Taco Bell ice cream taco fans have a new reason to visit the chain, as the Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco is now available nationwide for a very limited time. Taco Bell launched the frozen dessert on September 1, giving customers across the United States a chance to try its latest take on the nostalgic ice cream taco. The limited-time item combines a crispy taco-shaped waffle cone shell, creamy Churro Ice Cream, puffed rice and a dark chocolate-flavored coating.
The release represents the latest chapter in Taco Bell and Salt & Straw’s collaboration. It follows the 2025 Tacolate, a dessert that quickly developed a cult following and sold out during its launch weekend. This time, however, the brands have brought their new creation directly to Taco Bell restaurants nationwide instead of limiting the collaboration to Salt & Straw shops.
For customers interested in trying the new dessert, timing is especially important. Taco Bell describes the Churro Ice Cream Taco as an in-store-only offering available for 48 hours beginning September 1, while supplies last. Availability can therefore vary by restaurant, and customers should check participating locations before making a special trip.
What is the new Taco Bell ice cream taco?
The Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco is a frozen dessert designed to look like a traditional taco while delivering a combination of churro, chocolate and waffle-cone flavors.
Instead of a savory taco shell, the dessert uses a crispy waffle cone shaped into a taco. Inside is a new Churro Ice Cream flavor developed by Salt & Straw specifically for the Taco Bell collaboration.
The exterior adds another layer of texture. Taco Bell finishes the dessert with puffed rice and a dark chocolate-flavored coating. The result combines creamy ice cream with crunchy cone, crisp puffed rice and a chocolate shell.
Taco Bell lists the starting price at $3.99, although the company’s announcement notes that prices can vary by location. Participating restaurants may also have different availability depending on their remaining supply.
The dessert does not require customers to order a full meal. It stands alone as a frozen treat and is positioned as a limited-time Taco Bell experience.
Why Taco Bell is bringing back the ice cream taco
The new dessert builds directly on the response to last year’s Tacolate collaboration.
Taco Bell and Salt & Straw previously worked together on the Tacolate, which arrived in 2025 as a modern interpretation of the classic ice cream taco. That dessert featured a crunchy waffle cone shell, cinnamon ancho chili ice cream, chocolate and toasted brown rice.
The Tacolate generated significant interest when it launched at Salt & Straw locations. Taco Bell says the dessert sold out during its launch weekend and generated long lines and substantial social media conversation.
That response provided a clear reason to continue the partnership. Rather than simply bringing back the Tacolate, the companies developed an entirely new flavor for the next release.
The new Churro Ice Cream Taco changes the flavor profile while keeping the basic concept intact. Customers still get a taco-shaped waffle cone, ice cream and a chocolate coating, but the filling now centers on churro flavor.
The new version also marks an important distribution change. The 2025 Tacolate was sold through Salt & Straw locations, while the 2026 Churro Ice Cream Taco is being offered at Taco Bell restaurants nationwide.
What does the Churro Ice Cream Taco contain?
The dessert has four primary components that create its signature combination of flavors and textures:
- Crispy waffle cone shell: The taco-shaped shell provides the structure and crunch.
- Churro Ice Cream: Salt & Straw created the new ice cream flavor exclusively for the collaboration.
- Dark chocolate-flavored coating: The exterior adds a rich chocolate element.
- Puffed rice: The crunchy topping adds another texture to the dessert.
The combination is designed around contrast. The ice cream provides the creamy center, while the waffle cone and puffed rice provide crunch. The chocolate coating adds sweetness and a darker flavor that balances the churro-inspired filling.
Taco Bell has described the result as a combination of creamy, crispy and crunchy textures. That approach also helps distinguish the new dessert from a standard ice cream cone or frozen dessert.
The taco shape remains central to the experience. It gives the dessert a visual connection to Taco Bell’s identity while keeping the food firmly in the frozen-dessert category.
How much does the Taco Bell Churro Ice Cream Taco cost?
The announced starting price for the Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco is $3.99.
That figure is a starting price rather than a guaranteed nationwide checkout price. Taco Bell’s launch information states that restaurant prices can vary, and taxes are additional.
Recent customer reports have also shown that some restaurants may charge more than the advertised starting price. That means customers should check the price at their local Taco Bell before ordering.
The item is also subject to availability. Taco Bell has established a limit of five per order and per person under the launch terms, while supplies last.
