11 Best New Fast Food Items Of 2024

Fast food calls for churning out new ideas, the ever-evolving menu, capturing the hearts and stomachs of the masses. But developing the latest hit item is a tall order in such a saturated market. Not every culinary innovation can withstand this type of heat. It takes a special kind of fast casual culinary curiosity to make a lasting impression, especially one that has us thinking about its deliciousness beyond leaving the drive through window or throwing out the DoorDash bag. 

As 2024 starts to wind down, we can't help but reflect on the new fast food items that graced our trays this past year. While December often has visions of sugarplums dancing in people's heads, the minds and palettes here at Tasting Table are filled with a few more fried treats. It's only right that the best of the bunch earn a rightful place on the year-end pedestal. From the saucy delights of Taco Bell, to an unexpected regional beverage from Dunkin', and even a Pizza Hut riff on a Windy City dish, there were numerous fast food debuts that delighted us this year.

Have you ever craved a banana pudding in milkshake form? Chick-fil-A's recently resurrected Banana Pudding Milkshake scratches that specific sugary itch whether in the middle of Manhattan, out in LA, or anywhere in between. The Icedream dessert channels the essence of this cult favorite treat with real chunks of banana and bits of vanilla wafer cookies swirled throughout the vanilla soft serve. No Chick-fil-A milkshake is complete without the Southern fast food chain's thick whipped cream and a bright red maraschino cherry on top, made even silkier with a fruity addition to the vanilla base. 

What makes this "debut" so good is that Chick-fil-A understood that some ideas require a redo, even after a 13-year hiatus. That's how long it took the milkshake to return. The use of real fruit instead of extract or flavoring only enhances the richness, and avoids that polarizing synthetic banana flavoring. Frozen banana also acts as a thickening, smoothing agent when blended. Even better is the availability: Although this flavor combination recalls a summertime dessert, the Banana Pudding Milkshake is available year-round, making it a soon-to-be bonafide Chick-fil-A classic. Now that's a comeback we can get behind.

Always looking for inspiration, Taco Bell based this hit item on offerings found in Mexican street food. The Cheesy Street Chalupa — available either with grilled, marinated steak or slow-roasted Cantina chicken — features a spicy blend of ingredients that recall the best of bustling carts, namely raw white onion and cilantro. All that goodness is then stuffed into two of the fast food chain's signature chalupa shells, and nestled between them are layers of mozzarella and pepper Jack cheese melted to perfection. With a drizzle of creamy jalapeño ranch to top it all off, it's no wonder the Cheesy Street Chalupa quickly went from a limited run in Indianapolis to a nationwide release. 

Though the Cantina chicken is always a good bet, our writer loved the warmth of the grilled, marinated steak in contrast with the refreshing crunch of the raw onion and cilantro, a combination that was worthy enough for year-end recognition. The downside? The item was available for a limited time only, a decision which Taco Bell-minded Redditors have already come to deride. Here's hoping the chain recognizes the gold it struck and brings the handheld bites back in the New Year.

The bastion of "fresh, never-frozen beef" made the bold decision to focus on giving its customers more chicken this year — and appeal to the increased purchasing power of Gen-Z. According to John Li, Wendy's global VP of culinary innovation, Gen-Z wants to eat "chicken, chicken, chicken," and thus the latest culinary curiosity, Saucy Nuggs, were born. Available in seven different flavors, including Honey BBQ, Garlic Parm, Buffalo, Spicy Honey BBQ, Spicy Garlic Parm, Spicy Buffalo, and Ghost Pepper, Saucy Nuggs cover a variety of palettes and come with all the heat you could be craving. 

The key to their appeal, however, is a thoughtful presentation: Wendy's classic chicken nuggets are generously tossed in the customer's sauce of choice, making sure to deliver on both flavor and texture. It's a treatment that gives this the classic menu staple a "saucy" new twist. 

While all the sauces received positive reviews, our writer noted that the Spicy Garlic Parm, Spicy Honey BBQ, and the extra-hot Ghost Pepper were standouts amongst this slew of new selections. It's definitely a dish for the heat seekers looking to balance out a Frosty. Ranging from sweet to hot and evenly coated all over, Wendy's Saucy Nuggs are a welcome new offering from the burger joint that provide much needed variety — and demonstrate the chain's interest in keeping an ear to the culinary ground while keeping up with the Zoomers. 

