I’ve actually never had a Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s, but I will admit, they looks delicious. I love mint. I love anything minty green. I love shakes (I mean, who doesn’t?!), and I love anything sweet. Come on, you all should know be by now. And even in my darker ages when I used to consumer dairy, I’m actually not sure why I never got around to having one! But before we get into my recipe, I was curious to learn how this shamrock shake came to be about (your girl loves history – AP American and AP European in high school and got 4’s on my AP exams – not trying to brag. Also, this was approximately 500 years ago, but I digress).

FULL RECIPE VIDEO ON MY YOUTUBE (yes, I have a YouTube!!)

I was curious to find out – is the Shamrock Shake a McDonald’s creation or did they steal it? Turns out – it’s an original Mickey D’s creations! Apparently it was created in 1967 by Hal Rosen – a Connecticut McDonald’s owner. Who would’ve thought?! And not too long after, sales from the Shamrock Shake in 1974 helped build the first Ronald McDonald house in Philly! Ok, this is not a sponsored blog post for MD’s – I was legitimately interested! Anyhow…

So, from my EXTENSIVE research and observation of how the Shamrock Shake looks – I think it consists of some sort of ice cream, some sort of liquid (I.e., milk), some sort of mint-y syrup and whipped cream topping. Honestly, looks simple and very re-creatable. Aside from the whole not being vegan thing, the other aspect of the shake that irks me is the artificial coloring that is likely used. So, I needed to find a way around that! And don’t you worry – your girl did, hehe.

And before people come to attack me about sugar, calories, health – blah blah blah – I just want to say that this is a once a year TREAT and I am certainly not making or drinking this everyday. PLUS! You’ll be surprised to know that there’s a sneaky healthy ingredient in this!! Enjoy my Shamrock Shake made naturally green AND vegan and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

VEGAN SHAMROCK SHAKE:

serves 1 cute Leprechaun

• 1/2 cup favorite dairy free vanilla ice cream – I used Planet Oat
• 1 cup favorite animal free milk – I used Bored Cow
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp mint extract
• 1/2 tsp green spirulina powder

METHOD:

1. Blend everything together until smooth and creamy. I used my Magic Bullet blender – any smoothie blender with a high speed will work!

2. Top with dairy free whipped cream and a cherry! Drink it up right away!