Fast Food's Best New Menu Items Of September 2026

If the prospect of icing your friends on Labor Day weekend and then spending the month carefully comparing Starbucks and Dunkin' pumpkin spice lattes isn't enough to get us all revved up about September, then the slew of additions to fast food menus around the country surely will. Although there's a lot to sink our teeth into or slurp down, a few stragglers could well join the party. That's because rumors of the first collab between Burger King and Dragonball Z in 30 years have been flying, with a new drink and a special sauce expected to be among the line-up (though we can't confirm that at this time).

Likewise, we're keeping our fingers crossed that the Ghost Pepper Whopper also puts in an appearance at Burger King this fall, alongside the widely anticipated return of McDonald's Spicy Chicken McNuggets — but we'll believe them all when we eat them. In the meantime, here's our round-up of the best new items that are on fast food menus for September. As always, prices and availability were correct at the time of writing, but if there's something you really have to try, check with your local restaurant to ensure they're still on the menu.

Fans on social media can spend years mourning long after fast food restaurants discontinue particular meals. Sometimes, that can prompt a corporate change of heart, and that's exactly what happened with Buffalo Wild Wings' limited-time Throwback Menu. It launched on August 19 and is bursting with beloved B-Dubs items harking back to the early 2000s, including garlic mushrooms, thick-cut Buffalo chips, mini corn dogs, and beef on weck sliders. Who said time travel wasn't possible?

We suggested salted caramel syrup as a way to add flavor to a pumpkin spice latte, but McDonald's has already embraced that theme and run with it. The latest addition to its menu is the Caramel Apple Pie coffee, which comes with a crumbled apple pie topping as well as salted caramel-flavored whipped cream (be still, our beating hearts). It comes as a frappe, an iced coffee, and both an iced and hot latte. Get your hands on this cozy cupful while you can!

Chick-fil-A has spent the whole of 2026 (so far) giving the past a tasty twist with its Newstalgia campaign, and September sees the Chicken & Waffles breakfast sando join the party. Described as a "waffle lot to love," it includes juicy fried chicken, smoked applewood bacon, and honey butter spread sitting between a pair of maple-flavored waffles. The limited-time offer also includes new additions, namely the S'mores frosted coffee and S'mores milkshake, to make starting the day tastier than ever.

Under normal circumstances, DQ would have us at the return of its Pumpkin Pie Blizzard Treat, but September sees it joined by two stellar newcomers. The Brown Sugar Cookie Dough Blizzard Treat is a soft-serve confection that, once tasted, can't be beaten, in our humble opinion. If that doesn't float your boat, give the Toasted Marshmallow Mocha DQ Coffee Cooler a whirl. It comes ice-cupscaped and is heavy on the cocoa fudge.

If you were blown away by this summer's Ranch shmear, hold onto your hats, because Einstein Bros. has potentially gone one better. After seven long years, it's finally brought back the Pumpkin Bagel & Pumpkin Shmear (insert wild cheering across the country here), but that's not all! The seasonal menu also includes the Pull-Apart Bagel & Shmear -– a snip at just $3 -– which comes in the moreish Cinnamon Sugar and Pumpkin Crunch flavors.

Arguably among the cutest menu items of September 2026 are Krispy Kreme's Pokémon doughnuts, which mark 30 years of the iconic animation. The colorful, six-strong collection features the likes of Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Jigglypuff, as well as yummy flavors such as cotton candy and chocolate toasted marshmallow. The Dots are getting in on the limited-time action too. They've had a golden glow-up and come in five collectible, reusable cups. Gotta catch 'em all!

There's no escaping the wave of nostalgia this September, though Taco Bell isn't turning back time quite as far as some places. We enjoyed them the first time round and are stoked that the Decades #TBTB menu, which whisks us to 2016, features the Beefy Crunch Burrito, the Naked Chicken Chalupa, the Caramel Apple Empanada, and the Meximelt. The limited-time menu is bolstered by lots of extras, including an interactive in-app scavenger hunt-style experience, running until September 14.

We love a foodie trend (though we can honestly say this one isn't included), so when Subway lifted the lid on its Hot Honey Signature Swicy Collection, we were in! The additions include Doritos Hot Honey Nachos that can be topped with cheese, steak, or chicken, as well as a Hot Honey Italian sub — think Italian-style provolone with salami and pepperoni — and the Hot Honey Turkey Italiano sub, which has all the same ingredients plus turkey on top. The swicy trio is available until October 26, but don't hang around, or you'll miss out.