cream Taco (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Flavor | Cinnamon ancho chili ice cream | New Churro Ice Cream flavor |
| Coating | Single-origin chocolate, toasted brown rice | Dark chocolate-flavored coating, puffed rice |
| Availability | Select Salt & Straw shops, plus nationwide shipping | Taco Bell restaurants nationwide |
| Companion item | Commemorative keychain | Choco-Waffle Chiller drink (select markets) and sticker sheet |
| Reach | Regional retail plus shipping | Broad nationwide fast-food distribution |
The shift from a regional retail release to a nationwide fast-food rollout is significant. The Tacolate reached a narrower, more dedicated dessert-shopping audience willing to visit a Salt & Straw location or pay for shipping, while the Churro Ice Cream Taco is designed to reach anyone who happens to be at a Taco Bell drive-through, a much larger and more casual customer base.
Whatever Happened to the Original Choco Taco?
The Choco Taco has its own long backstory that explains why these collaborations generate so much attention. The original was invented in Philadelphia in 1983 by Alan Drazen, a mobile food vendor manager for the Jack and Jill Ice Cream Company, and rolled out nationally in 1984 for a suggested retail price of 89 cents. It became a fixture of ice cream trucks for nearly four decades under later owner Klondike (a Unilever brand) before being discontinued in 2022.
The discontinuation triggered an unusually strong public backlash for a frozen dessert. U.S. Senator Chris Murphy jokingly vowed to introduce legislation invoking the Defense Production Act to mandate continued Choco Taco manufacturing, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian made a serious public offer to buy the rights to keep it in production. That reaction is part of why Taco Bell and Salt & Straw’s gourmet revival attracted so much attention when it first launched in 2024, and why each subsequent release in the format continues to draw an outsized reaction relative to a normal fast-food dessert launch.
Part of what makes the Choco Taco’s discontinuation and revival an interesting case study is how rarely a genuinely mid-tier product, not a flagship item like a Klondike Bar or a Drumstick, generates this level of sustained public attachment. Food industry analysts have pointed to the Choco Taco as an example of “nostalgia branding” outliving the product itself: even people who hadn’t bought one in years reacted strongly to its removal, largely because it was tied to specific childhood memories of ice cream trucks rather than routine grocery purchases. That dynamic gives Taco Bell and Salt & Straw a built-in audience for each new release in the format, since much of the marketing is effectively done by nostalgia rather than a traditional ad campaign.
Where to Buy It
The Churro Ice Cream Taco is available at participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide, both in-store and, in many markets, through delivery apps that partner with Taco Bell. The Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller is more limited, available only at Live Más Café locations in California, Las Vegas, Houston, and Dallas. Because both items are explicitly limited-time and tied to available supply, checking the Taco Bell app for real-time menu availability at your specific location is the most reliable way to confirm whether either item is currently in stock nearby.
Taco Bell Rewards Perks
Taco Bell Rewards members typically get early access or bonus perks tied to major menu collaborations like this one, consistent with how the company has handled past limited-time drops. If you’re a frequent Taco Bell customer, checking the Rewards section of the app before visiting is worth doing, since collaboration items with strong social media buzz — like this one — have previously come with app-exclusive offers or point multipliers during the first days of release.
Other Recent Taco Bell Dessert Collaborations
The Churro Ice Cream Taco arrives as part of a broader pattern of frequent, buzzy dessert collaborations and limited-time items from Taco Bell over the past two years:
- Birthday Cake Churros (2025): A partnership with New York dessert company Milk Bar, featuring crispy churros filled with birthday cake frosting and topped with pink confetti sprinkles, priced at $1.99 individually or $2.99 for a pack of two.
- The Tacolate (2025): The original Salt & Straw ice cream taco collaboration, featuring cinnamon ancho chili ice cream in a chocolate-dipped waffle cone shell.
- Strawberry Bell Truffle (2022): An earlier Milk Bar collaboration featuring a sweet cake truffle paired with pieces of crunchy taco shell.
- Various churro-themed items: Taco Bell has experimented repeatedly with churro formats over the years, from Churro Twists to Churro Donuts to a test run of Churro Chillers drinks at Southern California locations in late 2023.
This pattern of frequent, high-profile collaborations reflects a broader shift in fast food marketing toward limited-time “drop” culture, borrowed from sneaker and streetwear releases, where scarcity and social media buzz do much of the marketing work that traditional advertising once handled. Rather than running a single national ad campaign around one flagship item, chains like Taco Bell now treat their dessert menu as a rotating series of smaller, more frequent releases, each designed to generate its own wave of social media posts, reviews, and “get it before it’s gone” urgency.
