Ranking Every Dessert on Red Robin’s Menu from Worst to Best

If indulgence is one of your favorite ways to celebrate even the smallest of occasions, there’s a safe bet you don’t skimp when it comes to dessert. The after-meal treat offers an opportunity to go all-out and begs for decadence and sumptuousness. It’s not something to be treated lightly — it’s meant to be the perfect bookend to a dish, letting you finish your day on a satisfactory note. It makes sense, then, that you only want to partake in the best of the best when it comes to desserts, even during casual dining experiences. So what should you order the next time you’re out at your favorite fast-casual chain? 

I certainly can’t speak for every restaurant out there, but I can give some strong opinions about the dessert offerings at Red Robin. I had every dessert on the chain’s menu delivered to me for this ranking and I’ll say right off the bat, none of them wowed me (then again, I am a baker with a picky sweet tooth). Some of Red Robin’s dessert options were underwhelming, and the rest (save for one) only had me thinking about how I could make a better version at home. Nevertheless, I won’t dissuade you from ordering dessert the next time you visit the restaurant. I ranked its desserts based primarily on personal preferences, taking into account how each measured up to other versions of the treat I’ve had before. 

Unfortunately, Red Robin’s Cinnamon Sugar Doh! Rings are far from the best donuts in the U.S. I tend to be a fan of simplicity when it comes to my donuts — I prefer an uncomplicated glaze of sugary coating to anything loaded with toppings and fillings. That said, I was prepared to like these. What I got, though, was a sad attempt at a “donut” that you can be sure I won’t order again anytime soon. 

To say the donuts are underwhelming would be an understatement. Even with the cinnamon sugar coating, they were basically flavorless on their own. Sure, including a couple of dipping sauces helped, but neither of the sauces was anything to write home about. I could have forgiven some of the lack of flavor if the donuts had a better texture, but alas, biting into one met me with a very dry mouthfeel. The only good thing I can say about these is that they were light and airy, but that can hardly make up for every other aspect of these donuts that fell short. Don’t waste your hard-earned cash on the Doh! Rings from Red Robin — either fulfill your donut craving elsewhere or opt for another dessert on this list. 

If I could give two desserts a tie for last place, I’d put Red Robin’s Shortbread Chocolate Soufflé Cake right at the bottom with the Doh! Rings (for similar reasons, too). The only thing that saved this dessert was the ice cream that topped it. As a fan of shortbread, I expected to at least somewhat enjoy the dessert, which is supposed to be made with a buttery shortbread cookie, chocolate soufflé cake, hot fudge, whipped cream, and powdered sugar. Sounds good enough, right?

Unfortunately, the decadent ingredients did not give way to an indulgent dessert. This cake was yet another flavorless option from Red Robin that I wouldn’t get again (and wouldn’t encourage anyone else to go for, either). I picked up on a light chocolate flavor from the soufflé, but it didn’t have as open of a crumb as I’d expect from that type of cake. The shortbread was hardly noticeable; in fact, there was very little textural difference between the shortbread and the soufflé cake. All in all, this was another disappointing dessert. Anything ranked higher on this list will be a better bet than the bottom two choices. 

I could reasonably have this and any of the following selections again depending on my mood. However, don’t expect them to stun you. As far as the milkshakes go, they were (obviously) slightly melted upon arrival at my door, so I’m not taking that into account in this ranking. Each milkshake was thick and creamy enough to reasonably assume it has a great texture upon arriving at your home.

Red Robin’s Chocolate Milkshake is fine and has the potential to rival homemade milkshakes. It even comes with rainbow jimmies on top (and who doesn’t love some sprinkles?). However, that’s about all there was to it. There was nothing special about the milkshake that made it unique to Red Robin, and given that it cost me about $8 at my local restaurant, I can’t call it a good buy if you can make an iconic chocolate milkshake at home. 

Why does Red Robin’s Vanilla Milkshake rank higher than its chocolate counterpart? It simply boils down to personal preference — I’m a vanilla-loving girlie, and I’ll always opt for the “plainer” flavor when given a choice between vanilla and chocolate. That being said, this still isn’t an outstanding milkshake. Can it satisfy a craving? Sure, but you’ll probably forget about it once you’re done dining.

