TikTok’s newest fast-food hack is… putting chili oil on ice cream?

McDonald’s customers have a new secret menu hack: chili oil ice cream.

The seemingly strange flavor combo, which originated in China but has now spread worldwide, is just the latest custom McDonald’s menu order to go viral on TikTok. In recent months, users have also shared their tips for making “espresso milkshakes,ordering extra-fresh fries and even getting free food.

Meanwhile, the chili oil ice cream hack is a bit different. The dish actually began as an official limited-time menu item at McDonald’s China. Later, fast-food fans around the world decided to try the combo themselves.

@cravingsinamsterdam

Crispy chili oil & vanilla ice cream. The 🍟 were also a tasty combo ##chilioil ##chilicrisp ##icecreamhack @mcdonalds ##mcdonalds ##lekker ##amsterdamfood

♬ SUNNY DAY – Matteo Rossanese

The spicy-sweet dessert joins a long line of viral international fast-food dishes. In late 2020, McDonald’s China made waves with an Oreo-topped spam burger. A few months later, Burger King Japan sparked controversy with its beef-packed “meat wall” burger.

Chili oil ice cream, meanwhile, can be made by simply ordering a vanilla ice cream from McDonald’s, then adding a topping of chili oil. Some McDonald’s locations actually sell chili oil sauce, but it seems like other TikTokers are buying the sauce separately.

Overall, TikTok users have been mixed on the idea. In one clip, BuzzFeed Australia video producer Ryan Paturzo tried the McDonald’s hack — and, while he seemed to enjoy it, not everyone felt the same. Some called the combo “yucky,” and others questioned why anyone would try it.

“Who came up with this?” one user asked.

“I’ll pass on this one,” another wrote.

“I refuse to see this,” another added.

Others were more positive, however.

“I low-key think I’d love this,” one user commented.

“This looks so wrong but I want it right now,” another wrote.

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