Naturally Green Shamrock Shake

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Cool, Creamy, Minty, Refreshing! This homemade shamrock shake recipe is naturally green, and has only 4 ingredients and no preservatives! You’re 5 minutes away from a delicious St. Patrick’s Day treat!

It’s that time of year again, the short season when those delicious minty green shakes are available from McDonald’s.

Did you know there are 54 ingredients in McDonalds Shamrock Shake? Yes, 54!

Let’s just take 5 minutes, and make a much better for you option that’s also much less expensive and won’t require you to drive anywhere.

I’ve got 4 kids, half of them are teenagers, but all of them eat like teenagers. I’m all about saving money.  

But I also don’t want to sacrifice taste. So I was thrilled when I tested this recipe and everyone loved it! No green dye here folks, it’s naturally green!

How is it green without food coloring?

Let me just assure you, it’s not spinach or kale. This seems to be the “go-to” for making green smoothies. But not here.

It’s fresh mint! So it’s still sweet and very refreshing. If you didn’t know, mint has some great benefits. 

• It can help with tummy troubles, nausea, headaches
• It’s anti-inflammatory
• It’s immune-boosting

So let’s break out the Mojito’s! For all the nerdy details, you can read more about the health benefits of mint.

What does it taste like?

The two main flavors are vanilla and mint. Mint as in fresh mint, spearmint, not peppermint. 

I love to garnish mine with some shaved dark chocolate. The chocolate mint combo is a popular favorite too, and if you like that you’ll love this homemade chocolate pudding.

Ingredients

• Vanilla Ice Cream- I recommend an all-natural vanilla bean ice cream.  Hudsonville ice cream makes a great one, no artificial ingredients or high fructose corn syrup.
• Mint Extract– Make sure you use mint extract and not peppermint extract. The true flavor of a shamrock shake copycat is mint. Peppermint is stronger and has more of a spicy tone. 

Instructions

Step One: Place the ice cream, mint, mint extract, and milk in a blender

Step Two: Blend on high until smooth and all the mint leaves are completely broken up.

Step Three: If desired, drizzle the glass with some chocolate syrup. Then pour the shake in, garnish with whipped cream and enjoy!

Notes about the recipe

• Reduce milk for a thicker shake if desired.
• If you don’t have a high speed blender, like a Vitamix, it can take a couple of minutes to really blend up the leaves, don’t worry, it will get there!
• If you don’t have mint extract, you can use peppermint, but use half the amount. 
• For more subtle mint, leave the extract out completely. 

Garnishing ideas

• Whipped cream– personally, I’m a big fan of this! I recommend buying heavy whipping cream and whipping it yourself. Here’s how to do it with a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer. 
• Chocolate Syrup- Drizzle with homemade chocolate syrup, or you can use your favorite brand. PRO-TIP- drizzle some chocolate sauce on the sides of the glass before pouring the shake into it. 

• Fruit- Top it with a cherry, or to keep with the ‘natural/dye-free theme, use a strawberry slice
• Grated Chocolate– Use a Microplane to sprinkle some chocolate on top, or here’s How To Make Chocolate Shavings.
• mini chocolate chips
• fresh mint leaf

Be sure to check out my collection of St. Patricks Day recipes. For more sweets, check out my dessert page.

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Update Notes: This post was originally published on March 3 of 2016, but was republished with better information, some new photos, step by step instructions, and tips in February of 2020.