McDonald’s has built one of the most recognizable menus in fast food, and for good reason. The fries, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, McNuggets, Egg McMuffin, and McGriddle are familiar comfort foods for millions of customers. Even when people complain about prices, lines, or changing tastes, there is still something powerful about knowing exactly what you are going to get when you pull into the drive-thru.
Still, part of the fun of McDonald’s is imagining what else could work on the menu. Over the years, the chain has tried limited-time items, discontinued fan favorites, and regional offerings that customers still talk about long after they disappear. Some of those items were probably too complicated to keep around. Others feel like they deserve another shot, especially now that families are looking for a mix of quick meals, familiar flavors, and slightly more flexible options.
These are the McDonald’s menu items that would be exciting to see added or brought back. Some are realistic, some are a little far-fetched, and a few might only work as limited-time experiments. But if McDonald’s ever decided to give these ideas a real chance, plenty of customers would be curious enough to line up and try them.
McDonald's Menu Items That Should Be Added (Or Re-added)
To put this list together, Moms Who Think looked at the kinds of McDonald’s menu items people continue to ask about online, along with old favorites that still come up in fast-food conversations. Some customers want healthier options. Others want nostalgic items that remind them of childhood trips through the drive-thru. Then there are the bigger swings, like pizza or chili, that may not seem like obvious McDonald’s fits but still spark plenty of curiosity. The items below are not all equally likely to appear on a menu anytime soon, but they do show what customers often wish McDonald’s would try. At its best, McDonald’s knows how to balance convenience, comfort, and novelty. These ideas would give the chain more variety while still keeping the easy, familiar feeling people expect.
Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is one of the menu items that makes sense for customers who like McDonald’s but do not always want a burger, nuggets, or fries. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, McDonald’s discontinued salads in the United States as the company simplified operations and focused on faster service. From a business perspective, that decision made sense. A smaller menu is easier for employees to prepare, easier for restaurants to manage, and often better for drive-thru speed. But from a customer perspective, the loss of salads left a gap. Sometimes people want the convenience of McDonald’s without feeling like they have to order something fried or heavy. A chicken salad would give families another option when one person wants a classic burger and someone else wants something a little lighter.
Chicken Salad
The challenge with bringing chicken salad back is that it probably would not outsell a Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, or McNuggets. That is part of why salads can be tricky for fast-food restaurants. They require fresh ingredients, separate prep, and consistent quality, but they may not move at the same volume as the classic items. Even so, a chicken salad still feels like a smart option for McDonald’s to reconsider, especially for parents, commuters, and customers who want something quick but not as filling as a full burger-and-fries meal. It would not need to replace anything iconic. It could simply give the menu a little more balance. A grilled or crispy chicken salad with familiar McDonald’s flavors could satisfy customers who still want the convenience of the drive-thru but appreciate having a lighter choice available.
Hot Apple Pie
McDonald’s apple pie already has a loyal following, but longtime fans still remember the original fried hot apple pie as something special. The fried version had a crisp, blistered shell and a warm, sweet filling that made it feel more like a true indulgence than a simple fast-food dessert. In 1992, McDonald’s replaced the fried pie with a baked version in the United States as part of a shift toward a lighter option. The baked apple pie is still around today, and it is fine for what it is. But for many customers, it does not deliver the same nostalgic punch. A fried hot apple pie would not be something most people would eat every day, and that is probably the point. It is the kind of treat that works best as an occasional dessert, a limited-time comeback, or a regional special that gets people excited.
Hot Apple Pie
The baked apple pie may be the standard McDonald’s dessert in much of the United States, but the fried version has never completely disappeared from customers’ memories. Part of its appeal is texture. The baked pie is softer and more restrained, while the fried version had that flaky, crisp outside that made the warm apple filling feel even better. It was sweet, hot, messy in the best way, and exactly the kind of fast-food dessert people still talk about decades later. McDonald’s probably has good operational reasons for sticking with the baked pie, but a limited return of the fried version would almost certainly get attention. Nostalgia is powerful, especially when it involves a dessert people remember eating as kids. If McDonald’s wanted a menu item that could create instant buzz, the original fried hot apple pie would be an easy candidate.
