This candy cane milkshake recipe is creamy, rich, and a perfect minty twist to your milkshake this holiday season. Festive in color, flavor, and everyone will enjoy the creamy vanilla ice cream paired with that peppermint taste. This is such a simple candy cane milkshake recipe that you can whip it up in as little as five minutes.
Milkshakes are such a treat, and with our family, we love making them at home. Just grab your blender, ice cream, and supplies and you can make that vanilla ice cream completely transform into a whole new flavor. My kids love rolling their sleeves up and helping measure and scoop to make their perfect milkshake. This recipe is so simple but the flavors just make you swoon with delight.
More Christmas Drink Recipes
Easy Candy Cane Milkshake Recipe
This simple peppermint milkshake is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season. Whether you have candy canes or crushed up peppermints to sprinkle on top, it will be tasty and absolutely colorful as can be. You could even change up the food coloring if you wanted a specific theme to your milkshakes for say a party!
Fun Facts About The Candy Cane
Since we are all about the candy cane for this recipe, I wanted to share some fun facts about the candy cane! You could talk about these candy cane facts as you make your peppermint milkshakes!
- In 1944 the first candy cane was invented, it has no curve like you see today.
- Worlds largest candy cane measures 51 feet long!
- Back in the early days of candy canes, once they created the curve, they were made by hand. Which meant many broken candy canes happened when trying to bend a curve in the top.
- In the 1950’s is when they created a machine to work at bending the candy canes, vs using your hands.
- Around 2 billion candy canes get sold each year around Christmas!
How To Make A Homemade Candy Cane Milkshake
This recipe couldn’t get any easier than it is. Just put your ice cream, milk, and extract into your blender and get it nice and creamy. Toss in your food coloring and mix a little more. I didn’t add a ton of coloring to ours, just enough to give it that pretty pink color to dress it up.
If you prefer, skip the coloring and just have a white milkshake. It tastes just as good, just no coloring to it!
Ingredients For The Homemade Candy Cane Milkshake Recipe
- 3 cups of Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 and 1/2 cups of Milk
- 2 teaspoons of Peppermint Extract
(you can use only one if you just want a “hint” of Peppermint)
- 4 Broken up Candy Canes
or 6 Peppermints
- Pink Food Coloring
- Whip Cream
Directions For The Homemade Candy Cane Milkshake Recipe
- Start by placing your ice cream, milk, and peppermint extract into a blender
.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Add about 3 drops of pink food coloring.
- Blend on high until mixed well.
- Pour into frozen mugs or mason jars.
- Throw broken up candy canes or peppermints into a food processor. Process until broken up into fine pieces. If you don’t have a food processor
you can break up with a rolling pin
.
- Top shake with whip cream.
- Sprinkle whip cream with processed candy cane crumbs.
- Serve and enjoy!

Homemade Candy Cane Milkshake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups of Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 and 1/2 cups of Milk
- 2 teaspoons of Peppermint Extract (you can use only one if you just want a "hint" of Peppermint)
- 4 Broken up Candy Canes or 6 Peppermints
- Pink Food Coloring
- Whip Cream
Instructions
- Start by placing your ice cream, milk, and peppermint extract into a blender
.
- Blend on high until smooth.
- Add about 3 drops of pink food coloring.
- Blend on high until mixed well.
- Pour into frozen mugs or mason jars.
- Throw broken up candy canes or peppermints into a food processor. Process until broken up into fine pieces. If you don't have a food processor
you can break up with a rolling pin
.
- Top shake with whip cream.
- Sprinkle whip cream with processed candy cane crumbs.
- Serve and enjoy!
Look at that peppermint crumble on top, isn’t that just gorgeous?! I love the crunch factor it offers as well once you stir it into your drink. You can always leave the crushed peppermint off the top as well if you prefer a creamy texture and don’t want the crunchy cane.