14 Best New Fast Food Items Of 2025 (So Far)

It may only be halfway over, but 2025 has already been a banner year for sensational fast food items making their dazzling debuts. From creative sandwiches that expand the concept of a classic burger to impressive dessert creations designed to get your sweet tooth in a frenzy, no region of the menu has been missed. No matter what you crave when you cruise through the drive-thru, the fast food world has been busy making sure you have all sorts of new noshes to try.

If you haven't kept up with developments in the fast food sphere between January and June, it's high time you take a look at some of the most intriguing introductions around. It's easier terrain to traverse if you have a map to help you out, which is where this round up of the best new fast food items of 2025 comes in handy. Whether you're a devoted Wendy's fan or a diehard McDonald's customer, prepare to be tempted by entirely new tastes and clever twists on familiar favorites that bring novelty to your usual order.

As infrequently as Wendy's shakes up its Frosty formula, it has to be a pretty special flavor that prompts the chain to replace its popular vanilla option with something unique, and Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies certainly qualifies. The Girl Scout Thin Mint Frosty became a highly-anticipated addition to the 2025 fast food scene. The concept of mixing popular treats into soft serve may be nothing new to the world of fast food, but it's a brand new avenue for Wendy's to walk down. Choosing an already-beloved seasonal treat to start with was sweetly strategic for a company known for method over mayhem. Thanks to the inclusion of both vanilla and chocolate Frosty in the Thin Mint whirl-about, fans of either flavor were welcome to choose their favorite as a base for the mint-chocolate toss-ins; a creative way to draw in all the Frosty fiends.

Mashed reviewer Mary K. Cahill used the word "innovative" when providing a first-hand review of Wendy's Girl Scout Thin Mint Frosty and raved about how tasty both creations were. Bits of actual Thin Mint cookies gave texture and flavor while stopping short of causing a gritty layer. The vanilla version let the minty coolness shine through, Mary noted, while the chocolate version emphasized the richness of the whole concoction. The temporary nature of the Girl Scout Thin Mint Frosty meant the elusive treat disappeared with the winter wind, but maybe we'll see a return come Girl Scout cookie season.

You know something tasty is happening when KFC introduces a quintessential flavor from the Tennessee spectrum of savory selections. A novel upgrade on the Southern favorite hash brown casserole, this eye-popping dish uses the restaurant's usual fries as a base, with chicken nuggets piled on top and a nest of coleslaw adorned with pickle slices and a swizzle of Nashville hot sauce. The result is a delightful dish with downhome soul that brings together all the things KFC does best.

When Mashed's own Sam Skopp took the Nashville Hot Loaded Fries bowl for a test drive, the compliments couldn't come fast enough. Crispiness abounds here, with all the flavors making merry harmony, which is good since the bites you take may be big ones. The nuggets and fries also retain their crispness despite being sozzled in sauce and slaw, making this one a great take-along order to eat on the go if you have to hot-foot it through the drive-thru rather than pulling up a seat and staying awhile. 

The great American drive-in that is Sonic never seems to run out of fun and funky flavors to get its customers all worked up. This year, the Unicorn Slush is one of the unique creations that showed up on digital kiosks like a mythical beast from the world of icy sweet beverages. The vibrantly-hued cup holds cotton candy-flavored slush with blue raspberry boba bubbles, crowned with sparkle-infused whipped cream with crystals of cotton candy sugar. Whew — that's a lot of sweetness in a single cup!

A Mashed review of the Sonic Unicorn Slush from Sam Zwick heralded the delicate texture of the blue raspberry beads and the overall fun spirit of the sweet concoction. From the creative color to the thoughtful flavor blends to the clever decorative touches that bring out the magical side of the Sonic menu, the Unicorn Slush is a one-of-a-kind find on the fast-food scene, and one that's destined to vanish like the enchanting beast it's named for.

With so many brands connecting with Cheetos for flaming hot flavor twists, Wendy's takes a different tack by connecting with Takis for its fiery Takis Fuego meal. A Taki-sauced chicken sandwich and Fuego Fries with chili-lime dipping sauce team up to put real heat on the menu board, giving Wendy's yet another brand-busting combo to attract fans of the crunchy tortilla chip treats.

Both items can be ordered à la carte, but the real fun is combining them into a five-alarm taste bud buster. In a Takis Fuego Meal review from Dennis Lee on The Takeout, a taste test revealed that the sandwich itself is a solid bite, better served by sauces spread with a delicate touch. But the Taki fries were a sensation, using actual Takis Fuego seasoning to achieve a copycat flavor that more than satisfies. There was even word of Takis seasoning being sprinkled into Frostys and beverages, though Dennis wasn't able to detect it. It's worth asking for if you're a Takis fiend who can take the heat.

Static Media owns and operates The Takeout and Mashed.

