Some fast food items, like the Whopper and Chicken McNuggets, are favourites that are here to stay. But each year a few new contenders enter the ring and tempt customers with fresh flavors, twists on classics and, occasionally, innovations that make you wonder how you ever lived without them. From Pret A Manger’s Meatless Meatballs and Dairy Queen’s reinvented burger menu to McDonald’s ‘secret’ menu hacks, read on for some of the new fast food items available in the US that we can’t wait to try.

Wendy’s has introduced two new chicken sandwiches that balance heat and sweet with honey and habanero. Added to the chain’s ‘Made to Crave’ menu across the US from February 2022, there’s a Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit on the breakfast menu and a Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich on the all-day menu. The latter is topped with melted pepper Jack cheese, three strips of applewood-smoked bacon, crispy pickle chips and a drizzle of hot, peppery honey.

Shake Shack has shaken up its menu by adding a bit of buffalo spice to some of its favourites. The Buffalo Spiced Cheese Fries, shown top right in this photo, are sure to become a new favourite, taking the classic crinkle-cut fries and adding cheese sauce and a dusting of peppery, subtly spicy and garlicky buffalo spice. You can also have your fries ‘dusted’ without the cheese sauce (shown bottom left).

A twist on the chain’s Chicken Shack burger, the star of the new buffalo range – launched in January 2022 – is the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. A chicken breast is cooked in a sous vide for tender, moist meat before being breaded and fried, smothered in the company’s proprietary buffalo sauce and topped off with ranch sauce. It’s served on a toasted potato bun with pickles and shredded lettuce.

Subway has been busy updating its menus recently and one of the latest sandwiches added to its repertoire is this refreshingly light and simple combination. The Baja Turkey Avocado, added to US menus nationwide in early 2022, layers oven-roasted turkey and smashed avocado on multi-grain bread with lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers and red onion. It’s finished with a drizzle of chipotle sauce for a smoky, subtly spicy flavour.

Pret A Manger already has a Vegan Meatball Wrap on its menu in the UK and, in January 2022, the chain brought its first plant-based ‘meat’ option to US branches. The Meatless Meatball Wrap (pictured, center) uses plant-based meatballs from Meatless Farm, combined with roasted vegetables and marinara sauce. There are more than 40 US locations in New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC.

Love this? Follow our Pinterest page for more food inspiration

The battle for the best chicken sandwich has been going on for some time, much to the delight of fans of the crisp and tender fast food item. Now Chicken n' Biscuits – the online-only fast food company from Cracker Barrel – has entered the fray with its Homestyle Chicken Sandwich. The enormous hunk of hand-breaded fried chicken is topped with pickles and mayonnaise, and served in a brioche bun. It’s available at 400 locations across the US via food delivery apps.

Dairy Queen has described its March 2022 burger shake-up as its biggest menu overhaul in nearly 20 years. The chain, founded in 1940, has launched five new Signature Stackburgers. Each has two patties and, the company says, “go beyond typical cheeseburgers”. Among the fresh fast food offerings is this Two Cheese Deluxe, with melted sharp American and white Cheddar cheeses, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and mayo.

We think the Loaded A.1. – another of the revamped Signature Stackburgers – looks especially tempting. Also with two beef patties, this new favourite has a thick, creamy steak sauce and peppercorn sauce, and is piled high in its bun with applewood-smoked bacon, melted sharp American cheese and crisp onion rings.  The other two new burgers are the Original Cheeseburger and the FlameThrower, with a spicy sauce, melted pepper Jack cheese and jalapeño bacon.

Find the best burger and fries in every state

The latest menu additions from McDonald’s are a little different. For a start, you have to build these yourself. The Menu Hacks, launched in January 2022, feature four new build-your-own creations that have long been loved by fans. The difference now is that, at restaurants across the US, you can ask for these by name and you’ll be provided with the necessary components. Perhaps the simplest is the Hash Brown McMuffin, which involves no more than adding a hash brown to a sausage and egg McMuffin.

Another of McDonald’s new Menu Hacks, the Land, Air & Sea is the ultimate for those who can’t decide what type of burger they feel like. Ask for this in a US location and you’ll be given a McChicken, Big Mac and Filet-O-Fish, ready to stack together. Getting your mouth round it might be a little tricky. The final two ‘secret’ combos are the Crunchy Double – Chicken McNuggets nestled in a Double Cheeseburger with Tangy Barbecue Sauce drizzled inside – and the Surf + Turf, a Filet-O-Fish stacked on a Double Cheeseburger.