Turkey Burger
A turkey burger may not be the first thing people associate with McDonald’s, but that is exactly why it could be interesting. The chain already owns the classic fast-food burger lane, so a turkey burger would not need to compete with the Big Mac or Quarter Pounder as an icon. Instead, it could appeal to customers who like the idea of a burger but want something a little different from beef. Parents ordering for a family might appreciate another protein option, especially if one person is trying to eat lighter while everyone else wants the usual McDonald’s favorites. The turkey burger would have to be seasoned well and built with the right toppings, because dry turkey patties can be disappointing. But done correctly, it could give McDonald’s a more flexible sandwich option without straying too far from what the restaurant already does best.
Turkey Burger
It is easy to dismiss turkey burgers as something customers say they want but may not actually order. Still, there is a case for McDonald’s at least testing one. Turkey burgers can be lower in calories than many traditional beef burgers, depending on how they are made and what toppings are added. That alone could make them attractive to people who want a fast-food meal but are trying to make a slightly lighter choice. The key would be making it taste like a real McDonald’s sandwich instead of a bland “healthy” alternative. A turkey burger with crisp lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, and a flavorful sauce could feel familiar while still giving customers something new. It probably would not become the chain’s next signature item, but as a limited-time offering or regional test, it could bring in people who normally skip McDonald’s when they want something less heavy.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
The grilled chicken sandwich is one of the most practical items McDonald’s could bring back. McDonald’s discontinued its grilled chicken sandwich during the 2020 pandemic-era menu simplification, and while crispy chicken sandwiches remain available, they do not serve the exact same customer. A grilled chicken sandwich appeals to people who want a quick meal but are not in the mood for fried chicken or beef. It also gives families more flexibility when everyone wants to stop at McDonald’s but not everyone wants the same kind of sandwich. The old grilled chicken option was never as famous as the Big Mac, but it filled an important role on the menu. Bringing it back would not feel strange or risky. It would simply restore a familiar choice for customers who miss having a lighter chicken sandwich option at the drive-thru.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
A grilled chicken sandwich works because it gives customers a middle ground. It is still fast food, still convenient, and still satisfying, but it does not feel quite as heavy as a crispy chicken sandwich or a double cheeseburger. That matters for people who stop at McDonald’s during lunch breaks, road trips, after school activities, or busy weeknights when cooking is not happening. A grilled chicken sandwich could also be customized easily with lettuce, tomato, pickles, spicy sauce, ranch, or a classic bun, depending on how McDonald’s wanted to position it. The biggest hurdle is likely kitchen simplicity, since grilled chicken requires a different preparation flow than fried chicken. But from a customer standpoint, this is one of the least far-fetched items on the list. It fits the brand, it fills a gap, and it gives McDonald’s a more balanced chicken lineup.
Chili
Chili may sound like an odd request for McDonald’s, but it is not hard to understand why customers bring it up. Wendy’s has long shown that chili can work at a burger chain, especially for people who want something warm, filling, and different from fries. McDonald’s could use chili in several ways: as a side, as a topping for fries, as part of a chili cheeseburger, or even as a cold-weather limited-time menu item. It would add comfort-food appeal without requiring the chain to reinvent itself completely. The question is whether it would fit McDonald’s operations. Chili needs consistency, temperature control, and serving speed, and not every restaurant would want another item to manage. But as a seasonal test, it could be fun. A small cup of McDonald’s chili next to fries or nuggets might be surprisingly popular with customers looking for something cozier than the usual sides.