It seems like Taco Bell has really jumped into the fries game with both feet. The latest iteration of its loaded fries concept works steak and garlic into a Southwestern alternative to the typical chip based nacho. One glimpse of the stacked bowl is enough to let you know that these are traditional steak nachos that use fries in such a novel way, it's a wonder this sort of thing hasn't already been a part of other fast food menus for years.

Reviewers praised the garlic-forward cream sauce that replaces the usual sour cream nacho topping and notes the tender, tangy flavor of the steak. Redditors who'd become obsessed with these nifty nacho fries were incensed when they were taken off the menu, asking fellow users for info on when the fries would return. As with so many limited edition dishes at the Bell, only time and commerce can tell if and when this smashing success will make a return engagement.

With as many hot sauce brands as the popular YouTube show "Hot Ones" introduces to the world, it's about time the show gets an associated promotional item of its own. Teaming up with the aptly-named Firehouse Subs, the "Hot Ones" sub sandwiches hit the world as a 2025 fast-food novelty with high-heat ambitions. You don't even have to be a celebrity to join in on the mouth scorching fun of this conflagrational culinary invention, where the Zesty Garlic and Spicy Dill sandwiches were given a splash of the official sauces from "Hot Ones" to bring the firehouse vibes to an all-time high.

Mashed reviewer Sam Zwick was brave enough to give the sandwiches a spin, describing the Zesty Garlic's Frisco sauce, with a Scoville rating of 1,700, as a mild kick bolstered by the garlicky zing. But the Spicy Dill brought the fire with 2.5 million Scoville units from a schmear of Last Dab sauce, a pepper spray-level heat that plays nicely with sugary ham. Both sandwiches sound like a hot time in the ol' Firehouse sub shop.

Crazy Puffs are a cool enough Little Caesar's creation to cause a stir with pizza fans looking for their favorite ingredients in a more petite form. But when Bacon and Cheese Crazy Puffs hit the market, it became a viral sensation that had fans chomping at the bit to give it a try. The hype was heightened by a Super Bowl ad, an expense that demonstrated just how much confidence the pizza-pizza house had in this hot little newcomer.

How well did these puffs go over when released in January? None other than Jodie Sweetin, TV's Stephanie Tanner from "Full House" gave it a nine out of ten with her co-reviewer on YouTube. The menu is now back to the regular cheese and pepperoni puffs, but Little Caesar's had a real fiery treat on its hands while these items were in play. Maybe the highly positive reaction will convince the chain to bring them back soon.

Tangy and crispy and perfect for snackers who need a little tingle on their tastebuds, Shake Shack fried pickles are the perfect foil for the restaurant's burger-and-fries set up that give the usual patty decorator a place of its own on the marquee. Oversized pickle slices get the deep fryer treatment after being slathered in a batter coating; the ideal process for transforming an element that usually sits inside the burger into a scene stealing side paired with buttermilk ranch as a down home dipping sauce.

The Shack is betting on this zesty alternative to its regular side dishes to become a fun summer sensation that draws in droves of curious diners. Reviewers are popping off about the acidic zing of these sneaky replacements for fries and onion rings, a first-ever side dish expansion for the chain that holds up better as a finger food than as an addition to a sandwich. Still, if the spirit moves you to lift the lid on your Shake Shack burger and toss a few fried pickles into the fray, you're not likely to be disappointed.

With a new "Superman" reboot on the horizon for 2025, it was only a matter of time before fast food cross promotions joined in on the mass marketing search. This time around, Big Blue gets his own twisted Dairy Queen treat in the form of the Superman Blizzard. Not to be confused with Superman ice cream, a Midwestern favorite that captures the vibrant palette of the superheroes costume, this creamy creation finds chunks of birthday cake and Lofthouse-style sugar cookie dough blitzed into vanilla soft serve and decorated with red, blue, and yellow sprinkles for a multi-hued visual tie in.

It may sound like a lot of sweetness swirled into a Dairy Queen cup just in time to celebrate the magic of the movies and the timeless hope of a heroic character. But TikTok reviewers are enchanted with the cake-and-cookie flavors and the quantity of cookie dough present in the cup. Even DQ workers were taken with the combo, a great sign for anyone looking to enhance their movie-going experience with a sweet treat afterward.

Looking to ramp up its breakfast offerings, Panera put its sweet and savory CinnaScramble on the map and came up with a worthy challenger to the McGriddle. Anyone who's ever wondered what it would be like to use cinnamon rolls as the bread for a breakfast sandwich will be over the moon to know they aren't alone in their wild imagining. Panera captures scrambled egg and a sausage patty topped with cheese between two halves of an oversized cinnamon roll slathered in cream cheese glaze. The resulting wonder food is an intoxicating mix of sweet and savory flavors twisted up in a tempting tornado of textures.

