The 18 Best New Fast Food Items Of 2025 So Far

In an increasingly competitive fast food market, chains fight for customer attention with innovative menu items. With the popularity of social media, strategies in 2025 involve bold and typically limited-time offerings designed to generate buzz and attract customers hoping to avoid FOMO, or the fear of missing out.

New products like the French Onion Soup Burger and Iced Cherry Chai combine familiar or unexpected flavors. Some items, like the Concrete Cereal Mixer and Thin Mints Frosty, tap into the powerful emotion of nostalgia. Treats like the Superman Blizzard and Sabrina's Strawberry Daydream Refresher are pop culture nods, inspired by the new "Superman" movie and Sabrina Carpenter song "Strawberry Moon," respectively. These varied approaches demonstrate the multifaceted strategies fast food chains are using to win over customers in a crowded market.

To create this list, we reflected on our own experiences, as well as sought out reviews on social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit. Based on our research, these items represent the most noteworthy fast food creations of 2025.

Chick-fil-A has elevated its classic chicken sandwich with the savory Pretzel Cheddar Club. The sandwich comes with a choice of an original, grilled, or spicy filet, served on a toasted pretzel bun, stacked with cheddar cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, sliced tomato, and a side of creamy Dijon mustard sauce.

Initial reviews from fans are overwhelmingly positive. People on Reddit praise both the taste and softness of the pretzel bun. TikTokers like how the applewood-smoked bacon enhances both the texture and flavor profile, adding a bit of crunch and slight sweetness. Most customers agree that the real star of the sandwich is the tangy Dijon mustard that adds a spicy kick. The Pretzel Cheddar Club is available for a limited time at participating restaurants.

The only side available at Shake Shack was crinkle cut fries until May of 2025, when fried pickles were added to the menu. The dish features the brand's dill pickles sliced thick, coated in a seasoned batter, and fried until crispy. They are served with a side of buttermilk ranch for dipping.

The response from customers has been enthusiastic. Reviews on TikTok say the pickles are large and perfectly fried, and the breading is light, crunchy, and well-seasoned. The pickles themselves are described as juicy and tangy, with the soft texture a nice compliment to the crispy outside. The consensus is that these are a top-tier fast-food fried pickle. The item was only available for a limited time and was discontinued at the end of the summer, so you'll have to visit other fast food chains for fried pickles now.

Inspired by the Arab desert, Knafeh, and featuring chocolate, pistachio, tahini, and kataifi, the Dubai chocolate bar rose to popularity after a viral TikTok in 2023. Crumbl was one of several chains to jump on the trend in 2024, releasing its Dubai Chocolate Brownie as one of the rotating flavors of the week in August. The chain's version featured all the flavors of the famed bar in the form of a brownie, and quickly won over food reviewers.

Happy customers raved about the fudgy brownie base and textural contrast of the crunchy, kataifi pastry, as well as the sweetness from the milk chocolate topping that balanced the flavors in the brownie. Many reviewers agree it's a surprisingly good representation of its chocolate bar counterpart.

In August, Culver's unleashed its new Cereal Concrete Mixers for a limited time. The treat was inspired by the comforting taste of milk at the bottom of a cereal bowl. The lineup features three varieties made with General Mills breakfast cereals, including Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

The response to Cereal Concrete Mixers has been overwhelmingly positive, with social media flooded with approving reviews. Fans particularly like that the cereal retains a satisfying crunch against the creamy custard. The Cinnamon Toast Crunch mixer is often cited as the standout, with claims that it resembles the cinnamon sugar flavor of a churro. I recently tried it and found the taste nostalgic. While the cereal mixers are combined with either vanilla or chocolate custard, Redditors recommend playing with flavors, such as adding caramel or cheesecake.

In 2024, Little Caesars ventured beyond pizza, launching pepperoni and cheese Crazy Puffs. In February of 2025, the chain released the long-awaited bacon version by adding Bacon and Cheese Crazy Puffs to its menu. The puffs consist of handheld pizza dough cups filled with pizza sauce and three cheeses –mozzarella, Muenster, and cheddar — and topped with applewood-smoked bacon, garlic butter, and Parmesan cheese.

Reviews from customers are largely favorable, highlighting the soft texture of the inside and crunchiness from the caramelized cheese on the outside. The generous amount of bacon bits adds a nice touch of saltiness, without overwhelming the cheeses. Unfortunately, the Bacon and Cheese Crazy Puffs were only available for a limited time, having already disappeared from Little Caesars' menus.

