Culver’s Secret Menu Guide 2026
Culver’s doesn’t have an official secret menu in 2026, but the crew will happily make off-menu items if you ask the right way. The best-known culvers secret menu items are the veggie burger, chili topped with cheese curds, a root beer shake, the Mountain Dew float, and DIY buffalo cheese curds. Here’s how to order each one without sounding like a rookie.
Honestly, I walked into Culver’s for years ordering the same old ButterBurger before a friend tipped me off: the staff can basically build you anything as long as the ingredients are in the kitchen. That’s the whole philosophy behind the Culver’s hidden menu. Nothing is printed on the board, nothing is in the app, but regulars have been ordering these off-menu combos for years. If you’re already browsing the full Culver’s menu with prices, this guide is your next stop, because once you know the tricks, you’ll never order plain again.
Does Culver’s Actually Have a Secret Menu?
Short answer: no official one, but a very real unofficial one. Culver’s corporate has never published a secret menu, and you won’t find these items on the menu board or the website. Here’s the thing though, every Culver’s location has a full pantry of ingredients, and the crew is trained to be flexible. Ask politely and specifically, and they’ll make it. That’s why fans treat it like a genuine Culver’s secret menu, it just lives in customer lore instead of company paperwork.
Why It Works at Culver’s
Culver’s cooks everything to order, which is a huge advantage for secret-menu ordering. Your ButterBurger is already made fresh when you ask for it, so customizing is second nature to the kitchen. Compare that to chains where food sits under heat lamps, and you see why the Culver’s hidden menu culture took off.
What Are the Best Culver’s Secret Menu Items?
These are the fan-favorite off-menu items that actually work in real restaurants, confirmed by employees and longtime regulars. Prices are estimates since these aren’t official items and can vary by location.
🍔 Savory Secret Items
| Item | How to Order It | Est. Price |
|---|---|---|
| Veggie Burger | Ask for a veggie patty on a ButterBurger bun with your choice of toppings. Available at most locations. | ~$5–7 |
| Chili Cheese Curds | Order a regular chili and ask them to top it with an order of cheese curds. It works, trust me. | ~$6–8 |
| ButterBurger “With the Works” | Ask for the works and the kitchen loads your burger with every standard topping. A messy masterpiece. | Menu price |
| DIY Buffalo Cheese Curds | Order cheese curds with ranch and hot sauce on the side, then mix. Tastes like buffalo wings in curd form. | ~$5–6 |
| Grilled Cheese, Your Way | Order the grilled cheese and add any condiments you want, bacon, pickles, grilled onions, go wild. | ~$4–6 |
| BLT | Not on the board at most locations, but the kitchen has every ingredient. Just ask. | ~$5–7 |
| Soup and Salad Value Basket | Ask for a soup and salad combo as a value basket. It comes with a side and drink. | ~$8–10 |
🍦 Dessert Secret Items
| Item | How to Order It | Est. Price |
|---|---|---|
| Root Beer Shake | Ask for a vanilla or chocolate shake made with root beer instead of milk. Their own-brand root beer makes it special. | ~$3–5 |
| Mountain Dew Float | A scoop of vanilla custard in Mountain Dew. Sounds weird, tastes great. | ~$3–4 |
| Flavor-of-the-Day Root Beer Float | Swap the vanilla custard in a root beer float for the day’s flavor. Salted caramel works shockingly well. | ~$4–5 |
| Custom Concrete Mixer | Culver’s already lets you build your own, but the real move is the fan combos below. | Menu price |
Fan-Favorite Concrete Mixer Combos
Culver’s custom concrete mixer scene is basically a secret menu on its own. The most-loved combos are vanilla custard with cookie dough and brownie bites, vanilla with Oreo and Andes mints, and vanilla with cookie dough and Oreos. Just name your custard base and your mix-ins, the crew handles the rest. I looked into this and the Oreo-plus-Andes-mints combo genuinely tastes like a fancy ice cream shop creation.
How Do You Order Off the Culver’s Secret Menu?
This is where people mess up. Don’t walk in and say “I’ll have the secret menu.” That earns you a blank stare. Here’s how to order like someone who’s done it before:
The Ordering Script
1. Name the base item, then the modification. Say “Can I get a root beer shake, vanilla custard with root beer instead of milk?” instead of “secret menu item number 3.” Clear beats clever.
2. Keep it to one or two tweaks. A ButterBurger with the works is easy. A five-step custom monster holds up the line and annoys everyone.
3. Check the ingredients exist. If it requires something Culver’s doesn’t carry, it won’t happen. Everything listed in this guide uses stuff already in the kitchen.
4. Be nice about it. Culver’s staff are famously friendly, and friendliness goes both ways. A polite “is this possible?” works wonders.
5. Expect a small upcharge. Extra toppings run about $0.25 to $1.00, and premium sides on hacks like chili curds add a few bucks. Totally worth it.
How Much Do Culver’s Secret Menu Items Cost?
Culver’s secret menu prices aren’t published, so think in terms of the base items plus add-ons. A veggie burger usually lands near the price of a single ButterBurger, roughly $5 to $7 depending on location. The chili-and-cheese-curds hack costs a regular chili plus an order of curds, so around $6 to $8 total. Dessert hacks like the root beer shake run the same as a regular shake, about $3 to $5. Nothing here breaks the bank, which is exactly why these hacks are so popular. For the full official rundown with exact figures, see the Culver’s menu.
Pro Tips for the Culver’s Hidden Menu
Money-Saving Hacks
The kids’ menu trick: The viral Culver’s hack that blew up on TikTok is real. A Kids’ Single ButterBurger Cheese meal gets you a burger about the same size as the regular one, a side, a drink, and a scoop of custard for around $6.99. Skip the toy, pocket the savings.
The custard pint deal: You can grab four pints of Culver’s frozen custard for about $12. That’s custard math anyone can love, and it makes a killer dessert for a party.
The cheese sauce bucket: Yes, you can buy a bucket of Culver’s cheese sauce. It’s one of those things that sounds excessive until you’ve done it once for a game night. No regrets.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Does Culver’s have an official secret menu?
No. Culver’s has never published an official secret menu. The items in this guide are off-menu creations that the crew can make because all the ingredients are already in the kitchen. Availability depends on the location and how busy it is.
What is the most popular Culver’s secret menu item?
The chili topped with cheese curds and the DIY buffalo cheese curds are the most famous savory hacks, while the root beer shake and custom concrete mixer combos lead on the dessert side. The veggie burger is the most-requested off-menu item for non-meat eaters.
Can you order secret menu items at the drive-thru?
You can, but the counter is better. Drive-thru ordering gives you less time to explain customizations, and the crew can’t ask follow-up questions easily. If you’re trying a hack for the first time, go inside.
Do secret menu items cost more?
Usually a little. Expect small upcharges of $0.25 to $1.00 per extra topping, and hacks that combine two items (like chili plus curds) cost the sum of both. Prices vary by location since these aren’t official items.
