For A 10x Better McDonald's Dessert, Try This Strawberry Sundae Ordering Hack

Of all McDonald's desserts, nothing hits the spot quite like a sundae. If you remember the discontinued Strawberry Sundae, which seems to have left American menus sometime before 2020, there's a little ordering hack that could have you enjoying those same flavors again. Order a Hot Fudge Sundae or Hot Caramel Sundae, but request it without the topping. Then, ask for strawberry preserves packets (which are usually associated with breakfast items such as biscuits and hotcakes) and drizzle that over your ice cream yourself.

The only issue with ordering the preserves may be that, while McDonald's breakfast hours do vary by restaurant, they generally run from opening until around 10:30 or 11 a.m. So, there's a chance this hack is more effective if a sundae craving hits you earlier in the day since some establishments may be unwilling to serve you breakfast items past breakfast hours. Otherwise, you might want to stockpile some strawberry preserves the next time you snag an Egg McMuffin.

The original Strawberry Sundae was incredibly simple: just vanilla soft serve with a strawberry topping. However, there are more ways to ramp up this ordering hack with other items from the menu. Order a Hot Fudge Sundae (with the topping) and strawberry preserves, and combine them to make a chocolate-and-strawberry sundae. For a dessert that tastes like strawberry shortcake ice cream, order a baked apple pie, break it up into pieces, and sprinkle them over your strawberry-topped soft serve for a delicious mix of fruit, pastry, and ice cream.

What's interesting about the Strawberry Sundae is that America may have lost it over the years, but it's still available on the menu in Australia and the U.K. McDonald's has a history of adapting its desserts to local tastes rather than keeping one identical menu worldwide, and the company says its U.K. customers have historically favored strawberry and toffee sundaes over chocolate. So, this little McDonald's ordering hack for Americans is just about recreating a type of dessert that still has a lot of popularity elsewhere, but for some reason, Americans didn't love it enough for it to stick around.