Starbucks launched a spring menu that included a new beverage, the Iced Cherry Chai. The drink puts a sweet and spicy, fruity twist on the chain's beloved iced chai latte, by combining black tea infused with spices, milk, and ice, and topping it with cherry cream cold foam and a sprinkle of cherry crunch topping

The drink quickly developed a fan base on social media, with calls for it to stay on the menu permanently. Aside from the pretty appearance (the cold foam is dyed pink), the drink is praised for its cherry flavor, which some say resembles a cherry cake. Sadly for the drink's fans, the Iced Cherry Chai was only available for a limited time and disappeared from most stores at the start of summer.

Shake Shack has masterfully interpreted the decadent flavors of a classic French onion soup into burger form. The burger features a 1/4-pound Angus beef patty, with Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, crispy sweet onions, and a roasted garlic Parmesan aioli, all served on a toasted potato bun. The French Onion Soup Burger launched nationwide in September, right in time for soup season.

The French Onion Soup Burger was been met with widespread acclaim from customers. One Redditor called it "a serious flavor bomb" and claims it's one of the best fast food burgers they've ever had. Other reviewers agree, noting that the crunch from the fried onions and flavor from the caramelized onions are standouts on the burger. Overall, customers were pleased with the way the elements of the burger work to create a nice balance of flavors.

Wendy's has created the ultimate tribute to the best-selling Girl Scout cookie with its Thin Mints Frosty. The collaboration debuted in February, just before National Girl Scout Cookie weekend. The menu item was inspired by the experience of eating frozen Thin Mints, which some believe is the superior way to enjoy the cookie. The Frosty version combines a classic chocolate or vanilla Frosty with a minty cookie crumble sauce, bringing together two iconic flavors.

Fans of both the Frosty and Thin Mints raved about the limited-edition Frosty online. Reviews on Reddit call the Thin Mints Frosty a great addition to the Frosty lineup, with one person claiming it's one of their favorite flavors to date. While the vanilla tastes great, many agree that the chocolate version is the better of the two.

Burger King created a new take on its flame-grilled classic (did you know there was even a perfume made of this scent?) with the Crispy Onion Whopper. The burger was introduced in August for a limited time, and featured over a 1/4-pound of beef topped with tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, American cheese, bacon, pickles, onion rings, crispy onions, and barbecue sauce. The last two ingredients replace the traditional raw onions and ketchup found on the original version.

Whopper enthusiasts approved of the burger, appreciating the combination of two styles of onion that provide a strong flavor and perfect crunch. The barbecue sauce added both sweetness and a smoky tang to the classic flavor. of which the chain is known. The consensus is that the Crispy Onion Whopper was a delicious addition to the Burger King menu, with some customers even claiming it might even be better than the original.

The Superman Cake Batter Cookie Dough Blizzard Treat was released in May of 2025 in collaboration with the "Superman" movie released in July. The treat is a combination of cake batter flavored soft serve (dyed blue to match the superhero's iconic suit), sugar cookie dough, and sprinkles, all served in a limited edition Superman-themed cup.

Reviews of the Blizzard are positive, with people equating the taste to a frosted confetti cake, and noting how the cookie dough and sprinkles added different textures. Customers appreciated that the cookie dough chunks were consistent throughout the Blizzard, and that while sweet, it wasn't cloyingly so. Sadly, the treat is only available for a limited time.

The wizarding world of Harry Potter lived on with the Sorting Hat Doughnut from Krispy Kreme, which was available from August to September. The item was just one of five offerings from the Krispy Kreme x Harry Potter: Back to Hogwarts Collection. The Sorting Hat Doughnut featured an unglazed confection coated in chocolate-flavored icing, and topped with edible gold stars, gold shimmer sugar, and a candy sorting hat. The inside was filled with cream that was one of four colors representing the Hogwarts houses: red for Gryffindor, green for Slytherin, blue for Ravenclaw, or yellow for Hufflepuff.

The doughnut was popular on social media, with videos focusing heavily on the novelty and surprise element. The main appeal is not knowing which house color you would get until you bit into the doughnut, with people sharing either their excitement or disappointment at being sorted (or not sorted) into their expected Hogwarts house.

Popeyes announced the Pickle Glaze Chicken Sandwich on April 1, but it was no April Fool's prank. In fact, the chain introduced an entire Pickle Menu that, in addition to the sandwich, featured wings, fried pickles, and pickle lemonade. The Pickle Glaze Chicken Sandwich featured chicken with a pickle-flavored glaze and thick-cut pickles served on a toasted brioche bun.

Pickle enthusiasts on social media were torn on the prevalence of the pickle taste, with some noting that while pleasant, it felt mild. Others were pleased with the flavor profile, saying it was heavy on the dill flavor, with the chicken being generously glazed. All agree the sandwich retained the crispness expected of Popeyes fried chicken. The menu was short-lived, however, with the pickle items lasting only one month.

In June, Dunkin' teamed up with singer Sabrina Carpenter for its new drink, Sabrina's Strawberry Daydream Refresher. It was a strawberry-flavored Refresher made with oat milk and topped with cold foam that mimiced the taste of strawberries and cream.

