7 Fast Food Chains That Use Real Ice Cream For Their Milkshakes

Fast food restaurants are synonymous with hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes. Variations may appear from time to time, but those three core tenets are pretty ubiquitous across the fast food industry. Just because milkshakes are a dime a dozen, that does not mean they are necessarily created the same at every fast food chain.

In fact, some milkshakes are hardly made with any ice cream whatsoever. Certain fast-food chains, like McDonald's, are known for faulty-at-best ice cream machines that take a liquified mixture and freeze it into a sweet dessert within seconds. Other chains use soft-serve ice cream, which is technically not real ice cream, as a base for their milkshakes. It works in a pinch, but if it is real ice cream you are craving, you will have to search elsewhere.

Thankfully, there are a number of fast-food chains that do use real ice cream in their milkshakes. The difference is a creamy texture and rich flavor that cannot be topped. Quality milkshakes made with real ingredients are not available everywhere, so it is worth knowing which fast food chains serve the real deal. Be sure to keep these restaurants in mind the next time you find yourself craving a milkshake.

It is hard to imagine a trip to In-N-Out Burger – the famous west coast fast food chain that many symbolize as a right of passage when visiting California — without a milkshake. The frozen beverage is served in the chain's signature palm tree-clad cups, which even come with Bible verses printed on the bottom.

Milkshakes were not always featured on the menu, however. In-N-Out Burger first opened in 1948 in Baldwin Park, California. While the burger chain was an instant success with locals, it would take almost 30 years before In-N-Out brought milkshakes to its menu. In-N-Out's milkshakes were preceded by malts, but once the popular dessert hit the scene, the rest is history, though it would take some time for milkshake production to be less sloppy. The original In-N-Out shakes were prepared in the paper cups that they came served in, so there was additional training involved to ensure employees did not rip the cups. These days, there are plenty of machines equipped to handle the task of blending the shakes together.

Today, customers can order classic chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry milkshakes from In-N-Out, all made with real ice cream. However, if you want a little additional flavor in your shake, there is another option. If you are in on In-N-Out's not-so-secret menu, you may also know that you can combine all three milkshake flavors for an entirely different option. Just ask for a Neapolitan shake and your server will deliver a milkshake with the chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry layered together. 

The novelty of dining at Sonic Drive-In in large part begins before you have a single sip of your milkshake thanks to its employees, called carhops, who bring your food to you wearing roller skates. Sonic's menu includes all of the usual fixings you would expect to see at a fast-food burger chain, including milkshakes. No matter which flavor you choose, it is all made using real ice cream as a base. Customers can choose classic flavors like chocolate or vanilla along with unique finds like Oreo and Reese's Peanut Butter Master Shake. In fact, given all of the flavors available, Sonic offers thousands of milkshake combinations. There is a flavor for practically any taste bud.

With so many options, it can be hard to make your way through Sonic's menu in search of the perfect milkshake flavor. Spend any time on forums and you will find a variety of different opinions as to what the best milkshake is. One Redditor had great things to say about its cake batter flavor, sharing, "It's a limited time thing, but get the cake batter shake, it's amazing, probably one of my favorite limited-time things we've ever had."

Steak 'n Shake is one of the oldest fast-food chains in the United States. Its first location opened in 1934, and it has been committed to quality ingredients ever since day one. That includes its signature steakburger with its unique blend of round, sirloin, and T-bone meat. That commitment also includes its hand-made milkshakes, which are made with real ice cream as well as fresh milk, so each sip is as delicious as it gets.

Available flavors include the classics — chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry — as well as banana, Oreo, birthday cake, cotton candy, and M&M's flavors, just to name a few. This assortment of flavors begins with a base of real vanilla ice cream, which is then blended with other ingredients to give it whatever flavor it is you are looking for. One customer noted on TripAdvisor how delicious the Chocolate Malt Milkshake is at Steak 'n Shake, sharing: "This is the real deal made with real ice cream. Nowadays, that is hard to come by and it is delicious!" Sure, a regular-sized milkshake from Steak 'n Shake is not exactly the healthiest thing you can order off the menu, but when real ice cream is involved, you just have to put the thought of calories on the back burner and enjoy the quality ingredients.

