Here’s the thing: I’m a chocolate lover by nature.
But there’s something about a scorching summer day that makes me yearn for something lighter and more refreshing. A strawberry milkshake always fits the bill.
So, I visited three of the most popular frozen-dessert chains in the game — Dairy Queen, Carvel, and Baskin-Robbins — to see which one offered the most satisfying version of this nostalgic summertime treat.
I compared each one based on taste, texture, price, and overall value. Here’s how it went.
My first stop was Dairy Queen.
Dairy Queen opened its first restaurant in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. Today, there are more than 7,800 locations around the world.
Although I’m typically a fan of Dairy Queen’s blended Blizzard treats — and more specifically, something rich and chocolatey — I was excited to try something a bit different this time.
So, I ordered a small strawberry milkshake, which came to $5.39 and was the cheapest of the three I tried.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t blown away by the Dairy Queen milkshake.
To create this milkshake, Dairy Queen blends its vanilla soft-serve ice cream with milk and a strawberry topping. Overall, it offered the classic berry taste I wanted, but left me wanting more substance.
I typically prefer a thicker milkshake that can be consumed with either a straw or a spoon. Although this one was certainly creamy, I was underwhelmed by its vanilla-dominant flavor and low viscosity.
That said, this was the only chain that asked if I wanted whipped cream on top, which I really appreciated. Next time I visit, though, I’ll likely stick to my usual Blizzard order.
Next, I visited Carvel.
Carvel’s company history dates back to 1934, when a flat tire on an ice-cream truck led founder Tom Carvel to discover that people really enjoyed partially melted ice-cream. Thus, the brand’s signature soft-serve was born.
Today, the company has 375 locations in the US, a whopping 217 of which are located in New York.
When I go to Carvel, I typically order a thick chocolate shake. This time, I opted for a small strawberry one, which came out to $5.99.
I really enjoyed the shake from Carvel.
Like the Dairy Queen version, Carvel’s strawberry milkshake was made with a vanilla soft-serve base and some sort of strawberry topping.
Upon taking my first sip, I was pleasantly surprised by a bite-sized piece of frozen strawberry. The frozen bits were small enough to pass through a straw, but hefty enough that you could definitely eat this milkshake with a spoon, if preferred.
Despite the vanilla base, I could only taste the bright, satisfying strawberry flavor in this milkshake. It was delicious and definitely worth the $5.99 price tag.
Finally, I visited my local Baskin-Robbins.
Baskin-Robbins originated in 1945 in Glendale, California. The brand originally offered 31 flavors — one for each day of the month, according to the company website — but now has a rotation of 1,400 flavors.
Today, there are over 2,400 locations throughout the US, and thousands more internationally.
It had been a while since I’d been to Baskin-Robbins, so I was excited to try the small strawberry shake, which I purchased for $6.29.
Baskin-Robbins’ take on the treat was thin but tasty.
Given this brand is known for its many flavors of hard ice cream, I wasn’t surprised to see that scoops of strawberry ice cream were used as the base of this milkshake.
No other strawberry flavoring or toppings were added — just milk and simple syrup — making this the simplest of the three shakes I tried.
This would definitely be the easiest milkshake to replicate at home — and that homemade taste is exactly what I encountered. There were frozen strawberry pieces swirled into the ice cream itself, but few remained intact after blending.
Although this shake was pleasantly strawberry-forward in taste, it was the thinnest and milkiest of the three I tried. That said, it was wildly refreshing.
The flavorful ice-cream base made this shake stand out ahead of the Dairy Queen version for me, as I didn’t have to contend with a competing vanilla flavor.
I would order this milkshake again if I wanted a thirst-quenching sweet treat.
Overall, the Carvel milkshake was my clear winner.
Overall, Carvel’s milkshake was my favorite of the three I tried, by far. Its strong strawberry flavor, high viscosity, and chewable berry pieces made it my ideal shake.
I loved that I could eat it with a spoon at first and then switch to a straw as the shake melted.
If you prefer a thinner, more immediately drinkable milkshake, though, Baskin-Robbins’ version might be more your speed.
Business Insider reached out to Dairy Queen, Carvel, and Baskin-Robbins for comment.
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