You can make McDonald’s Shamrock Shakes at home with these copycat recipes

Every year in late February and early March, a delicious guilty pleasure makes a limited-time return to McDonald’s restaurants all over the country. The shamrock shake has been a popular St. Patrick’s Day treat for years with its iconic green color and sweet, creamy, mint flavor. But why limit it to just a few weeks, right? Well, a few clever cooks have come up with some pretty convincing copycat recipes to keep the luck of the Irish going all year long.

With a basic blender and ingredients such as vanilla ice cream, milk and mint extract, you might just go one better than the original making this at home. Dinner Then Dessert throws down the gauntlet of keeping true to the classic flavor of the original shamrock shake with one important tip. The difference lies in the extract flavor, according to this recipe. The key to the classic shake’s taste is using mint extract — not peppermint extract. There’s a difference! Also, we like the green sugar dusting on top of the whipped cream for this version of the recipe.

Looking for a more adult version of the shamrock shake? Kitchen Treaty has the perfect recipe. With three different kinds of alcohol, this boozy dessert drink would certainly make happy hour live up to its name. A touch of Bailey’s Irish Cream, creme de menthe liquor and vodka kick up the milkshake to something special.

Like the others, Creme de la Crumb’s recipe is quick and easy, but it puts a tiny twist on the shamrock shake by adding a chocolate drizzle. If you just can’t get enough chocolate in your life, this is the shamrock shake for you.

Finally, Delish offers a pro tip for making shamrock shakes at home: be careful with the mint extract. These concentrated flavorings can be added in too quickly, making for a too-strong shake. If you love mint, that’s fine. Just remember you can always add more, but it’s tough to take it back when it comes to strong flavors.