Wendy's Classic Frosty Is Back on the Menu

Last year, Wendy's came out with two new Frosty flavors, strawberry and peppermint. This was a first in the U.S. for the company which has only come out with three new Frosty flavors in the U.S. in the past 16 years, according to CNN. But even though change can be good, the flavor that many of the chain's loyal fans missed is the OG Vanilla Frosty, which is finally taking its rightful place back on the menu this week. Fans can now pick up this creamy dessert at any participating Wendy's in the U.S.

Wendy's Vanilla Frosty was first released in August 2006, to complement the traditional Chocolate Frosty. Back in June 2022, the Vanilla Frosty took an unexpected hiatus from Wendy's menu in order to make room for the special summer Strawberry Frosty flavor. Then, customers were thrown again, when the chain decided to launch its very first holiday-inspired Peppermint Frosty just a month before the end of the year. There was no word on when—or if—the classic vanilla would ever make a comeback.

Although the new options received positive feedback from customers many still wanted the vanilla back. Even though the strawberry one was praised for tasting like "strawberries and cream" and the peppermint version was said to have a delightfully subtle minty flavor, fans missed the simple vanilla flavor—a lot. Extensive Reddit threads popped up with outraged customers asking for the return of the original.

"Idk what wendy's does but their vanilla frosty's have a unique taste that not even a creamery can match," one Redditor wrote. After hearing the upsetting news of another new Frosty flavor, another Redditor simply wrote, "Vanilla >>>>Strawberry".

You may be wondering: Why Wendy's can't just carry any and every Frosty flavor at all times? Each restaurant location functions with only two ice cream machines—due to limited space in the kitchen—and to be sure that the recipe is absolutely right and consistent across all restaurants. To make a special one, flavoring is added to the Vanilla Frosty to create any new flavor, while Chocolate remains as the other option.

If you happen to pop in for your Vanilla Frosty fix, Wendy's is also launching new deals every week in the month of January, Thrillist reports, and this week's special is burger-centric. Starting Jan. 23, the chain is giving free a free Junior Bacon Cheeseburger to customers with the purchase of a medium or large order of fries through the app.