Summer and soft-serve ice cream [1] go together like Hallmark Channel original movies [2] and wine, but not all soft serve is created equal. You may think that any old chain restaurant will serve up the same watered-down swirl on a cake cone, but some of those chains are actually doing it way better than others — which is important to know when you have a sweet tooth to satisfy on your next road trip. From drippy disappointments to dairy delights, we've ranked the soft-serve formulas from all of the major fast food chains [3], and you might be surprised to know which cone comes out on top.
Burger King
If you get this cone, you better get extra napkins, because the consistency of BK's soft-serve ice cream is basically just cream. The cone itself is also stale and quick to crumble, basically making the whole dessert a mess waiting to happen.
McDonald's
While the soft serve at Mickey D's is thicker than BK's and far less likely to drip, it still tastes more like frozen whipped cream than actual ice cream. The standard cake cone also leaves something to be desired — like BK's, it's just a little more flavourful than cardboard. Also, though this is not the fault of the ice cream itself, we're pretty sure that every McDonald's ice cream machine is broken at least 70 percent of the time.
Chick-Fil-A
First things first: when you order a soft-serve cone at Chick-Fil-A, you're not actually getting ice cream — you're getting "Icedream." There isn't enough fat in the soft serve to actually be considered ice cream, so this dessert is more like a healthier alternative to traditional cones, but with near-perfect consistency. The downside: to make up for the lack of cream in the formula, it's instead really high in sugar — but damn is it good.
Dairy Queen
To be fair, Dairy Queen has the home-field advantage because, unlike the other chains, ice cream is what DQ does best. But, just like Chick-Fil-A, this soft serve isn't actually ice cream — it's called a "frozen delight" because the minimum butterfat content must be 10 percent, and DQ's soft-serve has only five percent butterfat [4]. Is that a bad thing? Not necessarily, because it's delicious. Sure, you get more sugar, but the consistency is basically drip-proof.
Wendy's
If you've ever gotten a Frosty from Wendy's, then you know that this chain's dessert game is a major step up from Burger King and McDonald's. The soft serve is super creamy, rich, and thick with a milkshake-like consistency, so the only downside is that if you're looking for a traditional soft-serve cone, this ain't it.
Sonic
Sonic just upgraded its soft-serve cone to a Double Stuf Oreo cone, which comes with a chocolate cookie cone with sweet Oreo creme drizzled inside, Sonic vanilla ice cream, and more Oreo creme and crushed Oreos on top. Is that fair to the other soft-serve contenders? Absolutely not. Does it make Sonic the clear winner? It sure does.