Short answer: Dairy Queen shakes come in seven main flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Hot Fudge, Caramel, Banana, and Peanut Butter, plus seasonal specials. A small shake costs about $4.49 to $4.99, and a small shake has 470 to 640 calories. The secret most fans miss: any sundae topping can be made into a shake, and candy toppings can be added too, so the real flavor list is much longer than the board shows.

On this page: the full flavor list, prices, calories, how to order secret shakes, the OREO shake truth, banana charges, malt tips, dipped cones, smoothies, MooLattes, Misty drinks, and FAQs.

The Quick Numbers

Fact	Number
Main shake flavors	7
Small shake price	$4.49 to $4.99
Small shake calories	490 to 550 (five core flavors)
Large shake calories	800 to 990 (five core flavors)
Biggest shake	Hot Fudge Large, 990 (on DQ’s current sheet)
Malt extra calories	60 (small), 80 (medium), 110 (large)
Small MooLatte calories	450 to 500
Small Misty Slush calories	200

Dairy Queen Milkshake Menu: Every Flavor and Size

The Dairy Queen milkshake menu has five core flavors on DQ’s official nutrition sheet: Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Caramel and Hot Fudge. Each one comes in Small, Medium and Large, and any of them can be made into a malt. A Small shake runs about 490 to 550 calories, while a Large lands between 800 and 990.

Flavor	Small	Medium	Large	Allergens
Chocolate Shake	530 cal	710 cal	920 cal	Milk, soy
Vanilla Shake	520 cal	660 cal	860 cal	Milk, soy
Strawberry Shake	490 cal	630 cal	800 cal	Milk, soy
Caramel Shake	550 cal	750 cal	980 cal	Milk, soy
Hot Fudge Shake	550 cal	750 cal	990 cal	Milk, soy
Make it a malt (add)	+60 cal	+80 cal	+110 cal	Milk, wheat

Every shake on the list contains milk and soy. The detail most people miss is the malt: the malt powder adds wheat, so a malt is not a safe pick if you avoid gluten. Peanut Butter, Banana and Orange Cream shakes appear at many stores, but DQ’s current sheet does not list them. Ask your store for those numbers before you order.

How much does a DQ milkshake cost?

A Mini shake runs about $2.99 and a Small about $4.49 to $4.99 at most stores. Medium and Large prices swing too much from store to store for one honest range. The quickest way to see your store’s price is the official DQ app on Google Play or the Apple App Store. You can also total a full order with our price calculator.

Dairy Queen Shake Flavors

The board at most stores lists three flavors first: Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry. Fans ask about this a lot: “Is the option for shakes really limited to Vanilla, Chocolate (syrup), and Strawberry now? And whatever the current special flavor is?”

No. The full standard list is seven flavors:

Peanut Butter is the calorie king. A small Peanut Butter shake is 640 calories, and a large one is 1,250 calories. That large is the biggest drink on the whole DQ menu.

Seasonal and special shakes

Stores also run special shakes through the year. Fans have reported Mint Chip, Raspberry Chip, Choco Hazelnut Chip, S’mores, Caramel Mocha Chip, White Mocha, Orange Cream, Frozen Hot Chocolate, and the Nutter Butter shake. These vary by store and by season. The Pumpkin Pie shake is a fall favorite, but fans complain it is hard and inconsistent to get: “Why is it so hard and inconsistent to get a pumpkin pie shake?” If a special shake matters to you, call the store before you drive over.

The Secret: Any Sundae Topping Can Become a Shake

This is the single best fact in this article, and it comes straight from the top answer in the fans’ thread: “Any sundae topping can be made into a shake, as well as the possibility of candy toppings.”

That means the board is only the start. Ask for a shake built from any sundae topping: hot fudge, strawberry, chocolate, pineapple, peanut butter, or caramel. Then add candy toppings on top of that. This is how fans build the shakes they cannot find on the board.

How to order a secret shake

Use the ingredient order, not a nickname. Workers build what you name. Say it like this:

• “Vanilla shake, add OREO pieces.” (This is the OREO shake. See below.)
• “Chocolate shake, add Butterfinger pieces.”
• “Vanilla shake, add hot fudge and caramel.”
• “Strawberry shake, add banana.” (Banana costs extra. See below.)
• “Hot fudge shake, half chocolate and half vanilla soft serve.” (A fan favorite from an ex-worker.)

Name the base, name the topping, and the worker can build it. Names from TikTok do not always work. Ingredients always work.

