While it's true the McDonald's dessert menu doesn't disappoint, it wouldn't hurt for the
U.S. arm of the company to expand their offerings beyond the basics. Here are some McDonald's
desserts you'll sadly never get to try in the U.S.
If you're the type who waits all year long for Easter to roll around and bring Cadbury
Crème Eggs with it, you might consider moving to Australia. Down under, McDonald's breaks
out a McFlurry in the spring that features chunks of Cadbury milk chocolate mixed with
Cadbury Crème filling in the fast food restaurant's classic soft serve vanilla.
According to the Today show, the treat isn't available in the U.S. at all — only in Australia,
New Zealand, the UK and sometimes Canada. And according to McDonald's UK website, even
living in those areas doesn't guarantee you'll get your hands on one of these creamy delights.
As the company explains, the timing has to be just right:
"[The Cadbury Crème Egg McFlurry] is always launched in conjunction with the Easter period,
running for a couple of weeks before and after."
Don't you love it when food is both delicious and beautiful? It's almost a shame to eat
something as pretty as McDonald's sweet potato ice cream in an Oreo waffle cone — almost.
The soft-serve ice cream is made using purple sweet potatoes, which imbue it with its lovely
lilac color. That pale purple sits in striking contrast to the dark, chocolatey waffle cone
made from Oreos. However, the bittersweet taste of the Oreos perfectly balances the
sweetness of the ice swirl.
Aesthetically pleasing? Check. Pleasing to the palate? Double-check. There's just one
big hitch: You're gonna have to travel to Hong Kong in order to enjoy one of these beauties.
The good news is that if you do plan a trip, not only will you get to try this cool treat
but it'll only set you back around $1.75 American.
Close your eyes and imagine sitting at a Parisian pastry shop. What are you eating? It's a macaron,
isn't it? Don't be ashamed. In fact, as Eater notes:
"It's a cliché to go to Paris and eat pink- and green- and chocolate-colored macarons,
and you should do exactly that without an ounce of shame."
And what better way to enjoy macarons in Paris than on the cheap? If you hit up the Champs-Elysées
location of McDonald's, you can enjoy this iconic French treat. Just be sure to say it
right.
"I bought you some macaroons."
In the U.S., McDonald's is known for one particular hand-pie: the apple. It's in keeping with
the whole Americana motif, you know? Plus, it's a scientific fact that apple pie is the
best kind of comfort food. OK, maybe not scientific, but still. And while no one is saying you
shouldn't keep adoring your American apple pie from McDonald's, you should know that
the restaurant offers an equally tasty, flaky pie filled with delicious fruit in Thailand.
Only, in Thailand, that fruit is pineapple. Consider the TripAdvisor review by Tony W.
out of Sydney who, in January 2016, wrote,
"No matter where you travel, McDonald's is McDonald's [...] the one thing about McDonald's
in Thailand is I love the pineapple pies."
The McDonald's Around the World blog also briefly describes these tropical fruit treats,
saying,
"The Pineapple Pie was near identical to the one I had in Malaysia earlier this year, but
I think it may have had larger chunks of pineapple inside; my friend from Canada quite enjoyed
it."
Two points of interest to unpack there. First, you can also get Pineapple Pies at McDonald's
in Malaysia. And secondly, they're enjoyable.
If you ever have a killer craving for a McFlurry, perhaps you should pack your bags for Brazil.
There, McDonald's offers the Pirulin Coco McFlurry — a decadent combination of creamy
vanilla soft serve swirled with dulce de leche and topped with sweet and delicate Pirulin
Coco biscuits. Can't make it to Brazil? You can buy a tub of the Pirulin on Amazon, but
it'll set you back around $30.
You may have heard of durian fruit before, in which case you likely heard it referred
to as the "king of fruit." And while that sounds impressive, you might also recall that
this regal fruit is known for a distinctive reason: its pungent odor. If you've ever caught
a whiff of durian fruit, you would remember. As food writer Richard Sterling described
it, durian fruit smells like, quote, "turpentine and onions, garnished with a gym sock." However,
that doesn't stop this fruit from being a sought-after delicacy in Singapore where it
is used in the making of a special McFlurry.
