12 Delicious Frozen Custard Shake and Milkshake Flavors for the New Year

From comfort classics to seasonal creations, delicious milkshake flavors can be enjoyed any time of year. At the Freddy’s near you, we offer a standing menu of signature frozen custard treats, which are available as shakes, concretes or sundaes. We also offer a rotating selection of specialty frozen custard shake flavors to try or to serve as inspiration for your own DIY creations at home. In this guide to milkshake flavors to try this year, we highlight some factors that may influence your selection as well as 12 different frozen custard shakes that you may find at Freddy’s throughout the year.

How to Choose Milkshake Flavors for Your Mood

When a shake craving strikes, you know it’s time to take action. Once your heart and mind are set on a shake, only one question remains: what milkshake flavor do I want to enjoy today? Maybe, you make your decision based on what’s available on the Freddy’s menu. Perhaps, you are limited to the available ingredients you have at home for a DIY shake. Either way, the following additional factors may impact your final choice of the many potential shake flavors.

Flavor preference: For some people, choosing a milkshake flavor is simple, because they may equate the perfect shake with one specific flavor. For guests pairing a shake with other components of a meal, someone enjoying the Jalapeño Pepper Jack Double Combo or the Chili Cheese Dog Combo at Freddy’s, for example, may appreciate the creamy and cooling contrast of a vanilla shake against the spice of these dishes.

Occasion: Are you treating yourself to a milkshake for a particular occasion? Whether it’s “just because” or for another event like a birthday, promotion or holiday, milkshake flavors can be appropriately fitting. Occasions may call for festive shakes suited to the season. They may also invite indulgence in layers of your most favorite treats in shake form, such as the Chocolate Brownie Delight with decadent chocolate frozen custard, a chocolate brownie and hot fudge.

Comfort: While savoring a frozen custard shake is a tasty way to honor a special occasion, choosing milkshake flavors may also stem from desire for comfort. Well+Good explains that comfort foods can be a mood booster. Whether as a pick-me-up in the darker months of winter or because you're missing a loved one, your choice of flavor can help lift your spirits and make you feel connected to someone, even if they aren’t there with you. Similarly, shakes can also be a physical source of comfort, if you have a sore throat or are otherwise not feeling well. From the soothing cool of a shake to the heart-warming joy of a treat from your favorite fast food restaurant, various shake flavors may be a comfort during happier times and more challenging ones.

Seasonal ingredients: The seasons also influence what milkshake flavors are available. From spring and summer fruit harvests to the pumpkin spice and peppermint that seem to infuse everything in fall and winter, there is an endless spectrum of tastes to experience. While many of these flavors, such as mint chocolate may be accessible throughout the year, some specialty flavors may only be offered during certain months. Consequently, you may not want to miss out on the opportunities for certain frozen custard shakes, peak harvest times for ingredients, or specialty holiday milkshake flavors.

12 Delicious Frozen Custard Shake Flavors to Try

Since your taste in milkshake flavors may vary for many reasons, Freddy’s offers a wide selection of classics, rotating special edition flavors and customization options to help ensure that there will be a shake to please your palate. Additionally, we also try to update our menu to incorporate fan-favorite creations. To inspire your own year of milkshake flavors to try or to tantalize your taste buds for your next visit to Freddy’s, we’ve included 12 shake options, including both current menu offerings and seasonal specialties.

Birthday Cake

Featuring creamy vanilla frozen custard, as well as confetti cake pieces, cupcake syrup, rainbow sprinkles and clouds of cotton candy on top, this specialty flavor is a glass full of celebration. A Birthday Cake Shake is a fittingly joyful and enticing choice for many occasions. However, its cheerful and colorful appearance may also provide brightness and deliciousness during the colder months, such as the ones in which it was originally offered. For the friend who had a hard day or a family member who loves a unique birthday treat, this colorful and delectable treat may be one that they’d truly appreciate.

Frozen Hot Chocolate made with Ghirardelli®

This limited-time shake flavor was inspired by a classic warm drink – one that is especially popular during the colder months of the year. Using premium Ghirardelli® Hot Cocoa and Freddy’s freshly churned vanilla frozen custard, this shake also included luscious marshmallow sauce, as well as whipped cream and hot cocoa powder sprinkled on top. If this shake isn’t on the menu during your next visit to Freddy’s, create a similar treat for your taste buds by customizing a shake with hot fudge or chocolate sauce, marshmallow and your choice of vanilla or chocolate frozen custard.

Twix® Salted Caramel

From concretes to shakes and sundaes to various other desserts, incorporating a favorite candy into treats often brings feelings of both comfort and nostalgia. Originally introduced in the still cold and often dreary month of March, the Twix® Salted Caramel shake helped bring smiles to the faces of people of all ages with the candy bar pieces, crushed pretzels and caramel sauce. Although this flavor may or may not be on the current menu at Freddy’s, our customizable custard shakes enable you to create a similar treat with your choice of candy, hot caramel, hot fudge and other delicious add-ins.

Reese’s® Royale

Previously, the Reese’s® Creamy Peanut Butter Shake appeared as one of our special offers. The peanut butter lovers enjoyed it so much that this mouth-watering customer favorite is now on our regular menu as the Reese’s Royale. This custard shake flavor combines the perfection of chocolate and peanut butter that is Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups and the decadence of Reese’s® peanut butter sauce with Freddy’s rich and creamy frozen custard. For a fruity twist on this dish, try the Peanut Butter Bananza which swaps the peanut butter sauce for bananas to enjoy with your choice for frozen custard and chunks of Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups.