For customers hoping to try the dessert before it disappears, the combination of a short promotional window and limited restaurant inventory makes availability particularly important.
When is the Taco Bell ice cream taco available?
The Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco officially launched on September 1, 2026.
Taco Bell’s current promotional information describes the dessert as in-store only and available for 48 hours starting September 1.
That means September 2 is especially important for customers who have not tried it yet. The promotion is not presented as a standard menu item that will remain available for weeks.
Supplies can also run out before the promotional period ends. Taco Bell’s official announcement repeatedly emphasizes that the product is available while supplies last.
Customers should therefore check their nearest participating Taco Bell rather than assuming every restaurant will have inventory.
The limited window is consistent with the strategy behind the collaboration. Taco Bell and Salt & Straw are treating the dessert as a special drop rather than a permanent addition to the menu.
Is the Taco Bell ice cream taco available nationwide?
Yes. Taco Bell has announced the Churro Ice Cream Taco for participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide.
This is one of the biggest differences between the current release and the previous Tacolate. The Tacolate was distributed through Salt & Straw locations, while the new dessert brings the collaboration into Taco Bell restaurants across the country.
However, nationwide availability does not mean every restaurant will necessarily have inventory throughout the full promotional period.
Taco Bell specifically states that the dessert is available at participating locations while supplies last. Restaurant participation and inventory can therefore affect whether customers can purchase it.
The safest approach is to check the local restaurant before traveling specifically for the dessert.
How the new dessert compares with the original Choco Taco
The Churro Ice Cream Taco is closely connected to the nostalgia surrounding the Choco Taco, but it is not the same product.
The original Choco Taco was a Klondike frozen dessert built around a taco-shaped waffle cone, ice cream, chocolate and peanuts. Klondike discontinued the Choco Taco in 2022 after decades on the market.
Taco Bell has its own history with the frozen treat. In 2022, Taco Bell and Klondike reunited to test the Choco Taco at 20 Taco Bell restaurants in the Los Angeles and Milwaukee areas. That limited test sold the dessert for $2.99 at participating locations.
The 2026 Churro Ice Cream Taco takes inspiration from that familiar format without claiming to be the original Choco Taco.
There are several important differences:
| Feature | Original Choco Taco | 2026 Churro Ice Cream Taco |
|---|---|---|
| Brand collaboration | Klondike | Taco Bell and Salt & Straw |
| Ice cream | Vanilla with fudge swirl | Churro Ice Cream |
| Shell | Taco-shaped waffle cone | Crispy taco-shaped waffle cone |
| Coating | Chocolate | Dark chocolate-flavored coating |
| Topping | Peanuts | Puffed rice |
| Current status | Discontinued | Limited-time Taco Bell release |
| Availability | No longer produced | Nationwide at participating Taco Bell locations while supplies last |
The similarities are obvious, particularly the taco-shaped waffle cone and chocolate coating. The flavor and topping choices, however, give Taco Bell’s version its own identity.
What happened to the 2025 Tacolate?
The 2025 Tacolate was the first major Taco Bell and Salt & Straw ice cream taco collaboration to reach consumers.
That dessert used cinnamon ancho chili ice cream inside a crunchy waffle cone shell. It was dipped in chocolate and finished with toasted brown rice. The unusual combination generated attention because it mixed a familiar frozen-dessert format with a spicy flavor profile.
The Tacolate was not simply a conventional replacement for the Choco Taco. Instead, it represented Salt & Straw’s more experimental approach to ice cream combined with Taco Bell’s playful food identity.
The response was strong enough for the companies to collaborate again.
This year’s Churro Ice Cream Taco moves in a more immediately recognizable direction. Churro flavor, chocolate and waffle cone create a dessert profile that is familiar to a broad audience.
At the same time, the new release retains the unusual taco shape that made the earlier collaboration stand out.
Taco Bell is also offering a Choco-Waffle Chiller
The ice cream taco is not the only new Salt & Straw collaboration launching this week.
Taco Bell is also introducing the Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller, a frozen beverage inspired by the new dessert. The drink is available exclusively at Live Más Café locations in California, Las Vegas, Houston and Dallas while supplies last.
The Choco-Waffle Chiller starts at $4.69.
