Is the McDonald's Shamrock Shake Gluten-Free?

Celiac.com 03/06/2021 - We get a lot of questions from celiac community members wondering if certain products are gluten-free. One question we see a lot is about seasonal products. It this case, one question we've been getting recently has to do with the McDonald's Shamrock Shake. Specifically, the McDonald's Shamrock Shake gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease.

First, the McDonald's Shamrock Shake is not labeled or advertised as gluten-free. However, according to the company website, milk is the only allergen listed for the Shamrock Shake, and for all other McDonald's shakes. 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
According to the McDonald's corporate website, "the Shamrock Shake was created in 1967 by Hal Rosen, a Connecticut McDonald’s Owner and Operator who made the delicious, mint shake in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. It later debuted in select locations across the U.S. in 1970, and was an instant success." The Shamrock shake eventually became the cornerstone of efforts to fund the very first Ronald McDonald House. Did you know that on St. Patrick’s Day in 2010, McDonald's poured the “World's Largest Shamrock Shake” a 24 feet tall was “poured” into the Chicago River in honor of a $10,000 donation to develop a new RMHC house in the city’s Streeterville neighborhood. 

As always, be careful with products that are not labeled gluten-free. Learn more about McDonald's Shamrock Shake, including its history in helping to raise funds for the first Ronald McDonald House, at the McDonald's corporate website.

Shamrock Shake Ingredients & Allergens
Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

• Ingredients: Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate.
• Allergens: Contains Milk.

Shamrock Shake Syrup

• Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Glycerin, Contains 2% Or Less: Natural Flavor, Xantham Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Yellow 5, Blue 1. May Contain Small Amounts Of Other Shake Flavors Served At The Restaurant, Including Egg Ingredients When Egg Nog Shakes Are Available.

Whipped Light Cream

• Ingredients: Cream, Nonfat Milk, Liquid Sugar, Contains 2% or Less: Mono and Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan. Whipping Propellant (Nitrous Oxide).
• Allergens: Contains Milk.