The Signature Fast Food Dessert We Ranked The Best Is A Must-Have For Custard Lovers

Dessert is the icing on the cake of a great meal, whether it follows a fancy seven-course ordeal or a quick and easy fast food lunch. But while fine dining establishments have a plethora of expensive ingredients and fancy techniques at their disposal, fast food restaurants face the challenge of providing options that are quick, easy, and affordable, yet still delicious and crave-worthy. When Chowhound reviewed 13 signature desserts at several nationwide fast food chains, one dish was a clear winner, and it is one that custard lovers simply can't say no to.

The Concrete Mixer from Culver's ranked No. 1, beating out other popular frozen sweet treats like the peach milkshake at Chick-fil-A and the McDonald's Oreo McFlurry. The Concrete came out on top thanks to its great flavor, ideal consistency, and the way Culver's choice of mix-in ingredients blends flavors and textures perfectly. The Concrete Mixer isn't just your basic fast food dessert — it starts with a base of your choice of Culver's chocolate or vanilla frozen custard (which is a bit different from your average soft serve ice cream) and lets you select from a variety of yummy treats to mix in. The name calls to mind mixing concrete, but instead of building materials like cement, water, and aggregates, the custard is mixed with goodies such as brownie pieces, chocolate chip cookie dough, peaches, and salted caramel. Chopped-up candies including Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Heath bars, and Dove chocolate are other options. You have to choose at least two mix-ins, but you can always double-up on one or add more for an additional cost if you'd like.

Frozen custard is one of the pillars of the Culver's menu, and it pays homage to state it was founded in. The first restaurant, which opened in 1984 in Sauk City, Wisconsin, started out by serving its signature ButterBurgers and frozen custard, and Culver's has since grown to over 1,000 locations in more than 20 states and territories. To this day, ButterBurgers and frozen custard remain popular menu items, although the menu has expanded quite a bit to include great offerings like the Culver's Deluxe, which might just have surpassed the classic ButterBurger as the best burger on the Culver's menu.

As the chain slowly grew, it opened to franchisees in 1990. Culver's made a name for itself selling food rooted in its Wisconsin heritage, including the popular fried cheese curds made from Wisconsin cheese. It is also committed to primarily using dairy sourced from Wisconsin in dishes like its top-rated dessert. The frozen custard used in the Concrete Mixer is something quintessentially Wisconsin itself. Although frozen custard may not have been invented there, it is extremely popular throughout the state — in fact, Milwaukee holds the unofficial title of the Frozen Custard Capital of the World. While the chain has locations in nearly 800 cities across the country, Wisconsin is still home to the highest concentration of restaurants. Thankfully, the Concrete Mixer is available at all Culver's locations to give sweet-loving customers a taste of Wisconsin dairy.