The 10 Best Fast Food Collabs Of 2026 (So Far)

When collaboration works well, it's because both sides brought the best of what they had in order to achieve something great. Watson and Crick discovered the DNA helix. Rodgers and Hammerstein redefined the musical. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck hilariously hoodwinked Elmer Fudd a bunch of times. That elite level of cooperative spirit was evident in the fast food industry this past year.

2026 has seen some fascinating collaborations in the realm of fast food. A beloved, defunct dessert was the inspiration for retro-fare with a twist. Pop culture mega-properties and pop music mega-princesses alike joined forces with industry titans. Asian flavor worlds collided. A big food personality met a chicken icon. A candy favorite got the milkshake treatment. Beer made by football players somehow got mixed up with a pioneering burger operation. Basically, the world was turned upside down. And there's still a few months left in the year.

Presenting the top fast food collabs of 2026 (at least up until this point in time). The remainder of the year has a lot to live up to, if any more of these hope to join this heady list. Even if you are a sophisticated, refined, and discerning gourmand, abandon those overblown attributes for a few minutes. Embrace the fun and the junk-y.

It's hard to resist punnily calling this the hottest fast food collab of 2026, since it's definitely the spiciest one. That's because Buldak is involved. The South Korean brand has built an empire of heat on not only the sauce itself and all its varieties, but products that range from ramen to mac and cheese, dumplings to chips. Now, the Samyan Foods label can add the Dynamite Sweet & Sour Chicken from Panda Express to that roster of tongue-singeing with which 20-somethings and below have become enamored.

You can't ever say Panda Express is ignoring Generation Alpha with this one. You might even say that the largest Asian restaurant chain in the U.S. is baldly pandering to the younger demographic. "Created in partnership with Buldak, Gen Alpha's favorite Spicy Brand, this limited-time drop is designed to ignite taste buds from coast to coast," goes the company's press release for the nationwide collab meal. Nothing wrong with going for an audience, of course. And nothing wrong with bringing forth a spicy, tangy chicken meal to do so.

According to the reviews, the dish definitely brings the spice as promised. One YouTuber called it "stinging heat," while another YouTube review said it was "one of the hottest items I've ever had from a fast food place." A Redditor did express a common sentiment with the item, when they reminded that the spice level was relative to the cuisine. "I've had quite a few variations of the Buldak ramen but this was good spice for fast food which never delivers," they said, adding it was "worth an eat."

If at first a collab does succeed, then try, try again. The initial team-up between Taco Bell and artisanal ice cream maker Salt & Straw proved a rousing, throwback success. The unlikely power duo decided to resurrect — with some alteration — the much-yearned-for yet unceremoniously discontinued Choco Taco from Klondike. The result: the Tacolate, which ran for a limited time in-store at Taco Bell before taking up permanent residency in Salt & Straw's retail line.

2026 saw the next iteration: the Churro Ice Cream Taco. This take featured the famous waffle cone shell filled with churro-flavored ice cream and capped with puffed rice-speckled dark chocolate. The release promptly sold out at Taco Bells across the country. "Big time snack!" fist-pumped a Redditor. Plus, The Snackolator himself declared that the two parties crushed the collaboration. Few would disagree.

Not satisfied, Taco Bell's Live Más Cafés also featured the Salt & Straw Choco-Waffle Chiller – vanilla ice cream, blended together with churro and waffle cone flotsam and jetsam, encased in chocolate drip, topped with whipped cream. "I felt like this new drink option needed to be acknowledged," said one Redditor, who claimed not to have much of a sweet tooth. "If you have a live mas cafe nearby, I highly recommend giving it a try. honestly, it's f**king delicious." Even people who don't curse would agree with that.

Matty Matheson has fashioned himself into a kind of renaissance man. Well, if you count a renaissance man as doing two things really well (most of us are lucky to be doing one thing halfway decently). He's a chef and maker of yummy things, and he's an actor, starring for five seasons on "The Bear" — where he was also an executive producer. Okay, so that's three things.

Actually, let's make it four. Matheson is now a fast food maven. His much-hyped 2026 collab with KFC was one of the industry's highlights of the year. In the U.S., this featured Matty's Cheesy Nuggy Gravy Bowl which included fries, brown gravy, chicken nuggets, and cheese curds. The promotional roster essentially went three deep in Canada, with the Matty Melt Slider, the Matty Melt Chicken Sandwich, and the Matty Mega Melt Poutine. That last one was very appropriate for a proud Canadian like Matheson: fries, cheese curds, gravy, cheese sauce, caramelized onions, and popcorn chicken. Canadians could also get the Matty Mega Feast, which was a shareable smorgasbord of it all. Oh, and there was also a rotating, Matty-approved secret menu that was only on the KFC app. 

