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These unicorn milkshakes are pure MAGIC! A rich, thick strawberry milkshake is topped with a rainbow of different sprinkles and candies to make a delicious drink fit for a unicorn. Plus, learn how to make this cool polka dot glass effect!
This post is sponsored by International Delight. This year I’m pleased to partner with them to bring you a series of dessert recipes featuring their products.
YOU GUYS! I know Starbucks came close to ruining the unicorn trend for all of us (I’m looking at you, weird sour powder on top of a mango drink…) but I need you to put that aside and stick with it for a little while longer. Because I haven’t made one single unicorn dessert yet, and I have a serious case of FOMO, and I want you—no, I NEED you—to experience these super adorable Unicorn Milkshakes with me.
First of all, unicorn desserts are about the SugarHero-iest thing I can imagine. Whenever I think about new recipes, I ask myself, does it involve over-the-top decorations and bright colors and have the potential to look like a rainbow exploded all over the place? Yes? Then I am SO ON BOARD.
Secondly, I found these super cute unicorn straws, and if that wasn’t kismet right there, I don’t know what is. A unicorn in a unicorn drink! Perfection.
Thirdly, I was able to bust out SO MANY fun toppers on this milkshake! (And yes, we’re getting to the actual shake in a second…but how can I concentrate on that when there are sparkly things to talk about?)
This baby is covered with all of my favorite things: lots of different sprinkles, including pearlescent gemstones, lollipops, rock candy, wafer cookies, and sour rainbow belts. All of them are optional—the icing on the cake, if you will—so you can use whatever you can dream up. Gumballs! Mini sprinkled doughnuts! Cotton candy! You get the idea.
Here’s the last cute thing to mention about these: see the polka dot designs on the cups? Those are actually mini marshmallows! You can DIY your own polka dot milkshake cups just by sticking the cut ends of marshmallows to the glass on the inside! Totally unnecessary, totally cute. I used multi-colored marshmallows, because, you know, restraint is not in my vocabulary.
As for the drink itself? It’s strawberry-based, but also has flavors of coconut, white chocolate, and macadamia nuts. Be still my heart.
I used a really tasty coconut-strawberry swirl ice cream as the base. If you can’t find something similar, I think regular strawberry ice cream with a dash of coconut extract would also be delicious! For the liquid, I used some International Delight creamer in the White Chocolate Macadamia flavor. Ummmmm, it’s ridiculously good. I didn’t taste the white chocolate too much, because strawberry was the dominant flavor, but the macadamia came through beautifully, and was such a nice compliment to the tropical coconut and strawberry.
If you can’t find this variety, a flavor like Sweet Cream or Vanilla would also work. And one thing I learned from my last International Delight post is that it’s not always available internationally (and I have a LOT of British and Australian readers…hi guys!). So if you can’t find International Delight at all, regular milk can be substitute just fine, or perhaps coconut milk in a carton, if that’s available to you.
Finally, I have to share a cute picture of my son enjoying a taste of this Unicorn Milkshake! He came home from school as I was finishing up the photographs, and his eyes just about popped out of his skull when he saw the rainbow candy wonderland on the table. He got a few slurps before dinner while I reminded him how cool his mom’s job is, is and what a lucky boy he is. (Chances he was listening? Less than 5%.)
So there you have it—these are kid-tested, SugarHero-approved. I hope you’ll hop on the unicorn train with me, and give this milkshake a try!
Don’t miss the step-by-step tutorial showing how to make Unicorn Milkshakes – check out the web story here!
