Recreate the limited edition Grimace shake at home with this easy-to-follow Grimace Mcdonalds milkshake recipe. The brightly-colored shake contains a handful of simple ingredients to make a tasty berry-flavored dessert.
What is a Grimace Milkshake?
McDonald’s released a special-edition milkshake to honor Grimace’s birthday, one of the franchise’s characters, known for showing up for children’s birthday parties hosted by the chain restaurant. And TikTok did what the app does best; they took the drink and ran with it by creating a trend surrounding the newly released milkshake.
Since the debut of the shake in June 2023, TikTok creators have been flocking to the fast food restaurant to sample the shake, and they pretend to die on camera in creative ways after drinking it.
What’s in the Grimace Shake?
According to the McDonald’s Twitter account, the Grimace Milkshake contains vanilla soft serve blended with Grimace syrup and finished with whipped cream in honor of the character’s “iconic color and sweetness.” Some ingredients are self-explanatory (vanilla soft serve and whipped cream), which leaves the Grimace Syrup up for interpretation. Here’s what we put in our recipe to recreate the limited edition shake:
- Grimace Syrup: I have no idea what’s in the Mcdonald’s syrup. I use fresh or frozen blueberries and raspberries with butterfly pea powder (optional) to create the milkshake’s iconic color. You can use Ube extract instead of the powder or skip it altogether and go with the berries. Other recipes suggest using blueberries with raspberry or strawberry jam.
- Ice Cream: Use three scoops of vanilla ice cream or replace it with coconut ice cream for a dairy-free version of the dessert drink.
- Salt: Mimic the McDonald’s fries and offset some of the sweetness with a pinch of salt.
- Sugar: Berries can sometimes be bitter depending on when they are picked. Adding a little sugar will help keep that from changing the taste of the milkshake.
- Milk: Provide extra creaminess by adding milk of your choice to the milkshake.
- Toppings: Finish our copycat Grimace Mcdonalds milkshake recipe with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.
How to Make Our Grimace McDonalds Milkshake Recipe
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the blueberries, raspberries, ice cream, sugar, salt, pea flower, and milk to a blender. Process until smooth.
Step 2: Divide the mixture between two glasses and garnish the Grimace shake with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.
Searching for More Like This?
If you love this recipe, try one of these dessert favorites!
Best Toppings for Ice Cream
While you can recreate the Grimace McDonald’s milkshake recipe by topping it with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, feel free to get creative!
- Fruit: Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Mango, Bananas
- Nuts: Peanuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans
- Chocolate: Chocolate Nibs, Shaved Chocolate
- Coconut: Coconut Flakes, Toasted Coconut
- Cream: Whipped Coconut Cream
- Drizzle: Caramel Sauce, Chocolate Sauce
- Crumbles: Granola Crumbs, Graham Crackers Crumbs
What to do With the Leftovers
- Freeze – Store leftover Grimace Mcdonalds milkshake in an airtight container. Cover the container with plastic before sealing the lid to prevent crystals from forming. It will freeze for two weeks.
- Thaw – Take the milkshake out of the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for up to 30 minutes (check it after the 10-minute mark); this will soften the ice cream just enough to stir and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still get the grimace shake?
McDonald’s served the Grimace birthday shake as a part of the Grimace birthday meal that included a choice of Big Mac or 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, a medium French fry, and the tasty purple milkshake.
If you didn’t have the chance to try the milkshake yet, I have sad news to report. The McDonald’s official Twitter had this to say about the milkshake, “U made me feel so specialll ty say goodbye grimace nowww.”
While we’re disappointed to see it go, continue the celebration by preparing the tasty dessert in the comfort of your kitchen.
Where did the Grimace Shake trend come from?
With thousands of videos posted about the milkshake, I traced the TikTok trend to the creator @thefrazmaz. He wished Grimace a happy birthday and pretended to die after trying the drink in a video with over 3.2 million views to date.
What does the Grimace shake taste like?
Taste testers seem divided about what the milkshake tastes like. Some report a strong, almost overwhelming berry flavor, while others say it tastes like vanilla.
A creator on Youtube and TikTok who goes by the name Jordan Thee Stallion says it’s both. He explains that the flavor of the milkshake largely depends on if you tried the milkshake before or after eating the McDonald’s fries the shake comes with.
Other flavors reported include cotton candy and fruit pebbles. One of my favorite fast food reviewers on Youtube, Daym Drops, said he thought the drink had a grape-like taste.
Whatever the actual flavor of the shake is, the ambiguity is good marketing because people are dying to try the drink for themselves (see what I did there).
What fruit is in the Grimace Shake?
The shake is made with vanilla soft serve and “berry” flavors, but the berries are not specified. Some people have speculated that the shake contains blueberry, strawberry, or grape, but there is no official confirmation from McDonald’s. I use blueberries and raspberries to achieve the berry flavor and signature purple color.
More Copycat Recipes:
Grimace Mcdonalds Milkshake Recipe
- Drinking Glasses
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 3 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- ½ cup milk
- whipped cream, for garnish
- rainbow sprinkles, for garnish
- ½ teaspoon Butterfly Pea Powder, optional (for added color)
- Add the blueberries, raspberries, ice cream, sugar, salt, pea flower, and milk to a blender. Process until smooth.
- Divide the mixture between two glasses and garnish the Grimace Shake with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.
Vince Pinto
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
Way too good. Would have it as a nightly treat.
Brea
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
The kids obviously enjoyed this, but as an adult I can say we were equally as impressed. Going to us this again when I have my nieces over!
Chelsea
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
This is SO yummy and so easy to make, can’t wait to try it again!! Thanks for the recipe!
Tressa Jamil
Tuesday 15th of August 2023
I love the berry flavor and was pleasantly surprised.
BumbleBTuna
Saturday 15th of July 2023
No need for the salt or sugar imo. It's actually REALLY simple. Vanilla ice cream and frozen blueberries with some milk. Then, add a small amount of SEEDLESS jam (strawberry raspberry etc.) Add ingredients to your liking. Finish off with whipped cream.
Tressa Jamil
Saturday 15th of July 2023
Your version sounds delicious too.