So you love Shamrock Shakes, huh, and can’t believe they’re not a year-round item at McDonald’s? Well if that’s you I tried out a new recipe recently for a Homemade Shamrock Shake and I’m here to share it. McDonald’s brings these out around St. Patrick’s Day but now you can enjoy them all year.
How the Homemade Shamrock Shake Came to Being
So one night in March I was scrolling Facebook (dangerous I know!) and all my friends were out and about treating themselves to Shamrock Shakes. Well, sometimes I’m a little behind pop culture times and I found myself googling Shamrock Shake and reading the ingredients.
Oy. Vey.
That’s when I came up with the idea to create a Homemade Shamrock Shake coz surely I can make this cheaper and – dare I say – healthier?? Now I know that’s probably not why you clicked on this recipe in the first place but it will save you money and some calories to boot!
I’m a simple recipes kinda gal (find my dump and run slow cooker recipes here!) which is why I can handle 5 ingredients. All it takes is a little blending and voila! Shakes at the ready any time you want them which I realize may not be a good thing (#sorrynotsorry)
So here’s the good news: It was super simple but my Taste Tester (aka Hubs) insisted we grab a McDonald’s Shamrock Shake to test them side by side and guess what? After a few sips he declared I’d blown the competition out of the water! Woot woot! Yup, I blew him away!
So what’s the price difference? Well their medium will run you around $2.79 while this one costs way less – I think you can make about 4 for that price meaning you can save yourself a hefty chunk of change.
Plus let’s talk about the fact that you can control what goes in there. *wink* You can switch out your fave nut milk
When Isaac was very young we watched how badly he reacted to food dye (like bounce-off-the-wall-reaction) and we decided to strip out food dyes. Turns out we’re not the only ones and these McCormick Color From Nature dyes will help you get the colors you want from plant based ingredients. Yup! Super simple to make the switch!
- Includes re-sealable, dry powder pouches for easy storage. Up to four uses per color
- High quality powdered food coloring made from only natural ingredients
- Perfect for any coloring that doesn’t require baking
- DID YOU KNOW? Our Sky Blue, Berry and Sunflower colors are derived from plants, vegetables and seeds
Artificial food coloring is linked with hyperactivity, allergic reactions, and tumor growth. Because of this, many European manufacturers are opting for more natural dyes over the chemical dyes, but here in the U.S. manufacturers are still dumping toxic colorings into processed food. Which means we have to be our advocates and trust me reading every label isn’t easy but it is possible and you know what makes it easier? Stores like ALDI who are leading the charge in gluten free, dye free, organic options on a budget. Gosh I love that store! My kids do too as we don’t have to read every single label.
When it comes to blenders, I love how fast the Hamilton Beach Smoothie Blender can whip up this Homemade Shamrock Shake with no ice junks or fancy safety gimmicks.
Ingredients for Homemade Shamrock Shake
- 2 cups vanilla ice cream or 2 cups your fave nut milk ice cream
- 1 1/4 cups 2% low-fat milk or 1 1/4 cups your fave nut milk
- 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract (be careful with this and add a bit at a time)
- 4 drops of green good coloring
- Whipped cream
- Cherries, optional
Directions
- Blend the ice cream and milk together with the green food coloring.
- Add a little peppermint extract and blend.
- Taste test! We added a little too much in Hubs’ opinion although I thought it was yum! So start slow and build up with the peppermint. If you don’t have peppermint extract around the house (I know I sure don’t!) you could use some peppermint essential oil (I like this one)
- Pour and serve with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
If you love copycat recipes check out this FREE ebook full of copycat recipes you can try!
This was modified from the food.com recipe.
More St Patrick’s Day ideas:
14 St Patrick’s Day Ideas
Looking for St. Patrick’s day events in your area? Goldstar offers huge entertainment discounts!
What is St Patrick’s Day
According to Wikipedia,
Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
The funny thing is I’ve talked to people from Ireland who don’t make a big deal of the holiday and then people from Chicago where I love who go all out! In fact one guy I knew visited Chicago during St Paddy’s day and said the Chicagoans did more celebrating than his buddies back home! Do you celebrate St Patrick’s Day? Share below!
Easy recipes site.
The time when we’re eating healthy food and not killing our grocery bill by running to the store often, is the time when I meal plan. Whenever I put effort into meal planning we are guaranteed to save a ton o’cash and eat well! When I met Erin from $5 Dollar Dinners years ago, I loved her site as she was writing about what we did at home: Making meals every night that cost around $5 for her family. Ge-ni-us! Now she has a whole slew of recipes and has devoted her time to busy cooks like you and I who need quick options for dinner! Check out her $5 Meal Plans where for the in-sane amount of $5 you can grab menus for your whole family including gluten free and paleo options and I also highly recommend FreezEasy where she shows you how to make make-ahead meals. FREE trial of $5 Meal Plans and info on My FreezEasy options..
Welcome Facebook Readers! This recipe has circulated widely on Facebook and guess what? I’m on there too! Please find Mummy Deals on Facebook where you’ll find tons more fun recipes, ideas, tips and tricks for frugal living! Thanks 🙂
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