8 McDonald's Coffee Hacks That Are Worth A Try

McDonald's and coffee were a match made in fast-food business heaven. As the international giant of burgers and fries expanded globally, the McCafé was a later, innovative addition to the McDonald's business structure. Since 1993, when the first McCafé opened in Melbourne, Australia, McDonald's coffee has evolved into a huge profit leader for the company. Today, customers are able to order a coffee from the McCafé all day, every day, and its affordable menu and endless options for customization make it a huge draw for people looking to get their caffeine fix.

Thanks to creative McDonald's customers, new ways to improve upon the standard McCafé menu are being discovered and shared across social media. These coffee hacks and gourmet beverages have exploded in popularity, and enthusiasts continue to try and find new ways to elevate their McDonald's experience. If you're keen to put a unique twist on your next caffeinated drink fix, here are seven McDonald's coffee hacks that are certainly worth a try.

Wouldn't you love to be able to infuse your morning, pick-me-up iced coffee with the sweet flavors of your favorite chocolate bar? As it turns out, other people were thinking the exact same thing, which led to the creation of the Snickers McDonald's iced coffee hack. The bestselling chocolate bar in the world, Snickers, combines milk chocolate, caramel, and peanuts to create the mouthwatering sweet treat we all know and love. TikToker @secretmenudrinksmust have held Snickers near and dear to their heart, because in a now-deleted video, they created the first version of the Snickers McDonald's iced coffee.

To recreate the McDonald's McCafé Snickers iced coffee hack, all you need to do is order an iced coffee with hazelnut syrup and then add your preferred combination of chocolate caramel syrup, chocolate syrup, and caramel drizzle to suit your taste buds. Of course, thanks to the McCafé's range of other flavors on tap, you can introduce other twists to boost your Snickers iced coffee by adding vanilla syrup or whipped cream on top.

Coffee and ice cream are a powerhouse couple in the world of desserts, with one of the best examples of this being the affogato. Invented in Italy, "affogato" literally translates to mean "drowned," and it's an iconic Italian coffee dessert traditionally made by taking one scoop of gelato and pouring a shot of espresso over it. With this divine treat being so simple to make, it's no wonder people have tried to recreate it in unlikely places, including McDonald's.

If you're wondering how to order an affogato at McDonald's, it's ridiculously simple: Just order a vanilla sundae and one shot of espresso to pour over it. People love the McDonald's affogato menu hack so much that the McDonald's Corporation demonstrated how to recreate the item step-by-step in a video on its YouTube channel.

But if you think that's where the creativity of McDonald's lovers ends, Instagrammer George Egg took this hack a step further by pouring a shot of coffee over a McDonald's Oreo McFlurry. Coined online as the "flurrogato" or "McFlurrygato, comments on the post expressed deep appreciation for the McFlurry affogato crossover, with multiple users calling the creator a snack-hacking genius.

If you thought that the affogato hack would be the last time McDonald's ice cream and coffee would be seen paired together, then you're in for a treat. One of the most viral hacks for ordering McDonald's, the McBassett skyrocketed to fame in 2021 after South Korean social media influencers began sharing the idea online. Created by dunking a soft serve ice cream cone into a McDonald's iced latte, TikTokers like Jen Curley have modified the McBassett to instead use iced black coffee as the base.

But where did the idea of the McBassett come from? Paul Bassett, the first Australian winner of the World Barista Championship in 2003, is a respected coffee aficionado who launched the Paul Bassett coffee chain across South Korea in 2009. With over 100 store locations in South Korea today, Paul Bassett is famous for inventing the ice cream latte, one of the chain's most popular menu items. This ice cream latte is what inspired the creation of the McBassett, a cost-effective alternative that attempts to emulate the same delicious combination of strong coffee and sweetened dairy.

The world-renowned barista has enjoyed watching the reception of the viral McDonald's coffee hack online. In an interview for Coffee or Die, Bassett shared, "When I witnessed how positive the videos were on the McBassett, I realized that this drink hack is quite a fun experience for many young people."

Another popular beverage on the McDonald's McCafé menu, the blended frappés are one of the most diverse drinks you can order, with a range of flavors, syrups, and extra toppings to choose from. Originating in Greece, the frappé started as a blended ice drink with instant coffee, sugar, water, and milk. Compared to a standard iced coffee, frappés have a completely different, slushy texture that is perfect for cooling off on a warm summer day.

Blending ice, especially with other ingredients, can lead to issues with a drink's texture if not blended enough. Fortunately, a preparation technique popularised by Starbucks with its frappuccinos also serves as a great solution for preventing this from happening with your McDonald's frappé. While many are confused about whether there is a difference between a frappé and a frappuccino, the foundation of both drinks is blended ice, which means this hack works for either drink.

