My Dog Taste Tested 5 Drive-Thru Pup Cups—and This Fast Food Chain Is His Favorite

For a rescue pup from Texas, my dog has big Wisconsin energy. Dairy is the magic “high-value” training treat, from tiny pieces of cheese on a walk to the occasional pup cup on road trips that end up at the vet.

And while Starbucks is definitely the most well-known drive-thru for a cup of whipped cream, several fast food chains are upping their coffee game to compete with the Seattle siren—and yes, that includes the coffee culture of pup cups.

As a Seattleite, I’ve ordered many Puppuccinos for my dog, Toby. But this spring, I let him try a few alternatives from popular coffee chains and fast food drive-thrus as an official Allrecipes taste test. I assumed they’d all be the same, but Toby had very different reactions—turns out, the whipped cream ingredients vary wildly by chain.

And Toby’s favorite pup cup isn’t from Starbucks—not even close.

Meet the Taste Tester and Expert: Toby

Toby is a real meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. I’ve tried blueberries, watermelon, carrots, and other human foods that are good for dogs, but this pup just wants freeze-dried raw chicken breast and mashed sweet potatoes. And based on his unrelenting prey drive for seagulls and pigeons, I try not to think about his weekly “meal prep” must’ve looked like back on the streets of Corpus Christi.

He’s also really, really picky about food texture and temperature. I still have a saved voicemail from years ago from his daycare saying, “We’ve learned that Toby doesn’t like different foods to touch.”

How We Tested the Pup Cups

Over several months (because whipped cream isn’t that great for dogs and should be given in moderation—especially to small breeds that are prone to pancreatitis), Toby taste tested whipped cream dog treat offerings from Dairy Queen, Sonic, McDonald’s, Dutch Bros, and Starbucks.

When ranking the winners—and one immediate loser—I paid attention to how quickly Toby licked the treat after smelling the cup, as well as how enthusiastically he dove in. For some, he sniffed, maybe tried it, but ultimately wasn’t impressed. For others, he got anime eyes and tried to devour the entire cup in two seconds. (Don’t worry—I didn’t let him. Bloat is a very serious thing with dogs, especially with cold water or treats in the warmer months. Given Toby’s size, he never got the whole cup. I lied and said, “All done!”)

And to truly name a champion, I relied on the beard test. Toby’s scruffy little Schnauzer beard is a 24/7 Swiffer, and I can always tell if he likes a new food based on how messy and completely unhinged his beard gets.

The Best Drive-Thru Pup Cups, Ranked

5th Place: Sonic

Full stop: This dog hates Sonic. It actually scared me because I thought he might be sick. But, no—he just wanted nothing to do with Sonic’s Wag Cup. And that’s unfortunate because I’m a Sonic girlie. I will throw down on a Route 44 Cherry Limeade or customize Ocean Water and make it “dirty.”

For this cup, the “whipped topping” (likely a cream with additional ingredients to stabilize it for long-term use, a la Cool Whip) was free, but I did have to pay for the cup itself. And that was around 60 cents up here in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve read that some Sonic locations serve vanilla soft serve instead and that sometimes the treat is completely free. It seems to vary by region and franchise.

4th Place: Dairy Queen

Surprisingly, Dairy Queen’s Pup Cup isn’t a secret off-menu, IYKYK type of treat like the others. It’s an actual order, and it’s around $2 up here, making it the most expensive of the bunch.

Now, what makes Dairy Queen’s a little different is that most of the cup is actually vanilla soft serve with whipped cream on top. So, if you were looking for a budget hack at Dairy Queen, you could just order a Pup Cup for yourself. (However, some locations add dog biscuits to their Pup Cups, so that’s a risk vs. reward dice roll, and I wish you all the best.)

In true Toby fashion, he was not into this presentation. He tried both the whipped cream and soft serve (separately) but did not want anything to do with the two items mixed together.

Toby also has a prejudice for most frozen foods, which may be why he found this cup confusing. (Though he does love a frozen Kong with peanut butter. I told you—he’s picky.)

3rd Place: Starbucks

Making the podium but just barely, we’ve got Starbucks. Toby enjoyed the Puppuccino, but compared to the winners, it didn’t stand out. Interestingly, Starbucks whipped cream isn’t just whipped cream. The coffee giant makes its own whipped cream in-house using both cream and Starbucks vanilla syrup.

Dogs can have vanilla in small amounts, but knowing my dog is a no-frills dude, it makes total sense that he preferred some of the simpler options ahead.

2nd Place: Dutch Bros

If I were ranking these, Dutch Bros is the winner. I didn’t pay anything for the treat, and the Denver-based chain goes all out on #dogmom vibes. Just look at this custom cup. The beard shots from Dutch Bros were so good, but I wanted to feature the little bowl design because it’s absolutely precious and taps into the quirky merch culture that keeps Dutch Bros’ fans lining up in the drive-thru on the first Wednesday of the month for highly coveted freebies.

Dutch Bros uses whipped cream made with nonfat milk and cream. And despite changes with FDA milk testing, a Dutch Bros spokesperson told me that the chain uses “Grade A Dairy Whipped Topping for our Dutch Pup Cups.”

This was the only cup I encountered in the PNW with a biscuit topping, and Toby was extremely hyped about that. However, to maintain fair testing standards, I removed the biscuit before presenting the treat.

1st Place: McDonald’s

Toby’s life is now measured in two timelines: Before the McDonald’s Pup Cup and After the McDonald’s Pup Cup. Truly, this dog lost his mind and made a mess in my rental car.

Technically, pup cups aren’t offered at McDonald’s. They’re off-menu, and availability depends on region, franchise, and manager discretion. I’ve seen videos where people get soft serve topped with chicken nuggets. I’m a little too granola for that—again, Small Dog = More Tummy Issues = More Worry for Me.

So, I requested a cup of whipped cream. I did have to pay for it (less than $1), but it was money well spent. You would have thought I’d presented Toby with the Holy Grail.

McDonald’s whipped cream is called Whipped Light Cream and contains both nonfat and whole milk. According to the ingredient list, it also includes liquid sugar, mono- and diglycerides, natural flavors, carrageenan, and nitrous oxide (used to whip the topping in a spray can).

It’s likely many chains use similar additives, but not all disclose full ingredient lists. However, you can (and should) always ask for an ingredient list when you hit the drive-thru. Usually, a manager will hand you a big laminated binder with each menu item.

As an Oreo McFlurry stan (no contest: it’s better than the DQ Oreo Blizzard, and yes, that’s the hill I’ll die on), I’m not surprised McDonald’s is Toby’s favorite. Like mother, like son.

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