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Which Is The Best Fast Food Ice Cream Ever?

Which Is The Best Fast Food Ice Cream Ever?
VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Which sweet treat shall you eat? There can only be one! Welcome to WatchMojo, and in this installment of versus, we're pitting three ice cream titans against each other – it's Wendy's Frosty versus Dairy Queen's Blizzard versus McDonalds' McFlurry! Our contest includes such categories as Flavors & Toppings, Spoons, Specials & Promos, and more!


Script written by Ty Richardson

Wendy’s Frosty versus Dairy Queen’s Blizzard versus McDonalds’ McFlurry


Which sweet treat shall you eat? There can only be one! Welcome to WatchMojo, and in this installment of versus, we’re pitting three ice cream titans against each other – it’s Wendy’s Frosty versus Dairy Queen’s Blizzard versus McDonalds’ McFlurry! And you better believe we will be ICE COLD when we decide the winner! It's a regular three-way cold front!

Round 1: Flavors & Toppings


One of the biggest appeals that ice cream has is how you can put almost any sweet or crunch topping you want and it’ll still taste good! So, if you’re trying to be the best ice cream shop around, you need to make sure you have as many options for customers as possible.

Dairy Queen has succeeded in doing this by serving up all kinds of different combinations. You want Oreo crumbs and cheesecake bits in your Blizzard? You got it! Want to load up on cookie dough, chocolate and fudge? You can do that, too. You don’t even have to go with what’s on the menu – you can completely customize your Blizzard and put in as many toppings as you want! Well, within reason, of course…

McDonald’s and Wendy’s keep it simple, but their minimal selections can leave much to be desired for ice cream enthusiasts. The Golden Arches offer up M&M's and Oreos for their McFlurry and will occasionally put out seasonal flavors like Snickerdoodle and Oreo Shamrock. Solid choices, but it feels like little effort has been put into keeping McFlurries alive. As for Wendy’s, the Frosty may be one of the more popular choices when it comes to fast food ice cream, but come on... ONLY chocolate or vanilla!? Not even a twist?? C'mon!

It’s a clean win for Dairy Queen this round. McDonald’s and Wendy’s may have delicious ice cream, but if you really want to satisfy your sweet tooth, Dairy Queen gives you more freedom with their customizable Blizzards.

WINNER: Frosty 0 / Blizzard 1 / McFlurry 0

Round 2: Texture


Well of course we’d do a whole round on texture! It is perhaps the most important part of making ice cream. So, you’d think the Frosty would steal the win here, and you’d be right in assuming so, but patience – we only just started the round. Wendy’s has achieved a solid blend of keeping the Frosty thick enough to eat from a spoon. It’s also runny enough to drink like a milkshake. However, the inevitable runny feel is where the Frosty falls short as it can feel like you’re just shoving watered-down flavoring in your mouth. In other words, you kind of have to eat this thing quickly.

Blizzards have a bit of an advantage here as Dairy Queen keeps them thick! In fact, they’re so thick that Dairy Queen will even turn over your Blizzard to show it won’t fall out. Twice if you missed it. Unfortunately, that anxiety-inducing moment... and the conflict in flavor is where Blizzards trip up a bit. It can feel like whoever made your Blizzard was too hesitant on the toppings or loaded too much. Did you order a Reese’s Blizzard, or a massive cup of peanut butter cups? It doesn’t help that it suffers the same fate as Wendy’s Frosty – eat it too slowly and it’ll become a displeasing mix of additives and candy.

As for McDonald’s McFlurry, these sweet treats can be thick. Like, REALLY thick! (Maybe that’s why they’re machines are always “breaking”? Anyhoo…) We’re talking about the kind of thick where you can only eat this with a spoon. McFlurries take quite a little bit longer to melt than the Frosty and the Blizzard, and there’s enough toppings inside that make it feel like you’ve got a balance of flavor. Everything complements each other, thus achieving total ice cream zen... if you want an absurdly artistic description of how it tastes.

Obviously, we’re going to give this to the McFlurry. We’ll always be down for Frosties or Blizzards, but we shouldn’t be disgusted with our own food before we’ve finished.

WINNER: Frosty 0 / Blizzard 1 / McFlurry 1

Round 3: Spoons


Seems like an odd choice, but spoons are much more significant than one may realize as they help make eating comfortable. At least, this is what we realized after eating these treats in time for this debate.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room – the McFlurry. The McFlurry has had a notorious reputation for its awkward spoon. There’s actually a reason for why its handle is so awkwardly shaped – McDonald’s puts your spoon in your cup before mixing the McFlurry and inserts their blender into the spoon. While that certainly seems like something that can cut costs, it’s simply too uncomfortable to use. Honestly, we can’t blame you if you’re the type to throw the spoon away and use silverware instead.

Like it's insanely small selection of flavors (a selection that consists of, we'd remind you 'one' or 'the other'), the Frosty keeps things simple with a pretty bland looking spoon. You chose beige? Really? At least it’s more comfortable to use unlike McDonald’s weird, futuristically industrial utensil. Our only gripe with Wendy’s spoons is that they’re too short, which makes it too easy for hands to get sticky from the ice cream.

