Brian Nagele
Established in Illinois in 1940, Dairy Queen is one of the oldest continually operating fast-food chains in the nation and a fan favorite for its incredible desserts.
Today, Dairy Queen has over 6500 locations in the US and abroad, serving American classics like chicken fingers, burgers, French fries, and Texas toast.
Aptly named, Dairy Queen has always been the go-to establishment for a creamy dessert.
Dairy Queen founder John Fremont McCullough invented soft serve ice cream; its smooth, creamy texture was an immediate hit and a mainstay in ice cream shops, restaurants, and frozen yogurt spots.
You can still get a perfectly swirled sugar cone of soft serve at the drive-up dairy queen with its trademark curled finish, but Dairy Queen has found new and delicious ways to take soft serve to new heights.
My list of the best Dairy Queen secret menu items reveals how far soft serve has come. Plus, I throw in a savory item for good measure.
Check out these secret items at Dairy Queen for a new ice cream experience.
Banana Split Blizzard
The almighty Blizzard is the king of fast-food desserts, and with so many variations that have come out over the years, the choices can be overwhelming.
One of America’s favorite desserts is the old-fashioned banana split, and you can get all the banana split fixings in one compact and dripless cup at Dairy Queen.
To order this classic, fruit-filled dessert, ask you the server to add Banana Split fix-ins to a plain vanilla blizzard.
Dairy Queen makes a normal banana split with banana slices, strawberry and pineapple chocolate and strawberry syrup, and whipped cream.
The Banana Split Blizzard compresses all these toppings into one luscious and fruity cup.
Frozen Hot Chocolate
While Hot Chocolate may be the perfect treat on a cold day, frozen hot chocolate is the ultimate summer treat.
The Frozen Hot Chocolate at Dairy Queen uses a misty base, in other words, a slushy ice base that gives it a thinner, more interesting texture.
Add to the misty a hefty serving of cocoa fudge, chocolate soft serve, and a whipped cream topper, and voila, you’ve got a Frozen Hot Chocolate.
The fudgy flavor is reminiscent of a fudgesicle, but the soft serve and ice mixture mellow its intensity.
It’s both rich and refreshing; cooling you down on a hot day will also feel like a warm and luxurious mug of hot chocolate.
Chocolate Chip Blizzard
Chocolate Chip is the most classic and beloved flavor of all time because it doesn’t force you to choose between chocolate and vanilla.
You get both! We generally think of chocolate chip as a cookie or ice cream flavor, but Dairy Queen takes it a step further by making a blizzard out of it.
You would think that Chocolate Chip Blizzard would be one of the first permanent menu items at Dairy Queen, but oddly enough, it’s still a secret menu item.
All you have to do is ask for a normal vanilla Blizzard with chocolate chips. The thick yet soft texture of the Blizzard contrasts perfectly with the hard, frozen chocolate chips. It’s sure to become your favorite Blizzard.
Coffee Blizzard
Calling all caffeine lovers! If a sugar rush isn’t enough, just pile on a serving of caffeine, and you’ll be ready to take on the day.
If Dairy Queen is your road trip pitstop, a Coffee Blizzard will ensure that you make it to the last leg of your trip.
This secret menu item is akin to a Frappucino but creamier and more delicious.
Coffee comes in syrup form at Dairy Queen, and you can make a coffee Blizzard by adding the syrup to any permanent Blizzard option.
I would add a Coffee syrup infusion to a choco-brownie Blizzard. It’d be like having a brownie a la mode with a fresh cup of espresso.
Marshmallow Creme Sundae
Dairy Queen’s famous sundaes are simple yet delicious treats of signature soft serve swirls over a foundation of gooey fudge, strawberry, pineapple, or other sauce, then drizzled with an extra helping.
To create a Marshmallow Crème sundae, you just need to request Marshmallow crème be added to any existing Sunday.
If you’re a fan of the fluffernutter, I recommend adding marshmallow crème to the peanut butter sundae.
The combination of rich, super-gooey peanut butter sauce with fluffy, creamy marshmallows and ice-cold vanilla soft serve is heaven in a cup.
And if you’re a moon pie fan, you could always top a hot fudge sundae with marshmallow fluff.
Midnight Truffle Blizzard
A truffle bridges the gap between fudge and frosting, offering a dense, rich flavor that is closer in flavor to frosting but closer in texture to fudge.
You usually find it in numerous variations placed in fancy compartmentalized boxes we gift to loved ones on a special occasion.
The Midnight Truffle Blizzard at Dairy Queen originated as a flavor of the month Blizzard that was so wildly popular that any DQ employee will know how to make it years later.