Double-blending the McDonald's frappé also ensures a smoother, velvety texture for your drink. If you request other ingredients and/or mix-ins such as Oreo cookies or a drizzle of caramel, double-blending distributes ingredients evenly and ensures a creamy consistency. Best of all, this McDonald's hack is completely free, as long as you have a bit of extra time for the blender to work its magic.

Speaking of frappés, you might be surprised to learn how this beverage is actually made at McDonald's. When making a coffee frappé, the McCafé only adds what is referred to in the ingredients list as a "coffee extract," which is a compound of flavors, oils, and caffeine extracted and derived by infusing alcohol with crushed coffee beans. As the coffee extract contains the chemical components of actual coffee beans, people who want to enjoy a fuller-tasting frappé or who need to worry about their caffeine intake should be wary that there is a difference.

There is contention online over how much caffeine is in a McDonald's frappé due to the coffee extract. In a Reddit forum, some were shocked to find out that the McDonald's frappé contained no actual coffee, while other users on TikTok echoed their disappointment. But it's important to remember that despite the drink merely being coffee-flavored, it doesn't mean there isn't an abundance of caffeine in the drink.

If you need to avoid consuming caffeine, it's probably wisest just to steer clear of the McDonald's frappé entirely. If you want to bring the real, deeper flavors of coffee back into your frappé, ask your local McDonald's staff to add a shot of espresso to your drink for some extra depth.

If you're looking for a drink with the creamy deliciousness of a frappé but without the heavier texture of a beverage with blended ice, then a milkshake is the perfect alternative for you. However, if you've found yourself at the McCafé, you will unfortunately not be able to directly order a coffee-flavored milkshake from its menu. That was until TikTok user Melika Zaida stepped in and created a genius solution.

To whip up a coffee shake at McDonald's like Melika, all you need is to order a vanilla milkshake and a single or double shot of espresso coffee. Then, combine the two drinks together (similar to an affogato) and enjoy your rich and creamy vanilla milkshake with a hint of aromatic coffee. 

After seeing Melika's TikTok video, an Australian influencer decided to head to the nearest drive-through to try out the hack, and absolutely fell in love with it. After he declared it "the best life hack ever", users wondered why this wasn't added as a permanent fixture to the menu. Until McDonald's decides to make it official, you'll have to settle for the DIY hack instead.

As we've seen, many McDonald's coffee hacks heavily rely on leveraging McCafé's flexibility with drink customization, letting customers combine flavored syrups and extra ingredients to create unique, personalized beverages. But when it comes to your standard iced coffee order, keeping it simple and remembering to just add something simple like a caramel drizzle can completely change your McDonald's experience.

The caramel iced coffee hack attracted plenty of attention on TikTok, with multiple users flocking to their nearest McDonald's to try and create their version of a budget caramel iced coffee. TikToker gigi_ivette posted a video sharing their daily routine and how they order the caramel iced coffee. Using the McDonald's app, Gigi was able to get the iced coffee beverage for 99 cents. After adding a shot of espresso and caramel drizzle to the order, Gigi had created a delicious caramel iced coffee, which, in their words, they are "literally obsessed with."

Delicious, smooth caramel flavors aren't the only features the caramel iced coffee hack has going for it. In a TikTok video posted by user sarahbias12, Sarah was able to create their version of a caramel iced coffee for the low price of $3 by purchasing a French vanilla coffee with whipped cream on top and extra caramel drizzle. In this video, it's also worth noting the top comment from a former McDonald's employee, sharing their own secret recipe for this drink: "Large iced coffee, extra caramel drizzle, extra caramel syrup, and extra, extra creamer."

If you have finally exhausted your list of ideas to make a unique McDonald's coffee item, then look to creating a completely different drink by stepping into the world of boba tea. Less popular in the U.S., boba milk tea is a hugely popular beverage in other parts of the world, with chains like Mixue being fast food giants even bigger than Starbucks. Unsurprisingly, McDonald's locations throughout Asia often already have a milk tea option on the menu, leaving U.S.-based McDonald's fans searching for alternative ways to make a boba milk tea using the McCafé iced coffee.

To create a milk tea drink at a U.S. McDonald's, the easiest way is likely to just order a hot tea from the menu and add creamers until it reaches your preferred strength and flavor intensity. Now that you have a way to create a McDonald's milk tea drink, you just need to procure tapioca boba tea pearls from your local grocery store, online, or by learning how to easily prepare boba for bubble tea at home.

In a Reddit post by Ok_Juice2949, they shared a picture of a McDonald's iced coffee with tapioca pearls at the bottom. Even better, they managed to create the drink for a reasonably low price of $3.69. If you're really committed to exploring how tapioca pearls taste with other McDonald's drinks, you can even think about adding to regular iced coffees or your McCafé item of choice to create new fusion beverages.