Sonic Peanut Butter Bacon Shake & Double Cheeseburger Review: They're Fine But We Wouldn't Order Them Again

The Oklahoma City-based Sonic Drive-In has been serving up delicious burgers, shakes, and more since 1956. Today, the company boasts more than 3,500 locations across the U.S. and is the largest chain of drive-in restaurants in the country. It's known for its large selection of shakes and drinks, and the cherry limeade is one of its best sellers.

While many menu items are long-time staples, Sonic regularly brings out new products to keep things fresh, such as its new Peanut Butter Bacon Shake and Peanut Butter Bacon SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger. Both of these products reflect their names by taking a couple of those favorite Sonic staples and simply adding both peanut butter and bacon. Both of these ingredients are a delicious addition to so many recipes, but do they belong together? And for that matter, what is bacon doing in a shake? Right now, it may be a bit cold where you live right now to have a craving for a creamy milkshake and juicy burger, so we braved the cold and popped down to a nearby Sonic to see if we could answer these questions and more.

Sonic offers milkshakes with what seems like dozens of flavorings, including many specialty shakes it promotes from time to time. I don't think I've ever seen peanut butter and bacon before, nor would I usually be inclined to try it. The shake itself appears to be the standard Sonic vanilla shake with peanut butter mixed in and a modest helping of bacon bits swirling around.

With some trepidation, I tasted it and the flavor was interesting. The peanut butter is strong but not overpowering while the bacon remains subtle. When coming across one of the bacon bits, though, the flavor is unmistakable. It tastes exactly like what you might think — someone put bacon in my shake. That's not to say it was offputting, but it was different. I think the peanut butter shake does just fine and the bacon could be left out. Those few moments of having a crunchy bacon bit in the shake just really don't enhance it, however, they do not ruin it either. Perhaps it's for marketing that two items were released with these new toppings, but just a peanut butter shake would have been good enough.

The first thing you notice when unwrapping this generously sized peanut butter bacon burger is the glistening coating of grease on the bun. That could either be an enticing foreshadowing of what's to come or an instant turnoff, depending on how you look at it. Regardless, the grease is not just on the bun — it's a feature through and through. That's not necessarily a bad thing as you take a bite through the bun, two grilled patties of beef, two slices of cheese, grilled onions, bacon bits, and some kind of peanut butter sauce.

As with the shake, the flavor combination is interesting. In the same way that the bacon did not overpower the shake, the peanut butter did not overpower the burger. It is otherwise a good greasy basic bacon cheeseburger, though it skips the lettuce and tomatoes in favor of extra saturated fats. If you have ever had a Sonic bacon cheeseburger, imagine that with a hint of peanut butter flavor and you will know what this one is all about. Peanut butter is an odd choice for a cheeseburger, although it doesn't necessarily ruin it. Bacon is obviously one of the best things to ever happen to a cheeseburger, so it can definitely stay, but the peanut butter could be left off as it does not appreciably improve the burger, even if it does not hurt it either.

Both of these menu items were introduced in early January and should be available at any Sonic location nationwide. Sonic restaurants traditionally have drive-in service with food delivered by a carhop, but many locations now offer drive-through service for those who are on the go. The Peanut Butter Bacon SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger costs $6.99, although pricing may vary from one region to another, and is also available as a single cheeseburger version. Beware that this burger is not conducive to any diet plan. It has a whopping 83 grams of fat and 58 grams of carbohydrates, according to the Sonic official website, as well as 2060 milligrams of sodium. That's most of the FDA's recommended daily limit in a single menu item, meaning this is a burger to be eaten in moderation.

The Peanut Butter Bacon Shake is available in mini, small, medium, and large sizes, ranging from $3.49 to $5.49. Shakes are mixed to order but Sonic has its system down and usually does not take much, if any, longer than most other drive-through restaurants. 

The cheeseburger is almost the perfect food. It's a well-rounded meal you can hold in your hand and eat on the go, which is why it's been so popular for so long. Furthermore, the basic recipe has been nailed down for decades. While it can be fun to come up with different twists on an old favorite, I am not so sure this one was necessary. Perhaps some people love peanut butter or bacon to an extreme degree and will love this. I love both of those ingredients and eat them often, but I am still not convinced they need to be on everything.

The bottom line is that neither the burger nor the shake was bad. I enjoyed them both and would eat them again. However, I can't see myself going to Sonic and explicitly ordering either one. So I am going to say that yes, they are fine. If you give me one, I will surely eat it and enjoy it, but next time I go to Sonic, which is only three blocks from my house, my money will be spent on something else.