YouTubers who thought it would be a love-hate item ended up loving everything about it, giving it a 10 out of 10 and noting that the sandwich isn't as sweet as it seems. TikTokers have gotten into the rave review groove as well, with one in particular who got an early try in late-2024 noting that her location had been sold out three out of the four days that she tried to get one. When customers vote with their dollars, you know you have a fast food winner for 2025.

If you can expand your definition of a Hardee's fast food meal beyond its regular hamburger leanings, you'll find the phenomenal BBQ Pulled Pork Frisco sandwich burger waiting to make your meal time moments more memorable. The chain goes double-double by adding Sweet Baby Ray's-sauced pork and American cheese to its quarter-pound burger on toasted sourdough, creating a super-stack that customers may need to unhinge their jaws to get a bite of. But that's never stopped a proper fast food fan before.

Facebook fans raved about the flavor and recommended old-fashioned lemonade to wash the sandwich down — which sounds like a prime pairing — while YouTube reviewers were happy with the mix of barbeque sauce, pork, and pickle flavors from the slices added to the sandwich. Hearty eaters looking for a cookout-style bite but don't want to haul out the grill in the soaring heat can head to Hardee's to pick up one of these summer spectaculars while they're still on the menu,

You don't have to order a coffee or tea to go with your bagels at Einstein Bros. anymore. Now you can compliment your everything-with-schmear with a Morning Mocktail instead for a distinctive brunch style combo minus the boozy buzz. These juicy drinks come in flavors like Bros Bay Breeze (cranberry, passion fruit, lemonade), Passion Fruit Sunrise (orange juice, lemonade, passion fruit), Dragon Fruit Lemon Drop (lemonade and dragon fruit), and the Energy Spritz (Monster energy drink and dragon fruit) emulating classic tropical cocktail blends that leave nothing out but the alcohol. Think of them as creative mixology for the morning set, a way to work in sweet hydration that's safe to take to the office and even sip in your car on your commute.

The word on the fast food circuit is that these bopping beverages are a hit, with Yelp reviewers calling out the Dragon Fruit Lemon Drop in particular as a mocktail bullseye. Commenters on Einstein's Instagram post about the luscious sips loved the Passion Fruit Sunrise, too, while one worker declared his love for Bros Bay Breeze.

The wildly popular animated series makes the leap to live action this summer, and with it comes Burger King's "How to Train Your Dragon" meal, a bag that capitalizes on the hubbub surrounding this new iteration of the beloved original. This meal comes with a Dragon Flame-Grilled Whopper complete with vibrant red bun colored with natural seasonings rather than synthetic dyes; Fiery Dragon Mozzarella Fries with a crispy coating; crunchy cinnamon treats to add sweet to the heat; a juicy Soaring Strawberry Lemonade to cool everything down; and a Viking's Chocolate Sundae for a sweet closing note. It's everything a dragon hunter could need.

YouTubers who gave the meal a try were impressed with the heated dry rub-style coating on the mozzarella fries and the zestiness of the Whopper's ketchup-mayo combo. Redditors were equally impressed, giving the meal a 10 out of 10 and calling out their appreciation for the bacon and lighter-than-usual bun on the Whopper. It sounds like a hot addition to the summer selections at the King.

Popeyes wasn't satisfied with just introducing a single new item into its 2025 arrangement; it conjured up an entire menu of pickle infused works to give visitors a slew of mouth puckering options. The collection included fried pickles, a tangy alternative to the chains usual side dishes that wrap dill pickle wedges in crunchy fried batter for an amazingly appetizing appetizer that's sure to get your taste buds all a-tingle.

But the brine-flavored prize among the various items in the collection was the pickle glaze sandwich, a clever fried flavor fest featuring a Cajun-pickle one-two punch of a topping to give the chicken a double dose of flavor. Our own Mashed writers were sat for the Popeyes pickle menu experience, while other reviewers loved what the glaze added to the popular chicken sandwich from the chain. And if your pickle-based sauce can dazzle fans in a Facebook group dedicated to pickles in general, you know you've come up with a fast food hit. Well done, Popeyes!

It can't be overstated how much fun it is for a food fan to research the best new items of 2025. Many of the picks have been sampled and favorably reviewed by Mashed writers as the months rolled by, which provided a solid start. Other items on the list were chosen based on searches through trade websites and online buzz tossed out by food bloggers and influencers excited to share their views on these delicious debuts. Some of these picks I'd even had first-hand experience with; my sometimes-helper omnivore son tried the Burger King How to Train Your Dragon meal before he knew I was writing this piece and told me how satisfied he was with it.

A spin through the internet showed me that many of the newly-released items were equally adored by the eager food reviewers of YouTube, Tik Tok, Facebook, and Reddit, too. I was able to find corroborating evidence that these items are the best releases thus far for 2025 — even the products that have come and gone already. The excitement is already building for what nifty new items the second half of the year holds in the fast food sphere.