Discontinued Dairy Queen Menu Items That Are Probably Never Coming Back

Within 80+ years, Dairy Queen has proven an unbeatable reign on the drive-thru landscape. Kicking things off as a chilled treat shop in Joliet, Illinois, the chain's menu of soft-serve creations consists of sundaes, cones, and an assortment of patented inventions. These include the Dilly Bar, DQ Sandwich, and the swirl of the iceberg, the now-iconic Blizzard customers devour by the spoonful. 

Like any nationally recognized brand, there have been ebbs and flows in what Dairy Queen will offer on its menus. Shake-ups in the availability of a flavor or product can largely vary by the location, due to the chain's noticeable embrace of franchised establishments over stores owned by the company. Because everyone's entitled to a little nostalgia (isn't that why we hit DQ?), we wanted to indulge in a trip through the drive-thru to reminisce over the menu items that have disappeared. 

There could be reasons why they were removed — a miscalculation leading to low sales, or carving out room for a splashy new item to take its place — but that's only when corporate feels moved to explain. As this article will demonstrate, many treats believed to be universally adored swirl off into the ether, never to be seen again. So together, let's tour the long-lost menu items DQ is probably never bringing back. 

Over on the "grill" side of Dairy Queen's business, you'll find a majority of offerings including fries, hot dogs, and different burgers. The Loaded A1 Steakhouse Burger emerged in 2021 in tandem with four other handhelds under the brand's unveiled "Stackburger" lineup. This was a huge deal since DQ hadn't increased its burger selection for 20-something years. But just two years after launching at drive-thrus, the brand cut the barbecue-inspired sandwich, depriving visitors of the greasy, gastronomical satisfaction. 

The burger had it all: A1-label Thick & Hearty Sauce, gooey American cheese, breaded onion rings, smoky Applewood bacon, and up to three patties if desired. It wasn't as if customers weren't ordering it. What would explain its unannounced departure, then? A Dairy Queen restaurant located in Hoopeston, Illinois was able to shed some light on the burger's exit, and in a story as old as time, it turned out the company was trading it in for something new: the Backyard Bacon Ranch Burger. Franchises are essentially bound by contracts set up between the aspiring overseers and the restaurant operation. If corporate aims to axe a menu item wholesale, it doesn't leave franchisees much wiggle room in resisting the command — unless you happen to be in Moorhead, Minnesota, home of the rule-breaking Dairy Queen. 

Depending on your age, this could be the first time you've ever heard of Breeze. Did you think we meant Blizzard? Because it did have the latter's key features, down to the cardboard cup and plethora of candy mix-ins. But rather than whisking it all in a whirl of soft serve, the smooth concoction featured frozen yogurt, often touted as a healthier stand-in to the high-sugar, high-fat excess of ice cream. "Delightfully creamy" is how a TV commercial from 1991 drums up hype for the treat, highlighting its lack of fat and cholesterol as an indulgence that's simultaneously friendly to tastebuds and diets. 

Debuting in 1990, Breeze swirled out of machines for a solid ten years. A strangely long period for it to be on the menu though, since by all accounts it didn't make a lot of money, even in the thick of the low-fat mania that swept up the decade. The moderate reception, including low sales (and lots of spoiled fro-yo reportedly), caused corporate to eventually pull the Breeze from production in 2000. It was the end of an era — literally. Dairy Queen's foray into frozen yogurt is long-defunct, and even in the face of '90s nostalgia today, it's doubtful the light treat aims to re-live the past.

Believe it or not, the new millennium was a fruitful period for the nostalgic eatery's product line. The year 2003 saw the launch of rotating Blizzards, and around that time, the wonder workers in the company's recipe department stumbled upon a strikingly explosive concoction. The Oreo Brownie Earthquake was a sundae, and true to the name, it flowed with crushed-up Oreos, mountainous slabs of brownies, and vanilla soft serve blanketed under lava-esque hot fudge ripples. 

