Culver's Finally Brought Back Its Iconic CurderBurger — With A Change Not Every Fan Is Ready For

One of Culver's most-loved menu items actually got its start as an April Fool's joke. The CurderBurger was a fake item posted to the chain's social media on April 1, 2021, that consisted of nothing more than a single supersized cheese curd on a bun. It was subsequently added to the menu as a limited-time offering, albeit with the addition of a hamburger patty. The annual return of the CurderBurger is once again upon us, as it coincides with "Curdtoberfest," a month-long Culver's celebration dedicated to all things cheese curd. This year's CurderBurger, which dropped on September 28, looks — and tastes — a little different than previous versions. The 2026 incarnation is a Smoked Cheddar CurderBurger which, as per the name, has a curd made from smoked cheese.

How could anyone possibly object to a smoky upgrade? Well, one Reddit user found a way. "Really disappointing. I'm not sure why they felt the need to change the curd to smoked cheddar, but it completely changes the flavor (and not for the better). The original was one of my favorite limited time items, so this feels like a pretty big downgrade," they complained. A handful of commenters agreed, with one writer sharing, "I am similar where I look forward to the curderburger and this year was SO disappointing. This is by far the WORST smoky flavor I have had. What a let down." Another stated, "I hate smoked foods, so this is a no go for me."

Culver's Smoked Cheddar CurderBurger haters, however, seem to be in the minority. Other comments on the aforementioned r/Culvers thread were quite enthusiastic about this year's version. "Smoked cheddar? You've sold me on it, I probably wouldn't have got one otherwise lol," wrote one person, while someone else added, "As a regular curd burger hater I kinda liked this new one." A Culver's employee also chimed in: "As someone that has worked during all of the Curder Burger [sic] promotions, I think this is the best version. [...] the smoky flavor is a very nice touch. I'd say it was the best Curder Burger I've had!"

On an r/fastfood thread, comments were also positive. As one person's capsule review noted, "It was really good imo. Patty was thicker than last years and I enjoyed the smoked cheese. Would eat again." Another concurred. "The smoked cheese had good flavor ... it was good and I'll definitely get it again," they wrote.

If you're on Team Smoked Cheese, be aware that you only have a month to try the new CurderBurger, and there's no knowing whether this particular version will ever return. Sure, you can always make a DIY CurderBurger by piling an order of Culver's cheese curds atop your ButterBurger, but the curds won't be smoked. Nor will they be spicy, since Culver's Jalapeño Cheese Curds are also a Curdtoberfest-only item. Of course, Culver's has proved amenable to customer suggestions before, as witness the fact that the CurderBurger exists IRL for one month out of the year. If we keep nagging, perhaps smoked cheddar curds could be a regular menu addition or, at least, a recurring one.