Review: Wendy's Minions Banana Frosty Really Gru On Me

The adorable, capsule-shaped creature with expressive eyes better known as the Minions debuted as Gru's helpers in 2010's "Despicable Me," and have since spawned their own line of spinoff films — and a wave of merchandise and tie-ins to boot. Not sure if you're aware, but Minions love bananas, and fast food chains who have partnered with Universal have gladly served up the flavor in a variety of frozen treats such as the Ba-Ba-Banana Milkshake from IHOP in 2022. In advance of their latest big screen adventure — Minions & Monsters — Wendy's is finally gets a crack at the fun, and delivering a whole menu, for both kids and adults, dedicated to the little yellow guys and their new green friends (or is it enemies?).

Highlights of this new menu include a Banana Frosty Swirl, featuring a sweet banana cream sauce, and two new Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages, inspired by the film's characters — Pineapple Minion MischieFizz and Goomi's Glimey Lime. It goes without saying there are also toys to collect, and the madness all begins right now.

Question is — is all this Minions madness a marvelous mouthful to munch on, or will all this sequelitis just leave a bad taste in our mouths? The Takeout got a sneak peek at the new Minions Meal, including that new mellow yellow Frosty fellow to see where the truth lies. Spoiler alert — now all can be revealed in this yellow-tinted chew and reveal!

Prior to its official release in stores, I was invited to a Manhattan location of Wendy's for an advanced taste test of the new Banana Frosty Swirl, as well as the Minions & Monsters collaborative meal. At the time, the two Coca-Cola Freestyle drinks Pineapple Minion MischieFizz and Goomi's Glimey Lime were unavailable for sips. This collaborative meal was made on site, and consumed by me on the premises, by my lonesome.

This chew and review is a summation of my own personal tastes and opinions. I also took into consideration my previous experiences with Wendy's, its Frostys, the Minions and its products, and my overall experience with this new Frosty. The ultimate criteria considered for this review were flavor, presentation, smell, familiarity, originality, uniqueness, value, Minion-ness, and ultimately whether this new Frosty is worthy of your time and dime.

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

Before me was a typical fast food brown paper bag, but the imagery on both sides screamed Minions, with Wendy's face taken over with a single-goggled-eye from a Minion, and a banana covering her ever-smiling lips. In this meal were a Baconator, a cup of fries, a boxed toy, and the new Banana Frosty Swirl. It was a hot day, and as the sign on the wall to my right suggested – "lunch is short – eat a Frosty first," and like a good Minion, I did what I was told. The plastic cup matched the silliness of the bag, with the same Wendy's as a cyclops imagery on the front, and on the back, the word "Frosty" obscured by a handwritten "Banana" message. On packaging design alone, it got an A.

The dessert itself started with a frothy white mountain of vanilla Frosty, with scant traces of the banana cream topping in sight. However, after I glanced at the side of the cup, the unholy bright, yet beautiful yellow substance transfixed my eyes. Without further ado, I stuck my spoon in, and my tongue relayed the message to my brain that this is really darn good. After a few more tastes, one particular food memory came rushing to my mind — endless summer days gobbling up banana splits at Dairy Queen. And yet, there were no actual banana pieces to be found, nor chocolate, strawberry, or bits of pineapples. Perhaps I'm just realizing now the best part of the banana split is simply the vanilla ice cream and banana.

The key to this whole treat is how it treated the banana flavoring. This was no artificial junk that you find in a banana Runt, Now & Later, or Laffy Taffy, which are all the worst flavors of those candy lines, but a careful capture of what bananas actually tastes like. The Minions obviously signed off on this, and you should trust them, and me.

There's a lot going on this summer, with America turning 250, and the seventh(!) Minions-related movie hitting theaters. Both are begetting an endless array of products, and for the Minions, that includes Kings Hawaiian Shake 'Em Banana Bites and even Goomi Green mustard under French's good name. Wendy's is quite on a roll with its collaborations with intellectual property, with recent hits like the seriously fun Wednesday (Addams) Meal of Misfortune s, and the nostalgic "SpongeBob Movie" Menu. This Minions & Monster meal is yet another winner, mainly on the strength of the Banana Frosty Swirl alone, and further cemented by the wacky toy that comes with it.

As an adult, but a kid at heart, I applaud the rise of adult "happy meals," where there's something to play with alongside my filling food items. After taking a brief break from confirming that Wendy's underrated fries also taste great in this Frosty, I wanted to get even more mischievous like the Minions and play with my food. 

The toy I got was a new character — the green monster Goomi, and he had some sort of hoop contraption that somehow was able to balance my spoon. I let him feed me. Things devolved from there, as I was then spreading some of the Frosty on my Baconator. Before I could even think about what I was doing, I took a bite, and was surprised the flavor translated quite well to the sandwich. Mixed in with veggie and other condiments, it almost took on the consistency and lovely taste of a sweet-mayo-y coleslaw.

After all was said and done, I was ready to think about when the next Minions movie was coming, and in turn, a new treat would hopefully be invading Wendy's. The Banana Frosty Swirl is truly perfect as is, but what about tossing in some chocolate syrup, to make a more fluid frozen chocolate-covered banana? Better yet, how about tossing in some physical pieces of banana, and make this the banana split I've always dreamed of.

Starting Monday, June 15 (my wife and I's anniversary), Minions are invading the menu at participating nationwide locations of Wendy's. The headliners are a Banana Swirl Frosty, and the two Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages — Pineapple Minion MischieFizz and Goomi's Glimey Lime. They will be available, while supplies last, for an unspecified limited time only.

The Frosty and the two Coca-Cola Freestyle beverages are available in three sizes — small, medium, and large. They can be purchased à la carte, and a small Frosty comes with the Minions & Monsters Adult Meal, which also includes your choice of Big Bacon Classic or the new Spicy Chicken Sandwich, a side of small Hot & Crispy Fries, and one of four Minions & Monsters blind box collectibles. There is also a Minions & Monsters Kids' Meal, which includes a kids drink, which the beverages or Frosty may be an option. Prices for the new Minions & Monsters Meal and individual items will vary across Wendy's franchisee locations.

Like most major fast food chains these days, orders can be placed online in addition to traditional in-store and drive-thru ordering.