Many customers find Potbelly for the first time when hunger strikes and they find themselves in the mood for a great sandwich for lunch. Potbelly's claim to fame is its artisanal sandwiches, which the South China Morning Post states are made with "high-quality ingredients sourced from reputable suppliers." That said, the chain also understands that high-quality dessert is an important part of any meal. Potbelly's includes freshly baked cookies on its menu, and for also offers a selection of milkshakes for the ice cream fanatics out there.

Potbelly's milkshakes are made with hand-scooped ice cream and garnished with a Potbelly-branded cookie that is perfect for dunking. Choose from flavors like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Oreo cookie. Sounds tasty, right? Its commitment to using real ice cream in its hand-scooped milkshakes resonates with customers. One Redditor applauded Potbelly for using real ice cream, noting how it made its milkshakes among the best you can find at a fast-food restaurant chain.

The story of Fatburger began in 1947 when Lovie Yancey founded Mr. Fatburger with her husband. Following the couple's split, Yancey decided to drop the Mr. not only from her marriage, but from the business as well, and continue on with just Fatburger. Yancey's original recipes, still at the center of Fatburger today, demonstrate a commitment to only the best ingredients possible. That commitment extends to its milkshakes.

Like any classic burger stand, Fatburger's menu is not complete without an array of tasty milkshakes. Fatburger's dairy-based milkshakes are made with premium, hand-scooped ice cream. Flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, Oreo, and Maui banana. It also serves up Vegan milkshakes made with a blend of cashew-based ice cream, oat milk, and coconut milk. Vegan flavors include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Maui banana. Its Oreo milkshakes in particular, as one Redditor notes, are among the best in their city — high praise for a fast food chain!

Fans of Fatburger specify its milkshakes as one of the reasons the chain is so beloved. One Redditor shares, "Fatburger is the stuff dreams are made of. I could drown in one of those milkshakes and die happy." Another Redditor chimed in when polled about where the best milkshakes in Edmonton were, noting, "I don't think I've had a milkshake that is better than a Fatburger milkshake. They are pretty close to 'peak milkshake'."

Based in Alabama, Jack's is a true Southern staple in the fast food landscape. Not to be confused with Jack in the Box, Jack's has around 200 locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. Its slogan even sticks close to its roots: "All About the South." Since opening in 1960, the burger chain has been whipping up delicious milkshakes — back then, they only cost 20 cents each.

These days, milkshakes are still a hallmark treat that customers crave when visiting Jack's. All of the milkshakes are made with hand-dipped and hand-mixed scoops of ice cream. The usual suspects are all there on the menu, including chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and cookies and cream. Other flavors that are packed with added flavor include Moose Tracks, Smokey Mountain Fudge, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.

Sticking to its southern roots, Jack's also serves a tasty Lemonade Milkshake, made with fresh lemonade and vanilla ice cream. One Redditor shares how, thanks in part to that lemonade milkshake, Jack's is one of their all-time favorite fast-food chains. Other specialty flavors have been rotated in and out of the menu over the years, so it is always worth popping by your local Jack's to see if there are any limited-time offers.

You might think that milkshakes made with real ice cream are reserved for the smaller fast-food chains, with the larger companies sticking to pre-mixed liquids that are flash-frozen in some sort of machine moments before pouring. However, you shouldn't be so quick to discount the larger fast-food chains, as some of them have come a long way in ensuring their customers are being served higher-quality menu items. When it comes to milkshakes, look no further than Carl's Jr.

Carl's Jr. may not come to mind immediately when you are craving a milkshake made with real ice cream, but that is exactly what it offers. Its hand-scooped milkshakes come in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and Oreo. These milkshakes were not always on the menu, however. Carl's Jr. opened its first location in the 50, but it would not be until the 2000s that hand-scooped milkshakes debuted. Those milkshakes have gone on to be standout menu items for customers at Carl's Jr. One happy customer left a review on TripAdvisor pointing out how the chocolate milkshake was the best they had while visiting Las Vegas.

Unique flavors have been tested and tried at Carl's Jr., including a Jolly Rancher milkshake that debuted in 2018. International Carl's Jr. locations have also expanded milkshake offerings over the years. In 2020, New Zealand restaurants began serving popcorn-flavored milkshakes, still with that same commitment to real hand-scooped ice cream.