Hot dog chain Wienerschnitzel rolled out its range of Veggie Dogs in early 2022, following successful trials in some parts of the US. The sausages are made from pea protein, with the same spices as the company’s signature beef hot dogs added, and are smoked over hardwood. Find them in three styles: Backyard (with American cheese and tomatoes), Barbeque (with a barbecue sauce and diced onions) and Chicago (with tomatoes, sport peppers, onions, relish, and celery salt). Each has a pickle spear and mustard too.

These are America's best hot dog joints

There are certain ingredients that seem to make everything taste better and, for many people, bacon and cheese would be top of that list. Zaxby’s has just added both to its Signature Sandwich to make the Signature Club Sandwich, available across the US from March 2022. Specifically, the fried chicken burger now has two slices of bacon, American cheese and a choice of house or spicy sauce.

Hamburger chain Smashburger added a few delicious sounding (and looking) new items to its US-wide menu in March 2022, including two new styles of chicken tenders: Adult and Scorchin’ Hot. Inspired by the success of 2021 launch, the Scorchin' Hot Crispy Chicken Sandwich, the tenders are made with white meat and come in a crispy coating with a choice of dipping sauce. The hot version has added spicy seasoning.

Smashburger’s other exciting news is the nationwide roll-out of the Colorado Burger which had previously only been available in the Centennial State. The sandwich has one or two patties made with certified Angus beef and is topped with grilled Anaheim chillies, melted aged Cheddar, pepper Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo. It comes in a spicy toasted chipotle bun.

These are the most iconic fast food items in history

Better known for its doughnuts and coffee, Dunkin’ has recently made more of a foray into savoury snacks. It launched two new non-sweet treats in January 2022: a cheese and onion flavour of its already popular Stuffed Bagel Minis and brand-new Omelet Bites. The latter come in pairs and are available in either bacon and Cheddar (pictured) or egg white and veggie, made with tomato, spinach and a four-cheese blend.

It’s been a long time coming but KFC finally launched its Beyond Fried Chicken across the US in early 2022, although still with the caveat that this is for a limited time and while supplies last. The chicken chain has trialled the vegan pieces, developed by Beyond Meat, in Nashville, Tennessee and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as parts of California. Customers can purchase six or 12 of the nuggets paired with a choice of dipping sauces.

Chipotle launched a series of vegan and vegetarian ‘lifestyle bowls’ in early 2022, featuring a plant-based chorizo previously trialled in Denver, Colorado and Indianapolis, Indiana. The Vegan Bowl combines the garlicky, smoky meat alternative with rice, black beans, corn salsa, tomato salsa and lettuce, while the Vegetarian Bowl (pictured) adds cheese. There’s also a Whole30 Salad Bowl with the chorizo, super greens salad, tomato salsa, fajita veggies and guacamole.

Torchy’s Tacos debuted its vegan MoFaux tacos at select locations in 2021 and rolled them out nationwide as of February 2022. The star is Cowboy-Style Beyond Beef, which has a similar texture to ground beef and is topped with a spicy, zingy combination of green chillies, grilled corn, peppers, avocado, coriander and Diablo Sauce. Served on a corn tortilla, it’s already winning fans with its big, bold flavours.

Torchy’s Tacos has brought a few new treats to its menus, including a Grande Burrito Bowl – all the loveliness of the chain’s burritos without the tortillas – and churros. One of the most exciting for fans, however, is the Tipsy Chick taco, a favourite that occasionally popped up as a special and is now a permanent fixture at all Torchy’s locations. Marinated, grilled chicken breast, spinach, grilled corn, green chillies, Cheddar cheese and chipotle sauce are wrapped in a flour tortilla and served with a side of bacon bourbon marmalade.

Sub chain Blimpie rolled out two new tasty chicken sandwiches in April 2022, each combining Southern-style sweet and spicy flavours. Its Sweet BBQ Chicken, pictured, is filled with roast chicken breast tossed in barbecue sauce and layered with Cheddar, spinach and red onions. The Nashville Hot Chicken mimics those iconic flavours with a Nashville hot sauce, Swiss cheese, coleslaw, pickles and ranch dressing. They’re initially available until 4 July 2022.

Find the best sub sandwich store in every state

El Pollo Loco is, of course, best known for chicken but its latest offering moves away from that – and is proving hugely popular. Added to menus in early 2022, the chain’s Shredded Beef Birria is available in several ways. Customers can order it in a quesadilla, burrito or crunchy tacos, each with lots of lovely bits like cheese, sour cream and beans. Each is served with a dipping sauce made with reduced beef broth.

