Doritos' First-Ever Flavor In 1967 Wasn't Nacho Cheese

Doritos offers a variety for everyone — and Chowhound has tried and ranked 15 Doritos flavors, so we know what we're talking about. One of the OG flavors is Nacho Cheese, a snack that often holds a special place in Doritos fans' minds and snack drawers. There is one unexpected Doritos flavor that outshines the beloved Nacho Cheese flavor, but Golden Sriracha was certainly not the first-ever flavor the brand put out into the world to light up taste buds. That honor goes to Doritos Taco.

Doritos Taco chips were launched in 1967, roughly five years before the familiar Nacho Cheese was released in the early '70s. Though the taco flavor later got discontinued, in 2010, Frito-Lay made it possible to enjoy the snack again for a limited time. Customers loved the flavor and its original, old-school packaging so much that the brand decided to bring it back. However, one Redditor received confirmation from headquarters that the flavor would be discontinued as of January 2026. 

Before the Taco flavor came about, the very first Doritos version in 1966 was an unflavored toasted corn chip. The original taco chips were pretty well received and even eventually found a purpose outside simple snack food as a popular crunchy topping for a taco salad in the '80s and beyond. But Nacho Cheese is still the most popular, and while Doritos has experimented with different taco-flavored chips, it's not always easy to find a contender against the reigning champ. 

While it's not entirely clear what the exact ingredients were in the very first Doritos Taco chips, some of the ingredients that are listed in a limited-edition throwback version are corn and vegetable oil alongside flavorings like cheddar cheese (and blue cheese for some reason), onion powder, garlic powder, buttermilk, and sour cream. In a comment section under a Facebook post, some Doritos fans reminisce over how tasty the snacks were. One comment says, "They don't taste like they use to. Still good, but not as good." The comment resonated with many and nods to the fact that the old-school chips are hard to beat.

The brand released other taco-flavored products, including the limited-edition Late Night Loaded Taco flavor, which includes common taco seasoning ingredients like garlic and onion powder plus sour cream, paprika, and cheddar and Swiss cheese. This flavor offers a slightly nutty and sweet cheesy take thanks to the addition of Swiss cheese, but in one Reddit thread, many agree that the flavor is not a match for the OG Doritos taco flavor. Another version that was released in Europe for the FIFA World Cup was the limited-edition Mexican Beef Taco. Some Redditors have described this Doritos flavor as having a strong lime flavor with limited spice and gentle beef flavoring, which could come across as less vibrant than the original. 

All in all, it seems that Taco Doritos have joined the discontinued Jumpin' Jack Cheese flavor as a Doritos variety fans would love to see return permanently. Whether this will happen is unclear, though the limited-edition throwback Taco Doritos are still listed on the brand's website. Keep your eyes peeled in stores — you never know.