Hello, BuzzFeeders, curious cats, and nugget enthusiasts alike! I’m Dannica, and though I’ve tried and ranked chicken nuggets in the past, nothing could’ve prepared me for when I found out about the new Arby’s menu item: Steak Nuggets.
Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you! The Arby’s Steak Nuggets is a limited-time release that launched on Arby’s menus nationwide on October 6, 2025. The Steak Nuggets come in 5- or 9-piece counts and are described as “Tender, juicy, hand-cut bite-sized pieces of steak seasoned with garlic and pepper for a bold, smoky flavor.” You can order the Steak Nuggets alone, but if you’re feeling a little wild, you can also order them in the form of a Steak Nugget Sandwich or a Steak Nugget Bowl. Today, though, we’re just going to see about the Steak Nuggets in their humblest nugget form.
Not going to lie, I am in uncharted waters here, because I’ve never felt inclined to steer my car through an Arby’s drive-thru. However, as someone whose top 5 favorite foods are steak, the allure of the Steak Nuggets was too much to handle. So before I knew it, the bag was had.
Before even opening up the container, the nuggets made my car smell like beef jerky — and quite pungently. This could be a positive or negative thing, depending on how much you like beef jerky, but unfortunately for me, I had to open the window because beef jerky is just ~not my vibe.~ HOWEVER, I didn’t let that give me pause and continued with an open mind.
I honestly don’t know what I expected to find once I finally opened the lid, but it felt something like a mix between fascination and disenchantment. They looked burnt as hell! I mean, by no means was I expecting chunks of marbled ribeye, but I also wasn’t imagining…this.
Off the looks alone, these Steak Nuggets were giving me more of a beef stew chunk energy — perhaps even a more brisket burnt ends vibe? I mean, I liked how glossy the “nugget” from the juices was, and it seemed well-seasoned as well. But, of course, the true test is how it tasted.
As I mentioned before, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting myself into with these Steak Nuggets, so my first bite was…confusing. As I said, I wasn’t expecting Arby’s to cook up bites of butter-basted filet mignon garnished with garlic and rosemary, but the texture, the taste, and the seasoning of these Steak Nuggets were basically giving more “BBQ bites” and less “steak” (which makes sense because the sauce they give you is hickory BBQ, which they sadly forgot to give me).
According to Arby’s, these nuggets are seared, smoked, and seasoned with garlic and pepper, and the good news is that they lived up to the description. The steak had a nice but not overwhelming smokiness, and the garlic and pepper seasoning complemented it well. I do wish that Arby’s leaned a little more into the garlicky flavor, but the stringy texture of the meat was not my favorite. I know I’ve said it many times already (twice), but these Steak Nuggets had the texture and taste of pulled brisket, which was just not what I was expecting, and not what I wanted from this menu item. Because of that, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong, though — even if these Steak Nuggets were marketed as “brisket nuggets,” they still wouldn’t have been worth the money, in my opinion. Although I applaud Arby’s innovation in bringing something new to fast-food menus, these nuggets left more to be desired. The overall flavor didn’t blow my socks off, they were a little bit on the dry side, and the price of five pieces was $7.19 before tax, and $7.82 with. Like, HUH?!
All in all, though these Steak Nuggets weren’t for me, I can see why others would enjoy them. If you’re a certified Steak Nugget lover, I’m happy for you. In fact, instinct tells me that they’d be much more enjoyable in either the Steak Nugget Sandwich or the Steak Nugget Bowl. So, if you’ve tried either (or even both!) of those items and enjoyed them, let me know in the comments, and I might find myself in my local Arby’s drive-thru for the second time in my life!
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