Ranking 14 Dairy Queen Blizzards

It’s no secret that Dairy Queen has a menu absolutely chockful of iconic frozen treats. Perhaps you go for a Dilly Bar when you hit up your nearest Dairy Queen, or maybe a Peanut Buster Parfait is more up to your speed. Regardless of what treat you opt for, ultimately, there’s no denying that there’s one frozen confection in particular that reigns supreme on DQ’s menu: the Blizzard. First appearing in Dairy Queen stores in 1985, Blizzards have become a treat truly representative of the ice cream chain. A Blizzard isn’t just your typical ice cream or milkshake. They boast an incredibly thick, soft serve-like texture along with a flavor or mix-in of choice, oftentimes chocolate or some sort of candy.

Dairy Queen offers a pretty wide variety of Blizzard flavors, so for those who haven’t ever tried one before (or perhaps haven’t had one since childhood), it can be difficult to pinpoint which flavor is worth trying. That’s where this ranking comes into play, putting DQ’s most beloved Blizzard flavors to the test to determine which are the best of the best.

When tasting these 14 Dairy Queen Blizzards, I looked out for which ones had the best texture, which ones offered the most exciting flavors, or which ones felt true to the flavors they were meant to represent. I know my way around an ice cream treat — having ranked Melona ice cream bars, Aldi ice cream, and Salt and Straw Halloween ice creams in the past — so I feel confident that this ranking really does represent the best (and the worst) that Dairy Queen’s Blizzards have to offer.

Let’s be real — a Heath candy bar isn’t exactly the most desirable candy bar out there, so naturally, it’s not the most desirable Blizzard flavor either. For what it’s worth, I didn’t find anything necessarily wrong with Dairy Queen’s Heath Blizzard, but there was nothing super right about it, either. The flavor was very lackluster and forgettable, and if you’re going to spring for a special treat as opposed to any old mediocre ice cream, Heath is not the one worth going for.

A Heath candy bar is pretty simple, with a toffee base that’s coated in chocolate. I think that had there been bigger chunks of toffee or chocolate in this Blizzard, then maybe it’d be more successful. But as-is, this Blizzard tasted more like a vanilla soft serve with the tiniest specks of chocolate. I really didn’t taste much toffee, which is pretty paramount to a Heath bar, so this flavor was a letdown all around.

Much like with the Heath Blizzard, I was struggling to really pick up on any notes of the actual candy at play in the Butterfinger Blizzard. Also, for full transparency, Butterfinger is far from my favorite candy bar. In fact, if I really had to admit it, a Butterfinger is probably my least favorite candy bar, but that’s not necessarily because I hate the flavor; rather, there are so many better candy bars out there. Nevertheless, I could put personal bias aside (to an extent) and give this Blizzard flavor a fair ranking if I thought the flavor shined through enough. 

Alas, for a Blizzard supposedly infused with Butterfinger candy, there really wasn’t a whole lot of Butterfinger flavor at play. I do think this one was slightly more successful than the Heath one because there were at least some bigger chunks of candy bar throughout. Ultimately, however, this one didn’t feel super representative of a Butterfinger candy bar, so unless a Butterfinger is your absolute favorite flavor in the world, this Blizzard is skippable.

A chocolate turtle, pecan cluster, or caramel cluster (whatever you want to call it) is a pretty solid treat on its own. Featuring a caramel-pecan base that’s coated in chocolate, it’s sort of an old-fashioned treat, but one that is pretty tasty, especially if you’re a big fan of pecans. Dairy Queen’s turtle pecan cluster Blizzard had potential to boast a real smorgasbord of chocolatey, caramel-y, and nutty flavors, but it fell short big time.

My biggest issue with this Blizzard is that it really just tasted like vanilla soft serve with chunks of pecans throughout. The pecans weren’t even chocolate-coated; they were just straight-up pecans, which felt a bit jarring to crunch on in the midst of vanilla ice cream. There was seemingly some chocolate interspersed within the Blizzard, but most of the chunks were just pecans, and there was pretty much no caramel to be found. If you’re a big pecan lover, then sure, you’d probably enjoy this Blizzard. But for anyone else, the turtle pecan cluster Blizzard really pales in comparison to others on this list.  

I love a good Snickers candy bar, and in fact, I’d argue that it’s one of the best candy bars out there. But like so many other candy bar flavors on this list, I found that the Snickers Blizzard was a little lacking in Snickers flavor. Ideally, this Blizzard would have captured all of the quintessential goodness of a classic Snickers bar: nougat, caramel, peanuts, and chocolate. While some of these elements were in play, this Blizzard ultimately felt a little one-dimensional in terms of flavor, and it didn’t feel truly representative of what a Snickers has to offer.

Interestingly, I found this Blizzard to be very peanut-forward, which I didn’t hate. Peanuts are a key ingredient in Snickers, so this Blizzard at least gets some accuracy points there. I wish that there was more caramel and chocolate flavor to back up the sheer amount of peanuts in this Blizzard, and I wish there were bigger chunks of candy bar throughout the ice cream in general. I didn’t hate this Blizzard, but I found other flavor iterations to be much more successful.

