11 Absolute Best Fast Food Slushies

When you need something ice cold in hand, whether it's to guzzle immediately or just to hold against your sweaty forehead, slushies are the answer. They have the perfect chew-to-sip ratio, honoring ice rather than pulverizing it into air. It's hard to imagine a world without slushies, but before the 1950s, the only icy desserts to combat the summer heat were shaved ice and snow cones — nothing you could sip. Texas embraced the arrival of frozen margaritas in the late '30s, but it would be decades before anyone considered creating a coarser consistency. It wasn't until the late '50s that a humble Dairy Queen franchise owner experimented with freezing excess soda, creating the icy, carbonated sensation. While still some of the best, we've reached far beyond simple soda varieties in the past 60-plus years.

Gas stations have a special relationship with slushies (looking at you, 7-Eleven Slurpees), but they all seem to offer the same lineup of flavors: the classic sodas, cherry, blue raspberry, some sort of lemonade, and something more on the whipped side, like piña colada or orange cream. Lucky for us, tons of fast food giants have gotten into the slushie game. Countless chains have introduced the frozen drink dispenser, that magical non-stop spinning machine that turns ice and sugar into summer's favorite beverage, and are constantly releasing new flavors. Between brand exclusives like Dunkin' Coolattas and Taco Bell's frozen Baja Blast, fast food joints have just as many ties to slushies as gas stations now. With so many tasty options to choose from, narrowing it down wasn't easy, but these 11 fast food slushies have it all and never let me down.

We'll start with the best of the best — Sonic. Not to say Sonic is the end-all for fast food frozen drinks, but the chain has made quite a name for itself with its blenders. It might look like a Blue Hawaiian cocktail, but surprisingly, there's no blue curaçao in Sonic's blue coconut slush. This is one of those drinks that really tastes like its color. It's hard to put the taste into words other than "blue," but the subtle hints of coconut really make the whole slushie.

One look at this vibrantly blue drink and you'd anticipate an aggressively sweet sip, but, much like Sonic's other slushies, it's balanced and refreshing rather than cloyingly sweet. It might be the coconut that helps balance the artificial blue razz flavor, but Sonic's iconic ice certainly plays a part. It tastes more and more like a blue razz ice pop as it melts, and there are no complaints there.

If it's one of the summer's hottest days yet and you're dead set on a frozen beverage, Sonic's classic limeade slush will nurse you back to health. Again, this Sonic slush isn't too sweet at all; in fact, it's piercingly tart, which is pretty much the only way to fight the heat sometimes. It's proof that simplicity is best, because even with just one basic flavor, it has range. Sonic's limeade slush is crisp, icy, and oh so easy to gulp down. The beautiful teal-colored slushie is served with a real lime wedge because presentation counts, even when served in a plastic cup.

If you've spent any time in Oklahoma, you probably saw cherry limeade on a menu or two, and that fad all started with Sonic Drive-In. Originally served over ice, cherry limeade has been one of the state's favorite beverages since the '60s, but limeade is the original. A 1959 Sonic menu features limeade (for only 10 cents, I might add), but no cherry limeade in sight. As Oklahoma's favorite beverage, the cherry limeade gets all the hype, but I'd say that one is best served over crushed ice, where it balances out the sweeter cherry notes. When it comes to frozen, it's limeade slush all day.

Yes, I have three Sonic slushies on this list, but to be fair, after roller skates, that's the brand's whole claim to fame. Fans were devastated when this slush disappeared from the Sonic menu in 2020, but thankfully, Sonic brought it back in 2025. The Lemonberry slush is extra special, largely because it's full of real chunks of strawberries, but also because it's exclusive to Sonic.

Based on the made-up name, Lemonberry is the restaurant's concoction, a blend of freshly squeezed lemons and strawberries. The important thing here is lemon juice, not lemonade, so it's tart without that syrupy taste. Its bright pink hue might allude to a strawberry-forward flavor, which is too often overly sweet, but this is named Lemonberry for a reason. Lemons first, strawberries second. Despite being named after a fictional fruit, this slushie doesn't taste artificial whatsoever. The strawberry flavor is somewhat delicate, with literal pieces of the fruit being a constant reminder of its freshness.

