10 Discontinued Fast Food Desserts We Totally Forgot About

Fast food menus have seen all kinds of changes throughout the years and among those even some fan favorite desserts have been forgotten to the past after they were discontinued. Just like twists on burgers, tacos, or sides, chains vying to draw in new customers or excite regulars anew have switched up their sweet offerings and even tried adding treats way outside that which their diners have grown accustomed.

Showcasing the culinary creativity of chains, pizza places have served up sugary spins on their typically savory breadsticks while some restaurants tried alternative ways to shake things up — like Chipotle briefly. Additionally, some of the featured forgotten desserts highlighted favor for capitalizing on trends with tie-in promotions or by forging partnerships with companies like Hershey's and Pepperidge Farms. Despite the occasional attempt to petition businesses like Arby's, Chick-fil-A, and Pizza Hut to have a change of heart, more often than not when these desserts were discontinued, they were gone for good.

Those unfamiliar with Chipotle Mexican Grill's New York City test kitchen are likely just as unaware of the short-lived offering of a Mexican chocolate milkshake. Coupling the flavors of dark chocolate and cinnamon, this dessert beverage was one of six menu items that made it to the Big Apple for a trial in 2018 the same year the restaurant fell under the leadership of former Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol. Developed under then-Chef Chad Brauze, the spicy and sweet pairing had been introduced along with an avocado tostada, nachos, a spring mix salad, and a frozen Paloma cocktail.

As excited as some Chipotle fans were for the chance to sip on a treat drawing inspiration from south of the border, there were just as many who couldn't imagine enjoying a milkshake along with a burrito. Ultimately, the decision to drop the endeavor was made without any announced plans from the chain to ever make another run at the chocolatey concoction. Sweet-seekers need not wallow with FOMO however, as a homemade Mexican chocolate shake could be crafted with either chipotle or cayenne.

The Spice Girls weren't the only part of a new British Invasion in the '90s as, before the decade was out, the "Teletubbies" had made it to American televisions. With the wild success of the BAFTA Award-winning children's program came the expected promotional tie-ins of toys, apparel, and, inevitably, a fast food treat called Tubby Custard courtesy of Burger King.

Offered for a limited time in 1999, young customers looking to have it their way were offered the special treat inspired by the pink custard seen enjoyed by Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Tinky Winky, and Po. The real-life version of the "Teletubbies" snack was made possible through a partnership with Jell-O, which added pink coloring to its vanilla pudding. In addition to the custard, Burger King also released a series of six bean bag finger puppets with the Kids Club meals representing the four main characters, Noo-Noo the vacuum cleaner, and the rabbits that roamed Teletubbyland.

Fast food frequenters have seen their fair share of full-blown marketing takeovers and one such instance brought McDonald's a dessert worthy of its fleeting fiesta theme. In 1988, efforts to promote new dipping sauces for Chicken McNuggets had incorporated a coin collection opportunity and a Fiesta Colada Shake. Just like other ways to transform the old-school piña colada, the beverage paired coconut and pineapple flavors into a vanilla shake. Advertising for the dessert leaned into tropical themes as the main ingredients were displayed on sandy beaches and floating in pristine waters as a percussive beat was played.

A year after Chicken McNuggets Shanghai had been sold beneath the golden arches with Cantonese sweet and sour, hot mustard, and teriyaki sauces, the fiesta menu promoted green chili salsa, mesquite BBQ, and mild salsa for dipping. It also gave each participating a guest the chance to complete a collection of real coins representing different Latin American countries. As with other promotions, McDonald's had made clear that the added Latin flare was only available for a limited time, as the following year an orange sauce was released for Holiday Chicken McNuggets while the menu featured eggnog milkshakes.

Perhaps as forgotten as a time when Domino's still had pizza in its name and focused on only one kind of pie, in 2021 the popular delivery brand sought to mimic some of its savory items with a sweet alternative. As the cheesy marinara and five cheese dips were released to be enjoyed with breadsticks, the Thomas Monaghan-founded chain introduced Baked Apple Dip. Rather than garlic or Parmesan flavored bread twists, the cinnamon-dusted pieces of apple — served hot just like an apple pie — were paired with cinnamon bread twists.

As the founder ultimately left the chain to focus on philanthropy, so too did Domino's part ways with the Baked Apple Dip. That said, only the dessert dip was discontinuation by the end of 2022 as the other dips have remained on the menu — as have the cinnamon bread twists. Those looking for dessert alternatives from the delivery chain can choose between its marbled cookie brownie and the chocolate lava crunch cakes.

Like many fast food restaurants, Popeyes offers its customers a limited number of options to add a sweet finish to their main course. While the ever-popular apple pie has been featured in some form or another at chains including Popeyes, in 2013 the Louisiana kitchen decided to mix things up when it debuted the Blackberry 'n Cream Cheese Pie.

