The Shamrock Shake was first introduced by McDonald's in 1970. Since then, more than 60 million minty green shakes have been guzzled down, according to the Huffington Post. While you may enjoy a Shamrock Shake from Mickey D's in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, you can definitely do without some of those ingredients. Did you know that there are 54 ingredients in total that make up the Shamrock Shake? That's pretty crazy. There are weird food colorings, carrageenan (which is a possible carcinogen), high fructose corn syrup, and—drum roll please—absolutely no mint. There is of course "natural flavor" listed, so who knows, maybe that's what gives it the minty goodness.
You can easily make your own Shamrock Shake at home and avoid suspicious ingredients and the 820 caloric bomb. Say goodbye to McDonald's and hello to the far superior homemade Shamrock Shake.
How To Make Your Own Shamrock Shake
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups vanilla ice cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 6 drops green food coloring
- Optional: 2 handfuls of fresh mint leaves
- Optional: whipped cream
- Optional: 1 maraschino cherry
Add your ice cream and milk to a blender. If you'd prefer to not use food coloring and are simply looking for a minty flavor, add the peppermint extract or the mint leaves or both. Otherwise, add the green food coloring and peppermint extract and blend until smooth. Add to a glass and feel free to top it up with a swirl of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry. Enjoy!
But, if you're still wanting one from McDonald's, remember they are very seasonal. According to a McDonald's spokesperson who spoke with Elite Daily, once St. Patrick's Day is over, so is the Shamrock Shake. It won't reappear again until late February 2019.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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