Waiting in the drive thru line isn’t cool, but this DIY McFlurry is
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Total: 10 mins
Servings: 4 servings
If you’re lucky enough to hit up a McDonald’s drive-thru when their ice cream machine is actually working, you can get your hands on their newly released (August 9) Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry. But if you’re not so lucky, or simply feel like trying your hand at their latest creation, give our copycat recipe a whirl. It’s easy to make and, in my opinion, even more delicious than the original.
And for those dearly missing the bygone Reese's McFlurry era, you’ll be glad to know that its flavors have been reborn in the new crunchy cookie version. To achieve the iconic taste and texture at home, you’ll need nothing more than vanilla ice cream, peanut butter chocolate cookies, and about 5 minutes of patience before you can dig in.
Like their other limited-edition menu items released this year — including the Strawberry Shortcake McFlurry and the berry-flavored Grimace Shake that quickly amassed a cult following and inspired a slew of mini horror film tributes on social media — the Peanut Butter Crunch McFlurry won’t stick around forever… so be sure to bookmark this recipe!
What Ice Cream is Most Like McDonald’s Soft Serve?
McDonald’s ice cream is basically milk, sugar, cream, and vanilla flavoring. The sweet soft serve-style ice cream is hard to find elsewhere but the good news is, you can make it at home in just a couple of minutes using only two ingredients.
You’ll want to look for vanilla ice cream labeled as “old-fashioned.” Not only does this style of ice cream typically contain more cream, but it also has a very mellow vanilla flavor — unlike those speckled with vanilla bean seeds — that’s very similar to what you’ll get at McDonald’s.
Adding a little bit of whole milk helps loosen the ice cream just enough to be able to blend it to the signature McDonald’s soft serve consistency.
Tips for Making This Copycat PB Crunch McFlurry
- Start with frozen ice cream—Make sure that the ice cream is completely frozen before getting started.
- Avoid overblending—Don’t overblend the ice cream or you’ll end up with a milkshake.
- Keep it cold—Don’t let the ice cream soften too much after blending either. If needed, put your blender in the freezer for a few minutes before preparing the McFlurrys.
- The best cookies to use—I used Reese’s Dipped Animal Crackers for this recipe since the overall flavors and textures match the original. And because I didn’t taste or see any crispy cereal mix the two times I ordered this McFlurry, I opted to leave it out of the recipe. With that said, alternatives that would work well include a mix of crushed chocolate peanut butter cups and Nutter Butter cookies, or Reese’s Puffs cereal.
Ingredients
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1 1/2 quarts old-fashioned vanilla ice cream (about 6 cups)
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1/4 cup whole milk
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2 cups crushed peanut butter chocolate cookies
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Add the ice cream and milk to a blender or food processor and pulse repeatedly until it forms the consistency of traditional soft-serve ice cream.
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Begin building the McFlurrys, filling each cup with about 3/4 cup of ice cream, followed by a layer of 1/4 cup of the cookie mixture. Repeat this step once more.
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Insert a wide straw and pump it up and down a few times to incorporate the cookie mixture into the ice cream before enjoying.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 676 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 36g | 46% |
| Saturated Fat 20g | 98% |
| Cholesterol 125mg | 42% |
| Sodium 391mg | 17% |
| Total Carbohydrate 78g | 28% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 61g | |
| Protein 12g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 6% |
| Calcium 319mg | 25% |
| Iron 1mg | 7% |
| Potassium 531mg | 11% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
