Soft serve ice cream has been a summer staple for decades, ever since its 1930s inception transformed fast food desserts. While ice cream — or at least, ice cream-adjacent treats — dates back centuries, soft serve was invented much more recently, when ice cream seller Tom Carvel made the most of an equipment malfunction and discovered that people actually enjoy partially melted ice cream. Or at least, that’s how the story goes anyway. Soft serve is known for being creamier than traditional ice cream, both due to a lower butter fat content and the way it’s produced. Furthermore, while it should be delicious served simply as is in a cone, soft serve is also the perfect blank canvas for mix-ins, toppings, and the like.
Unfortunately, this simple summer treat can go wrong too. Chowhound ranked six fast food soft serve options to determine which chains serve the best vanilla soft serve, and which could use some improvement. At the top of the list, you’ll find Chick-fil-A’s Icedream cone, which was praised for its flavor, consistency, and Instagram-worthy swirl. Plus, it was one of the cheaper options on the list too, which is always an added bonus. On the other hand, Burger King’s vanilla soft serve was a major disappointment, due to its complete lack of flavor and chemical aftertaste. The good news is it was the cheapest offering, so that’s a point in its favor. However, spending less than $2 on a flavorless confection still seems like a waste of money.
Take a sad cone and make it better
If you’re a Burger King fan, don’t be too discouraged by this shocking discovery. After all, its Hershey’s Sundae Pie is comfortably one of the best fast food pies around, according to Chowhound’s ranking, so the chain is definitely doing something right, dessert-wise. However, if you’re really in the mood for some soft serve and Burger King is your only option, there may be some ways to improve upon the basic cone or cup.
First, you could opt for a shake, which is made using the vanilla soft serve. Current options include vanilla, chocolate, Oreo, and chocolate Oreo but check your local restaurant’s menu just to be sure. BK’s chocolate shakes are made by mixing vanilla soft serve with chocolate syrup — presumably the same Hershey’s chocolate syrup used in the Hershey’s sundae. This dessert is pretty straightforward; vanilla soft serve topped with Hershey’s chocolate syrup. No whipped cream or a cherry in sight. But even that chocolatey drizzle may go some way towards improving the BK soft serve experience. You could also try asking for some Oreo cookie pieces as a topping.
Another, more out-of-the-box option is to order the chocolate chip cookies alongside your vanilla soft serve cup. An order comes with two cookies, so you could create your own ice cream sandwich. Or, go the float route, and add some soft serve to your order of Coca-Cola, Barq’s root beer, or even Fanta Strawberry.