Checkers' strawberry piña colada sends you off to a faraway island to forget all your woes — at least, that's what it feels like. Piña colada translates to vacation in most burnt-out minds, but you can get a little taste of the tropical vibes from a Checkers right down the block. It tastes sort of like a frozen Shirley Temple, with a carbonated jolt to it, but with a subtle creaminess. Checkers has a boosted option with a shot of an energy drink if you need a little pick-me-up.

Checkers, which joined forces with Rally's in 1999, is an underdog in the fast food world, but I love rooting for the underdog. Like Sonic, Checkers focused on the drive-in clientele when opening its doors in 1986, with the main focus being juicy burgers and seasoned fries. Today, I don't think a Checkers (or Rally's) meal would be complete without a frozen drink. They've had a range of delicious flavors come and go, one being the Caribbean colada, which is why the debut of the strawberry piña colada was so exciting.

If you love those slender frozen ice pops wrapped in plastic that appear everywhere in the summer, then a frozen Fanta will be one of your new favorite things. This slushie was the fastest to melt, which tells me it's mostly ice, but that's the main appeal. Drinking Burger King's frozen strawberry Fanta is like a race against the sun, except there is only winning. It drinks like a melting popsicle and, somehow, still quenches your thirst. When blending a sugary soda, the more ice, the better.

The ice-cold soda is refreshing, and Burger King loads the machine with ice, which gives you a little something to chew on, cooling you down even more. The sweetness doesn't feel heavy or syrupy, as you may expect, but rather light and fruity. Frozen slushie sodas don't seem to lose their carbonation as quickly as a typical bottle of pop, which is just another bonus.

Just when you think it can't get any better than a freshly cracked can of cold Coca-Cola, the soda is blended with ice. The refreshing, icy Coke reminds me of mall food courts and warm nights at the drive-in theater. Aside from giving the soda a new, delicious consistency, a frozen Coke will stay colder for much longer than a basic ol' bottle or can. I've been lucky enough to always find it on East Coast McDonald's menus, but apparently it's only at select locations.

There's something nostalgic about a frozen Coke, and I wasn't even around when it was first invented. The original frozen soda pops were the first slushies to enter the scene, and are credited to the one and only ICEE inventor, Omar Knedlik, who came up with the genius concoction in 1958. There are endless frozen sodas available these days, but ICEEs started with cherry and, of course, Coca-Cola. As America's most popular soda, it's no surprise that frozen Coke isn't exclusive to McDonald's, but I swear it tastes best in a McDonald's branded cup. Frozen Coke is sold practically anywhere with an ICEE machine, including Burger King.

After I first discovered Jollibee at a random mall on the West Coast, it quickly joined my list of best fast food chains. I ranked Jollibee's fluffy mashed potatoes number two amongst other fast food giants around NYC and Queens, but its frozen drinks are arguably the star of the menu (sorry fried chicken). There's no question that the Strawberry Bliss Freeze is made with real fruit, and not just from the potent flavor. After some time under the sun, you can see the separation of fruit and liquid, but all it takes is a good shake or mix of the straw to blend it back together.

With the distinct sweetness of strawberries, they can easily overpower recipes and result in unbearably sweet desserts. Thankfully, Jollibee doesn't overdo it with the sweetener, so the strawberry flavor isn't muddled. Whatever the "bliss" is in this slush, it's working. The strawberry flavor is bright and juicy, and there's something almost creamy about it that I can't quite place.

Jollibee might be known for its Filipino-style crispy fried chicken, but the frozen drinks are not to be missed. The chain has a magical way of flawlessly blending fruity and creamy flavors. Each of Jollibee's "freezes" is special in its own right, but the Coconut Dream Freeze is the ultimate summer drink. Icy coconut is often linked with piña coladas and other rum-based cocktails, but it's just as exciting sans booze. This freeze is ultra creamy but still somehow refreshing — the secret to a perfect slushie.