The OREO Shake Truth: It Was Never Removed

One of the most asked shake questions is: “When did Dairy Queen remove the OREO milkshake?” Fans write: “I used to get OREO milkshakes from DQ, loved them. Definitely better than Baskin Robbins. Just went to DQ as I hadn’t been in a while, and no option for…”

Here is the truth: the OREO shake is not a menu item, and it never was one in recent years. The top answer in the thread says it plainly: “It’s not a menu item. They’ll make it for you but it’ll be a vanilla shake add Oreos.”

So order it as “vanilla shake, add OREO pieces.” You pay the base shake price plus an extra topping charge, which varies by store. The same rule works for any candy: Reese’s, Butterfinger, Heath, or M&M’s. The Blizzard versions of these flavors are on the board. The shake versions are built on request.

Can DQ make a shake from a Blizzard flavor?

Almost. A Blizzard is thick soft serve with candy mixed through it. A shake is soft serve blended thinner with milk. Ask for the shake version by ingredients: base flavor plus candy. The worker blends it like a shake. It will taste like the Blizzard flavor, but it will be drinkable, not spoonable. That is the difference between the two.

Dairy Queen Shake Prices

DQ publishes no national prices, and shake prices swing more than most items from store to store. Medium and Large prices vary too much for one honest range, so check the DQ app for your store. Always check your store.

Prices vary a lot by store, and fans are angry about it. One thread titled “$8 for this?” drew 80 comments: “Pricing is outta control. I went to a small local joint last night and got a bigger milkshake for $5.” Another fan wrote that a DQ shake costs “about $3 and five minutes to make at home.” Both points are fair. DQ shakes are a treat price, not a value price. The $7 Meal Deal does not include a shake, so a shake is always an extra spend.

Dairy Queen Shake Calories

These numbers come from DQ’s official nutrition sheet, so they are solid:

A malt adds calories: 60 for small, 80 for medium, 110 for large. So a small malt is about 60 calories more than the same shake.

For comparison, the whole dairy queen ice cream menu runs from a kids cone at 160 calories up to the Peanut Butter Large shake at 1,250. A shake is one of the heaviest single items you can order at DQ.

What Is a Malt? And Is It Free?

A malt is a shake with malted milk powder blended in. The powder gives a slightly tangy, deeper, old-fashioned flavor. Fans of malts love them. Fans who never tried one should try it once: same flavor, richer taste.

Some store menus list “make it a malt at no charge.” Other stores charge a small amount. Ask at your store. The calorie cost is fixed: 60, 80, or 110 extra calories by size.

Why Do DQ Shakes Taste Thin to Some Fans?

This is the honest split in the threads. Some fans love DQ shakes. Others say: “does anyone else’s dq shakes taste like 90 percent milk, no matter how thick it is?” Another fan wrote: “I rarely meet a milkshake I don’t like, but I’ve just never liked Dairy Queen’s milkshakes.”

The reason is the base. DQ shakes are made with soft serve, which is 5% milkfat, not hard scoops of ice cream like a 1950s shake. Quora threads make the same point: old shakes used scoops of hard ice cream and were rich and creamy. Modern fast food shakes use a softer base, so they taste lighter and milkier.

Two fixes fans swear by:

• Ask for it extra thick. Less milk, more soft serve. One ex-worker wrote: “When I worked there, I made mine super thick because I’m picky.”
• Ask for less milk by name. Say “extra thick, light on the milk” when you order. The worker can adjust the blend.

If you still do not like it, that is fair too. Taste is personal. DQ wins the Quora head-to-head against McDonald’s shakes, but loses to Sonic on shake-mix ingredients in one detailed answer. Local shops beat both in some towns. The shake is a treat, not a must-try for everyone.

Banana Shakes and the Extra Charge

Bananas cause more arguments than any other shake topping. The thread title says it: “Are bananas in a shake now an extra item?” The answer from workers: “Dairy Queen shakes don’t automatically come with bananas. Yes you have to charge for a product you’re using and asking for.”

The rules are simple:

• Banana shake exists. Order “banana shake” and you get banana blended in.
• Banana added to another shake costs extra. A strawberry-banana shake or a chocolate-banana shake means a banana charge on top of the base price.
• Ask clearly. Say “vanilla and banana shake” if you want both. Saying just “banana shake” gets you the banana shake, not a banana added to something else.

One fan wrote that the banana charge “has cost them a customer.” That is the price of a small extra. If the charge bothers you, order the plain banana shake, which includes the banana in the base price.

Dipped Cones: The Shake’s Crunchy Cousin

The dairy queen ice cream menu is not just shakes. Dipped cones belong on this page because fans search for their flavors too. A dipped cone is a soft serve cone dunked in a coating that hardens into a crunchy shell.

The classic dip is chocolate. Many stores also offer cherry and butterscotch dips. Flavors vary by store, so ask what your store has that day. A small dipped cone is 320 calories on the official sheet, against 220 for a plain small vanilla cone. The shell adds about 100 calories and all of the crunch.

