Arby’s Steak Nuggets return to menus on 24 August for a limited run, accompanied by a new dipping sauce and two bowl formats that put the nuggets at the centre of a fuller meal. The nuggets come back in five- and nine-piece orders, with a new 20-count option available exclusively through digital orders.
What’s New With the Arby’s Steak Nuggets Return
The core recipe stays intact. Garlic and pepper seasoning carry over from the original run, and the bite-sized format is unchanged. What has changed is the sauce. Arby’s is launching Horsey Ranch, a combination of its horseradish-forward Horsey Sauce and ranch dressing. When the nuggets launched last year, Hickory BBQ was the pairing of choice, so both returning customers and first-timers will find something different on the dipping side this time.
On the menu-building front, Arby’s is introducing a Steak ‘n Potato Bowl, which adds crispy potatoes and melted cheese to the nuggets. The Steak ‘n Mac Bowl is also returning, serving the nuggets over white cheddar mac and cheese and finishing with crispy onions. Between the two, the potato bowl is the more substantial new entry, offering a sharper contrast to the richer mac format that fans already know.
For anyone planning to feed a group, AllRecipes confirms that the 20-count is structured as a Party Pack, bundled with two large fries and available only via digital ordering channels. It is the most expansive format Arby’s has offered for the item since its debut.
How the Original Launch Was Received
Arby’s Steak Nuggets return was not a difficult decision for the chain to make, given the response to last autumn’s debut. Associate editor Amanda Mactas, writing for Delish, described the meat as tender and smoky, with a char she compared to burnt ends. ‘The meat is tender, easy to eat, and a great option for folks on the go who don’t want a fried piece of chicken,’ she wrote at the time.
Customer feedback reinforced that reception. ‘Our guests told us how much they loved them, so we had to bring Steak Nuggets back this year,’ chief marketing officer Jeff Baker said of the decision to return the product.
The combination of a strong initial review and clear consumer demand gives this year’s run a more defined launch than the first. The product is no longer an unknown quantity, and the additions around it, particularly the Horsey Ranch sauce and the potato bowl, give returning customers a reason to revisit the order rather than simply repeat it.
Availability and Ordering
The limited-time window begins on 24 August across Arby’s menus. Standard five- and nine-piece orders will be available through normal channels. The 20-count Party Pack, with its two large fries, is tied strictly to digital orders, whether through the app or online. No end date for the promotion has been specified, though the limited-time designation suggests the window will be shorter rather than longer.
Both bowl formats will run alongside the nuggets, giving customers three distinct ways to order the product: as a standalone item with dipping sauce, inside the returning Steak ‘n Mac Bowl, or in the new Steak ‘n Potato Bowl. The Horsey Ranch sauce, available with all nugget orders, is the clearest single upgrade from last year’s rollout and will likely set the tone for how the product is discussed this time around.