Forget Soda: This McDonald's Refresher Deserves More Attention

When you think of McDonald's beverages, your mind probably goes to a frappe, its new Red Bull Dragonberry Energizer, or a simple crisp Diet Coke that might brighten even your worst days. But there's another beverage on the menu that doesn't seem to get enough love. During the winter of 2010, McDonald's unveiled its McCafé Real Fruit Smoothies, featuring two flavors: strawberry banana and wild berry. By that summer, the smoothies were in all U.S. locations. A year later, McDonald's introduced a mango pineapple flavor but discontinued wild berry shortly after, making strawberry banana and mango pineapple mainstays on the menu for over a decade.

However, it's still one of McDonald's most underrated menu items you need to try. Its slightly sweet but fruity taste, combined with its icy texture, provides a contrast when paired with a savory burger or chicken McNuggets. Compared to soda, in which a small size runs over 50 grams of sugar, a small smoothie contains below 40 grams of sugar. Not to mention, all that is actually in McDonald's Strawberry Banana smoothie are three simple ingredients: strawberry banana fruit base, ice, and low-fat yogurt. So not only do you get some of the benefits like higher protein and probiotics from the yogurt, but the ingredients are also simple enough you can make a copycat strawberry banana smoothie at home.

While McDonald's Strawberry Banana and Mango Pineapple Smoothies have survived a handful of menu alterations since its introduction, other flavors have not had the same fate. In 2012, the restaurant introduced the McCafé Cherry Berry Chiller, a mix of cherry and raspberry blended in ice. It was removed from the menu in 2013 and has yet to return. A year later, McDonald's offered a blueberry pomegranate smoothie that was also quietly phased out. 

While it's not clear why some smoothie flavors were discontinued, fans have clearly longed for their return. In 2015, one wild berry fan ran an Instagram campaign, writing, "Tragedy struck two years ago at McDonald's. It's time to bring our baby back." Over a decade since the fan campaign, and McDonald's customers are still longing for the flavor across other social platforms. One TikTok user posted a photo with the caption, "Hey McDonald's wild berry smoothie ... we miss you." Other users agreed in the comments and called out some of their other favorite flavors. "The blueberry pomegranate is what I want them to bring back," one wrote. "I miss the cherry berry chiller," another commented. So the next time you want a change from your go-to soda, opt for a smoothie instead, especially if it's a new flavor — who knows how long it'll last?