Discontinuing the Oreo Brownie Earthquake is a mystery that remains unsolved in the year 2024, but that doesn't necessarily make it the chain's final soiree with the combo. The Brownie & Oreo Cupfection, debuted in 2019, sports noticeably similar traits to the sundae. The only difference was the presentation. Rather than scooping the contents into a bowl, the chain stuffs everything into a plastic-lidded cup, so it's a startling-convincing recreation. Regardless of the promising similarities though, some fans just weren't swayed by the comparison, disagreeing the Cupfection could hold a candle to the original's decadent glory. Customers still wonder about it, piping in on social media to find its whereabouts. 

Customers endured a stinging blow when the 'DQ Bakes' line was eliminated from stores. For one, it was special. The nine items released in the summer of 2015 were blowing the candles out on 75 years, and more to the point, showed off the treat shop's strengths. Three "artisanal sandwiches," three snack melts, and three desserts rounded out the birthday bash, but once the party was over, it seemed corporate forces took the promotion's "hot and cold" schtick a touch too literally, playing with people's emotions as they removed products one-by-one.

Loyal patrons seemed most distraught over losing the Fudge Stuffed Cookie and Triple Chocolate Brownie. And seeing as both were served "a la mode" with velvety-rich vanilla and molten hot fudge, it leaves little room to doubt their devotion. Other items, like the Turkey BLT, garnered enthusiasm too. Considering there are Reddit discussions roasting the burdensome kitchen equipment and lackluster profit-making power, freeing up the selection probably came naturally to the burger chain. On the Fudge Stuffed Cookie in particular, one Reddit poster replied, "We have enough good products that are easier to make and these weren't a big seller." Seeing them again will only happen in our dreams, we guess. 

Before cones were invented, dessert entrepreneurs at the turn of the century stuffed their creams between cake-like slabs, bringing to light the traditional ice cream sandwich. Come the 1970's however, and Richard LaMotta had the fateful idea of smushing ice cream between a pair of chocolate chip cookies. The Chipwich kickstarted a sweet treat revolution, and Dairy Queen, ever eager to embrace trends, challenged the competition with a lookalike goodie. Christened the DQ Chipper Sandwich, Dairy Queen sandwiched vanilla soft serve between the scrumptious baked goods, with a mini-chocolate-chip rim coating the sides of the sandwich akin to the OG. Getting it on promotion was even bargain-friendly, as an ad printed in the Wausau Daily Herald circa 1984 showed the portable treats hawked at 60 cents apiece (cries in Shrinkflation). 

Personally, we can't conceive of an excuse that justifies ridding the menu of a cookie ice cream sandwich. But that's exactly what headquarters up and did, leaving our hands empty of a timeless dessert. Sure, maybe the occasional store is out there chilling a batch. You can certainly sample it in Moorhead, Minnesota, plus other long-lost treats cast into the shadows. But bringing it back as a limited-time offer, if not permanently, won't be happening any time soon. 

Did you know DQ did BBQ? Dairy Queen's dabbled in pulled pork sandwiches before, albeit minimally garnished. A bare-bones sammie was available when the brand used to run the grammatically confusing "$5 Buck Lunch" deal. Followers of the sweet treat shop weren't shocked when DQ removed the plainer style of sandwich. A few even side-eyed the brand's detour into a culinary style that didn't jive with the drive-in staples already on the menu. But others definitely missed it. "People have not been taking the discontinuation very well," one commenter revealed, adding "I've had people tell me it's the only reason they come here and they'll never come again."

Flash-forward to 2017, and the chain brought in all the bells and whistles to jazz up the original. The Kansas City BBQ Pork Sandwich touted shredded pork as well as pickles, sliced onions, and a pretzel bun. For a rendition this tantalizing, you'd expect Dairy Queen not to play around with people's hearts, right? Well, the Queen discontinued it too. 