Intrepid blogger Daniel from DanielFoodDiary opted to brave the odor during a trip to Singapore
in order to give this pungent McFlurry a test drive. In documenting his experience, Daniel
wrote,
"Serious, I could smell McDonald's from a few meters away. And I am not talking about
their fries or chicken nuggets, but its new D24 Durian McFlurry."
As for the taste, well, it might be an acquired thing. Daniel went on to add:
"There were nuances of that bitter-sweetness, though not much, and I was quickly overtaken
by the sweetness."
But for those who love Durian, this fragrant McFlurry could be a dream dessert.
There isn't much that Nutella's rich and creamy hazelnut spread can't make better.
"Thank you to the good people at nutella because you got me through my first filmmaking experience."
And if you find yourself dining at McDonald's in Brazil or Italy in the near future, you'll
experience that sweet truth firsthand. It is there that the chain offers something truly
visionary — an array of bread products stuffed with Nutella. No kidding.
One example is the Tortinha Delice, the Brazilian McDonald's traditional banana tart, topped
with Nutella, vanilla ice cream and Farofa de pacoca. In 2016, the Foodbeast editorial
team tried the Nutella-stuffed muffins at the McDonald's in Italy, which went just about
as well as you'd expect:
"Nutella-anything is pretty much a winner in my book, but if you stuff it inside a soft
butter muffin, you pretty much nailed pastries."
And while it doesn't necessarily look like a dessert, you might be interested in trying
the "Sweety con Nutella" burger at McDonald's in Italy. The restaurant packages up this
delectable treat to look exactly like a burger but, in reality, it's a donut-like bun with
Nutella baked inside.
It shouldn't come as too much of a shocker that charcoal eventually ended up in food.
After all, with the latest health and wellness crazes incorporating charcoal, it was only
a matter of time before it began showing up on menus. Case in point? The Coconut Charcoal
McFlurry at McDonald's in Indonesia. The good news is that, according to taste reviews posted
on Nibble, the most dominant flavor of this McFlurry is the coconut. One reviewer wrote:
"Every mouthful of ice cream that enters the mouth is a sensation of gratitude from grated
coconut."
If you're wondering why McDonald's would put charcoal in a McFlurry at all, it's thought
that the substance has toxin-absorbing properties. This isn't the stuff you put on the barbecue
grill — activated charcoal involves heating carbon-rich materials to very high temps.
While not scientifically proven, the purported health benefits include assisting kidney function
and aiding digestion.
Here's the thing: Not everyone loves bubblegum flavored foods. It's one of those flavors
people tend to love or hate and little in between. However, in the case of the Bubblegum
Squash McFlurry offered at McDonald's in New Zealand, people certainly seemed to love it.
There's even a petition going around to try to ensure it is always on McDonald's menu,
as McDonald's does tend to retire these limited edition flavors eventually.
What's in them? It would appear this uniquely named McFlurry consists of marshmallow pieces
in three different colors atop McDonald's vanilla soft serve. The dessert also has blue
bubblegum flavored syrup drizzled on top of it. Admittedly, the "squash" part of the name
seems to be a misnomer. In its review of the the dessert, the McDonald's Around the World
blog had this to say:
"The Bubblegum Squash McFlurry, although expensive, wasn't as terrible as the frightening blue
color made it look. It actually had a pretty subtle bubblegum flavor, and the marshmallows
on top were soft."
As the expression goes:
"When in Rome."
And in the context of McDonald's, that means ordering the gelato when you visit the restaurant's
location in Rome, Italy. At this multi-level location, the classic Italian icy treat is
served on the ground floor.
An authentic Italian delicacy, gelato has a long and storied history in the country.
Ancient Roman emperors reportedly ate the early form of gelato: snow mixed with fruit
and salt. The first official gelato café in Paris dates all the way back to 1686 when
a Sicilian fisherman from Palermo made the first gelato machine. Subsequently, he opened
his own café where he served gelato. Among his famous fans were reportedly great literary
minds like Voltaire and Rousseau. Suffice it to say, Italians take their gelato seriously.
Let's talk for a moment about Toblerone, shall we? What's especially fun about this treat
is its history, which reads a lot like a real-life Willy Wonka story.
