Most of the year I'm on a diet Even if I crave McDonald's soft serve ice cream on an otherwise good day, the machine is usually out of order But every spring, at least twice a week, I head to the nearby Golden Arches for a Shamrock Shake This limited-time vanilla and mint fast-food combination is undeniably delicious and a real nuisance to my health

I've been using the Ninja Creami for the past month to make homemade frozen desserts like protein ice cream and fruit sorbets The Creami also has a shake function What if we could have shamrock shakes all year round? And healthier, too I made it in my Ninja Creami using my trusty homemade vanilla ice cream base recipe and mint

The Shamrock Shake is basically a vanilla shake with mint flavor and green food coloring All you need is vanilla ice cream, mint extract, milk, and green food coloring to get started If you like toppings like whipped cream or cherries, you'll need to add those as well Green sprinkles on top of the whipped cream will make it look like Mickey D's

I used the recipe for homemade vanilla ice cream from Creami's recipe book

Once everything is melted, pour this base into a Creami's pint container and store in the freezer for 24 hours

The next day, when you take this ice cream out, scoop out a little of the top base and flatten it to make room for half the milk Then pour 3 drops of mint extract and 5 drops of green food coloring into the pint

Since this is Ninja Creamy, you can customize the shake endlessly For sugar-free ice cream, stevia and agave syrup can be mixed in place of granulated sugar You can also add mint-flavored creme de menthe, creamy Baileys, or other liqueurs to turn it into a beer for adults You can also mix in solids such as Oreos, chocolate chips, or cookie dough

Once all ingredients are combined in a pint, place in the outer bowl of Ninja Creamy and lock with the Creami paddle topper Place this larger bowl on the base of the Creami, twist the base up with the included handle, and insert the motor into the top of the paddle Press the "shake" button and the paddle rotates up and down to begin blending We found that running this program once consistently produced a perfect watery yet thick consistency that could be sucked up through a straw Running the shake function twice produces a thicker texture

As you can see in the pictures above, the homemade shakes are very similar in color and texture The McDonald's dye is closer to neon green, but an additional drop of food coloring can be added to make the shakes a darker color If the branded cups were removed and both shakes were placed in a clear glass with whipped cream, they would be indistinguishable by appearance alone

McDonald's Shamrock Shake is a little sweeter in taste and has a kick, but the extra sugar adds to the deliciousness The homemade shake recipe has the exact same consistency, with a slightly stronger vanilla flavor The minty flavor and sweetness are still there, but it doesn't pack the same punch and is a bit milky When the whipped cream is dissolved in both, the two shakes taste identical

I find that three drops of mint extract is the sweet spot, but you can add a drop or two to make it even mintier If you want to sweeten it even more, you can add a drop of vanilla extract The flavors are very similar, not a 100% match, but easily at least 90% It's enough to keep you from having to go to McDonald's this holiday and can easily be made all year round It's a win in my book