22 Discontinued Dunkin' Items We Wish They'd Bring Back

There is a lot of history in Massachusetts –– Plymouth Rock, the Boston Marathon, Harvard, the Salem Witch Trials, the list goes on and on. But in more recent years, Massachusetts continues to charter a course in changing the very fabric of American society, with America running on the caffeine-charged wares of its iconic pink and orange coffee franchise now known as Dunkin'. Founded in 1948 by William Rosenberg, there are now more than 11,700 stores across the globe. Not bad, Boston.

Dunkin' has had countless unique menu items come and go over the years, often breaking fans' hearts when they get discontinued. But why would the brand take seemingly successful items off the market? It happens for a couple of reasons, ranging from consumer testing, market trends, seasonal product shifts, or even lackluster sales performance numbers from a behind-the-scenes perspective at the corporate offices. If the Dunkin' team ever decides to bring back some of our past favorites, hopefully they get a hold of this roundup. For now, let's take a walk down memory lane.

Who knew peanut butter, chocolate, and coffee worked so well together? Dunkin' did, evidently. The brand pretty much said, hold my iced coffee and watch this, conjuring up this popular Macchiato. Supercharged with sweet notes of chocolate and peanut butter, the Peanut Butter Cup Macchiato was the perfect combination of your favorite chocolate peanut butter candy and coffee. 

With this Reese's-inspired approach, it makes sense that it was initially introduced as part of the 2021 Halloween menu. It returned in 2022 but has disappeared since — hopefully just until next Halloween. Until then, fans will just have to do without. Of course, we'd argue that since Dunkin' hails from Massachusetts, also famously the home of supposed witchcraft trials in Salem, it can be a permanent menu item as a nod to its magical home state, and not just an autumnal and Halloween item?

Dunkin' team, if you're reading this, if there's one discontinued item you're able to bring back soon, please let it be the Donut Fries. As the story goes, in 2018 Dunkin' did a soft launch of the Donut Fries in its home state of Massachusetts to get an idea of how customers would react, and the news spread like wildfire across the country. However, they seemingly went as quickly as they came and haven't been seen on menus since. 

Donut Fries cost $2 for five thick fries, an easy price to pay to get a piece of warm, "buttery croissant-style donut dough" coated in cinnamon sugar. A happy hybrid of a churro and a yeast donut, Donut Fries would be welcomed with open arms should they ever reappear on the menu.

It's always an exciting time when the Girl Scouts post up outside your local grocery and home improvement stores, letting you stock up on your favorite cookies to last you for the rest of the year. Dunkin' earned its patch for creativity with the rollout of the Girl Scout Cookie Swirls and bottled beverages that featured some of the most popular cookie flavors. 

Debuting in 2018 and making another appearance in the spring of 2020, you could order Thin Mint or Coconut Caramel DeLite swirls to your iced coffee, lattes, and Coolattas. While the cookie season comes and goes year after year, customers wait in anticipation for the next spring to get their favorites. Unfortunately for these flavor swirls, the wait continues.

This drink is just two ingredients, iced sweet tea mixed with lemonade, originally popularized by and named directly after golf legend Arnold Palmer. It's delectably tangy, sweet, and refreshing –– par for the course when it comes to the perfect Coolatta flavor candidate. Thus, 2014 was a particularly special year, as Dunkin' introduced the frozen Arnold Palmer to its Coolatta roster. The timing of the rollout was strategic, as it was announced in late April as the weather started to heat up. If Dunkin' were also a bar, making this an elevated adult beverage would present quite the reintroduction.

As infamous drag queen LaGanja Estranja would say, "Y'all wanted a twist?" A Bagel Twist from Dunkin', that is. Despite "Donuts" formerly being part of its name, Dunkin' has been on the bagel scene for well over 20 years. These twisted bagels deviate from the traditional circular structure to give you something reminiscent of a breakfast breadstick, with flavors like Cinnamon Raisin, Pretzel Salt, Sour Cream and Onion, Blueberry, and French Toast being part of the original 2010 lineup. There was also the aged Wisconsin white cheddar baked version, which was brought back in 2016. While users on one Reddit thread have reported sightings of this breakfast item at their local Dunkin' over the years, Bagel Twists have seemingly been off the market since their brief 2016 appearance.

The Hazelnut Swirl sweetened flavor was held in high regard by the Dunkin fanbase, providing a sweet, nutty surge with every sip. As Dunkin lovers know all too well, coffee freshness can be hit or miss –– which is where the flavor swirl became a godsend in elevating the experience. As one Reddit user laments, "Today, I sip a Dunkin coffee with a hazelnut shot plus cream & sugar. The hazelnut swirl would cover up the stale coffee taste. Now all I can do is wallow." To create a similar experience, with some luck you can still track down Dunkin's Hazelnut Ground Coffee to brew at home.

