Bottom line: Three flavors are taking over frozen menus right now: mint, banana, and matcha and the options are better (and more unexpected) than ever.
☘️ St. Patrick’s Day Comes Early for Mint Lovers 🌿
Okay, so mint season is basically a national holiday at this point, and we’re not complaining. Right now you’ve got options coming at you from every direction.
McDonald’s is running both the Shamrock Shake and the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry for a limited time: that’s their classic vanilla soft serve blended with Shamrock mint syrup, one straight up with whipped cream and one loaded with Oreo pieces. Available through March 23.
Over at Wendy’s, the Thin Mints Frosty Swirl is back and this year they leveled it up with the new Thin Mints Frosty Fusion, which mixes actual crushed Girl Scout Thin Mints cookies right into the vanilla or chocolate Frosty base. It’s spoonable, it’s indulgent, and it’s exactly the mint-chocolate fix you’ve been looking for. Available for a limited time.
Dairy Queen is also in the mint game with the returning Mint Oreo Blizzard Treat: a St. Patrick’s Day perennial that’s back for its annual moment in the green spotlight. Available for a limited time.
🍌 Going Bananas: The Comeback Flavor of the Moment 🐒
Banana is having a genuine moment right now, and these frozen treats are leading the charge. Expect more banana goodness to pop up as the U.S. picks up the Korean banana milk trend.
Dairy Queen dropped the Savannah Bananas Split Shake in partnership with the trick-shot-performing baseball team you’ve probably seen all over social media. This isn’t your average banana shake: it’s DQ’s signature soft serve blended with real fresh banana, strawberries, and chocolatey shavings, finished with whipped topping. Available for a limited time.
Meanwhile, 7-Eleven brought back the cult-favorite Brr-Nana Slurpee after five years of fans begging for its return. The banana-flavored frozen slushy is available at 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores and it reportedly tastes like Banana Laffy Taffy in the best possible way. Available for a limited time.
🍵 Matcha Moves In: The Frozen Treats Bringing Café Culture to the Drive-Thru 💚
Here’s the one that might surprise you. Matcha has been everywhere at coffee shops for a while now, but it’s officially made the leap to frozen territory — and multiple spots launched their frozen matcha options at the same time, which tells you everything about where this trend is headed.
Jack in the Box just dropped an Oreo Matcha Shake nationwide: a vanilla shake blended with real matcha tea and Oreo cookie crumbles, finished with whipped topping. They also launched a Matcha Iced Latte if you want something lighter. These appear to be permanent menu additions.
Rita’s Italian Ice launched its Frozen Matcha as a permanent menu addition as well: matcha blended with their signature Vanilla Italian Ice, available in Original, Strawberry, or Caramel. It’s sippable and refreshing – perfect for a warm spring day.
And if you’re near a Wawa, they’ve added handcrafted matcha available iced, hot, or frozen as a solid option for matcha fans who want it their way. Available for a limited time.
The matcha train has officially left the specialty café and pulled into the drive-thru. All aboard.