McDonald’s Shamrock Shake

This shamrock shake recipe is a homemade spin on the famous St. Patrick’s Day-inspired minty green milkshake from the iconic fast-food restaurant… AND McDonald's Shamrock Shake is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020! Use this shake recipe and enjoy a homemade version at any time.

The month of March has become synonymous with McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes – minty, green and wonderfully thick, they definitely lure more than a few people into the drive-thru for a quick shamrock shake fix. While they seem to come out earlier each year, they used to be available only on St. Patrick's Day; sometimes they sold out before the day was even done!

As with most favorite store-bought treats, I love being able to recreate them at home with my own ingredients, and this McDonald’s shamrock shake copycat recipe is no exception.

Only four simple ingredients and five minutes, and you’ll be on your way to minty milkshake heaven.

Whether you're looking for a holiday treat or a quick, refreshing dessert, this shamrock shake recipe is sure to please your taste buds no matter what time of year it is!

How Do You Make a Shamrock Shake?

It's easy to make! You only need a few ingredients to make a shake at home.

A balance of ice cream and milk keeps the consistency nice and thick, mint extract gives a punch of flavor, and green food coloring gives it that characteristic hue.

With just two simple steps, you'll learn how to make a milkshake that's creamy and full of flavor.

Let’s Give It a Whirl!

This copycat McDonald's Shamrock Shake recipe is ready in just five minutes.

1. Add all your ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth.
2. Pour into glasses and top with whipped cream. Adding sprinkles or a maraschino cherry can make it extra festive.

Tips & Tricks

• Green color: If you want a darker shade of green, you'll need a few more drops of food coloring. You can also try a gel food color, which is more concentrated. You typically only need 2-3 drops of food gel for every 10 drops of food coloring.
• Mint extract: Plain mint extract uses spearmint, which is much milder than peppermint. Peppermint extract contains significantly more menthol, which gives it a more intense flavor. Either extract will work in a shamrock shake, although plain mint is traditional. Just keep in mind that if you use peppermint extract, you will get a stronger punch of mint flavor. Think peppermint candy canes versus Thin Mints. As a result, you may want to use a little less.
• Adjusting consistency: Play around with the ratio of ice cream to milk to make your shake exactly how thick you like it. Start off with the amounts given in the recipe. Then add more ice cream if you want it to be thicker or more milk to thin it out.

Adjustments & Substitutions

Can I add alcohol to a shamrock shake?

If you want to make your shamrock shake with alcohol, spike away! Crème de menthe would be a great substitute for the mint extract, but you may need to double or triple the amount to get that strong minty flavor. You could also experiment with mint and whipped cream vodkas if you'd like.

Can I make it vegan or dairy-free?

It is possible to make this a vegan and dairy-free shake recipe. However, to keep the flavor and consistency the same, be careful with your substitutions. Oat or soy milk ice cream will have a similar creamy texture. Coconut milk ice cream will work too, but it might be slightly grainy.

For a milk substitute, you'll want to choose something with a neutral flavor and thicker consistency. Again, oat and soy milks are probably your best options. If you want to use coconut milk, full fat canned will work best. Rice milk is very neutral, but it's thinner so you'll need less.

You can leave off the whipped topping or use a non-dairy substitute. Most stores carry spray whipped cream made from almond or coconut milk, or you can find homemade recipes online.

Would this be good with a different flavor of ice cream?

You can definitely experiment with different ice cream flavors. Regular chocolate, mint chocolate chip, or even pistachio might be good ones to try.

Find more milkshake recipes here:

Malted Vanilla Milkshake
Cap'n Crunch Milkshake
White Russian Winter Milkshake
Pretzel, Peanut Butter & Chocolate Malted Milkshake
Fluffernutter Milkshake

Watch the Recipe Video:

I hope you'll put this on your menu for St. Patrick's Day or anytime you get a craving for a minty milkshake! If you make it, I'd love if you would take a moment to stop back and share a review below. ENJOY! 😍

Originally published in 2011, this has been updated to include new photos, a helpful video tutorial, and more in-depth recipe tips.

[photos by Dee of One Sarcastic Baker]