The Desserts At McDonald's In Japan Are An Ideal Mixture Of Sweet And Savory

As expansive as the McDonald's menu may seem, what we can order in the U.S. is small fries –- that is, small potatoes -– compared to all the McDonald's menu items that are available outside of the U.S. For instance, while American McDonald's desserts are limited to soft serve ice cream, a few flavors of McFlurries, and the occasional holiday pie, countries like Japan go all out with floats, shakes, and even pancakes.

Perhaps the most intriguing of Japan's McDonald's desserts are those that combine sweet and savory. One such dessert is a red bean and mochi pie. McDonald's has offered a few variations of this particular treat, with the Sakura pie adding pickled cherry blossom leaves to its mochi rice and the daifuku pie blending strawberry with its mochi rice. Japanese McDonald's has also offered more traditional pies that are filled with red bean paste if you're looking for a saltier dessert.

Of course, no McDonald's would be complete without McFlurries. However, Japan takes things to a whole new level yet again with McFlurries that are far more complex in flavor than those we have in the U.S. One McFlurry, for instance, incorporates an earthy chestnut paste and rich sponge cake. How amazing does that sound? 

Another Japanese McFlurry mixes sweet potato with soft serve ice cream for the ultimate fall favorite. We're no strangers to a sweet potato pie recipe, but who would've thought to make that spin on a McFlurry? Seriously, we're going to have to try this one for ourselves.

That being said, we can't talk about Japan's McDonald's exclusives without talking about their dessert fries. Just as we love dipping fries into our Wendy's Frosty, McDonald's customers in Japan are all about enjoying their fries with a chocolate sauce or sour plum sauce. Again, these desserts are all about combining sweet and savory, and honestly, we're here for it.