Shamrock Shake
Smooth, minty, and with its signature green color, this copycat Shamrock Shake will have you feeling extra lucky!
Sometimes we all need a treat, right? I drink SO much water regularly that I love treating myself to a specialty drink or shake every once in a while. BUT, why pay for fancy drinks when you can make them at home?! Whether you’re making a homemade Starbucks Pink Drink or trying out this Shamrock Shake recipe, homemade is ALWAYS better (and cheaper). Plus, now you don’t have to wait for McDonald’s to release their shamrock shake in February…. you can have one any time of year!
SHAMROCK SHAKE
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Winter is so dreary and cold, it’s lucky it’s got a good amount of holidays to boost up it’s bearability factor. With Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Valentine’s Day behind us, now we can focus on the next great winter holiday – St. Patrick’s Day!
No matter if you’re full Irish or you simply love the color green, St. Patrick’s Day is a great day to just relax and have fun. The way I typically choose to have fun around St. Patrick’s Day is to get as many McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes as humanly possible.
I love a classic McDonald’s milkshake, but boy do I crave those minty shamrock shakes when they’re not around. They’re just SO yummy. I think I want them so much because I can’t have them year-round (who likes being told they CAN’T have something?!).
Well, problem solved there…. I’ve got the BEST copycat shamrock shake recipe out there and now I can have this tasty shake whenever I want one.
The day after they’re pulled off the menu? I’m making a shamrock shake.
Middle of June? Shamrock shake it up.
Hmmm… I wonder if now I’ll crave them less?
When do Shamrock Shakes come out?
Move over Valentine’s Day, it’s time for Shamrock Shake season! Ok, ok, so really the reason for the season is St. Patrick’s Day (one of my personal favorite holidays). Because let’s be honest – one of the best things about St. Patrick’s Day is Shamrock Shakes!
McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is officially available on February 15th this year for a limited time. It usually sticks around until soon after St. Patrick’s Day. Howevere, now with this delicious copycat shamrock shake recipe, you can enjoy this minty treat any day of the year!
What flavor is a Shamrock Shake?
A shamrock shake tastes just like a leprechaun’s pot of gold and rainbows, right? Sure, we’ll go with that.
But really, the true flavor of a shamrock shake is simply vanilla with a hint of mint. I wouldn’t go all out and say it’s MINT flavored because it’s meant to be subtle. So my final answer is: a shamrock shake is vanilla with a hint of mint!
Shamrock Shake Ingredients
Vanilla Ice Cream – nothing fancy here….just some good old-fashioned vanilla ice cream. Grab a half-gallon of your favorite brand from the store, scoop it up, and you’re ready to (shamrock) shake!
Mint Extract – in order to get the true McDonald’s shamrock shake flavor, it’s very important that you use MINT extract. Don’t be fooled by peppermint extract, you need plain mint extract. It’s a combination r spearmint and peppermint and your shake won’t taste the same without it!
Heavy Cream and Milk – any good milkshake is a combination of ice cream and milk. For this shake recipe, I recommend using heavy cream and whole milk. Sure, it’s a bit more caloric than skim, but man oh man, the creamy flavor is unbeatable!
How to Make a Shamrock Shake
Now that I’ve got you craving a Shamrock Shake like CRAZY, grab your stand mixer, the luck of the Irish, and get mixing!
- You’re going to start by making a whipped cream base for your shake. In the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream and vanilla. Turn the mixer on and whisk until frothy.
- Then start adding the powdered sugar a little at a time. Once the cream has stiff peaks, turn the mixer off. You can set whipped cream aside for now, or pop it into the fridge ’til later.
- Next, add in the milk, ice cream, mint extract, and green food coloring to the blender and process until it’s all smooth and smells like minty fresh magic!
- Last, pour the green shakes into glasses and top with whipped cream and sprinkles.
To add some flair (and extra delicious flavor), go ahead and make your shake an Oreo shamrock shake! All you have to do is crush up some Oreo cookies and fold them into your shake after step 2. They’d call it an Oreo SHamrock McFlurry at the restaurant, I’m sure.
Want some more delicious “dessert” drinks? Try out some of these other Real Housemoms recipes!
- White Chocolate Mocha Latte
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Hot Chocolate Bomb
- Iced Caramel Macchiato
- Rum & Coke Floats
- Boozy Strawberry Shortcake Milkshake
- more DRINK recipes…
Tools used to make this Shamrock Shake recipe
Blender: I’ve had this blender for YEARS and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Milkshake Glasses: of course this is not essential, but how cute would your shake look in these classic ice cream shoppe glasses?!
Shankrock Shake
Ingredients
- 5 cups vanilla ice cream
- 2 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon mint extract (not peppermint extract)
- 6-9 drops green food coloring (see note)
Toppings
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Green sanding sugar
- Green sprinkles
- 3 Maraschino cherries
Instructions
- Add heavy cream and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Beat until frothy. Add powdered sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Set whipped cream aside (in the fridge if possible) while you make the milkshakes.
- Add ice cream, milk, mint extract, and food coloring to a blender. Cover and blend on high until smooth and creamy.
- Pour shamrock shakes into milkshake glasses. Top each shake with whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry. Serve immediately.