Strawberry Dreamcake

According to the International Fresh Produce Association, berries such as strawberries are the second most popular fruit sold in the U.S., only just shy of the top spot by a few percent. In addition to creating milkshake flavors with the bounty of your own fresh-picked strawberry harvest, fans of this fruit may want to taste our new Strawberry Dreamcake. This frozen custard shake incorporates cheesecake bites and cinnamon streusel in addition to strawberries and rich, creamy vanilla frozen custard for a flavorful combination that is a delight in any season.

Key Lime Pie

In addition to celebrating the arrival of strawberry season and summer with another Freddy’s creation,guests may also enjoy shake flavors that incorporate other fruits and fruit-based desserts such as key lime pie. For the person in your life who loves this particular type of pie or someone looking for a refreshing and tangy flavor to try, check out our Key Lime Pie treat when it is available or try creating your own pie-inspired milkshake flavor, such as Trisha Yearwood’s recipe as shared by Food Network.

Freddy’s Lemon and Orange Frosts

As evident in this produce guide from The Spruce Eats, summer is the peak season for many fruits in particular. Whether you create milkshake flavors with grilled peaches or raspberries or choose a treat from your local Freddy’s, fruit and it's cool, creamy frozen counterpart are perfect for those potentially scorching summer days. A variation of a shake, Freddy’s Frosts use fruit juices and vanilla frozen custard to create these sweet treats. Freddy’s Frosts are now available in lemon and orange, so you don’t have to wait until the warmer months to try this refreshing drink.

Pumpkin Pie

Sometimes, it seems like summer has only just started when pumpkin spice coffee drinks and other pumpkin-based treats start appearing on menus. Perhaps, it’s the thought of cooler weather when the temperatures are in the double digits. Alternatively, the continually expanding timeline for pumpkin desserts, frozen custard shakes and other seasonally-inspired selections may just be because pumpkin is so darn tasty! After the initial introduction of this specialty shake flavor, guests at Freddy’s were eager to enjoy both the Pumpkin Pie Concrete and the Pumpkin Pie Shake again with the arrival of fall, so we made it happen! With a slice of rich pumpkin pie including the crust blended into the luscious vanilla frozen custard and topped with whipped cream and cinnamon, it’s easy to understand why these custard shakes are so craveable!

Caramel Apple Pie

Apples like pumpkins are fall classics. From going apple picking to enjoying a cup of hot cider to diving into a freshly made apple pie, this fruit is often part of seasonal fun and feasts. Taking inspiration from our approach to the Pumpkin Pie Shake, you might try blending up your own slice of homemade apple pie with some scoops from a pint of our vanilla frozen custard. On the other hand, you might keep an eye out for when the Caramel Apple Pie flavor appears on our menu. Combining buttery caramel sauce with cinnamon-seasoned apples, whipped cream and a dusting of even more cinnamon, this treat is truly a celebration of the fall season. Whether this flavor evokes a happy memory by the fire with someone you love or helps celebrate a recent achievement, this shake is a tasty indulgence to try.

Cold Brew Caramel Crunch

As the days get shorter, there is more and more darkness, which Northwestern Medicine highlights may result in mood changes, fatigue and even a reduced attention span. While our new Cold Brew Caramel Crunch is not a cure-all for the seasonal blues, its enjoyment may provide a little kick of energy and a moment of joy. If you get a little sunshine while picking up your order or enjoy this custard shake flavor with a loved one, you might experience even more benefits. In addition to cold brew coffee, creamy caramel and our freshly churned custard, crushed Heath® bar adds both texture and additional layers of flavor to this scrumptious shake.

Signature Turtle

When songs on the radio start to include lines about chestnuts over the fire, you might start craving some nutty notes in your milkshake flavors. At Freddy’s our Signature Turtle combines many preferred palate pleasers and fall feels. Although not limited to this season, the toasted pecans, hot fudge and hot caramel offer warming vibes even in this frozen treat. If you are looking for spring-inspired nutty milkshake flavors to create a home, you might try this Nutty Shamrock Shake from Epicurious.

OREO® Cookie Shake

Once a limited-time offer, the arrival of the OREO® Cookie Shake at Freddy’s signifies that the holidays are on the horizon. Incorporating vanilla and chocolate frozen custard, this shake also includes crushed OREO® cookies and peppermint candy pieces, which is completed with fluffy whipped cream and sprinkles of peppermint pieces. With its festive red and white colors and wintry aesthetic, enjoy this shake with your friends and the rest of your take-out order at an upcoming holiday gathering or treat yourself to this minty shake when the first snowflake falls.

Frequently Asked Questions about Milkshake Flavors and Preparation

Do shakes have to start with a base of milk and ice cream?

No! In fact, shakes that use frozen custard instead of ice cream may offer a greater depth of flavor due to both the ingredients and the churning process. In addition to frozen custard, using a base of frozen yogurt or gelato will offer further differentiation in the base flavor. Different types of milk or non-dairy milk options may also be used and will similarly impact the overall flavor, as well as the thickness of the shake.

How can I boost the flavor of my frozen custard shake?

Try adding multiple forms of the main flavor. For example, if you want a peanut-butter forward flavor, add peanut butter sauce, peanuts and candy like Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups. Toppings and mix-ins can also further expand the nuances of the flavor.

What consistency is best for shakes?

Consistency is really a matter of personal preference. However, to ensure your enjoyment of the true flavor of the frozen custard or other base component, thicker milkshakes mean less milk or cream to dilute the overall flavor.

Throughout the year, shakes make the perfect partner for savory sandwiches and sides and are an exceptional treat for any reason or season. Whether you're creating new milkshake flavors at home or trying a featured or customized shake at your local Freddy’s, there are many different flavors that bring sweet or gently spiced notes, as well as fruity, buttery, nutty, chocolatey and tangy elements. Remember to join Freddy’s Rewards, so that you can start earning points and free goodies with your upcoming order of frozen custard shakes or any other menu selections.