Hey everyone! If you’re familiar with this blog and myself, I love to try new things, especially when they are limited and/or vegetarian. Therefore, I wanted to do this blog post that highlights three limited time items from McDonald’s and my thoughts on them, including Pascal Siakam’s official McFlurry! Before you proceed below, make sure to give a follow on social media to be informed of the latest posts, you can follow on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook! For a visual preview, please see the video below.
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P.L.T.
I am starting with this one because although this was from three years ago and I was meaning to do a post then, I figured I might as well share my thoughts about this plant-based burger in this post. That’s right, McDonald’s did have a plant-based burger in Canada… but it was part of a pilot project. They tested it via 52 McDonald’s locations in the Kitchener/Waterloo/Guelph area which was really far from me. My sister wasn’t too far from one of the participating McDonald’s so I was able to try it. If I am being frank, it was a good thing they didn’t continue with this because it was a bit underwhelming. I believe they used Beyond Meat as the plant-based protein but I couldn’t really taste any flavour compared to other Beyond burgers I have had and there was minimal sauce and cheese but once again just felt like a regular burger. The price was around $7 if I recall correctly, which isn’t terrible compared to the prices for other plant-based burgers. However, I’d say the price and the option of having a plant-based item was the best part of having this burger. They announced in late January 2020 that they will no longer continue and have no plans to, but frankly I think they need to spend more time to re-evaluate their test markets and products they’d like to launch e.g. plant-based nuggets and a plant-based McDonald’s pizza (like before) would do well in my opinion.
Siakam Swirl
The next is a special collaboration with Toronto Raptors All-Star, Pascal Siakam. If you have ever watched Siakam play you would know that his signature move is his spin move. McDonald’s (also a key partner of the Toronto Raptors) saw that too and was inspired to create an exclusive McFlurry that has some delectable ingredients spun together in a cup. The McFlurry consists of vanilla soft serve, hot fudge, and crushed red smarties. It was delicious and something I would get again. It was sugary and sweet but not overbearing. The combination of the soft serve with the hot fudge goes together, and to top it off, I loved the crunch from the broken smarties. I would think it would be hard to mess this up so I recommend you try it in Ontario as it is available exclusively to this province. However, if it does well it might be expanded across Canada, so get it while you can!
Shamrock Shake
The next is a popular seasonal item but if I am being totally honest I didn’t realize was always available in Canada. I always saw videos of people in the states get excited about it whenever it is available but when I heard this was coming back the same time as the Siakam Swirl, I had to try it… and I am glad it did. This also tasted great for me because I love minty sweets and this shake was a great example of that! I liked that it wasn’t too thick and the colour wasn’t too off from the promotional picture. I will say that if you are not a fan of minty drinks or sweets then this isn’t for you. I can see myself getting this again.
Overall and Recommendations
This concludes my review of these limited items and if there is anything else I can eat from McDonald’s that is worth doing I may do another blog post or add to this. I will say my favourite out of the three has to be the Siakam Swirl and I also enjoyed the Shamrock Shake. The PLT wasn’t something I miss but I do hope McDonald’s offers more plant-based options including plant-based McChicken Nuggets or plant-based pizza! Have you tried these? Let me know your thoughts below and make sure to follow the blog for more food content by giving a follow on Tiktok, Instagram, and Facebook!