Taste tests shared online have skewed positive, with many debates about what flavor the refresher resembled. While some say it tasted exactly like Nestlé Nesquik strawberry milk over ice, others argued that it tasted and smelled like a strawberry frosted doughnut. What they did agree on is that the drink was extremely tasty. Reviewers raved that the strawberry flavor wasn't too strong like in some of Dunkins' other refreshers, and that the fruit didn't taste artificial. Some people even thought it was so good, they planed to drink it all summer long. Unfortunately, that's how long Sabrina's Strawberry Daydream Refresher lasted on menus, with availability only until August 19.

In March, Domino's debuted its first-ever stuffed crust pizza with the Parmesan Stuffed Crust. The pizza is made with pan dough, stuffed with 100% real mozzarella, and topped with garlic seasoning and Parmesan.

Feedback on social media is enthusiastically positive. Customers consistently highlight the generous amount of mozzarella stuffed into the crust, which itself makes up a substantial part of each slice. Reviewers like the strong garlic taste and salty kick from the Parmesan cheese and say they are a nice contrast to the buttery flavor of the dough. The item was so well-received that one reviewer's wish for it to become a permanent menu item was granted. After its initial launch, Domino's confirmed later that month that the pizza crust would remain on menus permanently.

The Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake was a limited-time offering from Shake Shack first released in April in limited locations. The treat was so popular, the chain brought it back nationwide in June. Inspired by the Dubai chocolate bar, the shake version blended pistachio frozen custard with toasted kataifi and the entire drink was coated in a crackable dark chocolate shell. To finish things off, chopped pistachios and more kataifi were add on top for a crunchy kick.

People on social media praised the shake's texture, saying it provided the perfect contrast between the creaminess of the custard and the crunchiness of the pastry. In fact, we reviewed it and found that it's even better than it sounds. It was so good, that people noted it tasted like an authentic Dubai chocolate bar. Reviewers appreciated that the milkshake was not too sweet and liked the interactiveness of the shake, having fun cracking the chocolate-coated cup. Sadly, the Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Shake was only available until supplies lasted.

At the beginning of January, KFC debuted a new lineup of bowls, including the Nashville Hot Loaded Fries Bowl, one of three on the menu that featured Nashville hot sauce. It started with a base of seasoned fries that were then topped with five Original Recipe nuggets, coleslaw, pickles, and hot sauce.

Reception for the bowl on social media was favorable, with people stating that the spice level was good and the Nashville hot sauce drizzle gave the dish a nice kick. The fries were crispy and had just the right amount of seasoning, and the addition of the coleslaw and pickles added a pleasant crunch. Most reviewers felt that the menu item was a great value and worth the $5 price point. Sadly, the lineup was only available for a limited time.

Pizza Hut dropped a new, limited-edition lineup of personal pizzas in August with its new Crafted Flatzz. The flatbread-style pizza is topped with plenty of tasting toppings and geared towards adults. The lineup was launched around the world, with each country featuring unique flavors, like a Pesto Veggie with balsamic drizzle in the UK, Korean BBQ in Taiwan, and Tandoori chicken in India. The US-specific flavor is a Nashville Hot Chicken, which features chicken, onions, and mozzarella with a pickle ranch sauce and Nashville hot seasoning.

Reviewers note the pizza has a great texture and is nice and crisp, while the dough itself remains airy. People have also been happy about the price, as the pizza costs just $5 before 5 PM. Crafted Flatzz rolled out on August 20 and are available through Fall 2025 and beyond.

The Peach Frosted Lemonade was a seasonal summer menu item that was released in June at Chick-fil-A. The drink was made by blending classic lemonade (or diet lemonade), with vanilla Icedream and real peach pieces, and was a spin on the chain's popular peach milkshake.

On social media, customer reviews for the drink were mainly positive, with people appreciating the inclusion of real pieces of peach, which is a nice departure from an expected peach puree. Reviewers noted that the tartness of the lemonade was balanced by the sweetness of the vanilla ice cream, andthe consistency was described as thick like its milkshake counterpart. The combination of flavors blended perfectly to make the Peach Frosted Lemonade a refreshing warm weather treat.

To compile this list of the best new fast food items of 2025 so far, we focused on identifying new offerings from major national chains. Our goal was to showcase innovative items that are not simply a recurring seasonal promotion, but a never-before-seen addition to a menu.

We looked at official corporate websites and press announcements to confirm product details and availability. To gauge real-world customer reception, we analyzed reviews from forums like Reddit, and social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Some menu items may vary by location, particularly availability that hinges on how long supplies last. Some of the features are based on our own experiences, but all the items on the list represent what we think are some of the most creative and buzz-filled new fast food launches of the year.