Pickle Dr. Pepper & 15 Other Sonic Secret Menu Foods and Drinks to Try This Summer
Spa Water Gets a Fast Food Makeover
A prickle of awkwardness pinched my shoulders as I went to order. I half-mumbled, and needed to repeat myself: “I’d like a small Dr. Pepper—with pickles in it.” (Despite growing up in the South, where pickle ice pops were a gameday norm, it still felt like an odd ask.)
It wasn’t on the menu. It wasn’t even a customization you could make within the Sonic app. And yet, the cashier was unphased.
“Dr. Pepper with pickles? OK, what else can I get you?”
At this point, I shouldn’t be surprised. A “Dr. Pepper Pucker,” as some devotees know it, isn’t an official drink at Sonic Drive-In, but it’s unofficially the drink of summer 2024. It’s taken over TikTok, amassing 5.1 million views from @MississippiMemaw’s post alone, prompting dozens of spinoff videos—and a resurging interest in the Sonic Secret Menu, aka custom orders fans have created and shared that have taken off a life of their own.
Intrigued, I set out to try some of the most popular concoctions shared online. Here are the top Sonic Secret Menu foods and drinks to try, along with a few notes to fellow first-timers, before you order.
How to Order from the Sonic Secret Menu
Most fan-recommended foods and drinks deemed “on the secret menu” have fun names—including ones on this list—but since they’re not official Sonic creations, employees rarely know them by those names. Your best bet is to order through the app (which, pro tip, can unlock Happy Hour drink prices all day, every day, among other deals), where you can add in the customizations to create the dish or drink you’ve seen.
In some cases, though, the app doesn’t offer certain swaps (as is the case for a Dr. Pepper with pickles in it), so you’ll have to order it directly, sharing exactly what modifications you want to an existing menu item.
The Best Sonic Secret Menu Foods
1. The Extreme Tots
Take the classic chili cheese tots to totchos status by adding diced onions, jalapeños and a drizzle of ranch. It’s hands down the best secret menu item I’ve tried, with a great balance of flavors in every bite. (The chili is very mild, so the jalapeños are a welcome addition to liven things up, and the onions provide some much-needed crunch.)
2. Grilled BPT
What, you haven’t heard of a BPT before? It’s a Bacon-Pickle-Tomato, and it’s my recommended twist on a basic bacon grilled cheese. You could go the classic BLT grilled cheese route, but hot lettuce wilts and can taste funky, so if you do, I’d request the greens on the side and add it on just before digging in.
3. Garlic Butter Grilled Cheese
If you want to give Sonic’s grilled cheese more of a Texas Toast vibe—hey, it’s already thick-cut—you can ask to have it made with garlic butter, according to one TikTokker. A grilled ham and cheese is also popular, if your location offers ham on the menu. (Mine didn’t.)
4. Loaded Chili Cheeseburger
Substitute the lettuce for a heaping scoop of chili, and you’ve got a delightfully saucy mess that requires extra napkins—but is honestly worth it. The chili is pretty mild—closer to a sloppy joe than a three-alarmer—so if you like spice, add jalapeños as well.
5. Strawberry French Toast
Oh, don’t worry, there’s a Sonic Secret Menu hack for breakfast too: Ask for the French toast, add strawberries and top the whole thing with whipped cream. Or ice cream, if you’re feeling like Post-Breakfast Dessert (that’s a thing, right?).
6. Super Sonic Cheesy Curd Burger
When you want a Jucy Lucy but you’re nowhere near Minnesota, this hack will do. It’s literally a double cheeseburger layered with mozzarella sticks and cheese curds, should the latter be on the menu near you. If not, you could try adding queso or Ched ‘R’ Peppers to ensure you still enjoy maximum cheesiness.
The Best Sonic Secret Menu Drinks
1. Dirty Dr Pepper with Orange Flavor Bubbles
Nestled within its Flavorista Favorites section, the Dirty Dr. Pepper is a classic Dr. Pepper with coconut, sweet cream and lime. On its own, it’s reminiscent of a cross between a root beer float and a non-alcohol Malibu & Dr. Pepper. But! Swap out the regular Dr. Pepper for a less syrupy Dr. Pepper Zero, make it dirty then add orange vanilla flavor bubbles (aka little pearls of orange-vanilla flavoring that burst with juice when you bite into ‘em), and you’ll got a roller coaster of flavor. It’s sweet, fruity, tropical and a little zingy, with the occasional jolt of orange that acts like a palate cleanser.
2. Blue Lagoon
Revered for its Bahamian-water-blue hue, a Blue Lagoon is essentially Sprite with blue raspberry syrup and a dash of vanilla (in the app settings, choose “easy” over the “regular” amount to avoid sweetness overload). Some people order a Sonic Ocean Water (aka Sprite with blue coconut flavoring) and a dose of vanilla for an even more tropical touch.
3. Key Lime Pie
It’s unreal how much this drink mimics a liquid key lime pie. It’s sweet, creamy and tangy—yet oddly refreshing. Ask for a Sprite and add Twisted lime syrup and sweet cream, then top with whipped cream, a cherry and a lime. (I omit the whipped cream, because it makes things overly creamy for me, but you do you.)
4. Lainey Wilson’s Go-To Drink
Last year, Sonic teamed up with a variety of celebs to share their must-order custom drinks. Country singer Lainey Wilson’s order feels just right for summer: Order a Sprite Zero with strawberries and a dash of peach flavoring.
5. Mermaid Water
You may have to clarify that you’re not asking for Ocean Water. In this instance, you want water with sugar-free raspberry and peach flavoring, along with fresh strawberries and lemon slices. (Some suggest adding mango and using limes instead of lemon.) The end result? Spa water, but make it fast food.
6. Dr. Pepper Pucker
Most Sonic Secret Menu drinks are incredibly sweet, and if you tend to prefer drier drinks, this customization is for you. Like I mentioned, you’ll have to order it in person—and if you’re feeling sheepish, you could always ask for pickles on the side and toss ‘em in yourself. The dill pickles cut through the sweetness of the Dr. Pepper, leaving you with a briny finish that lingers long after you’ve finished the rest of your meal.
7. Sonic Sunrise
Picture a tequila sunrise, only sub the tequila for limeade. That’s kind of what you’ve got going on in this fruity, ombré drink. To order it, you’ll ask for half cherry limeade, half orange juice, with a spritz of lime juice, and lime slices and a cherry for garnish.
8. The Hulk
Take a lemony Sun Drop soda, add a shot of Mountain Berry Blast Powerade, and a little raspberry flavoring. The end result is a berry-forward fizzy drink that’ll…bring out the Ed Norton/Eric Bana/Mark Ruffalo in you? OK, the name clearly comes from the shade of the drink, because it’s hard to be mad at the raspberry-citrus blend.
9. Twisted Flamingo with a Suntan
You can order a Twisted Flamingo right off the menu—it’s a sweet burst of Sprite, cherry vanilla and sweet cream—that tastes kind of like a cherry pie a la mode. For an even more summery twist, add an “easy” amount of coconut.
10. ‘Captain America’ Water
After adding in a healthy dose of the “good ice,” as Sonic’s nugget-style ice is known, the drink gets a little blue raspberry and cherry flavoring, then the cup’s filled the rest of the way with water. “If I was gonna save people, in really tight pants, I’d drink this,” its creator asserts. (Just be forewarned that if you’re in it for the blue/red swirl, just know that by the time the drink makes it to you, the colors will have combined to a purplish hue, so do it for the flavor, not the Tok.)
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- Oversees home, food and commerce articles
- Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
- Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business
