Review: McDonald’s Spicy Snack Wrap

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Bottom Line: The new Spicy Snack Wrap from McDonald’s is decent in size and quite tasty, and it actually delivers some good heat for a fast food item.

McDonald’s introduced the Snack Wrap back in 2006, and it included a chicken tender—grilled or fried—wrapped in a tortilla with lettuce, shredded cheese, and sauce. This was intended as a way to add a healthier, lower-calorie item to the menu, and these quickly became quite popular at the Golden Arches. You could get them with Ranch, Honey Mustard, or Chipotle BBQ sauce, and they sold quite well for the chain for over a decade.

But in 2016, the company started to phase them out, claiming that they took more prep time than other items, and by 2020 they were completely discontinued as the chain simplified its menu during COVID. Fans of the Snack Wrap were none too happy about this move and regularly lobbied for their return. Competitors took advantage of this, with both Burger King and Jack in the Box adding their own wraps, and just recently, even Taco Bell has put out a version (more on that here). McDonald’s finally got the message, and they have brought their Snack Wraps back with two varieties currently available: Ranch and Spicy. I was actually a big fan of the wrap back in the day, so I stopped by to check out the new spicy version.

These are not exactly the same as the older Snack Wraps because those used the Chicken Selects tenders, while the latest version places one of the new McCrispy Strips in the tortilla. Fans of the original are disappointed with this, but I didn’t notice too much difference. The chicken tender has a decent size with a good crust that delivers some crunch. It’s not too heavily seasoned but still has good taste, and you get some of the tender in almost every bite of the wrap. The cheese brings some sharpness and creaminess. The sauce has a little bit of tang along with a nice peppery kick. The lettuce adds a little texture, but shreds of that get all over the place. The tortilla is fresh enough and holds everything together well.

And surprisingly, this delivers some heat, getting close to Medium on my scale. Allegedly they added habaneros to the sauce, so that kicks things up nicely. The Chipotle BBQ version was the one with a bite among the old snack wraps, but I remember that barely getting to Mild on my scale. The Spicy Wrap certainly delivers on the heat, though it won’t set your mouth on fire. Still, for McDonald’s—which caters to the average consumer who can’t handle much heat—this is not bad at all.

Calorie-wise, the Spicy Snack Wrap comes up to 380 cals, which is not too bad for the drive-thru. But go easy on that order of fries you pair with it, because a medium order adds another 380 cals, which is starting to push things to the high side. Better to go with the small order (230 cals) and a diet drink or unsweetened iced tea. And don’t even be looking at that apple pie (250 cals) or McFlurry (240 cals and up).

So does this count as a glorious return of the Snack Wraps to McDonald’s? Well, I used to love these and I enjoyed the spicy one, and $2.99 is not a bad price. But with all the competition out there, I’m not certain if these shine that much above the rest (watch for an upcoming post where I compare the spicy snack wraps). These are supposed to be on the permanent menu, but that is only as permanent as the sales justify. And since the older fans are nitpicking the new version, the Snack Wraps could disappear at some point. So I would try them while they are still around if you are curious.

Nutrition Info:

Serving Size: One Wraps
Calories: 380
Fat: 21g (6g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 12g
Carbs: 30g
Sodium: 920mg