"What's that for?"
"Gives it a little kick."
According to the Toblerone website, Jean Tobler began making chocolate confectionery out of
his confectionery shop in Bern, Switzerland, back in 1868. By 1899, demand for his delicious
chocolate was so great that he founded his very own chocolate factory with his sons.
Clearly, chocolate-making-genius ran in the family. In 1908, Jean's son Theodor invented
the Toblerone chocolate bar along with his cousin. A popular indulgence to this day,
the unique triangle-shaped Swiss chocolate bar is a heavenly combination of ingredients
such as cocoa, milk from Switzerland, almond nougat, and honey. It's a distinctive taste
experience that, once you've tried, you'll be powerless to resist ever again.
Now, imagine if you could have a McFlurry full of Toblerone bits? Well, this isn't just
a sweet dream, people — at McDonald's in Denmark, you can order that exact dessert
from the menu.
In case you missed it, Japan is famous for its dizzying array of Kit Kat flavors. No
kidding, there are more than 200 and include adventurous flavor profiles like wasabi and
Kobe pudding. But arguably one of the most refreshing Japanese Kit Kat flavors is the
green tea version. Perhaps realizing an opportunity to capitalize on people's love for this Kit
Kat flavor, McDonald's in Japan decided to incorporate this tasty treat into the menu
with ice cream items featuring Green Tea Kit Kats.
Food blogger Cla Palisoc described the Green Tea Kit Kat McFlurry in 2016 on her Food Fanatic
blog, saying it was a mixture of McDonald's signature soft-serve mixed with tiny pieces
of green tea Kit Kat. And, apparently, this McFlurry did not disappoint. Palisoc wrote:
"There was no strong or bitter matcha flavor here. Every spoonful will give you lots of
Kit Kat pieces though with the subtle matcha after-taste."
While Palisoc points out that the dessert is nothing, quote, "too fancy or wow," she
admitted she really enjoyed the Green Tea Kit Kat McFlurry from McDonald'sJapan and
would give it a respectable three out of five stars.
In full disclosure, who can be sure if this qualifies as a dessert or breakfast? But either
way, the Pancake Helado offered at McDonald's Uruguay merits mentioning. A dulce-de-leche-filled
pancake topped with vanilla ice cream and a dulce de leche sauce? Yes, please! McDonald's
refers to this gooey treat as a, quote, "delicious combination," and why isn't this a thing more
people eat? Inquiring minds need to know.
Theoretically, you could attempt to make this on your own if you're dying to try it. According
to Extra Crispy, whipping up a batch of stuffed pancakes isn't as difficult as you might imagine.
That said, if you were to pick up some pancake batter, along with dulce de leche sauce, you
could very well be enjoying this Uruguayan delight in the near future.
Should you ever want a really authentic cuisine experience via a McDonald's dessert, consider
a culinary trip to Romania. As the Friends/TBWA blog has noted,
"McDonald's continues the local relevance direction, bringing to the attention of consumers
the recipes specific to Romanian cuisine, all of which form a genuine and varied Romanian
menu."
Sweet cheese and raisins desserts are among the Romanian food items the local McDonald's
offers. As part of an advertising campaign to promote these Romanian treats, McDonald's
created a commercial that explores the colorful Romanian wedding tradition of "bride-napping,"
by which the bride gets stolen away from under the groom's nose while the wedding is in full
swing. What does this have to do with Mickey D's? Well, as the Friends/TWBA blog explains,
"The bride doesn't have time to fully enjoy the meal at her own wedding. This is a known
fact. She is always too busy to entertain the guests and make sure that they feel OK."
So the bride-nappers bring her — where else? — to McDonald's. This way she can eat some
traditional Romanian food and relax a little.
For an all too brief time in 2021, McDonald's Thailand upped the wow factor with a dessert
that was a summertime treat and a callback to Thai history. Tab-tim krob is a traditional
Thai dessert that's a confection of water chestnuts, tapioca flour, red food coloring,
and coconut milk. As reported by Chowhound, this chewy and crunchy concoction was allegedly
created in the mid-to-late 19th century for King Rama V.
