8 McDonald's secret menu items you need to try, according to a former employee

1. Upgrade your McFlurry with a warm cookie or apple pie

McFlurries are already great (my favourite is the OREO one), but one day at work, I wanted to take it up a notch.

You can already ask for a pump of fudge or caramel in your McFlurry (in case you didn't know) but back when I worked there, we had the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) heart-shaped cookies, and you could ask to have them warmed up.

So one day, I warmed up a brownie cookie, grabbed my McFlurry spoon, and crushed the cookie right into my ice cream.

It was absolutely divine.

Depending on the location and what's currently on the menu, you might find different cookie options, but the idea is the same.

You could also switch things up by getting an apple pie instead of a cookie and breaking it into your McFlurry or caramel sundae for an apple-crumble-meets-ice-cream situation.

2. Try a Poor Man's Big Mac

Surprisingly, I've never been much of a Big Mac girl.

But for those who love that classic Big Mac flavour and want to save a little money, this hack's definitely worth trying.

You'll order a McDouble, remove the ketchup and mustard (or keep it), and ask for Big Mac sauce and shredded lettuce instead.

And voilà! You've got a budget-friendly burger with that familiar Big Mac flavour, without ordering a full Big Mac.

3. Order your fries without salt

I remember one shift when a coworker mentioned that someone ordered fries without added salt, and I was so confused.

I had absolutely no idea you could do that!

If you've ever opened your bag, grabbed a fry, and realized the whole batch was a little soggy... this one's for you.

When you order fries without salt, the staff makes a fresh batch instead of giving you fries that have already been salted — so you get a much fresher, crispier order.

Personally, I find that the fries still have some saltiness, but if you want that signature McDonald's taste, you can always ask for a salt packet and add some yourself.

Just remember that a fresh batch can take a few minutes to make, so be prepared to wait.

4. Add a hash brown to your Egg McMuffin

This one might already be familiar to some people, but I never thought to try it until a few years ago.

Whenever I ordered a Bacon 'N Egg McMuffin combo, I would always eat everything separately.

But one day, I watched my husband put his hash brown right inside his McMuffin, and it genuinely opened my eyes to a whole new breakfast experience.

You can order a combo and pop the hash brown into your sandwich, or order the McMuffin and hash brown separately.

And if you're feeling extra hungry, you could order two hash browns, put one in your sandwich, and enjoy the other on its own.

This is such an easy, crispy upgrade — and I'd definitely recommend giving it a try.

5. Try the chicken McDouble Stack

This one goes by a few different names online... but today we're going to call it the chicken McDouble Stack.

Essentially, you'll order a McDouble and a Junior Chicken, then put the entire Junior Chicken inside the McDouble. Easy right?

If you don't want the whole Junior Chicken sandwich, you can also order just the chicken patty instead.

This combination has become pretty popular online, so it's a must-try if you've ever been curious about the hype.

6. Make yourself a McDonald's affogato

Usually, people just order an ice cream cone on its own, but you can turn it into an Italian-inspired dessert if you're feeling fancy.

An affogato is traditionally made by pouring a shot of hot espresso over gelato or ice cream — and you can make your own McDonald's version.

Order a vanilla cone in a cup and an espresso shot, then pour the espresso over the ice cream and enjoy!

It's a little taste of Italy at the Golden Arches.

7. Try an ice cream float

Sticking with the ice cream theme, you can also make yourself a float.

I never thought about this when I worked at McDonald's, but when I lived in Japan, I saw floats on their menus all the time and wondered why we don't have them back home.

First, you can make a classic soda float: order a Coke or root beer, grab a vanilla cone, and add the ice cream to your drink.

Second, you could also make a coffee float: order a black iced coffee and a vanilla cone, then add the ice cream on top.

When you mix it in, the ice cream acts as your cream and sugar — but if you like your drinks pretty sweet, you could do a regular iced coffee instead.

This one's great on a hot day!

8. Get a budget-friendly surf and turf

When we think of surf and turf, we're usually picturing a steak paired with lobster or shrimp.

But you can make a much more budget-friendly version at your local McDonald's.

For this one, order a cheeseburger or McDouble for the turf portion, then add a Filet-O-Fish for the surf.

You can either put the entire Filet-O-Fish inside your beef burger, or take the fish patty off and put it on your burger.

Surprisingly, this combination is pretty good! The beef gives you the classic burger flavour, but the fish patty and tartar sauce add a fun little twist.

I think the Filet-O-Fish gets a lot of undeserved hate because I really like it and still order it to this day.

So, if you're a fan of burgers and fish sandwiches, this one's worth a try.