The 8 Best New McDonald's Items Of 2026 (So Far)

Many customers might hit up a McDonald's drive-thru for the classics: A Sausage McGriddle with black coffee to start your morning, or a famous Big Mac intended to put all other fast food burgers to shame. Maybe you just want an order of crispy, delicious french fries and a Coke for your next road trip.

McDonald's knows that tried-and-true favorites keep its customers coming back for more. But to avoid things becoming ho-hum, the fast food chain has also introduced several menu changes over the years. Some are seasonal, quirky menu items (like the highly acclaimed Grinch fries in 2025). Others are much bigger changes that affect McDonald's customers, like adding the breakfast menu in the 1970s or introducing McNuggets in 1983. (Can you imagine a world without fast food chicken nuggets?)

With fast food companies competing more than ever for your dining dollars, McDonald's continues to rollout new menu items that will drive you to visit the Golden Arches rather than, well, any other restaurant in town. It's been a mixed bag for the restaurant chain in 2026: The huge rollout of McDonald's Big Arch burger early in the year was met with a fair amount of controversy and "meh" reviews. A few months later, reviewers concluded that a relaunch of the chain's fried apple pies should have stayed a distant memory. But even though a few menu releases have missed the mark, several more have become quick fan favorites. Here are the best new items to hit the McDonald's menu in 2026, so far.

Chicken is to Caesar dressing what peanut butter is to jelly, so we're honestly surprised that McDonald's didn't already have a Caesar dipping sauce in its lineup. But the Golden Arches rectified that menu oversight in July 2026 when it introduced its all-new Caesar dressing, meant to be drizzled on chicken sandwiches and wraps, or used to dunk chicken strips or fries on the side. Several customers on Reddit said the sauce was a great addition to the menu, with some giving it a rating of nine out of 10. Others said it was tangier than they were used to, but still enjoyed it. In general, the buzz about the new Caesar Sauce has crowned it one of the best fast food items of the summer, so far.

McDonald's describes its take on the beloved dressing as a creamy, garlicky rendition with an emphasis on Parmesan flavors and a hint of lemon. According to several online commenters and reviews, the fast food chain delivered on its flavor promises. "McDonald's got something right with this Caesar Sauce," Tasting Table's reviewer Julia Duda declared. The sauce was tangy and the lemony notes really did shine through, adding extra zippiness.

Redditors say the price of the dipping cups varies by location, with reports of between 29- and 59-cents apiece. The sauce is only available for a limited time, so if a Caesar-chicken mashup is your jam, you'll want to act quickly.

McDonald's "KPop Demon Hunters" collab with Netflix was a hit with fans — as long as you like a little spice. The chain offered limited-time meals in March 2026 inspired by the hit movie, including a Saja Boys Breakfast Sandwich named for the villains (hunted down by the protagonists of course, members of the KPop group Huntrix).

While the name takes a while to explain, the sandwich was pretty straightforward: McDonald's simply added a spicy sauce to its traditional sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin. Though simple in its execution, The Takeout's reviewer Dani Zoeller said the zesty sauce was a perfect complement to the original flavors. The bit of heat added a dose of extra flavor to each bite without being overpowering. Zoeller expressed wishes for the sandwich to remain on the permanent menu, but alas, that was not to be. Still, McDonald's has successfully introduced other spicy McMuffin sandwiches in the past, so if your morning breakfast is best with a kick, we can guess you'll see another similar iteration in due time.

We're waiting for a year when beverages aren't half of a restaurant's new product offerings, but 2026 isn't it. Restaurants like McDonald's are pigeonholed into competing with Starbucks' entire ranking of drinks — not to mention Dunkin', Wawa, and any other number of beverage-first restaurants. 

That said, McDonald's customers were excited for a beverage menu update when the chain dropped its new line of refreshers and "crafted sodas" in May 2026, just in time to quench the summer heat. The Takeout's reviewer Dennis Lee said the Orange Dream was the best out of three new sodas topped with cold foam, beating out a Sprite Berry Blast and Dirty Dr. Pepper for his favorite of the bunch. Lee said the classic combo of oranges and cream (which comes from the chain's Hi-C Lavaburst drink topped with non-dairy cold foam) is reminiscent of an orange creamsicle on a hot summer's day.

Other commenters online said the Orange Dream was the perfect drink for a hefty dose of nostalgia. One customer suggested mixing the cold foam into the drink more with a straw for a better blend of oranges and cream. (For what it's worth, Lee said the cold foam at McDonald's is meant to sit on top of the drinks longer than what is typical at other places, so you might have to take matters into your own hands if this is your preference.) Another McDonald's employee said this is the drink they're sipping on repeat during their shifts.

If hot honey isn't your thing, new products boasting its sweet and spicy flavor profile keep popping up like a Whac-A-Mole game. The hot honey trend that became popular in 2022 is one that just won't quit. Thankfully for McDonald's customers, the chain's take on a Hot Honey Sauce went over exceptionally well in the beginning of 2026.

Mashed's Sam Skopp reviewed the entire Hot Honey menu when it dropped in January. While some items like the McCrispy were underwhelming, the sauce itself had big and "indulgent" flavors. It was excellent to use as a dipping sauce for simple items like fries or McNuggets, and was a perfect pairing on a sausage and egg biscuit sandwich. According to Skopp, the best new offering was the Hot Honey Snack Wrap, which was doused in a generous amount of Hot Honey Sauce, but balanced with umami from the cheese and savory elements from the Crispy Chicken Strips.

