We Tried The New Dairy Queen S'mores Shake. Here's How It Went.
The Dairy Queen S'mores Shake has arrived just in time for spring. The final thaw of winter's icy grip has us thinking about spending time outside and maybe doing some camping. Of course, no camping trip would be complete without the delicious flavor of a classic s'more. There's nothing like the comforting combination of toasted marshmallow, melty chocolate, and crunchy graham cracker to make us want to spend time in an uncomfortable tent, swatting mosquitos away from our dirty skin.
For indoor kids and people who prefer not to chew their food, the S'mores Shake promises to deliver all the flavors of a classic s'more in frozen form, no campfire needed. But does this new product succeed at translating the essence of a s'more into a milkshake, or should you stick with your usual Dairy Queen order the next time you pull up to the drive-thru? We tried it, and here's what we thought.
What's in the Dairy Queen S'mores Shake?
According to Dairy Queen, the S'mores Shake contains graham crackers, chocolatey shavings, and marshmallow. The mix-ins are pureed with Dairy Queen's reliably-tasty vanilla ice cream, and then the whole thing is topped with a spritz of whipped cream. The example we ordered also came with a drizzle of chocolate syrup, but we can't promise that yours will, as that garnish is not mentioned in Dairy Queen's official description of the product.
The ingredients are all what you would expect from a s'mores-flavored frozen treat, though the description of the shavings as "chocolatey" rather than "chocolate" is rather ominous. Food products labeled as "chocolate-flavored" or "chocolatey" are often not real chocolate, at least from a legal perspective. They don't meet the minimum required cacao content set by the FDA to be labeled as chocolate. That's not to say the cheap stuff can't taste good, but if given the choice, we'd pick the real McCoy every time.
Where can you buy the Dairy Queen S'mores Shake?
Per Thrillist, the shake is available nationwide, but Dairy Queen's website says it's only being sold in participating locations, so there's a chance your local DQ won't have it. If your heart is set on this marshmallowy treat, you might want to call ahead to guard against potential drive-thru disappointment. North of the border ice cream fans are in luck, as the treat appears on DQ Canada's menu as well.
Thrillist also says that the S'mores Shake will be available for only a limited time, although we can't find any specific reference to this on Dairy Queen's website. Since the brand's announcement on Instagram says the shake is part of the Spring Treat Collection, it may disappear when summer comes around. In any case, like spring itself, it seems that the S'mores Shake's tenure will be fleeting, so you'd better get out and enjoy it now before summer arrives and spoils the fun.
How does it compare to other items on the Dairy Queen menu?
As we've previously mentioned, this item bears a striking resemblance to the S'mores Blizzard that has previously appeared on Dairy Queen's menu as a limited-time product. However, as this Facebook post shows, the S'mores Blizzard had large chunks of chocolate and graham crackers in it and was meant to be eaten with a spoon. In the S'mores Shake, on the other hand, all the mix-ins have been broken down to a size that can be sucked through a straw, and the ice cream itself is runnier than it is in a Blizzard.
The S'mores Shake adds to a milkshake lineup at DQ that's already pretty stacked. You can get the usual chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry in either shake or malt form, and there are also slightly less common flavors like peanut butter, banana, and caramel. If you prefer your dessert with a side of caffeine, Dairy Queen also offers Frappuccino-esque blended frozen coffee drinks in three flavors.
What's the nutritional information on the S'mores Shake?
The S'mores Shake is a big cup of ice cream blended with a bunch of other sweet stuff, so we don't think you need us to tell you that it isn't exactly diet food. The nutrition facts on Dairy Queen's website say a small has 640 calories, 32 grams of fat (21 of which are saturated), and 64 grams of sugar. Those stats definitely relegate this to being a special treat rather than an everyday staple.
If you decide to throw caution to the winds and get a large, the numbers become even scarier. The biggest size contains 1230 calories, 66 grams of fat (43 saturated), and 115 grams of sugar. On the bright side, you get 19 grams of protein and a whopping 2 grams of dietary fiber. A large S'mores Shake puts you at over twice the recommended FDA allowance for saturated fat and added sugar. It has close to the total amount of fat the FDA recommends consuming in a day. However, if you believe in moderation in all things, including moderation, you can probably safely have one of these every once in a while.
How does the Dairy Queen S'mores Shake taste?
It's hard to swing and miss too badly when you're starting with Dairy Queen ice cream. Overall, the S'mores Shake is pretty tasty. Our fears about the chocolatey shavings were unfounded; the shake has a pleasant chocolate flavor that doesn't come across as fake. It certainly doesn't taste like single-origin artisanal chocolate, but it's not bad. We particularly enjoyed the marshmallow. It added a lot of vanilla flavor to the Dairy Queen soft serve, which always tastes more like pure milk than vanilla to us. We would have loved it if the shake somehow incorporated the flavor of toasted marshmallow, but even with the lack of toasting, the marshmallow was our favorite flavor component.
Our main quarrel with the S'mores Shake was the graham cracker dust. It tasted great, but even in such a fine powder, the graham crackers had a gritty texture that didn't play well with the creaminess of the shake. Even worse, the graham crackers tended to stick together and clog the straw, preventing us from sucking down the shake as fast as we wanted. If Dairy Queen is taking notes, we'd like it if the graham crackers were left in larger pieces and used as a garnish on top of the shake rather than being incorporated throughout.
Despite the cracker issues, this item is worth checking out if you want to switch up your usual DQ order and you like s'mores.