Industry observers have pointed to a few reasons this approach has become more common across fast food chains generally, not just Taco Bell. Limited-time items create a lower-risk way to test new flavors and formats without committing kitchen equipment or supply chains to a permanent menu addition. They also generate organic media coverage, food blogs, review videos, and “have you tried it yet” social posts, that a permanent menu item rarely earns after its initial launch week. And because items are explicitly framed as temporary, customers who might otherwise skip a routine fast food visit are given a specific, time-limited reason to show up, a dynamic marketing researchers sometimes describe as manufactured scarcity.
What to Know Before You Order
A few practical things worth knowing if you’re planning to try the Churro Ice Cream Taco or Choco-Waffle Chiller:
- It contains dairy and gluten. Like most waffle-cone-based desserts, it’s not suitable for those avoiding dairy or gluten. Taco Bell’s app and website typically list detailed allergen and nutrition information for limited-time items shortly after launch, so checking there before ordering is the most reliable way to confirm specifics if you have dietary restrictions.
- Supplies vary by location. Because this is a limited-time, supply-constrained item, some locations may sell out faster than others, particularly in markets where Salt & Straw already has a strong following, such as the Pacific Northwest and California.
- The Choco-Waffle Chiller has a much smaller footprint. If you’re specifically after the drink rather than the taco, confirm you’re near one of the four Live Más Café markets (California, Las Vegas, Houston, or Dallas) before making a special trip, since it isn’t available at standard Taco Bell locations.
- Mobile ordering may help avoid a sold-out trip. Some Taco Bell locations update item availability in the app in real time, which can save a wasted drive if a nearby location has already run out of the limited-time item.
If you’re the type of reader who likes staying on top of food and consumer news generally, it’s also worth keeping an eye on active food recalls before stocking up on pantry items during the same shopping trip. Our recent breakdown of the 2026 white rice recall covers how to check whether products already in your kitchen are affected.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Taco Bell Churro Ice Cream Taco come out?
It launched nationwide on September 1, 2026, at participating Taco Bell restaurants across the United States.
How much does the Churro Ice Cream Taco cost?
It’s priced at $3.99 at participating Taco Bell locations, though pricing may vary slightly by market.
Is the Churro Ice Cream Taco a permanent menu item?
No. It’s a limited-time item and will be available only while supplies last, consistent with how Taco Bell has handled previous Salt & Straw collaborations.
What is the Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller?
It’s a companion drink to the Churro Ice Cream Taco, available exclusively at Live Más Café locations in California, Las Vegas, Houston, and Dallas. It features a vanilla ice cream base blended with churro crumbles and waffle cone pieces inside a crackable chocolate shell, starting at $4.69.
Is this the same as the original Choco Taco?
Not exactly. It’s part of an ongoing Taco Bell and Salt & Straw collaboration inspired by the discontinued Klondike Choco Taco, but it uses newly developed flavors and formats rather than recreating the original recipe directly.
Where can I buy the Churro Ice Cream Taco?
It’s available at participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide, in-store and through many delivery app partners, while supplies last. Checking the Taco Bell app for real-time availability at your specific location is the most reliable way to confirm it’s in stock.
Does Taco Bell Rewards offer any perks for this launch?
Taco Bell has previously offered app-exclusive perks and point multipliers during major collaboration launches. Checking the Rewards section of the Taco Bell app is worth doing before visiting during the first days of release.
What’s the difference between the Churro Ice Cream Taco and The Tacolate?
The Tacolate, released in 2025, used a cinnamon ancho chili ice cream flavor and was sold primarily through Salt & Straw retail shops and shipping. The 2026 Churro Ice Cream Taco uses a newly developed churro flavor and is distributed through Taco Bell’s nationwide restaurant network instead, making it far easier to find for most customers.
Does the Churro Ice Cream Taco contain allergens like dairy or gluten?
Yes, it contains both dairy and gluten as a waffle-cone-based ice cream dessert. Customers with dietary restrictions should check Taco Bell’s app or website for detailed allergen information before ordering.
Bottom Line
Taco Bell’s Churro Ice Cream Taco, its second collaboration with Salt & Straw, brings a newly developed churro-flavored ice cream to the taco-shaped waffle cone format that made 2025’s Tacolate a viral hit. At $3.99 and available nationwide starting September 1, 2026, it’s a low-commitment way to try the latest chapter in Taco Bell’s ongoing effort to recapture the nostalgia of the discontinued Choco Taco, alongside the more exclusive Choco-Waffle Chiller drink at select Live Más Café locations. Given how quickly past collaborations have sold through, and how limited the supply typically is at any single location, trying it sooner rather than later — and checking the app for real-time availability first — is the safer bet if you don’t want to miss it.