Copycat Shamrock Shake

Few things in life are certain. Death, taxes and… McDonald’s Shamrock Shake. At the end of winter every year, with the first sight of buds on trees, the promising scent of spring in the air, and just in time to celebrate all things green for St. Paddy’s Day, you can count on McDonald’s to release their beloved minty green Shamrock Shake.

Introduced in 1970, McDonald’s Shamrock Shake is made with vanilla soft-serve ice cream and artificially flavored minty green syrup and finished with a whipped topping. I’m a firm believer that this bright green vanilla-mint shake is worth the hype. Slurping the thick creamy milkshake through a straw fills me with childhood delight. It’s sweet, rich, and somehow even refreshing from that boost of mint flavoring.

While I make a point to take advantage of the shake’s brief availability at McDonald’s every March, I don’t see a reason to limit my enjoyment of the signature green shake to a certain time of year, or even to visits to the fast food chain. In just a few minutes, and with just five main ingredients, I can whip up this copycat version at home any time I like—and so can you.

Ingredients In a Copycat Shamrock Shake

Here’s what you’ll need to make a great shamrock shake at home. 

• Vanilla ice cream: A good milkshake needs to start with great ice cream. If you need help choosing, we at SE have our thoughts on the best vanilla ice creams out there. Whatever brand you choose, just make sure to soften the ice cream briefly before blending. Your food processor blade will thank you.
• Milk: Even though “milk” is in the title, I go light on the milk in my milkshakes since too much can dilute the flavor of the shake and over-thin it. You need just enough milk—1/2 cup in this case—so the mixture can catch the blade and blend until smooth. 
• Peppermint extract: The star ingredient that defines a shamrock shake is its mint flavoring. While a green mint syrup is used in the fast food chain’s version, readily available peppermint extract is best for this home version. Mint extract blends spearmint with peppermint and is a bit more subtle in flavor than all-peppermint extract; both will work fine here, but I prefer the stronger pop of peppermint extract.
• Green food coloring: I recommend using liquid food coloring over gel food coloring in this particular recipe, mostly because it’s easier to add just a few drops of the liquid kind directly to the mixture in the food processor bowl than to measure out an exact amount of gel dye. If the idea of a fluorescent green drink turns you off, it’s fine to just leave the food dye out altogether. It won’t affect the flavor, but of course you won’t have the signature color.
• Salt: All sweets benefit from a pinch of salt. The shamrock shake is no exception.
• Whipped cream and a cherry: And to top it all off, a proper copycat shamrock shake needs a generous swirl of whipped cream and at minimum one maraschino cherry to finish.I prefer the convenience of a good canned whipped cream. Plus canned whipped cream echoes the right kind of artificial whipped topping flavor from  the original. But if you’re feeling enthused, go the homemade whipped cream route.  The cherry is a throwback to when McDonald’s used to serve their Shamrock Shakes with a cherry on top.

How to Make a Copycat Shamrock Shake at Home

Sure, your blender is fine for making a milkshake, but for the smoothest shamrock shake, use your food processor. The work bowl of the food processor is wider and flatter than a blender, exposing the ice cream to more air than a blender does. The result: lighter, fluffier, frothier milkshakes. The large cutting blade of the food processor also cuts through the ice cream more easily than the smaller blades of a blender, which means you need less liquid to properly blend. This guarantees a rich, creamy, ice-cream forward flavor.

Variations on the Shamrock Shake

You know what makes this shake even better? Chocolate! Or at least that’s my opinion. However, I don’t recommend adding chocolate syrup (or any type of chocolate) directly to the food processor with the shake to blend, as the shake would turn brown. You’d lose that vibrant St. Paddy’s-day-green color, and where’s the fun in that? Instead, my preferred way to incorporate chocolate into this shamrock shake is to pour chocolate syrup directly into the chilled serving glass. You can pour syrup along the inner edge of the glass or alternate pouring chocolate syrup and the milkshake in layers in the glass before stirring together with a spoon for an attractive swirled presentation. 

Another great add-in option for this milkshake is inspired by another McDonald’s treat, the Oreo McFlurry. Crushed oreos or your preferred cookie, chocolate shavings or chunks, or even chocolate candy work well in this minty shake. To incorporate, pulse the cookies or candy in the food processor alone until crushed into pea-sized or smaller pieces, then transfer to a bowl before making the green shake. Then sprinkle the crumbled mixture directly over the pureed shake while still in the food processor bowl and quickly pulse one or two times to combine. Don’t overmix at this stage or the mixture might turn a drab shade of brown. You could also simply pour the crumbled mixture directly into the glasses with the milkshake and stir to combine. I also recommend reserving some for a fun garnish to sprinkle over top.