Dairy Queen Just Brought Back the Mint Treat That Has Beaten McDonald’s Every March for a Decade

McDonald's has owned St. Patrick's Day for fifty years with that green shake.

Every spring, like clockwork, the Golden Arches wheel out the Shamrock Shake and collect their free press.

But something has been quietly stealing the crown – and starting February 23rd, Dairy Queen is making sure you don't miss it.

The Blizzard That Refuses to Go Away

The Mint OREO Blizzard is back as March's Blizzard of the Month.

It's not new. That's exactly the point.

DQ fans have been demanding this flavor back every single year – and one customer on Instagram admitted it's been his favorite for over a decade.

The recipe hasn't changed. OREO cookie chunks and crème de menthe hit DQ's soft serve in the blender until the whole thing locks up thick enough to flip the cup upside down without flinching.

DQ calls it "finding a four-leaf clover in every spoonful."

Their fans just call it perfect.

Why This One Wins Every Time

Here's what McDonald's will never tell you.

The Shamrock Shake is a drink. Light, sweet, forgettable the moment you finish it.

The Mint OREO Blizzard is an experience. The OREO chunks give you something to chew. The mint hits differently when it's cold and thick, not watered down in a cup with a straw.

That difference didn't happen by accident.

The Treat That Changed Everything

In 1985, a Missouri Dairy Queen franchisee named Samuel Temperato walked into DQ headquarters with an idea nobody asked for.

He owned 67 DQ locations in the St. Louis area and had been watching a local frozen custard stand called Ted Drewes pack customers out the door every night.

The secret was simple. Blend real cookie and candy pieces directly into the soft serve until the whole thing becomes something you eat with a spoon, not drink through a straw.

Temperato brought the idea to corporate. They ran with it.

The Blizzard launched nationally in 1985 – and DQ sold tens of millions of them in the first year alone.

Dairy Queen's president at the time, Harris Cooper, called it "the biggest thing that has happened to Dairy Queen in the last 25 years."

He wasn't wrong. DQ stock nearly doubled that year – from $40 a share in early 1985 to $72.50 by October.

One Missouri franchisee with a good idea built the foundation of what Dairy Queen is today.

And the upside-down presentation – that famous moment when the DQ employee flips your Blizzard toward the floor to prove it won't budge – that wasn't Temperato's idea either.

Ted Drewes started doing it after a teenage customer kept complaining his shakes weren't thick enough.

Drewes flipped the cup upside down to prove a point.

Forty years later, DQ employees still do it at the counter every single day.

The Blizzard has now offered more than 170 flavor variations since 1985. The OREO version – which almost never happened because Oreo originally called the idea "crazy" – became the best-selling flavor in the country.

The Mint OREO Blizzard is a seasonal spin on that bestseller. It comes around once a year, earns its fanbase back every single time, and disappears before most people realize it's gone.

Don't Wait on This One

The Mint OREO Blizzard is only available through March at participating locations nationwide.

It's not around all year. DQ fans already know that.

New customers tend to find out the hard way – they wait too long, show up in April, and spend the next eleven months thinking about what they missed.

Order through the DQ app or online ahead of time. App deals can take up to 24 hours to activate, so plan accordingly.

McDonald's can keep the parade.

This is the better green dessert – and the numbers from 1985 prove it.

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Sources:

• Sean Abrams, "The Shamrock Shake Has New Competition Thanks To Dairy Queen," Delish, February 15, 2026.
• Marisa Losciale, "Dairy Queen Brings Back Beloved St. Patrick's Day Blizzard Treat," Parade, February 2026.
• Food Network Staff, "When Does the McDonald's Shamrock Shake Come Back in 2026?" Food Network, February 2026.
• "The Untold Truth Of Dairy Queen's Famous Blizzard," Mashed, January 2019.
• "The Tumultuous History Of Dairy Queen's Famed Oreo Blizzard," The Daily Meal, March 2023.
• "7 Cool Facts About Dairy Queen Blizzards," Mental Floss, March 2021.