Smoothies, MooLattes, and Misty Drinks

The rest of the DQ drink menu, in one place:

Premium Fruit Smoothies

Three main flavors: Strawberry Banana, Mango Pineapple, and Triple Berry. Small smoothies are 250 to 260 calories, and large ones are 420 to 460. Small prices run about $3.99 to $4.99. These are the lighter choice on the menu: real fruit with low-fat yogurt, no soft serve base. The sheet keyword “dq fruit smoothies” (1,300 searches a month) belongs here.

Orange Julius

The classic frothy orange drink, made with real orange juice and a creamy Julius base. Also in Strawberry Banana Julius form. Only at select locations, so check before you go. Small Orange Julius drinks run about 210 calories.

MooLatte Frozen Blended Coffee

Soft serve blended with coffee. Flavors: Mocha, Caramel, Vanilla, and Cappuccino at some stores. Small MooLattes are 450 to 500 calories, and large ones are 700 to 780. Small prices run about $3.99 to $4.99. This is the coffee drink for people who want a shake and a caffeine hit in one cup.

Misty Slush and Misty Freeze

Misty Slush is the icy, dairy-free drink: Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Lemon-Lime, Grape, and seasonal flavors. Small is 200 calories, medium 260, large 340. Small prices run about $1.99 to $2.99. A Misty Freeze blends slush with soft serve for a creamier drink. The plain Misty Slush is one of only two truly dairy-free items at DQ, along with the Non-Dairy Dilly Bar.

Shake Recipes at Home

Fans search for “dairy queen shakes recipe” a lot. The home version is simple: vanilla soft serve style ice cream, milk, and your flavor. Blend less milk for a thicker shake, more milk for a thinner one. A home shake costs about $3 in ingredients and five minutes, which is exactly why fans compare it to the $8 store price. The store version wins on the soft serve base and the topping range. The home version wins on price and on control: you pick the milk, the thickness, and the candy.

Keep exploring

• Blizzard Menu
• Calories Chart
• Dilly Bar

FAQs About Dairy Queen Shakes

What flavors of shakes does Dairy Queen have?

Seven main flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Hot Fudge, Caramel, Banana, and Peanut Butter, plus seasonal specials like Mint Chip, S’mores, and Pumpkin Pie. Any sundae topping can also be made into a shake on request.

How much is a Dairy Queen shake?

A small shake costs about $4.49 to $4.99 at most stores, but DQ publishes no national prices, so your store may differ. Extra toppings cost extra.

How many calories are in a Dairy Queen shake?

Small shakes run 470 to 640 calories, and large shakes run 750 to 1,250. Peanut Butter Large is the biggest at 1,250 calories. A malt adds 60, 80, or 110 calories by size.

Did Dairy Queen remove the OREO milkshake?

No, because it was never a listed menu item in recent years. Order a “vanilla shake, add OREO pieces” and the store will make it for you, plus an extra topping charge.

Can Dairy Queen make a shake from a Blizzard flavor?

Almost. Order the shake version by ingredients: base flavor plus candy pieces. It will taste like the Blizzard flavor but drinkable, not spoonable.

Are bananas free in a DQ shake?

No. Shakes do not automatically come with bananas. A banana shake includes banana in the base price, but banana added to another shake costs extra.

What is a DQ malt?

A shake with malted milk powder blended in, for a tangier, deeper flavor. Some stores make it a malt at no charge. Others charge a small amount.

What are the flavors of dipped cones at Dairy Queen?

Chocolate is the classic. Many stores also offer cherry and butterscotch dips. Flavors vary by store, so ask before you order.

Does Dairy Queen have smoothies?

Yes. Premium Fruit Smoothies come in Strawberry Banana, Mango Pineapple, and Triple Berry. Small smoothies are 250 to 260 calories.

Are DQ shakes good?

Fans split. Lovers say thick, soft serve based shakes beat McDonald’s. Haters say they taste like 90% milk. Ask for extra thick if yours tastes thin.

Final Thoughts

Dairy Queen shakes look small on the board and big in real life. Seven flavors on the list, endless flavors by request, and one rule that unlocks all of them: any sundae topping can become a shake. Order the OREO shake as vanilla plus OREO pieces. Order banana clearly, and expect the extra charge. Ask for extra thick if yours tastes thin. And check the price before you order, because $8 for a shake stings when a local shop charges $5.

The dairy queen ice cream menu is bigger than shakes alone: dipped cones, smoothies, MooLattes, Misty drinks, and Orange Julius all live here. But the shake is the star of the drink menu, and now you know how to order it like a regular.