I Tried Sundaes From McDonald's, Dairy Queen, And Sonic — This Was The Clear Winner

There's just something about the lure of a fast food restaurant's sweet treats, particularly the ice cream sundaes. For many of us, notes of nostalgia swirl throughout the twists and turns of soft-serve ice cream. For every fan of ice cream concoctions packed with varying inclusions and toppings, there are those of us who prefer the simplicity of an ice cream sundae in its truest form. I have vivid memories of my mom pulling into a fast food drive-thru and passing us our orders while we sat eagerly waiting in the backseat.

In addition to a bag of delights hot from the grill and fryer, she always made sure there was a sundae at the end, and it did not go unnoticed. Three of the most popular sundae slingers in the fast food game are McDonald's, Dairy Queen, and Sonic. All of them lean into the most uncomplicated forms of ice cream sundaes, providing a level playing field for comparison. Each of these fast food chains uses soft serve vanilla ice cream with a choice between a few flavored toppings. There is no bad sundae in the group, but there are little elements that make some better than others. I tried multiple ice cream sundaes from all three, and I'm ready to give you the scoop.

I grew up on McDonald's iconic apple pies and ice cream sundaes, and each bite conjures up a wealth of childhood memories. To this day, the sundaes taste exactly as I remember. I'm first and foremost a hot fudge girly, but I tried the hot caramel sundae from Mickey D's too for this tasting. Both are delicious and hit every note of a solid fast food sundae. The vanilla soft serve is rich and creamy, and thankfully the McDonald's ice cream machine was fully functioning on my sundae judgement day.

McDonald's hot fudge is absolute perfection. I find myself digging around the edges of the plastic cup to scrape up every last part of it. The consistency is thick and gooey as it should be, and it sticks to the roof of your mouth. That's what you want in hot fudge; otherwise it's just chocolate syrup, and they are not the same thing. The caramel version was the same consistency and definitely enjoyable as well. I have visions of mixing the two next time, but that's a discussion for another day. Both the hot fudge and hot caramel set the bar for the rest of the sundaes on my list and have some big ice cream sundae shoes to fill.

While Dairy Queen has a full food menu packed with expected fast food delicacies like tendies and burgers, there is no question about what the chain is really known for. It's the ice cream, hence the shout-out to dairy in its name. Blizzards have deservedly secured a place in people's hearts for years, not to mention Dairy Queen's famous dipped cones. Even with those two beloved desserts, you shouldn't sleep on Dairy Queen sundaes, either — and that's not just because the portions are big and my Dairy Queen served them finished with chopped nuts and fluffy whipped cream.

My Dairy Queen has three sundae flavors available — hot fudge, caramel, and strawberry and I tried them all. You can't deny the beauty of Dairy Queen's signature soft serve. It's smooth, delicious, and hits all the notes a good vanilla soft serve should. Whether you choose to accessorize the idyllic vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, strawberry, or caramel, all offer a fantastic enhancement to the chilly treat. The hot fudge is actually hot fudge, which is the first thing I look for in a sundae, as mentioned previously. Don't waste my time with basic chocolate syrup and call it hot fudge. It's the equivalent of asking for a Diet Coke and being handed a Diet Pepsi. The strawberry topping actually had pieces of real strawberry, which was an unexpected delight. The caramel was rich and flavorful, and all of them paired nicely with the sweet vanilla ice cream.

Sonic offers the closest thing to the old-school drive-in restaurant experience from back in the day. The sundaes from Sonic are more similar to McDonald's than the larger, overfilled versions from Dairy Queen. The vanilla soft serve is exactly what you would expect in flavor and texture. It's simple and tasty. Sonic sundaes also come with a dollop of whipped cream and the treat of a single cherry on top. The flavors are similar to its contenders as well, offering strawberry and hot fudge. While the portions at Sonic are just a bit smaller than the others, they do not lack in quality or taste. Both flavors are a good fit for a cool treat, especially while we are still in the thick of summer.

Sonic knows what it's doing with its ice cream sundae game and offers some strong competition. The hot fudge and strawberry flavors are solid and pair perfectly with the creamy vanilla base. Don't get me wrong, I love to load up on toppings, but there's something about the pure and uncomplicated flavors of a simple ice cream sundae, and Sonic's are validation of that notion. If you prefer the vanilla ice cream with nothing at all, Sonic and the others also offer that option. I am just incapable of saying no to hot fudge, but you do you.

All of the ice cream sundaes are delicious, and the nuances that separate them are so slight that it's not as easy to pick a frontrunner as it seems. I was sure McDonald's hot fudge sundae would be my undefeated winner. However, the Dairy Queen soft serve was a touch thicker and creamier than the others, and it was enough of a difference to take the number one spot. Dairy Queen was generous with its hot fudge, and the nuts and whipped cream were a nice touch. The different textures worked so well together, and I still can't believe I liked it better than the McDonald's hot fudge sundae that lives strong in my childhood memories. I would still gladly eat any of the sundaes, but Dairy Queen's hot fudge sundae is my first draft pick for my ice cream team.

Since ice cream has a short window before it becomes a soupy mess, I tried all of the sundaes in the comfort of my car before I even left the restaurants. I ordered each sundae as it comes so that comparisons would be evenly matched and fair. I took a couple of bites of each frozen treat and dug deep to make sure the sauces were in every bite. I judged them based on the flavor and consistency of the vanilla soft serve and the taste and quality of the sauces that accompanied the desserts.