14 Of The Best New Fast Food Items Of August 2026

Just because summer is coming to an end doesn't mean fast food innovation does the same. This August, many restaurants are rolling out new items or bringing back fan favorites that have been off the menu for a while. These new items cover a range of dishes from entrées to desserts to drinks, and there's a general theme of experimentation with several of them. You'll see a few familiar dishes with new twists designed to entice you into giving them a try.

Fall flavors are just starting to creep onto menus. There's no pumpkin spice showing up just yet, but apples appear more than once. A few of these items are blasts from the past, with some familiar items that you might just remember from years back. Fast food menus get overhauled all the time, and many items are introduced as limited-time offerings. Based on early feedback and hype, these returning items were all fan favorites that folks are happy to see back again.

Speaking of, to come up with our list, we had to parse through not just opinions and reviews, but also the early hype associated with some of these items. Since a few of these dishes have only been available for a short time, the reviews are still limited. However, just as when a new blockbuster hits the box office, sometimes the surrounding hype is all you need to set your expectations.

Arby's has the meats, and this August that includes Buffalo Ranch Chicken. Part of the chain's Meat & 3 value box, customers can get small curly fries, two mozzarella sticks, a peach cobbler roll, and a small drink along with the spicy chicken sandwich for just $8. The crispy chicken filet is slathered with ranch and Buffalo sauce for that creamy and spicy contrast. Early reviews praised not just the sandwich but the value box itself for being a great deal.

Wendy's introduced the Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger in 2020. Returning after fans voted in Wendy's "Bring it Back" campaign earlier this year, the burger is served on a pretzel bun with bacon, Muenster cheese, beer cheese sauce, honey mustard, crispy fried onions, and pickles. Some reviews have described it as better than anything McDonald's currently has to offer.

Dairy Queen is getting a jump on the fall season with its new seasonal Blizzard flavors, the first of which being the Caramel Apple Cheesecake Blizzard. This treat has been described as akin to southern fried apples or classic apple pie. One review on Facebook simply said, "Tastes like fall." It's made with a base of Dairy Queen soft serve ice cream that is blended with cheesecake pieces and caramel apple topping.

Dirty sodas have been catching on over the last few years, and now A&W, famous for its root beer, is getting in on the game. A dirty soda is basically any soda, like Coke or Sprite, mixed with flavored syrups or purees. This August, A&W has unveiled its Caramel Dirty Root Beer, made with cream, caramel, and root beer. The sweet cream and caramel syrup add-ins aren't too different from what you'd use in a flavored coffee (or any dirty soda, really). It's the A&W root beer that makes it a real standout.

It's no secret that Del Taco is famous for tacos, but it's also unexpectedly well-known for its delicious burgers. The All-American Burgertaco is served on a toasted flatbread and features two burger patties, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onions, and burger sauce. Tasting Table's reviewer was a Burgertaco fan, while one Facebook reviewer liked it even better than the Double Del Cheeseburger.

In 2020, Taco Bell launched both the Pineapple Freeze and the Pineapple Whip Freeze, the latter offering sweet cream mixed in, essentially becoming a dirty soda version of the slushy drink. This summer, the chain brought the Pineapple Freeze back, now with the ability to make it dirty for just $0.30 more. This effectively recreates the Whip Freeze. One Redditor deemed the 2020 Whip Freeze "the most important thing in my life." Hyperbolic? Sure, but plenty of other fans love it, too.

Dunkin' Donuts fans will be happy to hear about its $12.99 Iced Beverage Buckets. Introduced in a limited capacity in early 2026, these 48-ounce containers can be filled with your choice of iced beverage, including a classic iced coffee or new drinks like Cherry Lime Rickey Refresher, Pink Pineapple Sparkling Refresher, or Iced Coffee with Peanut Butter Swirl. A traditional large drink from Dunkin' Donuts is 32 ounces. If you're worried about driving home with a bucket, Dunkin' has you covered. You can get a custom bucket holder that fits your car cup holder.

When Tasting Table reviewed Culver's Fried Pickle Pub Burger, our writer deemed it their "favorite Culver's Pub Burger to date." The burger features two beef patties, cheddar cheese, crispy fried pickles, and Brewpub sauce on a pretzel bun. What is Brewpub sauce? A mix of mayo and beer mustard. "The execution? It was right on the money," one YouTuber said in an overwhelmingly positive review. Likewise, when asked if anyone had tried one, one Reddit user revealed that their wife "had 4 in 3 days."

Bojangles is bringing something new to breakfast this August with the Carolina Crunch. In many ways, this is a simple breakfast sandwich featuring fried eggs, American cheese, and bacon. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's not entirely innovative. However, Bojangles has opted to remove the bun (or English muffin) and replace it with two crispy hash browns, called "Bo-Tato Rounds." How hyped are fans? One Instagram commenter said, "I'll take 100."

Jimmy John's is offering a new dessert item to complement its lineup of sandwiches this August. The PB&J Cookie is inspired by the back-to-school season, bringing classic lunchtime flavors into a crunchy cookie filled with grape jelly and peanuts. One Instagram review gave it an 8/10, offering several "wows," while others have praised the jelly filling. The cookie is only around until October if you're interested.

Krispy Kreme is using international flavors to create its Destination Dessert Collection, with the first three offerings inspired by Latin America. The new donuts include Tres Leches, filled with a tres leches Kreme and adorned with buttercream, cake crumbs, and cinnamon. The Guava Cheesecake is packed with cheesecake Kreme and guava filling, topped with guava icing and crunchy crumbles. Lastly, the Choco Dulce Cookie Crunch donut is filled with chocolate dulce cookie Kreme and topped with chocolate icing, chocolate cookie crumbles, and dulce de leche buttercream. Early buzz was very positive.

Another apple dessert to bridge the gap between summer and fall, Wendy's Apple Crumble Frosty Fusion is a traditional Vanilla Frosty mixed with a spiced apple syrup as well as oat crumbles. Reviews pointed out that the mix really leans into the spice part of the apple spice while praising the oat crumble. One YouTube reviewer praised the apple flavor for bringing to mind an apple pie à la mode.

If you're not too familiar with Pizza Hut's menu, you may not be aware that it also serves pasta alongside pizza. You can find chicken Alfredo, cheesy Alfredo, veggie pasta, and Italian meats pasta all on the regular menu, but this August, you can also find Triple Cheese Mac. Featuring cavatappi pasta baked with white cheddar, pizza cheese, and parmesan, the dish is rich and creamy with enough cheese for a notable cheese pull. Some early reviews offered high praise for that distinct cheesy flavor.

Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme is the chain's best-selling item and it is hugely popular. Fans may be happy to learn that Taco Bell has introduced its first-ever dessert Crunchwrap with the Crème Brûlée Crunchwrap Slider. It has thus far only been available in limited test markets, but one early Instagram review gave it a 10/10. The Crunchwrap features a vanilla filling inside a cinnamon-sugar tostada shell, topped off with a caramelized sugar crunchy coating. There's no word on when it goes national, but it's expected soon.