‘You have to test all of them, Mom’: I bought all six new Frosty Swirls flavors

Today is a big day in the world of Frostys. After years of the occasional limited edition flavor, Wendy’s is officially expanding the lineup of its frozen desserts.

The expansion is so big, the fast-food chain is rolling it out in two stages. The first stage launched on Friday, with three new sauces — brownie, strawberry and caramel — that can be added to either the classic chocolate Frosty or the pretender vanilla Frosty for a total of six different Frosty Swirls possibilities.

Brownie Batter Frosty Swirl, Strawberry Frosty Swirl and Caramel Frosty Swirl are only the first stage of Wendy’s plans to revolutionize its classic dessert. Next month we’ll get Frosty Fusions — the chain’s response to McDonald’s McFlurry dessert. The Frosty Fusions will be available in Pop-Tarts Strawberry, Oreo Brownie and Caramel Crunch.

“Frosty has been on Wendy’s menu for 55 years and is one of the most iconic frozen treats in American culture,” Lindsay Radkoski, U.S. Chief Marketing Officer for The Wendy’s Company, said in a statement. “We know consumers are always on the lookout for new flavors and ways to customize their order with sauces and mix-ins. We can’t wait for everyone to experience even more ways to enjoy our iconic Frosty!”

In addition to the Frosty Swirls and Frosty Fusions, Wendy’s also introduced “a newly designed cup with a domed lid, perfect for dipping a Hot & Crispy Fry” for Frostys this week, pairing them with “a new, custom blue Frosty spoon specially designed for the best experience, allowing fans to get every last bit of creamy goodness from the bottom of the cup.” It’s funny to see Wendy’s go in this direction after McDonald’s scuttled its iconic McFlurry cup/lid/spoon setup in exchange for a flimsy cardboard cup and generic spoon.

OK, let’s dive into all six new Frosty Swirls flavors, because as my daughter said with a table full of Frostys in front of her: “You have to test all of them, Mom.”

Where I found it

The only way you know it’s a genuine Frosty is if you’ve purchased it at Wendy’s. The Frosty Swirls are available only in the app until April 15, so make sure you not only order through the app if you want to try them before then but also check your order when you pick it up. My Wendy’s originally tried to hand me only five Frosty Swirls, all in vanilla.

What I paid

I’m still trying to fix this one, but each small Frosty should be $2.99. That’s what it was listed as on the item pages for the new Frostys in the Wendy’s app, but I was somehow uncharged $3.79 per Frosty. Keep an eye out for any shenanigans along those lines ...

Brownie Batter Frosty Swirl

My thoughts: The Brownie Batter Frosty Swirl is very similar to the sauce we got in February’s Thin Mints Frostys. It’s not a smooth chocolate sauce, instead having a bit of grit to it. The texture takes some getting used to when you’re expecting something more along the line of chocolate syrup.

While the brownie batter sauce works with both the chocolate and vanilla Frostys, I just can’t get over the taste of the vanilla Frosty in this situation. The Brownie Batter Frosty Swirl in chocolate was our daughter’s winner of the entire wave, noting that “It’s yummy to me.”

Final verdict: BUY the chocolate, SKIP the vanilla

Strawberry Frosty Swirl

My thoughts: I didn’t expect the Strawberry Frosty Swirl to be the hit of the day, but it turned out to be the sleeper hit of the bunch. There’s no weird grit to the strawberry sauce that Wendy’s uses in these, and it pairs great with both the chocolate and vanilla Frostys. If anything, I wanted more. (Make sure you dig deep into your Frosty since the strawberry sauce had a knack of settling at the bottom of the cup.)

Out of the six Frostys I bought on Friday, Strawberry Frosty Swirl in chocolate was my favorite. Caitlin named Strawberry Frosty Swirl in vanilla as her top pick.

Final verdict: BUY both the chocolate and the vanilla

Caramel Frosty Swirl

My thoughts: The Caramel Frosty Swirl is a letdown. I’m not sure what went wrong here. It’s either the sauce itself is too weak or Wendy’s isn’t giving you enough sauce. I was barely able to taste any caramel flavor through both base Frosty flavors.

Caramel Frosty Swirl would be at a disadvantage on its own. It’s even more obvious how lacking this one is when it’s alongside the flavorful Brownie Batter Frosty Swirl and the bright Strawberry Frosty Swirl.

Final verdict: SKIP both the chocolate and vanilla