Leave it to the ruler of fast serve, drive thru ice cream to make eating more comfortable. Dairy Queen always serves their Blizzards with a vibrant red spoon, complete with the company logo emblazoned on the handle. It’s sturdy enough to shovel large scoops into your mouth, and the spoon is rounded out enough to make eating enjoyable. This is how ice cream was meant to be eaten!

Obviously, we have to give this round to Dairy Queen. Why would we give it to abstract handles and lip slicers?

WINNER: Frosty 0 / Blizzard 2 / McFlurry 1

Round 4: Specials & Promos


Ice cream doesn’t have to be expensive, and all three of our contestants are vying for your bucks while also offering limited time specials now and again!

Dairy Queen and McDonald’s are perfect for those wanting seasonal flavors. As we mentioned earlier, McDonald’s has brought back flavors like the Oreo Shamrock or Kit Kat for their McFlurry. Dairy Queen, on the other hand, gets a little more passionate when it comes to seasonal flavors, or as they call it, their Blizzard of the Month. One can expect Peppermint Mocha, S’mores, Brownie Dough, and more recently, Frosted Animal Cookie! And just as the name informs, there’s a new Blizzard to try every month!

However, both Dairy Queen and McDonald’s lack what Wendy’s excels in – good deals. It isn’t often that you’ll see Blizzards and McFlurries on sale or being a part of monthly coupons. Wendy’s has an offer that’s perfect for ice cream enthusiasts! Purchase their Frosty key tag for only a couple of bucks, and you can get free Junior-sized Frosties for an entire YEAR! Plus, they’ve done extensive promos for 50-cent Frosties. Need we say more?

The Frosty has undeniably won this round. Come on, free ice cream for YEAR? Who doesn’t want that!?

WINNER: Frosty 1 / Blizzard 2 / McFlurry 1

Round 5: Calories


Might be a little counter-productive to be judging ice cream on calories, but how else are we going to keep eating more if we aren’t taking care of ourselves?

This may seem hard to believe, but the healthiest ice cream between the three might be Wendy’s Frosty. A small Vanilla Frosty will net you around 340 calories with Chocolate clocking in at an additional ten. Not bad for a sweet treat, right? Of course, if you go with the bigger sizes, you’re looking at somewhere between 500 and 600 calories. Still, not bad!

Health nuts and gym rats, you may want to stay away from McFlurries and Blizzards. The Oreo McFlurry holds the lowest calorie count at 510 whereas the M&M McFlurry holds the highest at 640. As for Dairy Queen’s Blizzards? They’re no better than the McFlurry, and if you get anything bigger than a small, you’re looking at around a thousand calories… Hey, those are the consequences of getting ice cream LOADED with candy, chocolate, and whatever else you got in there!

This was too easy of a win for the Frosty. If you’re trying to watch your calories, Frosties may be a good cheat for you.

WINNER: Frosty 2 / Blizzard 2 / McFlurry 1

Round 6: History/Iconicness


All three of our combatants have had an extensive history, but only one of them wields a true legacy.

The youngest of our frozen giants, the McFlurry was introduced in 1997, and since its inception, it has had its fair share of controversies. For starters, the original design of the McFlurry featured a lid that was big enough for small animals to get stuck in. Assumingly, after it was discarded in a ditch or landfill. After some discourse in the UK, the McFlurry was given a redesign. Additionally, the McFlurry has had a nasty history of being filled with artificial additives, and McDonald’s didn’t change the recipe until 2016 in an attempt to recover some 500 million customer visits it had lost over the span of four years. Needless to say, the McFlurry has had a rocky life, but seems to be on the road to recovery.

Next, we have our eldest ice cream – the Frosty. Having been around for decades, it’s almost hard to believe that the Frosty has managed to stay incredibly popular since 1969! However, it hasn’t fared any better than the McFlurry. When it was first introduced, the Frosty was only offered as a chocolate Frosty, and even then, it wasn’t entirely chocolate – Wendy’s mixed it with vanilla as founder Dave Thomas worried about the chocolate overpowering the flavor of Wendy’s burgers. It wasn’t until 2006 when the Frosty was given an official Vanilla flavor, and it was only because customers demanded it! In other words, the old dairy product has been incredibly slow to progress and offer more.

As for the Blizzard, it may not be the oldest or the youngest, but the Blizzard has remained a classic dessert since 1985. On top of that, Dairy Queen sold more than 100 million Blizzards within the product’s first year! Since then, the product has evolved by introducing more flavors and even being served as ice cream cake. Amazing what you can accomplish when you aren’t taking decades to introduce a basic flavor!

Blizzards have reached more milestones than the McFlurry and Frosty. Dairy Queen’s Blizzard wins the final round and the entire Versus!

WINNER: Frosty 2 / Blizzard 3 / McFlurry 1

Did we pick the right winner? Which ice cream do you prefer and why? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to WatchMojo for more tasty versus battles!
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