For a too-short while, America ran on coffee milk thanks to Dunkin's wildly popular seasonal drink, the Dunkalatte. The fall menu addition, which substituted regular milk for coffee milk in a classic latte, tasted closer to a morning milkshake than a regular brewed specialty beverage.

Coffee milk has been the official state beverage of Rhode Island since 1993, swirls together coffee-flavored syrup and cow's milk, creating a richer, more sugary drink that makes up in sweetness what it may lack in caffeine. When added to a latte, however, the double-mix of coffee results in an extra creamy, sweet and silky latte. It was so good, the East Coast chain quickly ran out of the hit beverage well before the anticipated end of the fall season. 

This isn't to say that the Dunkin' Dunkalatte will be gone forever. As the head of beverage culinary innovation told Food & Wine, the current goodbye is not a goodbye, "but a see you later," giving Rhode Islanders and new coffee milk lovers a small spot of hope. Still, even with its initial run cut short, the Dunkalatte gave a Northeast cult-following drink its moment in the sun.

Although the chain originated in Wichita, Kansas, Pizza Hut decided to take inspiration from the Windy City and a 100-year-old tavern tradition for its latest culinary creation. The Thin-Crust Tavern-Style Pizza has not only a very brittle crust and but also a specific shape. 

It's still a circular pie, but the Tavern-Style Pizza is cut up into smaller square pieces, numbering 16 in total. This is a configuration that became popular in Chicago bars in the 1930s and '40s, where it kept bar flies eating salty snack longer, and therefore, longer at the bar. Chicago's tavern style pizza is also an "if you know, you know" choice that's a winner amongst many a Windy Cindy native in lieu of the tourists-touted, deep dish crust. The added crunch of the thin-crust is a great party to the conversation.  

While the Thin-Crust Tavern-Style Pizza is available in Pesto Margherita, Spicy Chicken Sausage, Double Pepperoni, and The Ultimate — and all these pies received good reviews — it was the pepperoni that won over Tasting Table's reviewer. This version is topped with not one but two types of pepperoni — flat and cupping pepperonis — that balance out well with the sweeter flavor of the chain's marinara sauce.

While December is already deep into soup weather, Panera preempted the dark winter doldrums with a filling new classic: Hearty Fireside Chili. Featuring a blend of ground beef, kidney beans, green chili peppers, and fire-roasted tomatoes, the chili is a substantial offering from the fast-casual chain. The dish is not only packed with flavor but also 27 grams of protein to boot.

Chiles and cilantro add an extra kick to the broth, making this soup a bit on the brightly herbal and spicier side, a warmth that's often welcome in the colder months. The Hearty Fireside Chili also brings the heat to Panera's more mild menu, perfect for someone looking to add a little spice. Given that the fast casual chain already has an extensive soup menu, it would take a lot for a new addition to stand out from the pack. It's a shame that it is available for the winter only.

McDonald's collaborating with the producers of the hit anime series "Jujutsu Kaisen" was not on our 2024 bingo card, yet the unexpected partnership resulted in one of the more interesting fast food products of the year. Jujutsu Kaisen, a Japanese anime show that ended its 7-year run in the fall, follows a student named Yuji Itadori who ends up cursed, leading him to study magic. 

Thus, the fast food giant took inspiration from the "dark magic" aspect of the series for its limited edition Special Grade Garlic Sauce. This sauce is based on the flavor profile of McDonald's Black Garlic Sauce, sold in Japan. It combines garlic, soy sauce, and black garlic, a specific varietal that is fermented for a long period of time. The resulting combination is incredibly umami-forward yet still sweet, a salty, sticky sauce that pairs well with everything from a McDouble to McNuggets, even loaded fries.  

Not just a pack of flavor, the sauce inspired a new aesthetic choice for the global chain, too. For the duration of the collab, McDonald's Special Grade Garlic Sauce packets turned black to take on the supernatural atmosphere of the anime series. The pull-away tops featured eight different characters for fans of "Jujutsu Kaisen" to collect. Although it was only available for a limited time, the partnership demonstrated that McDonald's can still tap into the zeitgeist in more ways than one — and it can make a great garlicky sauce, too.

