8 Dairy Queen Blizzard Flavors, Ranked

Dairy Queen is a beloved ice cream spot that also sells classic savory fare like burgers and hot dogs. Among their many offerings, Blizzard Treats are a fan favorite, although funnily enough, this favorite ice cream treat isn't technically even ice cream. But I digress. If you're not familiar with Blizzards, they're similar to McDonald's McFlurries except they generally include smaller chunks of candy or cookies. Now that I've got you craving something sweet, how do you know which Blizzard Treat flavor to choose?

Thankfully, you can skip the guessing games and get straight to ordering the best flavors because I took care of the trial and error for you. After tackling numerous rankings here at the Daily Meal — from Aldi bakery items to Hershey Kisses flavors — I had the chance to do the same with Dairy Queen Blizzard flavors. I'm uniquely suited to this task not only from my previous experience here, but also from more than fifteen years of experience in the food industry. Ready to find out which of the eight flavors I tested came out on top? Let's get into it so you can get your sweet treat fix.

I want to preface this by saying none of the Blizzard Treats were terrible because the base vanilla mixture alone is fantastic. However, some were better than others — sometimes barely and sometimes by a lot. That being said, the Snickers Brownie Blizzard Treat looks promising at first glance. There appear to be sprinkles of brownie and Snickers throughout, some in larger chunks and some much smaller. There's no real color change to the white vanilla ice cream, which I kind of expected to see due to the caramel in Snickers. My first bite offered softer fudgy chunks and small bits of harder chocolate strewn with caramel against the best vanilla soft serve (in my opinion).

Of course, this sounds delicious, so you're probably wondering why it ended up being the lowest-ranked Blizzard. It's not that it was bad, so much as rather unbalanced. There are fudgy bits and denser brownie pieces and chocolate — it just came out to be a little much. The distribution was also a bit off, which further detracted from its ranking. I likely won't buy this one again in lieu of flavors I prefer more, but I can recommend this to chocolate enthusiasts who enjoy things with a lot going on.

If we were going purely by personal preference, this would have ranked as my second personal favorite (right behind the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard Treat), but that's only because I'm a huge fan of Butterfingers. On a side note, I have to wonder if they were one of the candy companies who initially resisted involvement in Blizzard Treats. Moving along ... My first look shows me white soft serve that's lightly tinted with a brownish-red, littered with tiny chunks of chocolate and crispy peanut butter core bits. We're off to a promising start, and my first bite (skimmed off the top) is full of Butterfinger goodness, with the chocolate and peanut butter merging perfectly with the vanilla soft serve.

The problem? Only the first bite offered me such a punch of Butterfingers. The rest of my bites were very mild, as though they were made with the shadow of the candy bar versus the real deal. While I enjoyed it regardless, I had to subtract points for the weak flavor. I would personally purchase this again anyway, and recommend it if you want something light. If you're looking for a full punch of flavor, skip this one.

If I were choosing a winner based on aesthetics alone, the beautiful rainbow polka dot look of the M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies Blizzard Treat would win hands down. It's just so bright and cheerful, with a childlike vibe that makes me feel nostalgic. Unfortunately, this ranking isn't based on aesthetics alone.

This M&M's Blizzard Treat features those rainbow polka dots I was raving about against a slightly off-white soft serve. I think the off-white comes from a slight tint provided by the other colors, but I can't be positive. Unfortunately, this mostly just tastes like vanilla soft serve and the chocolatey taste and crunchy texture of the candies doesn't really come through. At some points, there was the faintest hint of chocolate, but overall, it was bland. I won't purchase it again, but this could be a good option if you want vanilla ice cream but also want it to be pretty.

This Mint Oreo Cookies Blizzard Treat easily takes second place in aesthetics, even if it came in lower overall. It has beautiful swirls of dark green and lighter mint green against the white vanilla, with chunks of black cookie poking through. Since green is my favorite color, I was especially fond of this aesthetic and might consider getting it again around St. Patrick's Day (in addition to the McDonald's Shamrock Shake and Arby's Andes Mint Chocolate Shake, of course).