Baja Fresh is also bringing the birria, adding a taco stuffed with marinated steak to its menus nationwide until 10 July 2022. The Birria Taco Combo consists of two chilli-soaked corn tortillas stuffed with the birria, cheese, salsa, onion and coriander. It comes with a chilli-infused beef broth consommé for dipping, plus rice and black or pinto beans. The Mexican-style chain has also added a churro with dulce de leche sauce.

Discover these fascinating fast food facts

Smoothie King launched its new line of high-protein drinks aimed at the workout market in January. The new for 2022 Activator Recovery Smoothies are packed with protein, coconut water and fruit, and have zero added sugar. Available in several flavours – blueberry strawberry, strawberry banana, blueberry tart cherry and pineapple spinach – they’re designed to be consumed after exercise to aid recovery.

Sister drive-thru restaurants Checkers and Rally’s have brought a tempting new burger to locations across the US. The chain, which operates under the two names but shares a menu, introduced the Bistro Buford in April 2022. This beast of a burger is stacked up with two large beef patties, two rashers of bacon, melted slices of Swiss cheese, a Dijon mayonnaise sauce and crispy Parmesan-dusted onions. It comes in a toasted bun.

Another newbie from Checkers and Rally’s is its Fry-Seasoned Tenders. The chain, based in Florida and with restaurants in nearly 30 states, is known for its crave-worthy seasoned fries, and adds the signature combination of zesty, peppery flavours to these chicken tenders. The white meat is encased in a crisp batter infused with the fry seasoning, with the tenders available in three, five or eight pieces and served with a dipping sauce.

Chicken sandwich fans are in luck again, with Panera Bread launching its contender in March 2022. The Chef’s Chicken Sandwich is available nationwide in two flavours: signature and spicy. Each features a chicken breast fillet seasoned with proprietary spice blend and seared, topped with aioli and Parmesan crisps or – for the spicy – crispy pickle chips and a spicy buffalo sauce. The bakery and café chain also launched a Citrus Asian Crunch Salad and Thai Chicken Soup in early 2022.

Find the best chicken sandwich in your state

This new chicken sandwich from Wings Over looks like a sort of twisted toaster, and its unusual look is all part of the appeal. The wings chain, based on the East Coast, launched the sandwich nationwide right at the end of 2021. It starts with a split-top toasted and buttered bun, with a breaded and fried chicken tender popped inside and drizzled with ranch or blue cheese dressing. There’s a choice of 25 flavours for the chicken.

Lovers of rich, oozy, barbecued flavours will adore Burger King’s Whopper Melt. Rolled out across the US in March 2022, it stands out from other burgers from the chain because it has two slices of golden, toasted bread in place of the usual split bun. In between are two Whopper Jr. patties, melted American cheese, caramelised onions and Stacker Sauce. There’s also a spicy version, with jalapeños and a creamy, spicy sauce, and one with bacon.

Available in the UK from July 26, 2022, the Gourmet Farmhouse Burger will join Burger King's Gourmet Kings line-up. The burger patty is made from 100% British and Irish Aberdeen Angus beef, and topped with melted oak smoked Cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, pink pickled onion and a generous swirl of signature toasted onion sauce. Housed in a brioche bun, this is a complete feast of a burger.

Also launching alongside the Gourmet Kings Farmhouse Burger is Burger King's Loaded Fries. The new loaded fries are topped with a generous helping of BK's own creamy, indulgent cheese sauce and sprinkled with crispy bacon bits. The fries will also be available to order without bacon bits, making them vegetarian-friendly. 

The Big Mac is a McDonald's menu staple all around the world, but the fast food giant will be putting a big twist on the classic in menu trials in the US. Trading the signature beef patties for crispy battered chicken, the Chicken Big Mac will be available in select locations in August of 2022. This comes after a hugely successful trial run in the UK, where the Chicken Big Mac was available in two limited runs, and sold out both times. It is unknown whether the burger will return to the UK or become a permanent menu item in the US but, for now, you can get your hands on one at locations across Miami, Florida. 

The new Papa Bowls from Papa John's are essentially just that: a bowl full of your favourite Papa John's pizza toppings without the pizza base. Perfect if you want a lighter meal, are avoiding carbs or staying away from gluten, the Papa Bowls come in three 'flavors': Italian Meats Trio (pictured), Chicken Alfredo, and vegetarian option Garden Party, but you can also build your own bowl. The Papa Johns Senior Vice President of Menu Strategy and Product Innovation stated that: "Our signature crust continues to be a beloved favorite, but we know that sometimes customers crave something different. We want them to know we are committed to delivering on all of those cravings through our menu." 

Now read about the fast food chains with big plans for 2022