Forget Starbucks: Get A Horchata At McDonald's With This Ordering Hack

Some McDonald's ordering hacks are worth the hype. For Starbucks fans who love the Iced Horchata Shaken Espresso, a drink that offers notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and toasted rice, one off-menu McDonald's drink delivers a surprisingly similar beverage for less than $3 — far less than the $5.95 price tag of a Grande. 

The hack begins with an unlikely combination: McDonald's sweet tea and coffee creamer. Sweet tea lovers may be skeptical of dumping coffee creamer into their beverage, but the right combination can turn it into a drink that tastes akin to a creamy Mexican horchata. While our own taste tester was initially skeptical of adding creamer to McDonald's already delicious Southern-style sweet tea (which isn't the same as iced tea), after taking the first sip of the concoction, they totally understood the hype. Describing the drink as "astonishingly delicious," they couldn't help but praise it for being a "flavor doppelgänger" of the classic Mexican drink.

To make the off-menu McHorchata, add three creamer cups to a medium sweet tea. You may need to carry your own cinnamon or add cinnamon at home if your McDonald's location doesn't stock it. For an extra vanilla flavor, some samplers have added pumps of vanilla syrup to the drink, while others have stirred McDonald's soft serve directly into the iced tea for a thicker version of the beverage.

Since a traditional horchata is made with evaporated milk, rice, and cinnamon, the resemblance this hack achieves is genuinely surprising. The addition of coffee creamer curbs the edges of the tea's sweetness, and the drink takes on a silky body that is warmed by the addition of cinnamon. The lightly spiced creamy sipper leans closer to a treat than a beverage quickly poured into a cup. "I didn't expect this! It turns into a smooth, creamy sweet tea that almost tastes like a dessert drink," wrote a surprised fan on Instagram. "I tried this on accident when someone put sweet tea in the iced coffee and it was sooo busss," added a user on TikTok.

The makeshift McHorchata hack pairs well with a number of the savory orders from McDonald's menu. If you enjoy pairing McDonald's fries with a M&M McFlurry or another sweet treat, this drink is a natural fit. Your favorite burger can also balance the creamy sweetness, but this is a crafty drink that can easily stand on its own if you're craving an afternoon pick-me-up.