This may be controversial, but I’ve always found chocolate chip cookie dough-flavored ice cream (and foods in general) to be a tad bit overrated. Cookie dough is indeed tasty, but you know what’s even better? An actual cookie. So, while I certainly don’t hate the flavor, I always find myself wondering why cookie dough became such a go-to dessert flavor as opposed to actual chocolate chip cookies. 

Though I don’t fully understand the hype behind chocolate chip cookie dough, I can still give it a fair comparison in a dessert lineup. And, as for Dairy Queen’s chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard, I thought it was just fine. I definitely enjoyed those bites that did have a nice chunk of cookie dough, but I found them to be a little too far and in between. Otherwise, this Blizzard mostly just tasted like vanilla soft serve, and even those bites that did have the textural goodness of cookie dough didn’t have that much of a flavor boost. Those who are diehard cookie dough fans will no doubt enjoy this classic flavor, but for me, there are just better Blizzards out there.

Dairy Queen offers quite a few Oreo-infused Blizzards, including this mint Oreo one. I’m typically a big fan of mint-flavored ice cream in general, though I can recognize that this opinion is a bit polarizing. To some, mint ice cream tastes like toothpaste, but for those like me, I enjoy the cool, refreshing flavors that mint has to offer. Add in Oreos, and you’ve got a winning combination.

So, needless to say, I definitely enjoyed the flavors of the mint Oreo Blizzard, but if anything, I really wanted more mint. The Dairy Queen menu made this Blizzard out to be a vibrant green, seemingly mint-loaded concoction, but in real life, that green color was just as muted as the mint flavor itself. I will say that those who enjoy mint ice cream but only in small doses might like the subtle mintiness of this Blizzard. For those mint lovers who want to be absolutely smacked in the face with mint flavor, however, this Blizzard is a little disappointing.

While some Blizzards on this list left me disappointed by slightly lackluster flavors, the same cannot be said for the salted caramel truffle Blizzard. This sweet treat was absolutely loaded with flavors, from the chocolatey base to the salted caramel flavor that was apparent in every bite. I appreciated how caramel-forward this Blizzard was, despite having a chocolate base, though the mix-ins left me wanting a little bit more.

This Blizzard was meant to boast a handful of mix-ins, including toffee pieces, chocolate chunks, and fudge. The only mix-ins I encountered much of were the chocolate chunks, which were tasty, but I was really wanting more toffee. Overall, I do think this Blizzard was successful in representing the flavors in its namesake — salt, caramel, and truffle — but could have had more mix-ins. It’s possible that my particular Blizzard just happened to be lacking in mix-ins, but based on the fact that many other Blizzards on this list also short-changed me in that department, I think it’s more of a DQ standard than a mistake.

As a fan of coffee-flavored anything, especially coffee-flavored ice cream, I had a sneaking suspicion that Dairy Queen’s caramel java chip Blizzard might be a winner in my book. And, as it turns out, that sweet coffee flavor does work really well in soft-serve Blizzard format, though I did find that the caramel aspect got a little lost along the way.

Something that was especially successful about this Blizzard, aside from the coffee flavor itself, was the fact that the mix-ins — in this case, choco espresso crunch pieces — were abundant. Not only were the mix-ins abundant, but they were super big, crunchy, and flavorful, which absolutely enhanced the flavor of this Blizzard. 

Ultimately, I can acknowledge that coffee ice cream can be a bit polarizing, so this Blizzard certainly isn’t for everyone. Also, I do think the caramel part is a bit misleading, as the Blizzard mainly tasted like coffee soft serve with some chocolatey crunchy bits mixed in. I really enjoyed this Blizzard, but it could have been stronger in the caramel department. 

I’ve already touched on the fact that Dairy Queen offers a few different Oreo-infused Blizzards, and it also offers a standalone brownie Blizzard. This flavor takes that brownie Blizzard and adds Oreo to the mix, an addition I’m not entirely sure was necessary. Though I did enjoy the intense chocolatey nature of this Blizzard, I didn’t necessarily find myself loving it more than a plain brownie Blizzard.

The good thing about this Oreo fudge brownie Blizzard is that it was undeniably tasty, especially for those chocolate lovers who are perhaps a bit indecisive. The mix-ins were pretty plentiful, but it felt like Oreos and brownies were competing for center stage instead of simply working together. And, ultimately, every time I took a bite and one of the mix-ins ended up being an Oreo, I was a bit disappointed, ultimately hoping for a brownie every time. My disappointment over the Oreos ultimately comes down to personal preference, so if you absolutely love Oreos and brownies, then this Blizzard is a good option. For me, I’d rather have one or the other instead of both at the same time.

An Oreo Blizzard — so simple, so sweet, so timeless. I understand that Oreo is not the most exciting Blizzard flavor to get, especially when Dairy Queen does offer other, more loaded flavors that also feature Oreo. But for me, there’s something so classic about this flavor, like a Blizzard and Oreos were simply meant to be. Perhaps it is a safe bet to order an Oreo Blizzard from Dairy Queen, but it’s one that’s never going to let you down.