Chili
Chili does not exactly scream “McDonald’s,” and that is part of what makes the idea interesting. The chain is built around burgers, fries, chicken, breakfast, and quick drive-thru meals, not bowls of chili. But chili can pair well with the foods McDonald’s already sells. It could sit next to a cheeseburger, turn fries into chili cheese fries, or become a quick meal for someone who wants something hearty but not another sandwich. For parents, chili could also feel like a more complete side than fries alone, especially on a busy night when everyone is grabbing food between school, sports, errands, and homework. Would it become a permanent menu staple? Maybe not. But McDonald’s has enough scale and customer curiosity to make a limited-time chili test feel exciting. Even people who think it sounds strange might try it once just to see if McDonald’s could pull it off.
Pizza
Pizza at McDonald’s sounds ridiculous at first, but that is exactly why people keep talking about it. McDonald’s is a burger chain, and pizza does not fit neatly beside Big Macs, fries, and McNuggets. Still, fast-food fans love the idea because pizza is one of the few foods with the same broad appeal as McDonald’s itself. Families love pizza, kids love pizza, and plenty of adults would be curious to try a McDonald’s version just for the novelty. The problem is that pizza is not an easy drive-thru item. It takes longer to cook, requires different equipment, and could slow down a restaurant that depends on speed. But as a limited-time or personal-size option, it would generate a lot of attention. Even if it was not perfect, customers would want to say they tried McDonald’s pizza.
Pizza
Adding pizza to McDonald’s could easily be a flop, but it would be a very interesting flop. The chain has experimented with plenty of unusual ideas over the years, and not every one needs to become permanent to be worthwhile. Sometimes a strange menu item works because it gets customers talking, posting, and visiting just to see what the fuss is about. A McDonald’s pizza could be positioned as a small personal pizza, a kids’ meal-style option, or a regional test in markets where customers are already open to unusual fast-food offerings. It probably would not replace a dedicated pizza chain, and it might not even be practical for most restaurants. But for a short window, it would let customers try something completely different from the usual Quarter Pounder or McChicken. As a novelty item, pizza would be hard to ignore.
Large Chicken Wrap
A large chicken wrap feels like one of the most realistic ideas on this list because McDonald’s customers already have a history with wraps. The Snack Wrap was discontinued years ago and became one of those menu items people kept asking for long after it disappeared. The appeal was simple: it was easy to eat, not too expensive, and lighter than a full sandwich while still feeling satisfying. A larger chicken wrap could build on that same idea but make it feel more like a complete meal. It could include crispy or grilled chicken, lettuce, cheese, sauce, and maybe a few simple add-ons depending on the flavor. For busy parents, it would be a convenient option to eat in the car without committing to a full burger meal. For McDonald’s, it would offer something familiar but still different enough to feel fresh.
Large Chicken Wrap
The Snack Wrap worked because it was quick, portable, and easy to customize. A large chicken wrap could take those same strengths and make them more filling for lunch or dinner. Instead of being a small snack, it could become a real meal option for customers who want chicken but do not want a bun. McDonald’s could offer a classic ranch version, a spicy version, or a grilled version for people who want something lighter. The biggest challenge would be keeping it simple enough for employees to make quickly, since complicated prep was one of the reasons wraps became difficult to maintain in the past. But from a customer perspective, this is one of the strongest comeback ideas. A large chicken wrap would feel modern, practical, and family-friendly without asking McDonald’s to become a completely different restaurant.
One Last Note
There is a reason McDonald’s remains one of the most popular fast-food chains in the world. It understands what customers come back for: familiar flavors, fast service, dependable favorites, and just enough limited-time excitement to keep the menu interesting. Some of these ideas, like chili or pizza, may never become realistic nationwide menu items. They could be too complicated, too slow, or too far away from what McDonald’s does best. Others, like chicken salad, grilled chicken, or a larger chicken wrap, feel much more possible because they fill gaps the menu has had before. Either way, it is fun to imagine what could happen if McDonald’s took a few bigger swings. The classics will always matter most, but sometimes a new or returning item is exactly what gets customers excited to pull into the drive-thru again.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©M. Suhail / iStock Editorial via Getty Images