McDonald's Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry Review: We're Split On If Kit Kats Belong Here

Just days after unleashing the tangy and versatile Special Grade Garlic Sauce in stores, McDonald's is dropping something brand new, yet seemingly familiar in its dessert department. Rumors had been swirling around, but now have proven to be true: the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry has arrived!

The pairing of Kit Kats and McFlurrys is nothing new, especially for lucky overseas eaters with a sweet-tooth. McDonald's Japan has seen several Kit-Katty concoctions since 2007, and so has its outposts in Australia. Four years ago, Germans were recently able to finish their dinners off with Kit Kat Ruby Chocolate McFlurries. Americans haven't been so lucky — believe it or not, the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry is the first McFlurry in the United States to be mixed-up with Kit Kats.

Since I'd already taken on the task of ranking ten kinds of American Kit Kats, I was more than ready to tackle this next Kit Kat eating adventure. I gave myself a break and headed off to my local McDonald's for a treat I hoped would be both smashingly sweet, as well as provide relief from the heat. Then again, perhaps mixing up a beloved chocolate wafer candy with the elements of a banana split would end up being too much of a good thing. Only one way to find out. This chew and review of McDonald's new Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry is based on taste, Kit Kattiness, banana-splitability, originality, and overall lovability.

On a muggy summer morning, I was more than ready to skip breakfast and get right down to a cold dessert. When the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry reached my hands, I was  pleased to see a generous amount of candy pieces residing on top of the ice cream. All ground up, the candy pieces looked more like bits of Heath bars than that of a Kit Kat. Among the sea of brown shades, round orbs of red can be found, looking rather out of place.

Before I took a full spoonful of the treat, I wanted to see what the Kit Kat pieces tasted like as is. The smooth milk chocolate taste of a Kit Kat was ever present, but the fun crunch of the wafer has been practically erased in its current pulverized state. I pressed on, tasting these pieces with the rest of its mixture — the banana split. While the strawberry flavoring just barely held up its end of the Neapolitan bargain, the banana aspect seemed to be completely absent.

Be careful not to finish off all the Kit Kat Banana Split mix-in on the top, as there's nothing but vanilla soft serve below. As I mixed the topping elements together with the soft serve, the end result was reminiscent of drinking the remnants of a bowl of Cap'n Crunch Crunch Berries. Not sure that was McDonald's intention, but taste buds don't lie.

The core surface ingredients in this McFlurry are vanilla reduced fat ice cream and a special Kit Kat Banana Split Blend. The ice cream contains milk, sugar, cream, corn syrup, natural flavor, mono and diglycerides, cellulose gum, guar gum, carrageenan, and vitamin a palmitate. The Kit Kat blend includes Kit Kat pieces, a Banana Split / Strawberry seasoning (which also includes cherry and cocoa powder, semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips), freeze dried banana pieces, and strawberry clusters. This McFlurry contains the common allergens wheat, milk, and soy. It may also contain peanuts, tree nuts, and eggs.

A single serving of the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry nets 540 calories, 17 grams of total fat, 11 grams of saturated fat, .5 grams of trans fat, 85 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 70 grams of total sugar, 57 grams of added sugar, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, and 12 grams of protein. It also contains 400 milligrams of calcium, 1 milligram of iron, and 580 milligrams of potassium.

The Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry is available now at participating McDonald's, for a limited time only, while supplies last. It comes in one size only, and at my local Manhattan McDonald's, it retailed for $5.19. Price may vary per location.

McFlurrys are available to order at many locations all day long, unless of course the McDonald's ice cream machine is notoriously "broken." It is listed under the "Sweets and Treats" submenu. McFlurry orders can be placed in-store, at the counter, at a kiosk, or by way of drive-thru, where available. Advanced ordering can be placed through McDonald's app for pick-up or delivery, where deals like 40% off a McFlurry are available at select locations. The Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry is customizable to add extra helpings of the Kit Kat Banana Split Mix-in, as well as add-on of whipped cream, or M&M, crushed OREO, Hot Fudge, or Caramel toppings. Additional costs may occur for extra add-ons, delivery, or orders placed through third parties.

McDonald's Grandma McFlurry is truly a tough act to follow. This fantastic, down-home treat was bursting with butterscotch, and now is sadly but a memory. With Grandma dearly departed, the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry is stepping in and trying to fill that void. As a whole, this is a solid McFlurry treat through and through, but doesn't quite live up to the promise of its name.

The reason we love Kit Kats is due to the magic of when soft chocolate and layered crispy wafers meet in a singular delicious bite. Because the Kit Kats are ground down, that delicate, satisfying balance of textures has been lost here, leaving the candy a shell of its usual self. The banana split mixture seems like an inspired choice, but further muddles the treat's flavor profile into too much of a mishmash.

I declare a split decision on the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry, in that the treat should be split into two separate McFlurrys. A Kit Kat McFlurry could include more crumbled pieces, and not finely crushed ones. Why not top it off with an actual Kit Kat finger sticking out, like they do in England with a 99 Flake bar ice cream? Not sure if you've ever had a Banana Split Blizzard from Dairy Queen, but it's a fresh-tasting marvelous masterpiece. McDonald's could make the same magic happen with its own McFlurry flavor by dropping in actual banana, pineapple, and cherry pieces.