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A homemade spin on the iconic fast food Shamrock Shake made with vanilla ice cream, milk, mint extract, and green food coloring. So easy to make!
Embrace the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with a homemade Shamrock Shake. This post guides you through an easy recipe to replicate this minty, green milkshake, known for its seasonal popularity. Whether you’re aiming to satisfy a sweet tooth or seeking a fun way to commemorate the holiday, this guide provides a straightforward approach to this iconic beverage.
Why You’ll Love This Milkshake Recipe
- Quick and Easy: It takes less than 5 minutes to blend up this refreshing treat.
- Minimal Ingredients: You only need a few simple ingredients – vanilla ice cream, milk, mint extract, and green food coloring.
- Customizable: Adjust the amount of mint extract and green food coloring to suit your taste.
- Seasonal Treat: It’s a fun and festive way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
- No Special Equipment Needed: All you need is a blender!
Table of Contents
What Is A Shamrock Shake?
A Shamrock Shake is a mint-flavored milkshake that is typically served at McDonald’s restaurants around St. Patrick’s Day. The shake is made with vanilla ice cream, mint syrup, and whipped cream.
The Shamrock Shake was first introduced by McDonald’s in 1970. The shake was created by Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s franchise owner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Delligatti was inspired to create the shake after seeing a mint milkshake at a local diner.
The Shamrock Shake has since become a highly-anticipated, seasonal offering, available at McDonald’s during the weeks leading up to St. Patrick’s Day.
Ingredient Notes And Substitutions
This is not McDonald’s Shamrock Shake recipe. According to McDonald’s website, they use vanilla soft-serve ice cream, “Shamrock Syrup”, and whipped cream.
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Vanilla ice cream: Vanilla is the traditional flavor but you might like to try using chocolate or mint chocolate chip ice cream instead. For a vegan version, swap the traditional ice cream for a dairy-free option and use a vegan whipped cream.
- Milk: The choice of milk can be flexible based on dietary needs. Almond, soy, and lactose-free milks are all great substitutes.
- Green food coloring: This gives the shake its pretty green color.
- Mint extract: Be sure to use mint extract instead of peppermint extract for the best flavor. Peppermint extract is very strong and will give the shake a more intense flavor.
How To Make A Shamrock Shake
These step-by-step photos and instructions help you visualize how to make a Shamrock Shake. See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Place ice cream in a blender.
- Add milk.
- Add extract and food coloring and blend until smooth.
- Pour into a tall glass
- Top with whipped cream, a maraschino cherry, and green sprinkles for a festive appearance.
Expert Tips
- Opt for high-quality, creamy ice cream for a truly indulgent shake.
- For a healthier alternative, consider swapping whole milk with low-fat milk or almond milk. Bear in mind that this will result in a less creamy, but still delicious, shake.
- Use mint extract instead of peppermint extract to achieve the signature Shamrock Shake flavor. The latter will give the shake a candy cane taste.
- Mint extract is quite potent, so start with a modest 1/2 teaspoon. If you prefer a more minty flavor, add a bit more, but remember to go slow – a drop or two can significantly intensify the taste.
- If you’re a fan of the Shamrock McFlurry, you can mimic that by adding crushed Oreo cookies into your blender along with the other ingredients.
- This recipe easily scales to serve more people. Simply double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe depending on your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use a small amount of spinach or matcha powder for natural green color.
Yes, you might like to add Creme De Menthe or Baileys Irish Cream for a boozy milkshake.
While fresh mint could be used, it may not provide the same intense mint flavor that extract does.
Absolutely! Simply replace the dairy milk with a plant-based milk, use dairy-free ice cream, and opt for vegan whipped cream.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your Shamrock Shake in a tall glass with a dollop of whipped cream on top and a sprinkling of green sugar for a festive touch. Don’t forget a straw!
Recipe Variations
- Healthy Shamrock Shake: Use a frozen banana, spinach, and mint leaves with almond milk for a healthier version.
- Mocha Shamrock Shake: Add a tablespoon of instant coffee or espresso powder for a caffeinated twist.
- Shamrock Protein Shake: Add a scoop of vanilla protein powder and replace the ice cream with Greek yogurt for a protein-packed shake.
Other St. Patrick’s Day Inspired Recipes
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this milkshake recipe, you might consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Ice cream: Knickerbocker Glory, Bananas Foster, Cherry Pie Topping
- Food coloring: Small Batch Sugar Cookies, Mardi Gras Meringues
- Milk: Panna Cotta, Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Pudding, French Toast
- Mint extract: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
If you’ve tried this Shamrock Shake or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Recipe
Shamrock Shake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups vanilla ice cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- 10 drops green food coloring
- ½ teaspoon mint extract , feel free to add a drop or two more if you prefer a more minty flavor. Just be careful, a little goes a long way.
Optional Ingredients
- whipped cream
- a maraschino cherry
- green sprinkles
Instructions
- Add the the ice cream, milk, food coloring, and extract to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.
- Top with whipped cream, a maraschino cherry, and green sprinkles if desired.
Notes
- Opt for high-quality, creamy ice cream for a truly indulgent shake.
- For a healthier alternative, consider swapping whole milk with low-fat milk or almond milk. Bear in mind that this will result in a less creamy, but still delicious, shake.
- Use mint extract instead of peppermint extract to achieve the signature Shamrock Shake flavor. The latter will give the shake a candy cane taste.
- Mint extract is quite potent, so start with a modest 1/2 teaspoon. If you prefer a more minty flavor, add a bit more, but remember to go slow – a drop or two can significantly intensify the taste.
- If you’re a fan of the Shamrock McFlurry, you can mimic that by adding crushed Oreo cookies into your blender along with the other ingredients.
- This recipe easily scales to serve more people. Simply double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe depending on your needs.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Just like a shamrock shake but better! And without the insane amount of sugar. Perfect for those who need to use lactose free ingredients.
That color is absolutely amazing! And the recipe is perfect for this time of the year – makes you want to crave warmer days so much!
Best idea ever to give my kids an extra special treat. I’ve never thought of making these at home!
We’ve already made these twice since finding the recipe! They are delicious and SO much better than McDonald’s!
My son loves Shamrock Shakes but is always disappointed when they are gone. With this great recipe we make them all year long!
We love this copycat version of the Shamrock Shake!! So good and we can have it whenever we want, no need to get in the car!
Shamrock Shake “season” is one of my favorites of the year. Thanks for sharing your version of this classic!