In 2023, Dairy Queen sparked fury in its fanbase upon retiring the enormously beloved Cherry Dipped Cones. The move then felt concrete, but in reality, proved to be semi-permanent. Cue to 2024 and the charming flavor was trotted out once more as a (temporary) springtime surprise. But did you know another soft-serve topper has gone through this song-and-dance as well? Butterscotch Dipped Cones. An old-fashioned choice, to be sure, but one whose untimely retirement put the masses in mourning for its wholesome flavor. 

A Hudson, Wisconsin-based franchise divulged that it was not only cones but Dilly Bars sporting the golden dip that distributors weren't making anymore. Eventually, Butterscotch Dilly Bars returned, but the company has yet to reinstate this adored coating option for its ultra-creamy cones — at least, for good. Since its retirement, the flavor has made short-lived, seasonal appearances within the chain's footprint across North America. Consumers in the U.S. were treated to it in 2019 as a fall-friendly specialty, and two years later, Canadian patrons got to savor it beginning in March 2021 for the budding spring ahead. Better than nothing, maybe, but not enough to forgive the betrayal. 

Conversing over a long-forgotten favorite beginning with "remember when ... ?" indicates a generational connection. So unless you were of age in the '60s and '70s, you wouldn't know what the heck a D.Q. Jet was. We'll fill you in, though you'll feel sad learning about what was snatched from you. These confections were essentially push-pops, and they rocketed out of freezers in red, white, and blue paper sleeves (quite patriotic!) housing your dependable soft-serve flavors like vanilla. 

Price-wise, they were a massive steal to boot; a menu from a Texan franchise's grand opening in 1971 advertised the portable treat at 15 cents a pop. That's slightly over a dollar in today's currency, mind you, meaning you could cool down in the summer heat on the change in your pocket, should you wish. So although it is a bygone relic, today's overloaded, Instagram-able desserts could learn a thing or two from the D.Q. Jet's simplicity. Anyone who delighted in it on a hot Fourth of July would agree. 

Vanilla swirls from the DQ lineup were looking a little odd to the restaurant's regular visitors. Perhaps it had to do with one of the core garnishes permanently falling to the wayside. Chocolate sprinkles are also called jimmies in some circles, and despite the regionally dependent name, these cocoa nibbles have never failed to provide teeny-tiny blasts of delight. Come summer 2022, however, the innocent topper had vanished at the pick-up window. 

A Grill & Chill based in Manchester, New Hampshire alerted its followers about the rollback, claiming it was related to inconsistent performance with broader swaths of the population. Northeastern states, apparently, flocked to the chocolate sprinkles over other regions across the U.S. This explanation didn't quell the discontent. A Change.org petition was launched and gathered 496 out of 500 signatures. Referring to them as "one of the most quintessential and iconic ice cream toppings," the petition's aims are clear: "If you take away chocolate sprinkles, you take away choice, and that is just not what America is about." Sure, the votes are in for citizens' rights to teeny chocolate morsels — but will the soft-serve titan listen? We can't say. Guess in the meantime we'll have to DIY our cones with store-bought sprinkles. 

Guests young and old were smitten with another charming mainstay dessert overlords eventually chucked. The Cherry-Topped Sundae is an exercise in Midwestern simplicity, consisting of that famously luscious vanilla base ensnared in a jammy cherry glaze. Vintage posters on eBay demonstrate its appeal dating back to the early 1960s. Such a wholesome throwback to the eatery's Technicolor days, and executives refused to hold on to it. Admittedly, the dessert remains ripe for the taking in Canadian shops, yet Americans pining for its sticky-sweet return are, regrettably, out of luck. 

Just for what it's worth, the chilled creation hadn't gone anywhere in the eight decades following the McCulloughs' entry into the drive-thru business. Removing an iconic staple that, presumably, wasn't intended to be a limited-run novelty wouldn't make much sense to the average customer. Longtime patrons of the establishment were definitely a little bewildered the fruit flavor was no longer around, but discontinuing it makes sense when you factor in requests for the treat were dwindling. According to a Reddit commenter, the Cherry-Topped Sundae drew infrequent orders at franchises, saying, "It sold so poorly they had stock for almost a year after it was supposed to leave." 