I can't imagine a frozen treat with coconut that I wouldn't like, but Jollibee hits every note with this one. It's not like other coconut shakes, as there's almost a taro flavor to it. Most slushies are tough to bring back to life post-freezer, but it seems like this Jollibee slushie can melt, freeze, and melt again, all while still being delicious.

Dunkin' Donuts was once my first stop for sugary afternoon pick-me-ups, and that always included a Coolatta. The frosty blended drinks benefit from Dunkin's rounded bits of ice, which leave a bit of texture in each sip. Dunkin' used to have fruity flavors like orange and the beloved coffee Coolatta, but sadly, those two favorites have been discontinued. Add a splash of orange juice to your vanilla bean Coolatta, and you've got yourself a little creamsicle, reminiscent of Dunkin' Donuts' frozen orange juice days.

The frozen options are a bit more limited these days, but luckily, Dunkin' still has a Coolatta that's worth sipping on — the vanilla bean. Some may argue it's more of a milkshake than a slushie, with its creaminess being outweighed by the icy chew. There's just something about Dunkin's small beads of ice that makes the frozen drinks so irresistible. The vanilla flavor is strong but balanced. It's slightly artificial tasting, but comforting like a soft serve vanilla ice cream. If it's somehow not creamy enough, there's always room for whipped cream.

Slushie? Maybe. Delicious? Insanely. Chick-fil-A calls it a "frosted" lemonade, which is clearly its own magical concoction. It's too thin to be a proper milkshake, but it's just as creamy as one. The tart lemonade makes this frozen drink refreshing, which has it leaning more towards slushie territory. If anything, it's closer to a sorbet with the fresh lemon flavor. I know one thing: You can slurp it down way faster than any milkshake I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

Frosted lemonade sounds like an icy cold lemonade, right? That's pretty on the nose for Chick-fil-A, but this lemonade is frosted with both ice and whipped ice cream. The bright vanilla soft serve, or "Icedream," as Chick-fil-A calls it, flawlessly swirls into the tart lemonade to create a one-of-a-kind sip. It's the rare frozen drink that balances tart and sweet so perfectly you forget it's essentially dessert. 

Last but definitely not least, we have the Baja Blast Freeze. A frozen version of Taco Bell's favorite Mountain Dew flavor, this vividly teal slushie is cool, refreshing, and offers a jolt of caffeine. Admittedly, I'm not a Mountain Dew girl. I find so many other sodas superior, but if I were to consume the technicolor drink, it would only be in slushie form. Thankfully, Taco Bell is all over it.

Baja Blast is actually a Taco Bell exclusive flavor that did so well, it joined the regular Mountain Dew lineup around 2014. Apparently, Baja Blast's flavor is lime and tropical fruit, but it could have fooled me. It's certainly tangy, and while those tropical flavors are there, it tastes like a medley of contrasting yet delicate flavors. Even if you'd never crack open a can of Mountain Dew, let alone Baja Blast, you might fall victim to the slushie version.

These eleven slushies, each from a nationwide fast food chain, are all deliciously refreshing. A great slushie will feel like a treat, but ideally not be cloyingly sweet — otherwise, it drinks more like a milkshake. While the texture and density vary, they each have an incredible consistency that sets them apart from other widely available slushies. Some have thicker ice crystals, adding texture, and others are smooth and softly frosted.

This list of best fast food slushies includes a mix of classic flavors and more unique concoctions, as the flavor itself comes secondary to the slushie's texture and sweet-tart balance. While some creamy frozen drinks like Chick-fil-A's "Icedream" lemonade are a sweeter, more dessert-like beverage when compared to Sonic's icy limeade, both are delicious and make the list. Other fast food slushies are often too thick to comfortably sip through a straw, or, even worse, too watery. Sometimes it can feel like you've slurped all of the flavor out before you're even halfway done, but all of these slushie-like drinks are flavorful until the very last drop.