Shamrock Shake Cupcakes

Make Shamrock Shake Cupcakes at home to remind you of your favorite St. Patrick’s Day milkshake! Mint cupcakes topped with a vanilla milkshake frosting are perfect for any celebration.

Honestly, I just love looking at these. They’re so pretty and festive and perfect for a party!

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Okay, I’m going to confess something to you:

I’ve never had a real Shamrock Shake.

I know, right?? I cannot believe I’ve never had one. I never even knew they were a thing until a few years ago and at this point I don’t want to waste the calories. In my defense, we don’t go to McDonald’s that much, so I come by my lack of knowledge about them honestly. (I prefer spending my fast food calories at Taco Bell or In-N-Oout.)

Hopefully, I’m not the only rookie here and there is someone else thinking, what is a shamrock shake?

These green milkshakes are the invention of McDonald’s, and they’re only available around St. Patrick’s Day. They’re so popular I’ve heard they even have their own app this year! The shamrock shake flavor is mint milkshake. I’m assuming they taste like mint chip ice cream with out the “chip”, all blended and topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

If you’re wondering how to make a shamrock shake at home, you can make my skinny mint shake version, or try Lisa’s homemade version. Plus, if you have your own recipe you never have to wonder when shamrock shakes are arriving at McDonalds!

This cupcake recipe is a spin on that popular green shake: a mint cupcake is topped with a vanilla frosting reminiscent of a milkshake. I honestly could have eaten the frosting with a spoon!

Copycat Shamrock Shake Cupcakes are the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Make mint cupcakes with a vanilla frosting on top!

If you’re wanting to make something fun and festive for St. Patrick’s Day, or maybe you are having a cupcake party, Shamrock Shake Cupcakes are the perfect recipe. These would make a great green birthday cupcake too!

Whether or not you decide to make the cupcakes green, and even if you decide not to make them mint, you MUST make this frosting. There are only two ingredients that combine to make a fluffy and not-too-sweet vanilla frosting. Can you guess what the two ingredients are?

Drumroll…Whipped Cream and PUDDING MIX! Yes, you read that right. You can add pudding mix to heavy whipping cream when you’re making frosting (or just whipped cream for anything).

Even if you’ve never had a Shamrock Shake, you can still make Shamrock Shake Cupcakes. I’ve never checked, but I assume they have less calories (ha!)

How to make Shamrock Shake Cupcakes:

• I started with a white cake mix. I used white so the green food coloring would POP. You can also use a yellow cake mix or my perfect vanilla cupcake recipe.
• MINT vs PEPPERMINT…this is important. Most recipes you see call for mint extract. I prefer to use peppermint. You might ask, is there a difference between mint and peppermint extract? There is, for some people. When I eat things with mint extract, they taste like toothpaste. Peppermint extract is what I have to use to eat minty food. Use your favorite!
• Feel free to skip the green food coloring, if you want.
• Frosting: be sure to use heavy whipping cream. You can use whatever flavor pudding mix you like; I used vanilla for these cupcakes. Making homemade whipped cream is faster in a stand mixer, just in case you’re wondering.
• Sprinkles and cherries are optional but make these pretty!
• Frost right before serving and don’t add the sugar on top until right before so it doesn’t dissolve.

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Shamrock Shake Cupcakes

4.28 from 18 votes

Make Shamrock Shake Cupcakes at home to remind you of your favorite St. Patrick's Day milkshake! Mint cupcakes topped with a vanilla milkshake frosting are perfect for any celebration.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Yield 18 -24 cupcakes

Serving Size 1 cupcake (calories based on 24)

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Ingredients

 

• ▢ 1 box 15.25oz/432g white cake mix
• ▢ 3 large egg whites
• ▢ 1 cup 237ml water
• ▢ 1/3 cup 79ml vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/4-1/2 teaspoon mint or peppermint extract see note
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon green food coloring
• ▢ 2 cups 474g heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 4 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding mix
• ▢ Green sprinkles optional
• ▢ Maraschino cherries optional

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with liners.
• Place cake mix, egg whites, water, oil, and extract in a large bowl. Whisk vigorously or use a hand mixer to beat until smooth. Add food coloring and stir in carefully.
• Fill liners 2/3 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
• To make frosting: beat whipped cream with a hand or a stand mixer on high speed. Gradually add the pudding mix and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Frost cupcakes (I used a 1M tip) and top with sprinkles and/or a cherry.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake (calories based on 24) | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 174mg | Sugar: 10g

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Author Dorothy Kern

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If you LOVE Shamrock Shakes, you’ll love Lisa’s Shamrock Shake Pie, Jocelyn’s Shamrock Shake Cookie Bars, or Liz’s BOOZY Shamrock Shake!

Mint Chip Oreos

Copycat Mint (Shamrock) Shake

Bailey’s Pudding Pies

**Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!**