ACF meta_key and meta_value break loop
you need to add a LIKE in your meta_query $args = array( ‘post_type’=> ‘recipe’, ‘meta_query’ => array( array( ‘key’ => ‘special_diets’, ‘value’ => ‘vegan’, ‘compare’ => ‘LIKE’, ) ), ); $query = new WP_Query($args); as explained here Count custom post types with a specific meta value