It consists of a vanilla Blizzard infused with dark chocolate fudge and real chocolate truffle bits.
Peanut Buster Parfait
The Peanut Buster Parfait is no secret at all. In fact, it has Dairy Queen’s coveted Royal Treat designation.
You can give yourself the royal treatment with this decadent and sinfully sweet soft serve parfait any time you want without worrying about how to explain your order.
The Peanut Buster Parfait consists of a tall cup of thick, creamy vanilla soft serve in between layers of hot fudge and toasted peanuts with extra fudge and peanuts on top of the classic curled soft serve dome top.
The combination of chocolate and peanuts as the layer in this parfait tastes like an ice cream sandwiched between two Mr. Good Bars.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake
There’s nothing that goes together better than peanut butter and jelly,
and Dairy Queen is happy to honor America’s favorite pairing. No bread is
needed for this meeting of nut butter and fruity jelly. Dairy Queen already has a peanut butter shake on its permanent menu, consisting of peanut butter sauce blended with milk and vanilla soft served with a whipped cream topping.
To make it in a peanut butter and jelly shake, ask your server to add a strawberry sauce swirl to the mix. I went a step further and asked for a sprinkle of freshly toasted peanuts to the shake, giving it a pop of crunchy texture.
Caramel Delight Pie Blizzard
Caramel fans will rejoice with this wonderful combination of rich flavors and varied textures.
The Caramel Delight Pie Blizzard takes a regular vanilla Blizzard and fills it with pie crust pieces, chocolate chunks, and caramel syrup swirls galore.
Nothing tastes better with pie than a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and the Caramel Delight Pie Blizzard breaks down a decadent chocolate caramel torte into a creamy soft serve creation with both buttery crumbles of crust, flavorful bites of hard chocolate, and gooey ribbons of caramel.
Hawaiian Blizzard
If sunbathing on a white sandy beach and overlooking surfers rip 20-foot
waves aren’t in the cards for you this year, you can channel Hawaii through your Dairy Queen order.
Moreover, you’ll stay dry and sunburn-free while still enjoying a taste of paradise.
The Hawaiian Blizzard is a vanilla Blizzard filled with banana slices, shredded coconut, and chunky pineapple sauce.
You might be lacking the view, but this tropical concoction will give your tastebuds the vacation of a lifetime. You might need to find a hammock to digest.
Cheesy Fries
Finally, a savory secret menu item! Cheese makes everything taste
better, and since dairy is the name of the game at Dairy Queen, their cheesy fries will exceed your expectations.
Their crispy French fries are delicious on their own, but with an added layer of melty cheese sauce and shredded cheese, you’ll never want regular fries again.
To order cheesy fries, ask for a regular order of fries topped with the queso sauce that goes with their pretzel sticks and another layer of shredded cheese.
If you want the ultimate savory experience, you can add chili to the queso and shredded cheese.
S’mores Blizzard
Originating as a Blizzard of the month, the S’mores Blizzard continues
to be in high demand. You’ll feel like a kid again, nostalgic for ghost stories around a crackling campfire when you order this classic soft serve creation.
The S’mores Blizzard takes a vanilla Blizzard base and adds marshmallow crème, chilled hot fudge, and bits of graham crackers.
While graham crackers may not be a permanent fix-in at Dairy Queen, you could ask for pie crust pieces in a pinch.
The hardening of the fudge within the thick, soft serve was the best texture of all. You could also ask for marshmallow crème topping instead of whipped cream.
There used to another secret one I loved! You make a chocolate or hot fudge milkshake first then put into it vanilla ice cream. Don’t mix it! Then you pour ladle of hot fudge over it. Oh my gosh…..it was good. This was thought up by a man who owned a dairy queen in cheyenne wyoming on Pershing Blvd. Called it hot fudge shake and sundae. It was the best tasting thing on a hot day or anytime
The Old Fashioned Strawberry Soda hasn’t been on the menu for years. But I still order it!!!!
Yummy
They DISCONTINUED the Banana Split Blizzard ??? and the Hawaiian blizzard in Mobile Alabama.. Why they stopped making the banana split is beyond my imagination since they make banana splits everyday! ?
I have always enjoyed Dairy Queen deserts. I’m a 70 year old woman in Texas. All DQ food is very good.
I can’t wait until they bring back their Snickerdoodle Blizzard. I LOVED that one. They should keep that one on their regular list.
I miss the Banana Supreme! Soft serve, hot fudge, whipped cream and pecans! It is scrumptious!
And bananas