Tab-tim translates to "rubies", and krob means "crispy," and the "crispy rubies" are enjoyed
most in summer as a cooling break from the Thailand heat. The treat was described as
"chewy gum," so think of it as a Thai gummy?
Sweet sticky rice is used in both savory and sweet dishes and is often served with mango
as a dessert. It's cooked in coconut milk, and McDonald's added pandan, a tropical plant
that's common in Thai cuisine and has a unique vanilla-coconut-herbal aroma. These two Thai
favorites were cushioned with vanilla soft serve between them. McDonald's Tab-Tim Krob
was another brilliant example of how the company integrates international cuisine to create
one-of-a-kind cuisine.
McDonald's Baci Perugina McFlurry was introduced in 2013, and you have to wonder what took
them so long? This chocolate-and-hazelnut "kiss" has a storied and romantic history
in Italy — and swirled into a McFlurry, it's a perfect Italian dessert. Baci Perugina
will celebrate its 100th birthday in 2022, and although it's now owned by Nestle, the
recipe has never changed: a sweet chocolate and hazelnut paste center with a whole hazelnut
on top, enrobed in dark chocolate.
An Italian McFlurry is made with gelato and not soft serve vanilla ice cream like its
American cousin. If you've enjoyed gelato in Rome, then you know that U.S. gelato doesn't
quite have the same taste and texture. And it comes down to the milk. McDonald's success
in Italy is attributed to the company's preparing food with authentic Italian ingredients and
all of McDonald's Italy McFlurrys are made with 100-percent Italian milk.
We've all dunked our fair share of Oreos in milk, right? It's been a classic American
cookie since 1912, and according to Thought Co., as of 2019, an estimated 450 billion
Oreos have been sold since then. An Oreo McFlurry is a popular flavor and easy to create at
home. But the South Korea McDonald's elevates the Oreo McFlurry to mythic heights by transforming
it into an affogato, the Italian coffee drink of espresso poured over gelato or, often in
America, vanilla ice cream. For some reason, McDonald's in the U.S. doesn't offer a McAffogato,
but they're available in Canada, Europe, and parts of Asia.
The South Korea McDonald's seems to be the only McDonald's in the world to add Oreos
to an affogato. It's a layered dessert with crushed Oreos in the bottom of the cup, then
soft-serve vanilla ice cream, swirled with espresso, and topped with a twirled crown
of more vanilla soft serve.
Doesn't it seem a little perverse that international McDonald's locations dream up desserts that
should be in the U.S. locations? We have a caramel brownie McFlurry here, and McDonald's
in Malaysia has a chocolate brownie McFlurry. However, the Brownie and Hot Fudge sundae
is unique to McDonald's India. There's nothing exotic about it, and the ingredients are as
American as apple pie, but for some mysterious reason, you'll have to circle the globe to
get one.
An Indian Youtuber was skeptical about the warm walnut brownie and hot fudge combo, but
once he dove in, he said,
"wow! The good thing is that the ice cream is not that filling."
The YouTuber described the dessert as, quote, "thick and gooey" with the ice cream "providing
a nice balance." He rated it a 9.5. Maybe there was too much hot fudge for his liking
to give it a 10? But from all appearances, it looks to be the right amount for us.
International McDonald's restaurants get super creative with McFlurrys, and McDonald's Germany
wins extra points for creativity for its oddly named Granola Choc Rote-Grütze . It's a frozen
yogurt McFlurry with crunchy granola, chocolate granola, and a mystery ingredient of, quote,
"red grits sauce."
Investigating the curious "red grits sauce," we found a German blogger's description: sour
cherries, raspberries, and black currants. In her review she noted that "it contained
many pieces of fruit," and that the taste is slightly sour and sweet. This German McFlurry
can be ordered in a cup or in a waffle cone, which the blogger thought paired well with
the frozen yogurt.
It actually all sounds pretty wonderful, but it's probably not likely that you'll find
a frozen yogurt McFlurry in the U.S. since anything but soft serve ice cream in a McFlurry
is forbidden. McDonald's Germany, though, has a less strict definition of a McFlurry
and recently introduced a vegan McFlurry that's made of strawberry sorbet with Oreo pieces
mixed in.
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