Chocolate, cherry, and butterscotch are comfortingly dependable flavors to sheathe your Dilly Bar, one of Dairy Queen's flagship innovations. However, enthusiasts still cling to one now-obsolete variant showing no sign of staging a return. The Mint Dilly Bar features a dark chocolate dip, with a pastel-green soft serve interior that infuses the dessert-on-a-stick with cooling refreshment. To discontinue it, one poster on X declared, was the "worst decision ever." 

Apparently, the mint flavor is not hand-dipped (assuming the store is one that prepares its soft-serve treat fresh on-site) and is instead delivered to restaurants pre-packaged and ready to order. Per an alleged employee, "We order the mint chocolate and heath because we can't make them easily." 

Making Dilly Bars from scratch could temporarily fit the bill — simply sub the vanilla bean by purchasing mint ice cream that's also high in quality. Or knowing how some franchises run fast-and-loose with the contract, potentially hunting it down at a brick-and-mortar could be in the cards. As far as appearing under the neon-red logo again, we don't expect the chain to resurrect it. 

Whatever happened to DQ's potato skins? Tracing it back to 2016 as a secondary "Bakes" installment, the cheesy, bacon-studded spud rounds joined snack melts and pretzel sticks with queso sauce. Delivering to foodies miniature-sized bites they could eat on the go was ingenious, but could it create a menu offering with enduring permanence? As of 2021, via a thread on the Dairy Queen subReddit, the greasy snack has been culled from the rotation. Not just in the U.S. stores like we'd expect, but eateries in Canada as well. 

Certainly, people living in the United States won't have any difficulty running into this appetizer — even barring the contested origins of potato skins, it's reliably available to order from chain restaurants including but not limited to steakhouses, bars, and most sit-down places specializing in the broad-strokes category of "American" cuisine. Heck, if a home cook felt like it, they could skip the takeout and whip up loaded potato skins instead. Either way, you'll need to cross off Dairy Queen when the craving strikes. 

Wet walnuts are something you'll usually find at old-timey soda fountains, not major conglomerates boasting thousands of stores. Surprisingly though, Dairy Queen did offer them for a spell. These consist of walnuts submerged in a maple or brown sugar sauce, lending a sweet, caramel-y boost to creamy sweets. A TripAdvisor review raved about the ability to order this old-school topping all the way back in 2015, saying, "They are one of the few ice cream places that still serve wet walnut sundaes." Not anymore. Nowadays, your chilled confection of choice is limited to chocolate, hot fudge, caramel, and strawberry. 

Growing walnuts has become extremely challenging in the 21st century, least of all for sustaining bulk quantities. With ecological concerns and the intrinsically linked price increase (Capital Press reports a 40% rise), it's only sensible a chain eatery would want to minimize costs anywhere it could. Not to mention many people, employees included, weren't aware they were even an item Dairy Queen served. 

If only a time machine existed so we could sample one of Dairy Queen's Old-Fashioned Sodas. These retro fizzers were introduced in the 1960s, and combined soda, syrups, cream, and the chain's signature soft-serve. Chocolate, root beer, and strawberry were in line with the traditional flavors, but DQ made sure to peddle other interesting variations unlikely to grace the menu again. Nothing would hit the spot with one of its hamburgers like a tall, misty glass of Pineapple, Coffee, or Wild Mountain Blackberry. 

Suffice it to say, Dairy Queen's carhop era is a distant memory, so you're not going to see old-school sodas of the past making a chain-wide comeback. The good news is that some stores might have the ingredients on hand to make one (chocolate sodas are a secret menu item). However, don't be surprised if your cashier looks confused; second-hand reports indicate the average DQ employee doesn't usually encounter too many requests, making this forgone specialty a rarity to find in the wild.