For many, trying out a new flavor of donuts or iced coffee instead of going with the usual is different enough. For the brave few willing to go all in with adventurous flavors, the Ghost Pepper Donut would have been perfect for you. Appearing in the fall of 2020, this was Dunkin's approach to striking a balance between sweet and spicy. It started with a usual yeast donut foundation topping with glazed a strawberry-cayenne-ghost pepper icing. To help with the fiery aesthetic, it was dusted with a generous amount of red sugar. In a campaign with Sean Evans, the host of the mega-popular YouTube Series "Hot Ones", he describes the first bite as a sweet singe of "ghost pepper burn." No need to fire up your engines to get over to your Dunkin', though, as this flavor sizzled out and off the menu.

As a token of their affection, Dunkin' gave customers the happiest of Valentine's Days with the Pink Velvet Macchiato in 2020 and again in 2021. A different kind of pink drink than what the competition offers, Dunkin' emulates "biting into a red velvet cupcake" with this beverage, with its flavors of "rich espresso with red velvet cake flavor and hints of smooth cream cheese icing." The ombré brown and pink color was an aesthetic treat for the eyes that has been missed since it was taken off the menu. Since the brownie batter donut from the seasonal menu reappeared earlier this year there's still hope that the Pink Velvet Macchiato could be your Valentine next season.

To set the scene on how magical this drink was, let's start at the beginning. Dunkin' invented the Coffee Coolatta in 1997 to give consumers a different, yet refreshing approach to iced coffee. Resembling more of a coffee slushie, it has evolved to include many flavors during its more than 25-year run, including Oreo. Somewhere between a frozen hot chocolate and iced coffee, Oreo lovers had a field day with this beverage. 2014 saw Dunkin' introduce a Mint Oreo version for Saint Patrick's Day, and in 2015 fans had the option of original Oreo or even Chips Ahoy! Coolattas with cookie pieces blended right in. Bring this powerhouse collaboration back, ASAP!

Dunkin's Oreo craze didn't just apply to its coffee and Coolattas. The Oreo Hot Chocolate provided an elevated cocoa experience, complete with "rich flavors of cookies and crème" with every sip. This is emphasized by Matt Zion of Wreckless Eating, who in his YouTube review of the drink states that it tastes "just like the cream on the inside of an Oreo mixed with an overall chocolatey marshmallowey flavor." Introduced in 2016, it was apparently discontinued in 2022 to make way for new menu items. Despite this, fans seem to be crushed about its disappearance. The original and espresso hot chocolate flavors will have to do for now.

While cotton candy is more reminiscent of a fair than the far reaches of outer space, Dunkin's Cotton Candy Coolatta rocketed onto the scene in 2018. Its layers of blue raspberry and pink cotton candy resulted in a colorful drink that resembled both the pillowy treat its named for and vibrant clouds of a distant nebula. This Coolatta was no doubt a very sweet concoction and a hit or miss among customers. For those who were all in, they are still questioning when it will land on the menu again and continue to try and make contact with Dunkin' for its return.

Let's face it –– there aren't a lot of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options to be found at fast food restaurants, Dunkin' included. But for a time, the company did change the status quo with the Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich, being one of the first chain restaurants to have plant-based menu offerings. While it wasn't completely free of animal products, this sandwich was comprised of Beyond Meat sausage, American cheese, an egg, and an English muffin to round out a vegetarian-friendly breakfast. However, after a dive in sales performance and a lawsuit over a marketing slogan, the Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich officially bowed out around 2021. 

In the summer of 2021, Dunkin' decided to give boba a go in the form of its Popping Bubbles. Unlike chewy boba pearls, these bubbles contained a liquid, strawberry-flavored center that could be easily pierced for that pop sensation in your mouth. They could be added to any cold drink, with which you'd receive a wide paper straw similar to what you'd get with boba tea. Sorry to burst your bubble though –– since Dunkin' discontinued this item, your best bet to finding anything close is by visiting your local boba tea shop. Perhaps if they ever made a rebound, Dunkin' could make a variety of flavors instead of just strawberry?

Ice cream meets iced coffee with the Banana Split Flavor Swirl. A nod to Baskin-Robbins ice cream, this flavor made its debut back in 2019 and has fans calling for its return ever since. While a banana split may not be the first flavor that comes to mind when you get your morning coffee, this one is surprisingly good. As Dunkin' describes it, "Banana Split tastes like the classic sundae with the flavor of banana, as well as hints of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla ice creams." It's unclear if this flavor swirl will make its rounds again but fear not –– with the help of this Reddit user and former Dunkin' employee, you can make your own very close copycat version.

