Best Fast-Food Ice Cream Treats, Ranked

We're ranking the best fast-food ice cream treats that can compete with the likes of Ben & Jerry's or some other $8-a-cone ice cream shop.

Is there anything better than ice cream on a hot summer day? Whether or not you eat at fast-food restaurants on the reg or find yourself in a small town with no other options, we dare you to raise your nose up at these tasty desserts.

That’s right. We’re ranking the best fast-food ice cream treats that can compete with the likes of Ben & Jerry’s or some other $8-a-cone ice cream shop. To be clear, we already ranked the best fast-food milkshakes, so these desserts all require a spoon to eat. Which one’s your favorite?

5. Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty

Wendy’s / Emily G. / Yelp

Introduced in: 1969

We’re actually not huge fans of malt flavor, but the Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty is tough to beat — and it has some serious roots as one of Wendy’s five original menu items.

The recipe for this classic ice cream treat (sort of a mix between a milkshake and ice cream) was actually inspired by that of one being served at a Cleveland, Ohio, race track in the 1960s. The “secret” was mixing vanilla into the chocolate to give it a bit of a malty flavor, and Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas had only one request when producing it: to keep it consistent.

In the beginning, Fred Kappus was the sole quality controller for the dessert, which is why it grew into the global sensation it is today. In fact, Kappus’ food-service equipment distributor company is still the supplier for Frosty machines at Wendy’s restaurants to this day.

4. McDonald’s Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

McDonald’s

Introduced in: 1997

We love just about any flavor of McFlurry, but the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry is an especially delicious ice cream treat. It’s a seasonal dessert that comes out each year in time for St. Patrick’s Day, and it combines Oreo cookies with a minty ice cream that tastes almost exactly like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. Need we say more?

While this specific McFlurry flavor has only been around since 2020, the McFlurry dates back to 1995 when it was invented by Ron McLellan, a Canadian McDonald’s franchisee. By the time it was introduced globally in 1997, it had several flavors — including classic ones like Oreo, M&M and Reese’s. Today, there are even more variations like the Matcha McFlurry in Japan or the Strawberry Cheesecake McFlurry in Indonesia.

3. Sonic Blast With Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Sonic / Joseph G. / Yelp

Introduced in: Unknown

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups would make any dessert a winner in our books, but what makes the Sonic Blast stand out is its use of real ice cream. And for those who would prefer something besides Reese’s (how dare you!), the Sonic Blast comes with more candy varieties than, say, a McFlurry.

Plus, who doesn’t love the possibility of a Sonic carhop on roller skates rolling up with your food?

2. Culver’s Turtle Sundae

Culver’s

Introduced in: 1984

Ever since the very first Culver’s opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1984, custard was a key part of the fast-food chain’s menu. In fact, the restaurant’s first ButterBurgers were made with ice cream scoops — literally scooping the hamburger meat into perfect portions before being thrown on the grill.

So, it’s no surprise that Culver’s turtle sundae has been loved by customers for generations. A scoop (or two or three) of vanilla custard is topped with Southern pecans, hot fudge, caramel and a cherry for the best fast-food sundae you can find.

1. Dairy Queen Chocolate Dipped Cone

Dairy Queen / Andrew W. / Yelp

Introduced in: 1938

If we’re talking about soft-serve ice cream, then we have to go back to the beginning. John Fremont “J.F.” McCullough and his son Alex developed the first soft-serve formula in 1938 and convinced their friend, Sherb Noble, to sell it in his ice cream store in Kankakee, Illinois. Its popularity led the three men to open the first Dairy Queen in Joliet, Illinois.

While Dairy Queen sells all kinds of soft-serve ice cream treats, the chocolate dipped cone is the most unique. That’s because it’s vanilla soft serve dipped in chocolate that then forms a hard chocolate layer around the ice cream for you to bite into at your own convenience. It’s melt-in-your-mouth good, and it’s been known to transform even the biggest skeptics into Dairy Queen fans.

For more fast-food ice cream treats, check out “Best Fast-Food Milkshakes, Ranked From Worst to First.”