Review: Burger King's New Nuggets Impress, But The Sauces Fall Flat

Burger King has been on a mission to reinvigorate the brand and remain relevant in a competitive industry. Some of the actions it has taken include retiring the King mascot, offering a Whopper guarantee, and overhauling menu items. It also launched a listening initiative where it gave the public the telephone number for president Tom Curtis and encouraged customers to text or call to share their thoughts on the Burger King experience. The company promised that Curtis would personally answer as many calls as possible and the feedback would be used to inform decisions across the business.

Customers made it clear they were not fans of the nuggets, and they are the most recent menu item to get an overhaul. According to a Burger King press release, customers had plenty of choice words to describe the nuggets, including "dry," "rubbery," and "disappointing." "We take Guest feedback seriously, and when we received thousands of texts, calls, and comments telling us our nuggets needed a total overhaul, we listened," said Amy Alarcon, the head chef of Burger King in the U.S. and Canada.

The big day finally arrived on September 1, 2026, and The Takeout was one of the first in line to try the new product. Based on the August press release and accompanying pictures, we'd decided that Burger King's new nuggets resemble those from McDonald's, but there was no way to tell for sure without tasting them. We ordered a 10-piece — enough to have two nuggets with each of the four available dipping sauces (including a new Savory Sauce, plus three revamped ones) — and found a corner booth to put them to the test.

For this analysis, we used a simple taste test. We didn't attend a media event or setup a tasting in advance because we wanted to know we were getting the same nuggets served to the general public. We ordered a 10-piece nugget serving — enough to have two plain and then two with each of the four dipping sauces. Since Burger King promised a complete overhaul of the nuggets, we critiqued them on flavor, texture, nutritional values, appearance, and value.

We were the first people in line when the restaurant transitioned from the breakfast to lunch menu. And the only person in line at the off-peak time of 10:30 a.m. This meant we were the first order of nuggets sold to the public at this location and they were prepared when the kitchen was not attempting to juggle multiple orders. We ate the two plain nuggets first so we could get a feel for the pure nuggets before pairing them with sauces. We used two nuggets with each sauce, then rinsed our mouth with water before moving on to the next one.

According to chef Amy Alarcon, Burger King completely redesigned its Chicken Nuggets. "Our culinary team evaluated every element of the experience, from the chicken and breading to the sauces that bring it all together," she said. The result was a recipe featuring a crispier tempura-style breading, a revamped marinade, and brand new packaging. It sounded good on paper, but the only way to know was to sample an order.

The nuggets were served in a rectangular cardboard box (announcing the new recipe features 100% white meat), and had a crispy brown crust that looked appetizing. With my first bite, I was impressed by how juicy and flavorful the Chicken Nuggets were. It was certainly a jump up from what Burger King used to serve. The all white meat chicken was tender, but had enough chewiness that it felt like eating real meat rather than a mystery concoction. The marinade added enough flavor that I didn't miss adding sauce to the first two nuggets and was able to enjoy them plain.

With beef prices soaring in 2026, it's a good time for restaurants to feature poultry. While Burger King only cited customer feedback as the motivation for overhauling the nuggets, it makes good business sense too. The new Burger King nuggets have the quality to compete in a crowded market that includes not only other chains but also the nugget options available in the grocery store.

The Special Savory Sauce is a limited time release to accompany the new nuggets. The press release described it as "combining creamy, tangy and lightly spicy flavors with hints of BBQ seasoning, ketchup, garlic, onion, and black pepper." That's a hodgepodge of flavors that had me curious (and slightly excited) to see how it actually tasted.

The sauce was a light orange color with a creamy texture that resembled that of a mayonnaise-based condiment. There was nothing wrong with the sauce, but it was underwhelming with ketchup as the dominant flavor. There was also a detectable amount of barbecue sauce, but not much of the advertised tang. I found the sauce to be too subtle for the nugget. A dash of hot sauce would have helped, but I didn't add any. This wasn't my favorite sauce for nuggets, but when I finished the meal with a side of small fries, this is the sauce I kept dipping into.