When the Big N' Toasted Breakfast Sandwich came on the scene in 2011 as a limited-time offer menu item, it ended up leaving a legacy that made customers yearn for more. Fans were bewitched by its thick, buttery slices of Texas Toast, juicy cherrywood smoked bacon, fried eggs, and American cheese. In a YouTube review, JP Lambiase of HellthyJunkFood stated that, "this thing is like an epic grilled cheese breakfast sandwich" thanks to all of its savory ingredients. In 2013, Dunkin' upped to ante and added Angus Steak version of this savory sandwich stack to further entice customers. Diehard fans are asking if it'll make a comeback anytime soon, but the answer remains unclear.

No matter how strange something may sound in the world of food, the general rule is don't knock it until you try it. The infamous Cornbread Donut is one of the most genius menu items developed by Dunkin', featuring a glazed cornbread cake donut to create what Dunkin' described as "the perfect sweet and savory bite." While the concept of cornbread-meets-donut can seem a bit perplexing, the taste is exactly that. In a YouTube review by JayyySquared, hosts Jasmine and Joel noticed that the cornbread donut didn't have the dry texture that usually accompanies cornbread. Making its initial appearance in the spring of 2022 along with its cornbread munchkins counterpart, here's to hoping that it makes a resurgence very soon.

Did you know that two of America's most recognizable food brands, Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins, are related? They are actually two subsidiary businesses of parent company Inspire Brands. One of Dunkin's more elusive coffee flavors, the Butter Pecan Flavor Swirl, is reminiscent of their sister company's popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. Popping on and off of the menu for the past ten years, this flavor swirl has become a revered iced coffee addition thanks to its creamy, nutty notes and smooth decadence. While it's discontinued for now, this is not a matter of if it comes back, but when. Stay tuned, and keep your eyes peeled next time you're in a combo Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin' storefront.

The Dunkaccino of yore was not Dunkin's version of a cappuccino, despite what the name sort of implied. Rather, it was hot coffee and chocolate mixed together. While many would remark that those two ingredients constitute a mocha, there was something special about the Dunkaccino that set it apart. Released in the early 2000s. since it was discontinued, fans have been trying to create dupes to capture its original taste, throwing together components like hot chocolate mix, espresso, and milk to no avail. As one user solemnly states, "Dunkaccino has a unique flavor that I personally haven't been able to recreate with any degree of precision."

Grilled cheese, what could be better? Turns out, adding tomato and pesto, which are the two secret ingredients Dunkin' used to make their grilled cheese even more delicious. This sandwich exploded in popularity with its 2022 launch, inspiring a host of copycat recipes to capture the zesty, savory experience it gives. It has a powerful effect on turning customers from once-in-awhile visitors to regulars, with one Reddit user writing, "I've literally been getting it almost [twice] a week for the past month because it was so good, even downloaded the app, and prior to this I went to Dunkin' maybe once or twice a year. Any place to leave feedback and petition for it to become a regular item?" The people have spoken, and they want their Tomato Pesto Grilled Cheese back.

Dunkin' has come up with many iterations of Refreshers over the years, but 2021's Apple Cranberry was a definite standout. A blend of apple and cranberry juices, B vitamins, and green tea were combined to create an overall tart yet sweet experience. This refresher also had the option of adding coconut milk for extra creaminess, and it also turned the drink from a deep scarlet to a lilac purple. Fans loved it for its spot-on fruit flavors as opposed to sugary imitation flavors, as pointed out in a YouTube review by Hannah Martin. Fingers crossed this Refresher will make a comeback this fall season.

Impeccably buttery and flaky, the Croissant Donut was made to be a combination of what customers love about both pastries all in one. Selling 8.5 million of these donuts in their first three months, Dunkin' saw massive success with the Croissant Donut's introduction. However, right off the bat the treat got some questionable feedback as it was remarkably similar to the trademarked and extremely popular Cronut created by NYC baker Dominique Ansel. Dunkin' refused to be called a copycat, claiming this creation was already in the works and different because of the Cronut's cream filling, which the Croissant Donut lacks, along with Dunkin's planned lineup of flavors to try out. Despite all this, the Croissant Donut quickly fizzled in popularity.

When a copy of a Dunkin' menu test leaked across Reddit and Facebook in 2022, lovers of the Everything Bagel Minis seemed to sharpen their pitchforks at the news of the beloved snack being discontinued. These bagel bites were very similar to Dunkin's infamous Munchkins, both providing the perfect small bite packed with flavor. And speaking of flavor, the Everything Bagel Minis brought it every time. Encrusted with the standard everything bagel seasoning –– garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onion sea salt –– and filled with a cream cheese center, it was a savory masterpiece that will sorely be missed. There may be a glimmer of hope though, as it was part of a social post on Dunkin's Instagram page recently, suggesting they are at least on the company's radar again. Only time will tell.