Review: Taco Bell's Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce Hits The Sweet Spot

Barbecue is one of the greatest cooking methods for meat, and its greatness is further amplified with the help of tasty and tangy BBQ sauces. Originally used as a seasoning in cooking, early BBQ sauces from the 17th century made use of lime juice and hot peppers before vinegar came on the scene. Eventually, we arrived at the sauces we're accustomed to now — thicker, viscous, and goopy tomato-based BBQ sauces. Many fast food chains have offered BBQ sauces as a condiment to help enhance the flavor of their products, including the likes of McDonald's. One chain long absent from the list has been Taco Bell, but its void has finally been filled — Taco Bell is now rolling out its own take in the form of its new Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce.

Given the company's recent focus on dippable chicken, a BBQ sauce with a Taco Bell twist seems like a no-brainer next step in its continuing sauce journey. The main question is, is this new Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce one worthy of Q-ing up for, or is the chain out of its league here? The Takeout went dipping on day one of its release to see what all the fuss is about.

Taco Bell has forever been more Mex than Tex, but that was before the chain started serving dippable ditties like chicken strips and nuggets. With this expansion into the realm of crispy chicken, Taco Bell has also had to up its sauce game. This past April, when nuggets returned to the menu, a trio of dipping sauces came along with it too — Bell Sauce, Jalapeño Honey Mustard, and a collaborative Hidden Valley Fire Ranch Sauce. While the nuggets were certainly a solid addition to the menu, it was those three sauces that totally stole the show.

The latest condiment to join the ever expanding sauce portfolio of Taco Bell is the Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce. While the chain has dabbled in BBQ before, this is a brand new sauce debuting in the U.S., but only on a limited time basis. The sauce brings together the talents of smoky chipotle peppers, sweet molasses, and spices. Taco Bell recommends pairing the Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce with such items as its tortilla chip-coated Crispy Chicken strips, tacos, and burritos.

Starting July 17, the new Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce is being added to Taco Bell menus, at participating locations nationwide. This sauce will remain in stores for an unspecified limited time only.

The Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce comes in a single serving plastic souffle cup, and can be ordered à la carte or as an add-on with any menu item. The cost for a stand alone cup is $0.60. There are also some menu items featuring the new sauce, including fries topped with it, as well as slathering the inside of a Crispy Chicken Taco or Burrito. You can also get the Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce at no extra charge if you order any delineation of Crispy Chicken Strips. Prices may vary per location, and may be higher when ordered for delivery or through third party apps and sites.

Like most items on the menu, the Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce can be ordered whenever Taco Bell is open for business (which includes breakfast hours in some locations), based on availability, and while supplies last. Orders can be placed in-store at the counter, at a kiosk, or at the drive-thru where available. Advanced ordering for delivery, dine-in, or carry out can be placed through Taco Bell's app and website, where special deals are also available.

The key ingredients found under the hood of the Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce include water, sugar, tomato paste, distilled vinegar, orange juice concentrate, molasses, a chipotle pepper puree (which includes chipotle peppers, vinegar, and salt), and less than 2% of salt, lime juice concentrate, natural smoke flavor, unspecified spices, dried garlic, buttermilk solids, dried onion, natural smoked sugar, and natural flavors, alongside other ingredients. It contains the allergen milk.

One cup nets 60 calories. Please consult Taco Bell's website or app for further nutritional values and information.

While I usually focus on any food item's appearance first, I was overcome by the aroma of the Sweet Chipotle BBQ sauce as soon as I popped off the lid. It had a very welcoming, richly sweet smell. Leaning in for a closer whiff, I was wooed even more by its sweet nature, although there didn't seem to be any essence of spice. I next gave the sauce the eye test. It was a typical burgundy red hue of any BBQ you've tried before, with thin flecks strewn about. Some of those flecks were orange and brown seasonings, while others looked like red onion bits entrenched in the sauce. Its consistency was thick and gooey. Not super slow-flowing, but not one that will quickly pour out of the cup.

Before trying it with any food, I wanted to try the sauce on its own. With no spoons available, I stuck a fork into it. It glommed onto the tines, and as it entered my mouth, the sugary aspects of the sauce immediately made their mark and were quickly followed by a boost of the moderate spice it contained. It was more a cooling spice than one that engulfed the mouth, and I was thankful it contained a small flame.

Further tastes confirmed more of the same — a really nice tangy BBQ sauce, with notes of vinegar, garlic, and onion that brought higher notes of sweetness, and leveled off with an appropriate dash of spice to the mix. After a several forkfuls, the gums of my mouth were left with a lingering cooling sensation, as if Taco Bell fashioned its own menthol.

On its own, Taco Bell proved it could produce a worthy BBQ sauce, in a crowded fast food space already filled with plenty of them. While the Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce is there for the taking with any item, I chose to further taste test it with the menu items the chain suggests it should be paired with.

The simplest and perhaps best pairing option was with the Crispy Chicken Strips. The BBQ sauce did a good job of sticking to the surface of the encrusted, crunchy skin. The strip is an excellent delivery mechanism for any sauce, and with this one, the sweetness reigned supreme, almost pushing the heat to the back burner. It was still present, but a little bit more subdued than it already was. It worked well on the taco and burrito that also included a Crispy Chicken Strip inside, and with the sauce coating veggies as well, it made for a sort of curious BBQ-like salad.

While fries are a pretty common side option at BBQ joints, I personally usually never dip them in BBQ sauce. At first, I was a bit skeptical of the Sweet Chipotle BBQ Topped Fries. The fries were loaded enough with savory items, so how would they work all sweetened up? Well, it quickly proved to be a winning combo, where that sweetness helped to cut through the hearty nature of pulled chicken, fried potatoes, and salty, melty cheese. This is a must try!

On the day of its release, I went to my local Taco Bell, during breakfast hours, to try my hand at the new Sweet Chipotle BBQ Sauce. I ordered the sauce à la carte, as well as in the four menu items it either comes in the side with or slathered over — Crispy Chicken Strips, Sweet Chipotle BBQ Crispy Chicken Burrito, Sweet Chipotle BBQ Crispy Chicken Taco, and Sweet Chipotle BBQ Topped Fries.

The items were photographed and consumed onsite in a timely manner, to assure best taste and freshness. They were eaten solely by me and the conclusions are based on my own personal tastes, opinions, and past and present experiences with BBQ sauces and Taco Bell products. The criteria used in this taste test included flavor, appearance, texture, aroma, originality, familiarity, BBQ-ness, Taco Bell-ness, overall lovability, and the likelihood I would order it again. The short answer is ... yes.

Hopefully the sauce stays around longer than just for a limited time. While I didn't try it with any beef products, as none were suggested, I still have no doubt it would work similar magic with them. Taco Bell revealed earlier this year that it has tinkered with a Brisket Taco in the test kitchen, and if it ever sees the light of day, this sauce may make its most perfect partner. Stay tuned.