The Honey Mustard Sauce is described as a richer, creamier version of the original. The ingredient list was longer than our simple three-ingredient honey mustard and the primary components were soybean oil, sugar, water, vinegar, honey, and mustard seed. The sauce was bright yellow with a slight layer of oil shimmering on the surface. It had a luscious texture that matched the rich and creamy description in the press release.

The Dijon flavor was more pronounced than honey, and somewhat overpowering. The sauce was less sweet than I expected, especially considering that sugar was the second ingredient listed on the label. While I appreciated it not being sickeningly sweet, a bit more honey would have been welcome. The Honey Mustard Sauce was more bland than what I was anticipating. Creamy mustard would be a more apt name. Traditional honey mustard purists might feel the way I did, but Dijon lovers are likely to be fans.

The press release promised buttery richness and savory garlic notes in the revamped Buffalo Sauce. It also said the sauce had "just the right amount of heat." That's a subjective way of saying things, especially to a spice lover like me. Typically, I find that "just the right amount of heat" at a fast food restaurant is a few rungs lower on the Scoville scale than I would prefer. However, when I saw cayenne pepper sauce listed as the third ingredient on the package, my hopes lifted that this might have the kick of spice I wanted.

It didn't, but despite the lack of heat, the Buffalo Sauce was my favorite in the lineup. It had a light orange color and was thinner than the creamy Honey Mustard and Special Savory Sauces. There was a roasted garlic flavor in the sauce that added a pleasant depth. While the Buffalo Sauce was thinner by comparison, it was more than thick enough to coat a nugget without dripping. I would have preferred more heat, but the savory elements of the sauce compensated and this is the one I would order again.

The Sweet and Sour Sauce was described as "blending sweet pineapple flavor with tangy notes and a savory finish." Interestingly, pineapple was nowhere to be found on the ingredient list. Sugar was listed as the primary ingredient, followed by water, vinegar, and cayenne pepper.

The texture of the Sweet and Sour was quite different from the others. Instead of being creamy, it was stickier, like a thin jam. I was concerned it was too thin for the nugget and leaned forward when I took a bite to make sure not to drizzle the red sauce down the front of my white shirt, but the scientists at Burger King knew what they were doing and not a single drop dripped from the nugget. The sauce was sweeter than I wanted, but still tasty, and I happily dunked my second nugget into the container to get an extra-large second serving.

Burger King's Chicken Nuggets probably aren't going to earn the restaurant the Michelin star it once campaigned for, but they are a big upgrade from the previous ones and stand toe-to-toe with other fast food chains. Those who have written the nuggets off based on previous experience are going to want to give Burger King another shot. The revamped nuggets were crispy, flavorful, and juicy.

The four sauces on offer were the least impressive part of the meal. The creamy texture, especially in the Savory and Honey Mustard Sauces, hinted at the elevated experience Burger King was striving for, but the flavor was nothing special. None of the sauces were bad enough to detract from the nuggets, but they didn't add much, either. A simple ketchup or plain barbecue would have been just fine, and honestly, the nuggets are good enough on their own that they don't require a sauce.

The new nuggets debuted at Burger King locations nationwide on September 1, 2026. Prices can vary by location, but a 10-piece cost $3.99 at the location we visited in Austin, Texas. The largest size on the menu was a 20-piece that cost $7.69. There wasn't a price listed for the sauces. We were expecting a couple of complimentary sauces, but weren't going to be surprised if there was an extra charge when we requested all four. However, there was no charge for any of the sauces. We don't know if that is typical Burger King policy or if it was just our lucky day. (We were also offered a free cardboard crown, which we declined.)

While most nutritionists would probably not label deep-fried nuggets as health food, there is a noticeable improvement in the nutritional values compared to the previous crown nuggets. The revamped nuggets are lower in calories, cholesterol, and fat, plus they contain more protein and fiber. However, nutritionally, the nuggets are more or less in line with its closest competitor. Compared to McDonald's, Burger King nuggets are higher in calories (220 in a four-piece from Burger King compared to 170 at McDonald's) and fat (13 grams versus 10 grams), but also contain more protein (11 grams versus 9 grams) and fiber (4 grams versus 0 grams).