However, this ranked in the bottom half because the flavor wasn't super strong or well distributed. The mint definitely came through stronger than the Butterfingers flavor and it was better distributed than the Snickers Brownie, but it still wasn't quite up to par. I'd like to see a slightly stronger mint flavor and for them to better break apart the cookies, since there were nearly whole ones in certain places. However, if you like mint and Oreos, this isn't a terrible Blizzard Treat and you'll likely enjoy it.

The Oreo Cookies Blizzard Treat from Dairy Queen may have a tumultuous history, but it's also one of their more well-known options — and it's generally well-received these days. It's similar to the mint version except without the mint. My first glance shows me black cookie chunks and specks of varying sizes against an off-white vanilla base that's been mildly stained by the cookie's coloring.

There's a giant chunk of Oreo cookie right at the top of my container, which causes me to hesitate slightly — I'm not a fan of large chunks in my candy and ice cream treats, but I continue on. Thankfully, this is the only giant cookie chunk I encounter and I find the pieces to be better broken apart than with the mint version. The cookie pieces are also better distributed than the lower-ranking options, with a reliable light crunchy chocolate and creamy vanilla flavor profile. I definitely recommend this if you enjoy Oreo cookies or want something a little lighter than my top three Blizzard flavors.

My first glance at the Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard Treat shows little bits of all this treat's decadent mix-ins, including small chunks of graham cracker crumbs, a spot of strawberry filling, and barely visible hints of cheesecake chunks. All of this is framed by Dairy Queen's famous vanilla soft serve, which has taken on a mildly orangish-brownish tint due to the mix-ins.

The flavor profile comes through strongly and I can immediately taste the strawberry cheesecake. This excites me because many "cheesecake" ice creams end up tasting like pure strawberry. Here, there's a distinct cream cheese bite against aromatic graham cracker and decadent strawberry filling. The vanilla ice cream provides a light canvas for these other flavors to shine and helps meld them all together perfectly. If you love New York-style cheesecake and vanilla ice cream, you need to try this Blizzard Treat. I highly recommend it and will definitely be purchasing it again on one of my future visits.

When I get my Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard Treat, I see the top is thoroughly speckled with brown bits of peanut butter and black specks of chocolate. The ice cream has taken on an off-white color from the mix-ins, and overall, it looks really promising of what's to come. It certainly delivered too.

The flavor profile was distinctly peanut butter cup — strong notes of chocolate and peanut butter are framed against the vanilla soft serve ice cream. These bits also create textural interest, adding an occasional crunch or soft solid to the creamy ice cream. What's more, the pieces were well distributed (and even generous, in my opinion), so that I never got a single spoonful of plain ice cream. If you enjoy peanut butter ice cream or Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, you'll love this Blizzard Treat. I, for one, will definitely be ordering it again.

Honestly, my first thought of this Royal Reese's Brownie Blizzard Treat was that it was the upgraded version of the standard Reese's one. In addition to the peanut butter chunks and chocolate specks, you also get small bites of chocolate brownie. I know that I said the Snickers Brownie Blizzard Treat had too much going on, but it just seems to work so much better with this option than the other. Maybe it's because the flavor profile feels more cohesive.

The appearance is stunning and the taste is even better. You can fully taste each mix-in, allowing for something mildly different in each bite. Everything is framed against that creamy vanilla soft serve, which I think helps mellow out the super sweet chocolatey profile just enough. Once you taste this, you'll have zero doubts why it was ranked as the top Dairy Queen Blizzard Treat flavor.

I chose these Dairy Queen Blizzard flavors based on their availability at my closest shop, in Somers Point, New Jersey. Because of my allergy, I only included those flavors made without coconut oil, choosing the rest based on personal preference. This was to ensure the fairest possible ranking, as I didn't feel I could effectively judge flavors I already knew I wouldn't enjoy.

I judged each blizzard on taste and appearance, relying on more than fifteen years experience in the food industry — while I cross-trained in hot foods and bakeries, I do have some experience making and working with ice cream, myself. I'm also a regular consumer of ice cream generally, helping me to find a baseline for quality. Although personal preference played a part in this ranking, I attempted to remain as unbiased as possible.

If all of this has you curious to know more about Dairy Queen, you might be interested in what Dairy Queen isn't telling you. Or if you're looking for something to eat before your dessert, here's which fast-food bacon cheeseburger ranks best.