During the month of November, Baskin Robbins made it possible for us to have cheese and ice cream both for dessert with the satisfying flavor of the month, Brie My Guest. The luxe, unctuous ice cream got its inspiration from none other than a Thanksgiving cheese-board, bringing together both seasonal cheer and an unexpected ingredient pairing from a chain known more for classics. 

Brie My Guest mixes both Brie- and burrata-flavored ice cream to create an extra rich, slightly more tart base. Scattered throughout the mix are pieces of salty pistachios and nutty almonds, and apricot jam swirls give the already rich treat a refreshing stripe of sweetness. It's all the best elements of a cheese board scooped into one sweet and salty package. 

While some people might have been hesitant to try a cheese-based ice cream, our reviewer noted that both the richness and saltiness of the cheese mimicked a cheesecake consistency, and the different types of fat and salt from the pistachios made the contrast oh so delectable. That, and as the ice cream melted and blended more with the apricot swirls, the flavor became sweeter. Baskin Robbins' inventiveness — and excellent branding — certainly paid off with this surprising twist on an unsung holiday appetizer. 

It's hard to think that a grilled chicken sandwich could make much impact at a renowned fried chicken chain, yet a summertime addition to an already stacked menu managed to make quite the impression at Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A's Maple Pepper Bacon Sandwich, which features boneless chicken breast cooked with a lemon herb marinade, recalls the char of a grill, the citrus complementing the sharpness of the pepper jack cheese, sweet and spicy pickle chips, and romaine lettuce. The star of the show, however, is the brown sugar and pepper bacon, which adds extra richness to the juicy meat and cheese already stacked high. The maple and pepper rub gives the bacon an added crispiness, one that both offsets and heightens its fattiness. 

Yet Chick-fil-A didn't stop there. This menu item was engineered to both please and surprise. Chick-fil-A's Maple Pepper Bacon Sandwich sits on a brioche bun, which is filled with small pockets of maple syrup, adding little maple bursts to every bite. This level of detail, along with surprisingly good grilled chicken and strips of bacon, made this decadent sandwich one of Tasting Table's best-reviewed fast food items of the year.

Taco Bell decided the best sauces are, in fact, homemade. So it collaborated to bring one from the family of a rising pop star to its menu. The fast food chain partnered with Mexican-American musician Omar Apollo to bring his mother's hot sauce recipe to the masses, a decision that was music to our ears.

Dubbed Disha Hot Hot Sauce, the new addition to the chain's notorious sauce lineup features distilled white vinegar, red onion, habanero peppers, roasted tomatillos, lime juice, and a still-secret spice blend from Apollo's family that maintains its mystery to this day. Chile de árbol and jalapeños round out the spicy concoction, which our reviewer described as having a "quick, fiery kick that hits the back of the throat." It's an addition to the Taco Bell spice lineup that very quickly stole the spotlight.  

Since the sauce dropped in September, it quickly became a hit on the permanent menu — and amongst fans of Omar Apollo. Partnering with the singer and star of the new film "Queer" was a smart decision on Taco Bell's part, as the chain often cashes in on an easy price point and Gen-Z street cred. It goes to show that a little thinking outside the box is what keeps Taco Bell on top.

Yet another summer menu addition channeling the best of a backyard barbecue, the Shake Shack Smokey Classic BBQ Burger brought the brawny flavor profile of the grill to an already classic burger. A souped-up Shack Burger, the Smokey Classic BBQ Burger tops beef patty with a slice of American cheese, chunky pickle chips, and thick strips of bacon. What tipped this stacked sandwich over the edge into our best of the year choices was the pile of crispy onions and flavorful BBQ sauce on top, the texture of the onions adding a nice crunch with the romaine lettuce, too. 

Our writer described this combination of ingredients as a "welcome upgrade" to the usual Shack Burger, giving the chain a much needed dash of boldness and variety with a hit of nostalgia to boot. Sadly, this summertime hit came and went as part of the BBQ menu. Here's hoping the sandwich will reappear in the New Year — until then, our dreams are sizzling with the thought of juicy burgers on a summer afternoon.