Review: Burger King's Orange Dreamsicle And Firecracker Cookie Pie Are A Mixed Bag Of Fizzle And Pop

The celebration of America and all things American are all going into hyperdrive this summer, thanks in part to the country turning 250 years young. The spirit of the country and the tricolor combo of red, white, and blue are being bandied about in food and drink items everywhere, from a S'mores Quesadilla being sold this summer at the Kansas City Royals' Kauffman Stadium — one of the outrageous new food items for the 2026 MLB season – to the flavors of a Rocket Pop popsicle grossly engrossing a can of Bush's Beans. Burger King is also adding two new treats to the Americana celebratory summer mix, whipping up its Hi-C Orange Freezee into the Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King, as well as serving up slices of a Firecracker Cookie Pie. They will debut alongside an all new guest created Whopper — the Loaded Jalapeño Whopper.

So, are the Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King, and the Firecracker Cookie Pie the perfect treats to ring in the semiquincentennial, or are they overly semi-sweet, leaving eaters with sour notes in their mouths? The Takeout took out each for a go to see where the truth lies. Now all can be revealed in this sip and say, and chew and review.

In advance of their nationwide release, I was treated to a sneak peek taste test of Burger King's new Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King and Firecracker Cookie Pie while visiting the chain's headquarters in Miami, Florida. It was actually my second eating session of the day, following a break to breathe after downing Burger King's fun and tasty Mandalorian and Grogu menu. The Freezee and Pie were prepared directly in BK HQ's test kitchen, and were therefore as fresh and well designed as possible. Both items were consumed on site with a group of other journalists.

This sip and say, and chew and review are a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. I also took into consideration my previous experiences with Burger King, its desserts, desserts in general, and my experience with these two new offerings. The ultimate criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, smell, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, value, and ultimately whether these new items are worthy of your time and dime.

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

Before me, in a clear plastic cup with an open lid, resided the Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King. By appearance alone, it backed-up its name by being supremely orange, and dreamy with its creamy cloud of white swimming about. Peering in at the top, there was a mound of crumbled orange sprinkles that resembled crushed Cheetos. It was a thing of remarkable colorful beauty, but did it have the taste to back it up?

I leaned in for a whiff, and it had an overly vanilla forward aroma, further supporting its namesake. I took a nibble of the crunchy sprinkles and it tasted like a super sugary, crunchy granola cookie. That may sound good in written words, but it was a preview of the saccharinicity to come. The slush had a nice consistency, but I couldn't dwell too long on that positive note as this Freezee flavor was overpowering in the worst possible way. Yes, it tasted like a dreamsicle popsicle, but it was so beyond sickly sweet, it ultimately made the experience of sipping it more like a nightmaresicle. 

The vanilla cream foam helped to cut into that strong sweet taste, so be sure to mix it in well with your straw if you dare to give this one a go. This item was a hard one for me to take on, and I cried uncle after only a few sips.

I haven't had too many pies under the Burger King banner, but I did find much to celebrate when I previously reviewed the BK Birthday Pie Slice a couple years back. This new treat is here to celebrate America's 250th years of being, and after opening its thin triangle box, there she was, in all her patriotic glory: Ms. Firecracker Cookie Pie. She mainly looked like an endless pile of whipped cream, accentuated with baby blue and ruby red star-shaped confetti sprinkles. Not sure why the sprinkles couldn't be the Old Glory red and blue of our flag, but that's more of a question than a knock against them. Peering out from the bottom is a crumbly crust, keeping this fluffy mound of cool-whipped whiteness all together.

Without further ado, I dug right in — and from the get go I appreciated this dessert's simple deliciousness. Its body was certainly all cream, but it was graciously good to gobble up. It all hit home when a spoon penetrated the sugar cookie crust and brought it, along with the soft filling, to the mouth for one delicious bite. I mean, the crust is so soft, crumbly, and buttery, I could eat a pile of it by its lonesome. However, the cream filling was a nice add-on for this home run of a treat.

Burger King is offering up quite a lot at the moment, with the introduction of a Loaded Jalapeño Whopper, designed by you, a colorful Crayola Kit Jr. Meal, and the return of Crown Chicken Nuggets for the first time since 2011, as well as encores of the Bacon Swiss BBQ Whopper and Cheddar Ranch Tots. With so much to gobble up, is there even room for dessert, and if so, are the two new ones worthy of saving such space?

Unless consuming all things dreamsicle-flavored is your purpose for being, then you can probably skip out on trying the Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King. It's just too much of a sugary drink that doesn't seem primed to make it worthy of anyone's sweet tooth. I haven't tried McDonald's similar Orange Dream drink, but my colleague sung its praises, so that may be a better option to reach for. If you're looking for a caloric, sippable indulgence within the realm of BK, you'd be better off just reaching for the Coke Freezee King, or even the succulent Signature Watermelon Lemonade.

As for the other treat, the choice here is as easy as ... pie. The Firecracker Cookie Pie is the winsome winner of these two newbies. While it brings to the table its own brand of sweetness, it's the kind you're going to have no issue scooping up. It's not the most gigantic of pie slices, so don't even think of sharing it with someone. Maybe Burger King should consider selling full pies of them. I'd also like to single out the impressive greatness of Burger King's pie crusts. They should figure out a way to make something savory out of them, like a Whopper pot pie. That would be totally yum-crustable!

Starting June 2, the Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King and Firecracker Cookie Pie are joining the new Loaded Jalapeño Whopper on the Burger King menu at participating nationwide locations. They will remain on menus for an unspecified limited time only, while supplies last.

The Freeze King and the Firecracker Cookie Pie can be ordered in-store, at the counter, with the help of a kiosk, or at the drive-thru, where available. Advance ordering for pick-up, dine-in, and delivery can be placed through Burger King's app or website.

The Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King is available in three sizes — small, medium, and large — while the pie slice comes in one size only. Price will vary by location, but one in Cedar Lake, Indiana has the three drink sizes selling for $2.49, $2.99, and $3.59 respectively, and the pie slice for $3.19. In a Whopper or sandwich meal combo, The Freezee King can be chosen as a drink option. Additional fees may apply for taking that option, as well for delivery orders or ones placed through third parties.

The Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King consists of three main components: Hi-C Orange Freezee King, Orange Cream Flavored Cold Foam, and Orange Cream Flavored Sprinkles. Within those, you can find such ingredients as sugar, annatto, salt, water, buttermilk, corn syrup, cream, carbonated water, citric acid, vitamin C, yucca extract, quillaia extract, and good old yellow 6 and red 40 for good measure. It contains the common food allergens milk and soy. A medium Orange Dreamsicle Freezee King contains 340 calories, 68 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of fat, 66 grams of sugar, 90 milligrams of sodium, and 9 grams of saturated fat.

The Firecracker Cookie Pie is the stuff star-spangled dreams are made of, and consists of such items as reduced fat sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, shortening, star sprinkles, annatto extract, spirulina extract and vegetable juice (both for color), sugar cookie pieces, salt, and is further colored by beta carotene and caramel color. Common allergens include milk, soy, and wheat. The Firecracker Cookie Pie is a single serving that nets a dessert seeker 250 calories, 33 grams of carbohydrates, 12 grams of fat, 22 grams of sugar, 210 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of fiber, 10 milligrams of cholesterol, and 8 grams of saturated fat.