After its initial limited run, fans of the flaky pastry loaded with both a cream cheese and blackberry pie filling had to wait the better part of a decade before the chicken chain reintroduced the item. Slightly tweaked, in 2021 dessert lovers were once again briefly satisfied as the new rendition — dubbed the Blackberry Cheese Cake Fried Pie — leaned into the new flavor profile by including graham cracker crumbs with the filling to emulate the crust of a cheesecake. That treat was also not long for the menu as it joined other flavors that faded into history while the cinnamon apple pie carried on.

In some instances, items that chains were prepared to forget were not so readily let go by their regular customers. Such was the case in 2010 when an initial plan to discontinue the chocolate turnover found fans voting in favor of keeping it a fixture of the Arby's menu for a while longer. As it happened, the limited time offer of the Pepperidge Farms puff pastry – one of the hardest dishes to make from scratch — both loaded with and drizzled with Hershey's chocolate, wound up sticking it out until 2016.

However, as good a run as it had, the chocolate turnover was cleared from the board after more than half a decade to make way for cookies. Fans didn't take the parting idly and instead sought another push to keep the dessert alive by starting a petition. Despite arguments that the turnovers were the only reason some frequented Arby's and pitches opposing the sandwich restaurant's aim to compete against other cookie purveyors, little traction was gained by the petition and the turnovers went on to be forgotten.

Of the billions served that McDonald's long boasted about, a considerable amount have undoubtedly indulged in one of the restaurant chain's popular piping hot apple pies. While fewer sales wound up being a death knell for the less popular alternative, fewer still likely remember that Mickey D's ever sold a cherry pie. Unlike some discontinued desserts that came and went as limited release items, the initial 1971 launch of the cherry pie as a seasonal selection was met with enough support to see it shift to a regular menu feature by 1972.

The beginning of the end was marked some 20 years later when McDonald's switched its overall approach to pie, making the change from deep frying to baking — much to the relief of the roofs of mouths everywhere. Still, the end of cherry pie sales in the United States was a prolonged event as more and more restaurants opted out of carrying the item. Now, those hoping to indulge in the alternative dessert need travel abroad as international locations like McDonald's Bulgaria continue to offer cherry pie.

For decades, the restaurant chain that encouraged customers to "eat mor chikin" has been speedily satisfying appetites six days a week even as it was considered the busiest among the top-ranked chicken chains. However, a menu change in 2012 left some reacting with anything but "my pleasure" when Chick-fil-A's cheesecake and lemon pie slices were pulled from the menu. The New York-style dessert, often displayed with a heaping helping of strawberries on top with the gooey sauce dripping down the sides, had quite a motivated — albeit small — following.

Those ill-prepared to accept the treat getting pulled from the menu in favor of sundaes, cookies, and an updated fudge brownie, embarked on a campaign to sway the chain to a change of heart with a Facebook group titled "Bring Back Chick-Fil-A Cheesecake and Lemon Pie." Despite the enthusiasm of less than 250 followers and infrequent prodding on social media, the chicken restaurant had told inquiring fans that most customers didn't share their view and there weren't plans to bring back the cheesecake. And sadly it's not the only dish we miss from Chick-fil-A.

Changing times translate to changing menus, and for Pizza Hut that meant discontinuing a once popular item made available through a partnership with Hershey's. Launched in 2008 as part of the sweet meal deal that offered two one-topping pies and breadsticks along with the dessert, pizza fans could indulge in the Hershey's Chocolate Dunkers. Rather than reinvent the wheel, this treat repurposed the dough on hand, topping the regular breadsticks with a layer of chocolatey bits.

To complete the experience, the appropriately named dunkers were served with a Hershey's chocolate dipping sauce that allowed you to control just how sweet your next bite would be. By 2015, the partnership with the chocolate company was still going strong, but the dunkers were booted from the menu as the pizza chain launched new desserts like Hershey's Triple Chocolate Brownie and the Hot Chocolate Brownie. While many had no trouble moving on after the menu change, some tried in vain to petition for the dunkers' return.

Before encouraging fans to "live mas" and "think outside the bun," Taco Bell had been serving up entrées and more it considered the "cure for the common meal." This included one dessert that made it the better part of a decade by adding a sweet spin to the typical tortilla chip. For the low price of $0.39 — amounting to little more than $1.50 in 2025 after adjusting for inflation — customers could get a cinnamon and sugar coated treat with their taco dubbed the Cinnamon Crispas.

The predecessor to the cinnamon twists, the Crispas were made from tortillas cut into chips, fried, and then dusted with the cinnamon-sugar before being served up in a pouch just like French fries. Available until 1988, Crispas paved the way for twists to find a lasting place on the Taco Bell menu when they hit stores in 1989 around the same time "Batman" reached theaters. While Michael Keaton would go on to reprise his role as the Dark Knight for "Batman Returns" in 1992 and again in 2023's "The Flash," and Taco Bell would revisit five fan-favorites with its Decades Menu, the Crispas remained discontinued.