Hot honey has come and gone on McDonald's menus, but it's safe to say that with the success of that and the Caesar dipping sauce, the team at the Golden Arches has its condiments on lock in 2026. We're ready and willing to try whatever they come up with next.

When McDonald's rolled out the new Caesar Sauce in July 2026, the chain also introduced a limited-time update to its line of McCrispy sandwiches. You can technically order a McCrispy sandwich without bacon, but ... why would you?

The Daily Meal's reviewer Jenny Kellerhals Keogh said that the new Caesar Sauce really shines as a regular mayo replacement in the Bacon Caesar McCrispy. The sandwich is truly a loaded one, featuring a crispy chicken fillet, lettuce, tomatoes, crinkle-cut pickles, applewood-smoked bacon, slivers of fried onions, and the fan-favorite Caesar Sauce. It's all nestled on a potato roll, adding a slightly sweet element to the sandwich that Kellerhals Keogh said is the "most complex" one on the menu right now. In fact, she wrote that this version of the McCrispy is so good, she returned to her local McDonald's two days later to order another one.

Other reviewers online agreed that this version of the McCrispy was worth ordering. They said the tangy Caesar Sauce was a great complement to the host of other toppings on the deluxe sandwich.

If soda topped with cold foam isn't your thing in McDonald's new drinks lineup, perhaps the trio of Refreshers will be. The "moderately caffeinated" Refreshers each contain a lemonade base with flavors like Strawberry Watermelon or Blackberry Passion Fruit added on. While the Mango Pineapple and Blackberry Passion Fruit flavors each get love from fans as well, The Takeout's reviewer Dennis Lee loved the Strawberry Watermelon Refresher the best.

Lee said the Strawberry and Watermelon flavors were both prominent in the flavor profile, and were full of fruity fresh flavors despite coming from a line of syrups. The tartness from the lemonade base worked well with those flavors as well, although you can substitute the lemonade for water if you'd prefer a lighter drink. One commenter on Reddit was pleasantly surprised that this Refresher wasn't a sugar bomb — probably because of the balance of sweet and acidic flavors.

Another reviewer online said the drink was a simple but bright addition to the lineup, perfect for summertime sipping. One enthusiastic fan on TikTok said the drink was their go-to for the season, and were hoping it stuck around all year. Good news for Refresher fans: One employee responded in the thread saying the drinks are intended to stick around, unlike some limited-time options.

Though it's a running joke that McDonald's ice cream machines are always broken, enough of them managed to be in operation to give fans a taste of the Derpy McFlurry during the "KPop Demon Hunters" menu collab. As it turns out, the berry-centric treat was the perfect ending to the zesty meals.

The Derpy McFlurry was available starting in March 2026 for a limited time, along with the other Huntrix and Saja Boys-inspired entrees. While all of the menu additions were received well by reviewer Dani Zoeller for The Takeout, the McFlurry stood out for its unique flavor profile compared to other desserts on offer. The standard vanilla ice cream base got an upgrade with a wild berry sauce and popping boba on top for a unique textural twist as well.

The Derpy McFlurry caused enough of a stir in the spring that it was named one of the best new menu additions across all fast food restaurants. Reddit came alive with praise for this unique twist on the ice cream dessert, with several saying they hope McDonald's does a remake in the future. "The little bobas are a delight and the sauce is a lightly tart berry flavor without being syrupy sweet," one commenter wrote. Several others said the berry sauce was the perfect addition to the ice cream base, and that the boba on top added extra pops of flavor in a texture combo they hadn't tried before.

McDonald's customers were extremely vocal about their disapproval of the most recent form of chicken strips. Critics said the strips were rubbery, ill-formed and misshapen bites that barely resembled real chicken. Most fans online called for McDonald's to return to Chicken Selects, the version that was widely adored but axed from menus in 2013.

There have been other iterations of chicken strips at McDonald's, but the McCrispy chicken strips that reappeared following the pandemic have been widely hated. Now, the Golden Arches is hoping to win back chicken-loving fans with an update to the McCrispy Chicken Strips, which it rolled out with the new Caesar menu in July 2026. Feedback is somewhat mixed, but largely positive so far.

"New strips are so much better, I'm glad they listened," one Redditor commented. Another said the "craggy bits" in the updated McCrispy strips are worth a premium price tag ($6.89 for four McCrispy strips in my area, or $11.49 for a meal). While some detractors say the chicken can still be stringy in this updated version, others said their strips were juicy and flavorful, and the breading doesn't fall off like it did before.

McDonald's needs to work pretty hard to keep its fanbase happy when it comes to chicken menu items: Fast food customers can't stop complaining about McNuggets this year, either. Perhaps the silver lining is the chain seems to be paying attention when things aren't working — is an update on the way for them, too?

I relied on a few key sources to compile the list of the most popular McDonald's menu additions and updates so far in 2026. I weighed positive reviews from colleagues at Mashed or similar Static Media sites favorably, since those were conducted in-person for honest taste tests of the new products.

In addition to including positive reviews from fellow writers, I also took into account fan feedback online from forums and social media. If the menu item wasn't reviewed by a Static Media site, I gauged the overall sentiment about the menu item to ensure it was largely received well. The internet cannot agree on anything, of course, but I looked for the overall comments about a menu item to be in its favor in order to be included on this list.