With a high-quality vanilla ice cream, you could just as easily make a similar (if not better) vanilla milkshake at home, provided you have a blender, some whipped cream, and sprinkles on hand. However, if I had a specific vanilla shake hankering after dining at Red Robin, I wouldn’t be disappointed by this choice. Whether it’s worth the $8-ish I paid for it will just be a matter of how much I want it. If you’re after a milkshake that’s full of flavor and not easily replicable at home, I’d go with one of the following milkshake choices. 

Unlike the previous couple of milkshakes I’ve mentioned, Red Robin’s Strawberry Milkshake manages to stand in a class of its own for a simple reason: It includes actual strawberry pieces in the milkshake. If you want a smooth shake or are otherwise texture-averse, this may not be the pick for you. But if you want a fresh dessert that’s reminiscent of summertime, you won’t go wrong by ordering this one. 

I particularly enjoyed the brightness this strawberry option boasted. The fruit pieces may have contributed to this, but it tasted like it wasn’t just strawberry-flavored; rather, it gave the impression of having been made from blended strawberries. It’s an indulgent dessert that I would have again if I was in a strawberry milkshake mood but didn’t want anything too heavy. However, the following milkshakes still usurp this one when it comes to flavor. 

To take a brief break from our milkshake escapades, there are two desserts that I’m ranking higher than the “standard” milkshake flavors but lower than Red Robin’s specialty shakes. The first of these is the chain’s Fudge-Filled Chocolate Chip Cookie. I’ll admit, it looks delectable at first glance. When is an ooey-gooey chocolate filling not a good thing? However, I have to admit it’s easier on the eye than on the taste buds.

Ultimately, I found the richness of this dessert to be quite unnecessary and even overwhelming. The cookie itself was delightful and had a dark, savory depth to it, making me feel that the fudge filling was wholly unnecessary. On top of that, the textures didn’t complement one another well. Had the cookie been slightly firmer, the fudge could have provided a nice contrasting texture. As it was, the whole dessert was incredibly soft and turned into a sticky, gummy mess as I chewed. I’m sure this cookie will be someone’s cup of tea. If you’re often underwhelmed by other chocolate chip cookies, go ahead and give it a try; for me, though, it proved to be too much. 

I adore anything lemon-flavored, and I always look forward to baking with bright, sour citrus flavors in the summertime. I’ll admit off the bat that I had reasonably high expectations for Red Robin’s Lemon Cream Layer Cake, self-proclaimed to be a “bright and refreshing lemon cake.” I’m a sucker for lemon curd and lemon cream cheese frosting, so I think it was reasonable to expect this would be more toward the top of my list; nevertheless, the No. 5 spot isn’t a bad place to end up. 

Red Robin’s citrus dessert isn’t a particularly moist lemon cake. I can safely call this slice “fine,” but it wasn’t anything special. I was looking forward to the lemon curd the most, but it was hardly noticeable. The whole dessert was overwhelmingly cakey, which would have been fine if it had been a better cake. I appreciated the inclusion of strawberry puree to add a bright summertime appeal, and I was pleasantly surprised that the frosting wasn’t too cloying. Overall, this slice has the potential to scratch that lemon itch I get in the warmer months; however, even novice bakers could craft a better one in their home kitchens.

And now, back to the final two Red Robin milkshakes. This one, the Chocolate Covered Pretzel Milkshake, was pretty yummy and I could be persuaded to order it again. The milkshake base tasted the same as the chain’s standard chocolate milkshake — in other words, it was fine but nothing outstanding — but what really made this milkshake stand out was the inclusion of mini chocolate-dipped pretzels.