TikToker Tay Stanford wanted Matty's Cheesy Nuggy Gravy Bowl on the menu permanently, and several YouTube reviewers agreed that it was very tasty. "That is phenomenal," said one YouTube reviewer. "Absolutely phenomenal and spot on," another YouTuber agreed, with another saying "This is a very delicious meal."  Who knows if more Matheson-KFC collabs are on the horizon, but at least 2026 had one.

You didn't expect the Star Wars franchise to collab with, say, some indie Caribbean joint in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, did you? A pop culture leviathan like George Lucas' evergreen brainchild is only going to swim with fellow big fish. Burger King certainly qualifies as one of those big fish.

It's familiar territory for both brands, as Burger King first released promotional Star Wars cups way back in 1977, when the first movie premiered. There have been a number of others between then and now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 2026 saw the latest joining of the forces (force?), in the form of "The Mandalorian and Grogu" menu –- which coincided with the release of the film in May.

It featured the BBQ Bounty Whopper (Swiss, pickle chips, bacon, lettuce, tomato, creamy Bounty BBQ sauce — served in a helmet), Grogu's Blue Cookie Shake (soft serve swirled with blue cookie syrup and topped with blue cookies), Grogu's Garlic Chicken Fries (seasoned with parmesan and garlic, served with a garlic dipping sauce), and the Imperial Cheddar Ranch Tots (with melted cheddar, fluffy potatoes, and ranch). The Bounty Bundle was a combo with all four menu items, and there were four collectible cups to satisfy the merch haul.

It might be too on the nose to think that the best food collab for Pokémon would be a poke chain. There are also very few of those with a profile high enough for the absurdly popular, Pikachu-centric, Japanese character world. Instead, Pokémon opted for one of the top dining brands in America (according to YouGov): donut power player Krispy Kreme.

The Pokémon Doughnut Collection, released in August, 2026, consisted of six character snacks commemorating three decades of the franchise: Bulbasaur (vanilla flavored icing), Charmander (caramel icing, chocolate marshmallow filling), Squirtle (cotton candy-flavored buttercream), Pikachu (lemon-flavored Kreme, topped with nonpareils), Jigglypuff (strawberry-flavored buttercream), and a Poké Ball (vanilla icing, chocolate drizzle, sprinkles). There's also the gold-glazed Dots in special edition acrylic cups, each featuring one of the aforementioned characters.

People's favorites of the bunch seemed to vary. TikToker Alex Ketchem thought the Pikachu was far and away the best; while both a tech blogger and a gaming blogger felt that Charmander reigned supreme — among myriad other review results. A diverse opinion pool can mean there is something for everybody. Krispy Kreme may be trying to finish 2026 strong, with a late September release of Churro Doughnut Dots, but this collab alone makes it a solid year for the company.

A young, gifted pop star like Olivia Rodrigo can do whatever she wants right now and her fan base will be right there with her. She, herself, has called this collab her "crowning career achievement" on Instagram. As tongue in cheek as that claim may have been, it certainly didn't stop the army of Livies from running to Taco Bell for a taste of this team-up.

The creation that came about was a soft drink: You Seem Pretty Pink For a Baja Blast. It became an obsession for at least one reviewer in this esteemed publication. No surprise, since Rodrigo is one of those music stars who sparks obsession. Coinciding with the release of her album, "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So In Love," the refreshment is a combination of Mountain Dew Baja Blast and pink lemonade. Simple, straightforward, delish.

But don't just take love-blind Livies' words for it — including one on Olivia Rodrigo Reddit who gave it a, yes, 10 stars out of five (no, that was not typed backwards). Middle-aged male Instagrammer-slash food reviewer Chris Frezza enjoyed the heck out of it, swooning, "Oh, Olivia" after a few sips. It may be a relatively safe collab, but a good one nonetheless.

Not satisfied with just one major entertainment brand collab, Burger King went all in with another global phenomenon. This time it was one of the iconic names in anime, Dragon Ball Super, and it yielded the Dragon Ball Super Power Up Pack. This wasn't just a typical Happy Meal-style merch giveaway. There was actual foodstuff to come of this combo order.

Specifically, it was a 10-piece chicken nugget complete with the new Super Saiyan sauce, which is a teriyaki-like sauce that brings some tang, some zest, and some sweetness. Accompanying that was the Dragon Ball Burst Lemonade — a mango peach lemonade with mango boba — as well as a medium fries and a Dragon Ball Super figure (hey, we didn't say there was no merch involved).

