The product recommendations in this post are recommendations by the writer and/or expert(s)
interviewed and do not contain affiliate links. Meaning: If you use these links to buy
something, we will not earn a commission.
While people don’t really need dessert, there’s just something so comforting and special about ending your meal with a sweet treat. But let’s face it, working up the energy to whip up a dessert yourself can be both time consuming and tedious. So, when you need a fast fix to satiate your sweet tooth, fast-food chains are a beacon of light in the sugar-crazed darkness.
Most fast-food chains offer at least one sweet option to round out your meal, like the Baked Apple Pies at McDonald’s and the Chocolate Chip Cake at KFC. At some chains, however, dessert is much more than an afterthought. Even certain brands whose biggest claims to fame are savory options like burgers, fries, and burritos, are now serving up sweets that have become wildly popular among customers.
So, if you want a fast-food dessert that’s delicious in addition to being affordable and convenient, you only need to look for the chains with sweet options that customers frequently rave about. Here are the eight fast-food chains now serving rave-worthy desserts.
What is it about Subway’s cookies that makes them so good? That question has puzzled Subway fans for years, but they still can’t get enough of them.
Subway offers more cookie flavors than you’d expect from a fast-food chain that’s better known for sandwiches. The cookie options include classics like chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin, plus more unique finds like raspberry cheesecake and white chip macadamia nut. Better yet, the cookies are all baked fresh in stores. Any true cookie lover knows that the only thing better than a cookie is a cookie that’s as fresh as possible.
In the words of one fan: “Subway cookies are legit heaven.”
Several fast-food chains offer small, handheld pies that are great for eating on the go, but one of the most beloved has to be the Peach Mango Pie from Jollibee. This fast-growing Filipino fast-food chain wraps peaches and real Philippine mangoes inside a sweet and flaky crust for the signature dessert—and customers are infatuated with the unique and fruity concoction.
“I dream about the Jollibee Peach Mango Pie,” one passionate fan wrote on X.
The chain also introduced a limited-edition Coconut Pineapple Pie this past March that’s packed with coconut shreds and tart pineapple. While the Peach Mango Pie is a Jollibee classic, customers have also grown very fond of the coconut pineapple version in the short time it has been available.
“Had Coconut Pineapple Pie from @Jollibee today and I’m forever changed in the best way,” a fan wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Panera Bread’s dessert offerings have a passionate fan following, and it’s not very hard to see why. The selection is wide, varied, and absolutely packed with the classic treats that dessert lovers know and love.
Customers rave about the brownies and the pastries, which can just as easily be eaten for dessert as they can be eaten for breakfast. Fans are also particularly passionate when it comes to Panera’s cookies, with one of the most popular flavors being the sweet and salty Kitchen Sink Cookie that features chocolate, caramels, pretzels, and a sprinkle of flaky salt.
“The kitchen sink cookie from Panera is really top tier,” one fan recently wrote on X.
If you’ve ever caught the sweet, comforting scent wafting out of the Cinnabon at your local mall, you’ll probably have no trouble understanding the customer hype around this chain. The Cinnabon brand is so famous, in fact, that it has made several appearances in movies and shows, like Breaking Bad spinoff Better Call Saul and Ben Stiller’s 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
READ RELATED: Monsoon Health: Essential Tips for Preventing Waterborne and Foodborne Diseases
Cinnamon desserts are the undeniable star at Cinnabon. The chain serves up churros, cinnamon roll-stuffed cookies, mini doughnuts, and the signature cinnamon rolls slathered with cream cheese frosting. Customers rave about the massive, sugary treats.
“I have never had a cinnamon roll so good,” one Yelp reviewer wrote.
The only thing better than having a great dessert is having a cup of coffee to go with it. At Starbucks, the famously friendly green-clad workers will serve you both.
While Starbucks isn’t breaking the mold on desserts, the sweet treats that it does sell are all well-executed takes on classic confections. Customers adore the Double Chocolate Brownie, Marshmallow Dream Bar, and Starbucks’s version of a classic American desert: chocolate chip cookies.
“Starbucks chocolate chip cookies are heavenly,” one customer said.
If you needed any more motivation to stop at Starbucks the next time you’re craving a fast-food dessert, just know that the chain will heat up many of the sweet treats in its bakery case. So, the treats are not only customer approved and tasty, but they’re usually freshly warmed right before you chow down.
While Popeyes may be most famous for its fried chicken and chicken sandwiches, the chain doesn’t skimp on its dessert menu, either. Popeyes serves a Cinnamon Apple Pie that some some customers attest is even better than the apple pies at McDonald’s. The Strawberry Biscuits that debuted in March this year have also quickly become a hit with customers.
“The strawberry biscuits at Popeyes.. why are they so good,” wrote one fan on X.
Popeyes also offers a Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Fried Pie and just added a brand-new Oreo Cheesecake Cup to the menu last week, so Popeyes customers have a handful of different options to choose from when they’re craving something sweet.
The next time you treat yourself to Taco Bell, you might want to save a little room for dessert. The chain offers airy, crispy Cinnamon Twists that many customers say are a must-buy with any Taco Bell order.
And if you’re craving something a little more decadent, customers adore the Cinnabon Delights. These cinnamon sugar-dusted spheres are similar to a doughnut hole with a white icing center, fusing those classic Cinnabon flavors with some deep-fried Taco Bell goodness.
“I would eat a dozen of these in a heartbeat,” one fan raved on Reddit.
Domino’s may not be the type of place you’d expect to serve a widely adored molten chocolate cake, but don’t cling too tightly to that belief. The pizza chain’s decadent Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes feature a molten chocolate fudge center and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. They’re such a big favorite with customers that one went so far as to declare its inventor worthy of a Nobel Prize.
Domino’s other dessert options—the Marbled Cookie Brownie and Cinnamon Bread Twists—also have passionate fan followings. So, basically, you can’t go wrong no matter which sweet item you set your sights on at Domino’s.
Sign up for our newsletter!
