We Tried It: McDonald’s Cloud Iced Coffee
If 2026 has taught us anything (so far), it’s that we’re all craving a little more whimsy—including in our morning coffee.
McDonald’s has launched Cloud Iced Coffee with three flavours—Regular, French Vanilla and Salted Caramel, each topped with a fluffy layer of cold foam. Visually? They belong on your Instagram feed and live up to their dreamy name. But once the aesthetic wears off, do they actually taste good?
Armed with enough caffeine to power an afternoon rush at the office (and possibly enough to launch a few of us into orbit) Team Chatelaine put all three flavours to the test. Here’s how they ranked.
3. Regular
This coffee was more storm cloud than silver lining.
Instead of tasting like a creamy iced coffee, the flavour leaned suspiciously sour and bitter—two words we never want to use to describe our caffeine fix. (Also surprising, as several editors swear by the fast-food chain's hot coffee.) The biggest shock? This unflavoured option packs the most sugar of the trio, coming in at a whopping 33 grams in a medium (485-mL) serving.
2. French Vanilla
She’s cute, but she’s not life changing.
The French vanilla flavour on this coffee definitely comes through, although it leans more artificial than café quality. That said, the cold foam-to-coffee ratio is spot on (you know we’ve been disappointed in the past), giving the sip a creamy, balanced finish.
Overall? Solidly mid. Would drink again in a pinch.
1. Salted Caramel
Now this is what were hoping for. The Salted Caramel earned the unanimous top spot thanks to its bold caramel flavour and smooth taste. Our only complaint? We wanted the salt! A hint would’ve balanced the sweetness and brought out those caramel notes even more.
Still, this option was the clear winner of the otherwise cloudy lineup—and the only one we'd happily reorder.
Bonus tip: We stumbled upon an unexpected flavour hack when EIC (and apparent caffeine fiend) Maureen Halushak poured a mini can of Diet Coke into the Salted Caramel Cloud Coffee after our taste test. The verdict: surprisingly delicious.
Our advice? Try it at your own discretion.
The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.
Sarah Bauly is the assistant editor at Chatelaine. Outside of writing, she can often be found getting lost in her favourite ’80s hits, lingering in bookshops or exploring the city in search of her next go-to coffee spot.
