Oreo Shamrock Shakes
Oreo Shamrock Shakes are a homemade version of the minty St. Patrick’s Day shake that isn’t overly sweet. Great for a St. Patrick’s Day Tea Party! Gluten free Shamrock Shake option.
This time of year, Shamrock Shakes start popping up on menus at many restaurants, the most notable being McDonald’s. Typically this shake is made using vanilla ice cream and mint syrup, sometimes with Oreos added in. We have had some bad experiences with the shake either being flavorless or being overly sticky, sweet, and syrupy. We finally stopped ordering them due to the variability!
My sister made us some homemade Shamrock Shakes at a St. Patrick’s Day Tea Party for Kids, and they were so good! She used mint chocolate chip ice cream, which avoids having to guess on the amount of mint syrup. The result is a reliably good homemade mint shake that is so much better than the ones you can buy! The color is a little lighter green that you may expect from a Shamrock Shake, so if you prefer it to be greener, you can add a little green food coloring. I don’t mind the paler shade of green!
What Does a Shamrock Shake Taste Like?
Many versions of Shamrock Shakes, including the one at McDonald’s, use vanilla ice cream flavored with mint syrup. I have had some overly sweet, sticky, and syrupy Shamrock Shakes when too much syrup was added. I prefer mint chocolate chip ice cream because it allows you to make a shake that isn’t overly sweet with syrup on top of the sweetness of the ice cream. The result is a minty, perfectly sweetened shake.
Recipe Details
Crush Cookies to Crumbs
I’ve tried adding whole Oreos to the blender with the ice cream and milk, and the result is a shake that is brown in color. The taste is great, but the color is definitely not what you expect from a Shamrock Shake. For this reason, I recommend first crushing the cookies to crumbs, then gently stirring the crumbs into the prepared shake. This will allow you to control how big your cookie crumbs are, as some people prefer bigger pieces of cookie, and will keep your shake a pretty shade of green.
Cut the Rainbow Candy
Airheads Xtremes come in several forms, but you’ll want to get the rainbow belt kind. They are long strips of rainbow colored candy. They also have “bites” which are just small pieces. I used them to make a path on the Rainbow Unicorn Ice Cream Cake. Those will not work for this decoration.
Each candy belt will be cut in half to make 2 pieces.
You will need to cut enough for each shake to have 1 piece.
Make the Shakes
Add the ice cream and milk to a blender. If you want your shake to be greener, add some green food coloring at this point as well. Process until smooth.
I recommend starting with a small amount of milk and adding more as needed. Some people prefer thick shakes they can eat with a spoon and some prefer thinner ones to drink with a straw. It depends on your preference. I like to make these a bit thicker so I can serve them with spoons. In addition, adding the whipped cream and rainbow candy takes a little time, so if your shake is too thin to start with, it may begin to melt during assembly and become even thinner.
Once the shake is the consistency you like, you’ll gently fold in the cookie crumbs.
The shake is ready to be decorated!
Decorate the Shakes
First you’ll add 2 mounds of whipped cream on the surface of each shake to represent clouds.
Next, insert each end of the rainbow candy into a mound of whipped cream to form the rainbow into an arch shape.
You can add some sprinkles on top of the whipped cream if you want!
Gluten Free Oreo Shamrock Shakes
Use gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies instead of Oreos to make this shake entirely gluten free!
Boozy Shamrock Shake
Consider replacing some (or all!) of the milk with Bailey’s Irish Cream for a boozy version of a shamrock shake! If you like Bailey’s, try my Bailey’s Irish Cream Mini Cheesecakes!
Looking for More St. Patrick’s Day Recipes?
Check out these other recipes perfect for St. Patrick’s Day:
Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie
Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream
Bailey’s Irish Cream Mini Cheesecakes
Bailey’s Irish Cream Cheesecake
Easy Homemade Cream Puffs (dough dyed with green food coloring)
Painted Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
Rainbow Unicorn Ice Cream Cake
St. Patrick’s Day Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Turkey Pastrami Reuben Sandwiches
Oreo Shamrock Shakes
Ingredients
- 4-6 Oreos or gluten free sandwich cookies
- 3 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream
- 1/4-1/2 cup milk (more or less depending on desired consistency, see note)
- whipped cream
- 2 Airheads Xtremes rainbow belts candies
- sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Place cookies in a resealable sandwich bag and crush to crumbs. Set aside.
- Cut rainbow belts in half, making enough for each glass to have 1 piece.
- In a blender or food processor, add ice cream and 1/4 cup milk. Blend well. Add additional milk until shake is the preferred consistency.
- Gently stir in cookie crumbs using a spoon.
- Transfer the shakes to glasses. Add 2 mounds of whipped cream on each side of the surface of the shake.
- Insert ends of the cut rainbow belt into each mound of whipped cream to create a rainbow arch. Sprinkle whipped cream with sprinkles if desired. Serve immediately!