The promotion came along with a retooling of Burger King's nuggets, which seems to have impressed so far since the September, 2026 release. YouTuber Nanogenix, for one, was a big fan of both the new nuggets and the tangy Saiyan Sauce. Fellow YouTube omnipresence casualgamerreed also gave the Saiyan Sauce a highly positive review. There was more than a shameless cash grab here. There was some pretty good eats, too.

Nerds candy first debuted in 1983 under the Willy Wonka label, became a runaway hit almost immediately, and has been a sweets aisle mainstay ever since. Zaxbys, for its part, began in 1990 as a gamble by two friends in Statesboro, Georgia, who opened up a chicken fingers-centric eatery. The chain has grown steadily over the past three decades, passing 1,000 locations in 2026. Zaxbys also marked this milestone year with a collab with the elder, heavyweight brand that is Nerds — and nobody complained about that.

Especially when Zaxbys added the tangy pellets to its already popular strawberry milkshake. The Nerds Strawberry Milkshake is spun by hand while being mixed with Rainbow Nerds, which is then topped with the same Rainbow Nerds, as well as Nerds Gummy Clusters, whipped cream, and, naturally, a cherry.

One Instagrammer voice-over'd that the treat "tastes absolutely delicious." Our old friend Snackolator was certainly loving it, calling it "everything you'd want" on Facebook. To be fair (and to give credit to both Zaxbys and Nerds), this is a bit of a can't-miss. How could it possibly go wrong, really? It's not like you're experimenting with imitation crab meat in a milkshake. This was a no-brainer collab — or at least a why-on-earth-not.

One of these collaborators needs no introduction. The other, possibly. White Castle is one of the founding fathers of American fast food. Garage Beer, on the hand, started out life as a label of Kentucky-based Braxton Brewing Company. Although a popular local brand, it wasn't until Garage Beer was repurposed and relaunched in 2023, and after two famous football brothers, Travis and Jason Kelce, became co-owners, that the brew was sent into another stratosphere.

Fast forward three years later, and an iconic burger chain came a-calling. The result: White Castle beer cheese that's nothing short of a royal treat. The lineup showcasing the suds-infused queso included the Garage Beer Cheese Sausage Slider (a grilled, split, smoked mini-sausage link, dressed with the cheese and topped with caramelized onions), Pretzel Nibblers with Garage Beer Cheese (fried, dippable, and re-dippable), and Garage Beer Cheese Fries (crinkle-cut, of course).

"Honestly one of the best fast food items I've had in a long time," raved a Redditor, regarding the sausage slider. "Definitely give it a try!" Oh, folks have. Like this Facebooker, who may or may not have gotten down on their knees: "I genuinely pray that is still on the menu on the regular." YouTuber KingSchratz gave the nibblers an eight out 10, citing the beer cheese as the main reason for the high marks. Heck, you could probably put that stuff on an end-zone pylon and it would make a solid snack.

Who would've thought a pharmaceutically manufactured caffeinated beverage popular with cab drivers in 1970s Thailand would go on to be the most dominant energy drink in the world, while creating a global corporate empire that includes media, elite soccer, and Formula 1 racing? It's only natural then that Red Bull, this Thai-born, Austrian-made business kraken, would team up with the most famous fast food entity in history.

In a move that was either accidentally on-brand, purposely subliminal, or both, the McDonald's Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer does remind one of the Golden Arches' famous purple mascot, the endearing, laundry pile-shaped Grimace. Mickey D's first-ever energy drink collab is, according to its press release, "a bold, fruit-forward sip that's as vibrant as it is energizing."

The beverage — at least when first poured — may have a neat, delineated, golden-ratio look, but do people like it? Yeah, they seem to. "Really good flavor," according to a popular gaming YouTuber upon first sip: "That's really good." Another called it a "very tasty situation." Obviously, the caffeine hit is ever-present, which is the most welcome part for a groggy soul. The item was such a hit that it has spawned homemade copycats. Wonder where Red Bull is going to slap its ubiquitous brand next? The American flag? The Great Pyramid of Giza? Oxygen itself?

Utilizing a mix of reviews on social media and the blogosphere, along with the general degree of virality for each collab, I did my best to ascertain which were the top of the team-ups in 2026. Hype was a big factor in these decisions, but hype had to be met in some form. No one likes unmet hype — unless you're one of those people who enjoys hate-watching the world at large. If so, you wouldn't be alone.

One criterion was that the collaboration had to be more than just merchandise, e.g. a Happy Meal toy, a commemorative drinking vessel, a t-shirt, whatever. There had to be an actual, novel menu item as a result (and it had to be a stateside promotion, which unfortunately disqualified the amazingly insane Simpsons-KFC collaboration that was limited to Portugal and Spain). Also, it had to happen in 2026, if that wasn't obvious already.