Something I like about Oreos as an ice cream inclusion is that they break down so nicely, perfectly infusing into the soft serve while certain chunks still maintain some crunchy integrity. The combination of vanilla soft serve and chocolatey Oreos is also such a good one, again, almost like they’re simply meant to be. Simple as it may be, if I was going to Dairy Queen and knew I wanted Oreos, I’d skip all the other hyper-loaded options and stick with the tried-and-true classic, the humble Oreo Blizzard.

If there’s one Blizzard flavor that instantly transports me back to the nostalgic days of childhood, it’s M&M. I was curious to see how well the flavor would hold up in adulthood, and as it turns out, pretty darn good. Though I can acknowledge that, like a plain Oreo Blizzard, the M&M Blizzard is a bit of a safe bet, it’s one that is consistently good and one that you really can’t go wrong with.

Unlike so many Blizzard mix-ins that sort of get lost amidst the soft serve, M&Ms really hold their own in the mix. They do get broken down quite a bit, but it’s almost guaranteed that every bite is going to have that distinct chocolatey crunch to it. The candy ultimately does break down just enough to give the vanilla soft serve a slight chocolatey upgrade, and overall, it’s very hard to beat such a classic treat. Sure, there are some slightly more exciting or more loaded Blizzard flavors out there, but for those who haven’t had an M&M Blizzard since they were a kid, trust me — it’s just as good as it was all those years ago.

Dairy Queen has offered various pie-flavored Blizzards in the past, including a pecan pie Blizzard and a seasonal pumpkin pie Blizzard (a personal favorite of mine that was not available in-store at the time this article was written). One pie-flavored Blizzard that was indeed available was the French silk pie Blizzard, a flavor that I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from, but one that ultimately left me impressed.

My favorite aspect of this Blizzard is the fact that it really managed to capture the essence of French silk pie. The rich, chocolatey base had that notably creamy flavor profile that somehow transcended the typical creaminess one might expect from soft serve. The Blizzard came loaded with pie pieces, a DQ pie Blizzard staple, which really honed in on the fact that this wasn’t just any old chocolate Blizzard, but rather a French silk pie Blizzard. The little dollop of whipped cream on top also provided a nice contrast from the chocolatey nature of the Blizzard itself, making this treat a success from top to bottom.

As a brownie lover, it’s really no surprise that I loved Dairy Queen’s choco brownie extreme Blizzard. That said, I was a bit surprised by just how much I loved this Blizzard, to the point where it’s coming in second place in this ranking. There was something so perfectly balanced about this Blizzard, from the fudgy base all the way to the brownie chunk mix-ins, and I really struggled to find any flaws or complaints.

Unlike the Oreo brownie Blizzard, which I enjoyed but found to be perhaps a tad too much, the choco brownie extreme excels because it doesn’t overcomplicate things. You’ve got the chocolatey soft serve base, the brownie chunks (which are both broken down into the ice cream and found in globs throughout the Blizzard), and choco chunks for added goodness that really takes the Blizzard over the edge. Any brownie lover is absolutely guaranteed to love this Blizzard, and even those who don’t typically reach for brownies or chocolate-laden desserts might just enjoy this decadent Blizzard.

There are fewer candy bars tastier than a classic Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, and I’m happy to report that the flavor translates beautifully into Blizzard form. Admittedly, I was a bit nervous that this Reese’s Blizzard was going to be a letdown since it looked quite a bit different from the advertised photos of it. Fortunately, the flavors were on point, with the rich, chocolatey, peanut buttery Reese’s breaking down perfectly into the soft serve Blizzard.

The reason that this Blizzard is taking the top spot is because the Reese’s flavor was so incredibly accurate. Every bite was absolutely laden with strong peanut butter flavor, with notes of chocolate backing it all up. Chocolate and peanut butter are such a winning combination to begin with, but both pair really well with vanilla, too. Admittedly, a Reese’s Blizzard is a bit of a safe bet to get at Dairy Queen, but the flavors speak for themselves. I couldn’t find anything wrong with this Blizzard, and unless I was in a particular mood for some other flavor profile, I could safely go with Reese’s time and time again and never tire of it.

When ranking these Dairy Queen Blizzards, much of my decisions did ultimately come down to personal preference. For example, I ranked the Reese’s Blizzard in first place, but if you don’t like Reese’s or peanut butter in general, then you likely wouldn’t agree with that placement. I did try to factor in other considerations outside of personal preference. I paid attention to how balanced a Blizzard was; for example, was it loaded with mix-ins, or did it taste more like vanilla soft serve with a few candy chunks here and there? 

I also considered how true a Blizzard was to the flavor it was supposed to represent. For example, I ranked the Heath Blizzard in last place because those essential toffee flavors really weren’t shining through, whereas the Reese’s Blizzard was more successful because the classic Reese’s flavor was very apparent throughout. I found the French silk pie Blizzard to be another good example of a successful representative Blizzard because it didn’t just taste like chocolate. Thanks to the pie pieces, the Blizzard truly captured the essence of French silk pie.