McDonald's Grinch Dill Pickle McShaker Fries Review: A Holiday Treat Worth Keeping Around

Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" first stole Christmas in 1957, and in a push to keep the Grinch relevant in the decades ever since, he perpetually seems to steal the spotlight one way or another, year after year. In the tail end of 2025, the Grinch has been particularly busy, pushing Walmart holiday shopping and lending his talents to McDonald's franchise locations around the globe. In Australia, his likeness is being channeled into Frozen Fanta Lemon with Green Apple Popping Pearls; in the UK, he has a moody menu, including such items as a Grumble Pie and Mischief McFlurry; and back home in the U.S., he is spreading his dis-spirit via The Grinch Meal, which features a dill pickle-flavored seasoning packet called "Grinch Salt" to spread over fries. It marks the long-overdue debut of McShaker fries on our shores.

You had me at "McShaker Fries," but before we hand McDonald's a McTrophy, let's figure out what's really shaking with these newfangled fries. Will they mark the next great McEvolution in side menu items on this side of the pond, or are plain McDonald's fries so darn good that we don't dare import the idea of seasoning them? With plenty of grains of Grinch Salt to spread about, The Takeout took out this new Grinch Meal and the McShaker Fries to see if perhaps the spirit of Christmas does come from a store!

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

McShaker Fries are simply McDonald's famous french fries, but in lieu of coming in a fry holder, they're housed in a special McShaker bag and accompanied by a side packet of seasoning. The seasoning packet is opened and poured into the bag, which is then shaken (not stirred), to complete the seasoning process. The McShaker Fries concept was first introduced in Hong Kong back in 2005 before spreading to other McDonald's franchises around the world.

McDonald's Canada got its first taste of McShaker Fries in the summer of 2024, and in December of that year, the chain launched a brand-new holiday meal based on Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!" It featured nuggets or a sandwich, a drink, a pair of mismatched socks, and introduced to the world to Dill Pickle McShaker Fries. In 2025, U.S. McDonald's is rolling out its own Grinch Meal and bringing the seasoning along with it. In a statement to various media outlets, Alyssa Buetikofer, Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer of McDonald's USA, noted, "The Grinch Meal was a huge success in Canada, so bringing this fan favorite to the U.S. was a no-brainer."

The U.S. version of The Grinch Meal is very similar to the Canadian one. It comes with a choice of a Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, a medium drink, an order of the Dill Pickle "Grinch Salt" McShake Fries, and a pair of "spirited" socks, available in green, blue, red, or yellow and inscribed with special messages from The Grinch himself.

Starting December 2, the Dill Pickle "Grinch Salt" McShaker Fries will debut at participating nationwide locations of McDonald's. It will be available while supplies last, for a limited time only. It's probably safe to assume that once the Grinch has stolen Christmas day, his socks and salt will bid adieu before it's time to ring in the new year.

The Dill Pickle "Grinch Salt" McShaker Fries can be ordered as a part of The Grinch Meal or as an à la carte offering, in sizes medium or large. This meal can only be ordered when lunch begins, until closing, or when the menu reverts to breakfast. The price of the meals and McShaker fries vary per location, but at my Manhattan store, the Big Mac version of the medium-sized meal ran $16.18, the nuggets one for $15.18, and the fries alone cost $5.19 for a medium, and $5.99 for a large. Additional orders of the Grinch Salt are not available directly, but one could perhaps kindly ask a store employee for further assistance.

The meal can be ordered in store at the register, kiosk, or drive-thru, where available. Advance ordering for dine-in, takeout, drive-thru pickup, and even delivery in some areas are all available through McDonald's app or website.

McDonald's fries are the stuff that dreams are made of, but in reality, they consist of the following ingredients: potatoes, vegetable oil with natural beef flavor, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and good old salt. They contain the allergens wheat and milk. The "Grinch Salt," aka dill pickle seasoning, brings together the talents of vinegar powder, salt, sugar, and dill weed as its primary ingredients.

A medium order of Dill Pickle McShaker Fries nets an eater 340 calories, 5 grams of protein, 47 grams of total carbs, and 15 grams of total fat. A large, on the other hand, contains 510 calories, 7 grams of protein, 70 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of fat. 

Inside the Seussian-decorated meal box, you'll find all that is promised, including the packaged socks gift, a single packet of Grinch Salt, and a healthy amount of french fries housed in a specially designed white McShaker bag. If one doesn't have a clue as to how to proceed, the back of the bag spells out what to do to make your McShaker dreams come true.

I tore my packet open, and immediately my nose was enveloped by the strong smell of manufactured dill pickle. It's a smell that doesn't exactly reek like a genuine pickle, but it conjures up the essence closely enough. If you've ever tried dill pickle potato chips, you'll easily catch this drift. The seasoning is more powdery than flaky and has a light green hue to it, which is spruced up with little sprigs of dill.

I poured a healthy amount of the seasoning into my McShaker bag and got straight to the McShaking. When I opened the bag, I could tell that the fries were indeed seasoned by traces of the forest-green dill seasoning bits. To the touch, the fries were quite dusty, but not all that messy. One quick bite of these newly-seasoned fries and I was immediately sold on the idea, thanks to the awesome pickle-ness of the Grinch Salt. It was hard to tell how much Grinch Salt to dump into the bag, and I realized after the fact that it may be best to tread lightly when applying it, as not to over-Grinch Salt them. Regardless, it stirred my heart in all the best possible ways.

I have always been intrigued by McDonald's offerings abroad. I had heard about McShaker Fries before and finally got a chance to try them (in a different flavor) when I was in Sweden this past August. I was definitely excited when I found out McShaker Fries were finally landing in our neck of the woods, and the results were even better than I imagined. The seasoning topping the fries is so darn fabulous, it's a shame it wasn't a part of Popeyes' magnificent Pickle Menu.

After I attacked the McShaker Fries, I wondered what the seasoning would be like on unsalted fries. The results here were even more delicious than with salted fries. Don't get me wrong, I love salt, but the Grinch Salt has enough packed in that it perfectly seasons the beautifully golden canvas of McDonald's fries on its own. I highly recommend you try the McShaker Fries unsalted, and then casually Grinch Salt them as you see fit.

As the opening salvo for McShaker Fries in America, this is a most excellent introduction. I hope you, my fellow eaters, will have your hearts stolen by them too, and thus open the door for more McShaking in the future. If the Dill Pickle is the perfect seasoning for this holiday season, I cannot wait for future seasonings to celebrate other holidays. Mesquite BBQ for a spring cookout? Sea salt and vinegar for a summer stroll on the beach boardwalk? Cinnamon sweetness for Valentine's Day? McBring it on!