Copycat McDonald's Shamrock Shake Recipe

Christmas has carols, cookies, trees, and more. Halloween has candy and costumes and tricks. Valentines Day has sweets and cards. But St. Patrick's Day? It has Shamrock Shakes. And while you can bake cookies, buy candy, or send affectionate notes any time of year, holiday proximity not actually needed, you can only get a Shamrock Shake from McDonald's in the days near St. Patty's Day. That is, unless you make a Shamrock Shake yourself.

"This tends to be a seasonal shake on the McDonald's menu," says chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge, "but with this recipe, you can enjoy it all year around! The vibrant green color suits the upcoming spring season that awaits us!"

But hey, for the record, you don't have to wait until spring and St. Patrick's Day draw near to enjoy this McDonald's Shamrock Shake copycat recipe, nor do you have to shelve the recipe for the remainder of the year after March draws to a close. You can always leave out the green coloring and enjoy a delicious frozen treat untethered to the holiday.

"Theres something about the creamy, minty flavor that works so well in shakes," says Olayinka. "This one can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike."

McDonald's first introduced their beloved Shamrock Shake more than 50 years ago, the sweet treat having debuted in 1970, according to NY Daily News. The Shamrock Shake is, of course, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, but many McDonald's restaurants start offering the shake in mid-February, according to USA Today. 

Ah, but what's in the McDonald's Shamrock Shake, anyway? Not much, really! According to the McDonald's website, a "McDonald's Shamrock Shake is made with creamy vanilla soft serve blended with Shamrock Shake syrup and topped with delicious whipped topping." That said, those ingredients add up to 800 calories in the large.

You'll need a few more ingredients than those three to make this McDonald's Shamrock Shake copycat recipe, but you'll need less time than you'd spend waiting for a shake at the drive-thru or counter to make one.

To make two servings of your very own McDonald's Shamrock Shake copycat recipe, you'll need two cups of vanilla ice cream, two cups of milk, three tablespoons of maple syrup, a quarter teaspoon of green food gel coloring or six drops of green liquid coloring, and half a teaspoon of mint extract.

You can substitute in non-dairy ice cream or milk without a sacrifice in flavor, but just note that the consistency may be a little different than what you would find in the classic McDonald's Shamrock Shake. And, of course, you can leave out the food coloring if you just want the taste, but the green really does make this shake more fun.

Making this McDonald's Shamrock Shake copycat recipe is a deliciously simple process. Simply add the ice cream, milk, maple syrup, food coloring, and mint extract all into a standard blender, and then blend on high for 30 seconds. That should be more than enough time to thoroughly combine all your ingredients, mix that lovely green color all throughout the shake, and have you ready to enjoy a treat without a trip to the Golden Arches.

Now, if you want fries with that shake, that you'll have to figure out yourself. Fortunately, there are plenty of great recipes for making your own fries out there.

At McDonald's, your Shamrock Shake comes in a pretty boring disposable cup. We can do better than that, though! Olayinka recommends pouring the prepared shakes out into serving glasses and topping them with whipped cream and a glazed cherry. If you have colorful straws to complete the look, so much the better.

"This McDonald's Shamrock Shake copycat recipe can be eaten as a dessert or with some St. Patrick's Day-inspired cookies," says Olayinka. "It tastes absolutely delicious."

And that's all the more true if it's enjoyed after a classic St. Patrick's Day inspired meal, like corned beef with cabbage.