I Tried the 9 Most Popular Dairy Queen Blizzards, and This Is the One That Blew Me Away

It’s almost impossible to imagine Dairy Queen without its signature Blizzard treat. But the fact remains that the Joliet, Illinois-based soft-serve pioneer that was founded in 1940 didn’t start mixing in bits of candy, cookie, pie, and cake until 1985. At the time, there were only four crushed add-ins (Heath Bars, Snickers, M&Ms, and Oreos) and a variety of syrups—but the franchise still sold more than 75 million Blizzards nationwide.

In the 39 years since, Blizzard sales have expanded (today they account for about a quarter of all store sales), along with flavor offerings as DQ has gradually broadened its Blizzard menu.

They’ve added new year-round flavors, introduced a Blizzard of the Month (2003), and then launched a seasonal slate (pumpkin pie and pecan pie in fall; cotton candy and peach cobbler in summer).

For Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday in 2016, they even launched “Royal” Blizzards, which were infused with pockets of fudge, strawberries, or marshmallow in the center.

We’ve watched dozens upon dozens of wild Blizzard concoctions come and go over the decades. From a Harry Potter-themed Butterbeer Blizzard to an Oreo Dirt Pie Blizzard with chunks of gummy worm to the patriotic Star-Spangled Blizzard with blue rock candy topped with an entire DQ Stars & Stripes StarKiss bar, everyone has a long-lost favorite. (PLEASE, bring back the Strawberry Cheesequake with creamy chunks of real cheesecake!)

But the creamy core has solidified into nine cool treats—six “candy classics” and three “signature creations”—that are available no matter when we need our fix. We revisited those nine essential cool treats and ranked them to find the one Blizzard that still blows us away.

The Most Popular Dairy Queen Blizzard Flavors, Ranked

9. Butterfinger

Look, we love a Butterfinger as much as the next grown adult who picks them all out of the Halloween bowl so there are none left for trick-or-treaters. But the peanut-y crunchiness at the core of the candy bar’s appeal didn’t really come through when smothered and swirled into the soft serve. As a result, we’ll probably lay our fingers on a different option.

 8. Heath Bar

There are few residents of Candy Land more polarizing than toffee. On the one hand, the caramelized and hardened sugar-and-butter confection is a rich and slightly roasty treat. On the other hand, my teeth hurt at the mere utterance of the name. But when you break it up, pack it with fudge and almonds, and then mix it with soft serve, you get all of the “wow” and none of the “ouch.”

7. Turtle Pecan Cluster

The turtle as a candy only works as a cluster. You need the crunch of pecans to augment the chocolate and caramel. Sadly, this Blizzard was bereft of the satisfying chunks, thinning out the taste so we never got everything in one bite.

6. Snickers

From here on down, it’s tough to choose. The biggest strike against the Snickers Blizzard is the fact that Snickers Ice Cream Bars exist. They just do frozen Snickers better.

5. Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough

The key to a great Blizzard is not just sweetness, creaminess, and coolness. It’s also a texture thing, the combination of semi-liquid and solid. For instance, when you take in a spoonful, let the soft serve melt on your tongue, and then, hopefully, have a flavorful chunk of something to chew. And there are few things more satisfying to bite into than clumps of cookie dough …

4. M&Ms

… though one of those things might be the protective candy shell of an M&M. And this crunchy, cocoa-y treat gets bonus points for being the most colorful on the evergreen menu.

3. Choco Brownie Extreme

Chewy brownie pieces, chunks of chocolate, and cocoa fudge all packed into this cup. This triple-threat of decadence is almost too much chocolatey goodness … almost.

2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

Notice anything missing from this list? We’ve seen ever-present vanilla soft serve, consistent doses of chocolate and fudge, cookie dough, brownie bites, peanuts, almonds, candy shells, and even toffee, for heaven’s sake. But there is a dearth of one of the most precious creations known to sweet tooths: peanut butter. Never fear, Reese’s delivers with this buttercup-loaded Blizzard.

1. Oreo Cookie

To this day, the top-selling Blizzard is also one of the first. For our money, it’s the best. It’s been imitated (we see you Oreo McFlurry) but never duplicated. Oreos are always better in something else, whether it’s cheesecake or a simple glass of milk. So “dunking” crumbles of the cookie into a vat of soft serve makes perfect sense. But we Double Stuffed Oreo faithful have to believe that the cookie’s cream filling also plays a vital role in rounding out the perfection that is an Oreo Blizzard.