It features a vanilla ice cream base blended with churro crumbles and waffle cone pieces. Taco Bell finishes the beverage with whipped cream and additional waffle cone pieces, while a crackable chocolatey shell adds another part of the dessert experience.
The Chiller gives customers another way to experience the same flavor combination without ordering the taco itself.
Unlike the nationwide Churro Ice Cream Taco, however, the Choco-Waffle Chiller has a much narrower geographic footprint.
Taco Bell Rewards members have another opportunity
Taco Bell is also connecting the promotion to its Rewards program.
On September 8, Taco Bell Rewards members will have an opportunity to enter a limited Tuesday Drop giveaway featuring a Salt & Straw x Taco Bell cooler filled with three Churro Ice Cream Tacos.
The promotion offers 100 prizes. The official terms state that the sweepstakes begins at 2 p.m. Pacific Time and ends at 3 p.m. Pacific Time on September 8, 2026. It is open to eligible Rewards members who meet the stated residency and age requirements.
This giveaway is separate from the restaurant purchase opportunity. Customers do not need to confuse the September 8 promotion with the current 48-hour restaurant release.
The limited-edition cooler promotion also shows how Taco Bell is extending the ice cream taco beyond the food itself and turning the collaboration into a collectible experience.
Where can customers get the new ice cream taco?
The Churro Ice Cream Taco is being sold at participating Taco Bell restaurants across the United States.
Taco Bell’s current information specifies that the item is available in-store and does not describe it as a standard delivery or pay-ahead menu item for the limited launch.
Customers should check their local Taco Bell before visiting because participation and inventory can differ.
The most important details are:
- Launch: September 1, 2026
- Availability: Participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide
- Price: Starting at $3.99
- Format: Taco-shaped frozen dessert
- Ice cream: New Churro Ice Cream
- Shell: Crispy waffle cone
- Topping: Puffed rice
- Coating: Dark chocolate-flavored
- Promotion: Limited time
- Availability window: 48 hours beginning September 1
- Inventory: While supplies last
- Ordering: In-store focused
- Quantity limit: Up to five per order and per person under the stated launch terms
Why the limited release matters
The short availability window makes the 2026 Churro Ice Cream Taco different from an ordinary Taco Bell menu launch.
Customers who wait several days may find that the item has already disappeared from their local restaurant. Taco Bell’s official promotional language emphasizes both the 48-hour window and limited supplies.
The approach also follows the high demand seen with the Tacolate in 2025. That dessert quickly sold out at launch, creating a strong demand signal for another ice cream taco collaboration.
This time, Taco Bell has dramatically expanded access by bringing the dessert into its nationwide restaurant system.
The result is a release that combines nostalgia with a new flavor. Fans of the old Choco Taco can recognize the familiar taco-shaped frozen-dessert format, while Salt & Straw’s Churro Ice Cream provides a distinctly different center.
The latest status of the Taco Bell ice cream taco
As of September 2, 2026, the Salt & Straw Churro Ice Cream Taco is the latest Taco Bell ice cream taco release and is currently within its announced 48-hour launch period.
The dessert costs $3.99 to start and is available at participating Taco Bell restaurants nationwide while supplies last. Its construction includes Churro Ice Cream, a crispy waffle cone shell, puffed rice and a dark chocolate-flavored coating.
Taco Bell has not announced the dessert as a permanent menu item. Its current promotion is specifically structured as a short limited-time release.
That makes local availability the key issue for anyone hoping to try it. Even during the advertised window, restaurants can run out of inventory.
The Churro Ice Cream Taco also represents a significant expansion from the 2025 Tacolate. Instead of requiring customers to visit a Salt & Straw shop, the newest version brings the ice cream taco concept directly to Taco Bell restaurants nationwide.
For fans searching for a modern alternative to the discontinued Choco Taco, the new dessert offers a familiar shape with a new flavor combination. It is not the original Choco Taco, but it clearly occupies the same nostalgic space while giving Taco Bell and Salt & Straw a new way to experiment with the format.
With its short availability period, the latest Taco Bell ice cream taco is a dessert that customers interested in the collaboration need to approach as a limited release rather than a permanent menu item.
Have you tried Taco Bell’s new Churro Ice Cream Taco yet? Share your thoughts and stay tuned for the latest confirmed updates on Taco Bell’s limited-time desserts.