The salty flavor that the pretzels brought to the milkshake made it a sweet and savory dessert, giving it more dimension than the other milkshakes on this list. It was topped with whole pretzels that gave a welcome crunch to the shake. If you like inclusions in your milkshakes, you probably won’t be disappointed by this one. However, the caramel that’s purported to be in this shake was hardly noticeable, if at all. I’d never have identified it on my own. I have a hunch that more discernible caramel could have given this an even higher spot on my list. As it stands, this was still a good milkshake, especially if you’re a fan of the salty-sweet combination. 

Oreos are no new introduction to dessert recipes. Whether you regularly indulge in Oreo cheesecake or you always top your ice cream with the popular cookie, there’s something to be said about the complexity that the chocolate cream cookie can add to a sweet treat. Personally, I’ll always choose an Oreo milkshake over any other variety; in fact, Oreos are the only packaged cookies I genuinely enjoy. All that said, I was far from surprised to find that I loved Red Robin’s Oreo Cookie Magic Milkshake. 

I will say one thing about this (and the previous) milkshake — some chunks of the inclusions were far too large to fit through a straw. However, that’s a negligible price to pay when it comes to the flavor they add. If you regularly consume Oreo milkshakes, you may not be stunned by this one — there wasn’t really anything setting it apart from your typical Oreo shake, but it was still delicious, and the Oreo chunks gave a welcome crunch. If you love Oreo milkshakes and aren’t expecting anything above average, this is a no-brainer dessert pick.

Is there any better way to end the night than with a sumptuous, gooey dessert? Red Robin’s Gooey Chocolate Brownie Cake was the first of the desserts that I tried, and I thought it would take the top spot on this list right from the start. Though one dessert usurped it, it still came in second, and for good reason: It was pretty delicious. The one thing detracting from this dessert was that I can’t agree that it’s “gooey.” Had it not claimed to be, it might have taken the top spot in this ranking.

Though I’m not the biggest chocolate fan, I do love dark, rich chocolate, and this dessert fulfilled all my decadent chocolate dreams. The cake itself is a rich, dense, fudgy brownie that I didn’t think needed to be gooey — it was moist and delicious enough as it was. Vanilla ice cream and hot fudge only added to its appeal, and the strawberry puree gave some bright, sweet tang to this otherwise pretty heavy dessert. It looks small, but it’s so rich that it’s definitely shareable. Flavor-wise, this was probably my favorite and is the one I’d get again if I dined at the restaurant. My next pick, however, was simply more impressive. 

Chances are decent you’ve heard of mud pie before — and no, I’m not talking about the backyard post-rain concoction you slapped together as a child. Rather, this pie has the appearance of thick, gooey mud, though it tastes far, far better. Red Robin’s Mountain High Mudd Pie has an apt name — it is indeed mountainous in stature and has a mud pie appeal. Plus, for being an ice cream-based treat, this dessert held up remarkably well to a bit of travel time. 

So, what do you get when you order the Mountain High Mudd Pie, and why did it earn the top spot on my list? This treat, made with chocolate and vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookies, fudge, caramel, and whipped cream, offers more complexity than any other dessert on this list. Additionally, it includes Oreos, which we all know by now I adore. This dessert is nothing short of indulgent. I found the texture of the chocolate ice cream to be particularly impressive — it manages to be dense and airy at the same time, holding up well structurally while remaining impeccably smooth and creamy. Caramel drizzle adds some buttery warmth to the dessert. There’s a lot going on with this one, but I think it’s worth it. The Mountain High Mudd Pie is a dessert to save room for. 

To best rank this piece, I ordered every dessert on Red Robin’s menu. Despite slight cosmetic impairments that came from having them delivered to me, I don’t think my ranking would have differed had I tried these on location. The desserts were all vastly different, and the variation in quality between my first and last picks was pretty massive. While I tend to have a somewhat “to each their own” approach when doing these kinds of rankings, I take a slightly different position here — there are a few desserts toward the bottom of this list that I don’t think would impress any diner.

That being said, personal preference did take precedence in this ranking, and you should consider your own tastes when deciding what to order. Chocolate lovers might want the chocolate milkshake over the strawberry, and those with gentle palates may prefer the lemon cake to any of the richer desserts. My bottom few choices are desserts I wouldn’t recommend to anybody, though.