The EASIEST CopyCat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry

Every March, there’s a special treat that arrives at McDonald’s that people love. The good news is that you can make this at home easily. Try this copycat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry for those times when you can’t pick one up at the drive thru.

You can find the Oreo Shamrock McFlurry on McDonald’s menus for a limited time every St. Patrick’s Day. Once they’re gone, however, they’re gone for the year. But they are so good, and we love them in my family.

Good news: With a few simple ingredients and a quick whirl in the blender, you can recreate the Shamrock McFlurry magic right at home. And if you’d rather make a copycat Shamrock Shake, I’ve got you covered there, too.

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What Flavor is Shamrock?

There’s no actual “shamrock” flavor. If there were, it would likely be fairly grassy, but no one wants that in an ice cream dessert.

The Shamrock McFlurry gets its unique flavor from mint extract, which makes sense with the green color.

Ingredients You Need

• Vanilla Ice Cream: This is the base of your frosty creation. Use a good quality vanilla ice cream for the best flavor.
• Half and Half: A splash of half and half helps to thin the ice cream and make it easier to blend. This will create the richer texture you want, though you can sub whole milk for a lighter option if that’s what you have.
• Mint Extract: This is the key ingredient that delivers the minty “shamrock” flavor. Use high-quality extract for the best results. A little goes a long way, so start with the recommended amount and adjust it as needed.
• Green Food Coloring: This is optional, but it does provide the green color you’re used to. I prefer gel food coloring over the liquid drops we grew up with and find they work better.
• Oreos: No Shamrock McFlurry is complete without the iconic Oreo cookies. You can use regular Oreos, Double Stuf Oreos, or even Mint Oreos for an extra minty punch. The standard recipe calls for regular Oreos.
• Whipped Cream (Optional): A dollop of whipped cream just makes things more fun even though you do not see one when you buy an Oreo Shamrock McFlurry from McDonald’s.

What’s the Difference Between Mint Extract and Peppermint Extract?

While both peppermint and mint extracts come from the mint family, they have slightly different flavor profiles. Whenever you use either extract, be sure that you purchase pure extracts and not imitation flavors.

Peppermint extract is more intense and has a characteristic cooling sensation. Mint extract, on the other hand, is milder and has a more general “minty” flavor.

For the Shamrock McFlurry experience, mint extract is the way to go. If you use peppermint extract, use slightly less as it has a stronger flavor.

Do I Need to Soften My Ice Cream?

Yes. Please soften your ice cream before you blend your McFlurry. If you do not soften your ice cream, it tends to get chunky when you blend it which causes you to blend it too much and then it’s too liquidy.

Generally, you want to let your ice cream soften for about 10 minutes on your counter before you scoop it. This will vary depending on the temperature in your home and the type of ice cream you use.

The more premium your ice cream, the longer it will take to soften. And the premium and super-premium ice cream just makes your copycat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry taste all that much better.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the warmer your house, the faster the ice cream will thaw. On the flip side, if you keep your freezer extra cold, it takes longer to soften.

If you find that your ice cream got too soft, just pop it back into the freezer for a few minutes, and it will be fine. Just don’t let it truly melt, as that will change the texture of your ice cream.

How Do I Know When My Ice Cream Is Soft Enough?

Although the 10-minute guideline typically works fairly well, it might not be long enough or it might be too long. As mentioned above, the type of ice cream and temperature of your house will change things.

But there is an easy way to tell when your ice cream has softened perfectly to make your copycat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry. You can either use a spoon or a scoop, though I prefer the spoon method.

Use the back of a spoon to gently press into your ice cream. If it makes an indentation easily, then you’re good to go though you don’t want it to dive too deeply into the ice cream.

Alternatively, you can try to scoop the ice cream. If the ice cream scoops easily (and use my favorite ice cream scoop – it works so much better than anything I’ve ever had before), and it holds its shape without crumbling, it is soft enough.

How to Make It:

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. Once you let your ice cream soften, it takes just a couple of minutes to whip up your copycat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry.

Let your ice cream soften just to the point where it scoops easily while still holding its shape. While it softens, get your blender and the rest of your ingredients ready.

Put your Oreos into a strong plastic bag – we like freezer bags because they’re thicker – and crush the Oreos until they are pea-sized. You don’t want to pulverize them, and I find the bottom of a can or a rolling pin works perfectly for this.

Set the Oreos aside. Remember that you will want to save some to top your copycat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry.

Add the ice cream, half and half, food coloring, and mint extract to your blender. Blend the mixture until it is smooth and uniform in color.

Pulse to blend it rather than simply turning on your blender. This helps keep it from overblending and becoming too soft and liquidy.

Reserve a couple of teaspoons of the Oreo crumbles to top your copycat McFlurry. Add the remaining crumbles to your ice cream mix and stir them in by hand.

Pour the copycat Oreo Shamrock McFlurry into two separate glasses. Top with whipped cream if you like and then the reserved Oreo pieces.

This is not something you can make in advance or serve later. It is best enjoyed immediately after you make it.

Be sure to bookmark this recipe to make it again later!

This copycat Shamrock McFlurry rivals the original. And the best part? You can customize it to your liking. Add more peppermint extract for an extra minty kick, use chocolate ice cream for a richer flavor, or throw in some chopped Andes Mints for a festive touch.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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