McDonald's McFlurry Just Got a Major Makeover

The next time you stop by your local McDonald’s for a McFlurry, prepare to notice something very different about the iconic frozen treat. 

On Sept. 10, the fast-food chain is giving the McFlurry a makeover with a new “mini” size option and more sustainable packaging. The actual McFlurry dessert—creamy vanilla soft serve blended with sweet mix-ins—won’t change. However, the new cups and smaller size will allow customers to enjoy the offering in new ways nearly 30 years after it first appeared on menus. 

Guests will be able to order any McFlurry flavor available at McDonald’s at a given time as a “Mini McFlurry,” which is roughly half as large as a regular-sized McFlurry. The chain offers an Oreo McFlurry (240 calories per Mini McFlurry) and an M&M’s McFlurry (340 calories per Mini McFlurry) year-round in the United States. Additionally, it sometimes expands its selection with limited-time flavors, such as the Kit Kat Banana Split McFlurry that hit menus earlier this summer.

According to McDonald’s, the mini size is geared toward customers who are craving a McFlurry but don’t have the appetite to finish a whole regular-sized cup. 

“Got a friend who always wants ‘just a bite’? Instead of grabbing an extra spoon, you can grab them a Mini McFlurry of their own. Or maybe you’re looking for a quick afternoon pick-me-up… the Mini McFlurry is perfect for you, too,” McDonald’s wrote in a press release. 

Both the Mini McFlurry and Regular McFlurry will also now be served in more environmentally friendly, four-flap cups, which are already available in some global McDonald’s markets like Canada and Indonesia. These cups will help McDonald’s get closer to its goal of sourcing 100% of its primary guest packaging (certain disposable products used to package food at McDonald’s restaurants and given to customers in all ordering channels) from renewable, recycled, or certified materials by the end of 2025. It was about 86.7% of the way to meeting that goal by the end of 2023.

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“Packaging updates like this matter,” Michael Gonda, senior vice president and chief impact officer of North America for McDonald’s, said in a statement. “Not only is this a fun new way for our U.S. fans to enjoy the McFlurry; we’re also moving one step closer to fulfilling our packaging and waste commitments.”

This is the second time that McDonald’s has made a major change to its McFlurry in the past year. Last October, the chain announced that it was getting rid of its old straw-like, hollow McFlurry spoons and replacing them with the smaller black spoons served with McDonald’s sundaes. McDonald’s said at the time that this “sustainable glow-up” would help it reduce single-use plastic waste in restaurants.

Zoe Strozewski