💗More Drink Recipes You’ll Love
- Oreo Milkshake
- Love Potion Valentine’s Day Drink
- Epic Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshakes
- Witch’s Brew Halloween Punch
- Frozen Hot Chocolate
- Pie Milkshakes
Unicorn Milkshakes
Ingredients
- 10 oz strawberry-coconut ice cream, (5 large scoops)
- 1 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup International Delight Creamer, can substitute milk
- ½ cup fruity miniature marshmallows
- ¼ cup vanilla frosting
- ½ cup assorted sprinkles
- Whipped cream
- Decorative toppings, like lollipops, rock candy, wafer cookies, etc
Instructions
- Combine the ice cream, strawberries, and White Chocolate Macadamia International Delight Creamer in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Snip the miniature marshmallows in half. Press the cut half of one marshmallow on the inside of a 10-oz glass, pressing firmly so that it sticks. Continue to add marshmallow “polka dots” inside the glass, and repeat with a second cup until both are decorated.
- Spread a thin layer of vanilla frosting around the top rim of each cup. Roll the frosting in sprinkles until the edge of the cup is entirely covered.
- Divide the milkshake between the cups. Top each cup with whipped cream, and add a big pinch of sprinkles to the top of the whipped cream.
- Now for the fun part…decorating! Add fun and colorful decorations like swirled lollipops, rock candy sticks, sour rainbow belts, wafer cookies, and unicorn straws. Enjoy immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
MEASURING TIPS
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Click here to learn more about baking measurements and conversion.Nutrition
🌈 COLORFUL RAINBOW DESSERTS 🌈
We’ve rounded up 23 of our FAVORITE rainbow dessert recipes & ideas that are sure to make you smile — click here to get all the recipes!
So adorable!
Thanks so much, Heather!
I am in love with these! The Starbucks ones were pretty but didn’t taste very good. These are pretty AND I’ll bet they taste great!
Thanks so much Margot! We love them!
Wow wow wow that’s all I’m going to say!!!
Thank you!!
Wow! So cute!
Thank you so much!
I saw these on FB this morning and couldn’t get over how cute they are!! I love the over-the-topness, and using coffee creamer to make a shake is such a great way of adding different flavor notes in there. I can’t wait to try this!
Tracy thank you so much! We love them at my house. I hope you let me know if you give it a try!
Wow these are so crazy colorful! And I love that you fingernails match the marshmallows stuck to the inside of the glass!
Thanks Vicky! A girl’s got to get her fun somehow;)
Haha this is so fun! Love the marshmallow dots and everything about this.
Thank you Matt!
An unbelievable recipe again! These are so pretty. I also love your son’s cute pink paw nails.
I do wonder, what do you do with your extravagant goods once you’re finished making them? Some of them are huge; I can’t imagine a small family finishing the whole recipe!
Thank you Wendy! For the most part I send them off with my husband to work or share with the neighbors. We definitely try to limit our sugar consumption as a family. As a bonus, his co-workers and our neighbors really love us:)
Pretty and cute, but I can’t imagine giving this to a child. An occasional sweet treat is fine, but the sugar along with the chemicals is poison to all of us. Just look at the diseases that are rampant in our country.
Did you read the “couple slurps” line?
Hi–please see my FAQ regarding my views on occasional sugar consumption.
So cute, and I’d love to partake, except I’m allergic to dairy.
Hi Jennifer, you could definitely do a version of this recipe with your dairy free ice-cream and milk substitute of your choice. I’d love to see what you come up with if you give it a try!
Although it looks really impressive, I think quite irresponsible to give that to a child, or for that matter an adult. How much sugar is in that? 60, 80 grams of sugar? The suggested daily max intake of sugar for adults in between 25-37grams depending on if you are female of male, and for children, they should have no more than 10 to 20 grams, depending on their age.
Hi–please see my FAQ regarding my views on occasional sugar consumption.
Good god, shut up. Your parents and grandparents likely ate and fed you worse things as children. An occasional “unhealthy” treat isn’t going to kill anyone. I hate how suddenly everything with sugar or fat is deemed poisonous if consumed more than once in a lifetime. There is this thing called “moderation” and if you practice it you can eat just about anything you want without worrying about weight gain or poor health. Americans are such extremists when it comes to food, you either overindulge or you treat all food like the enemy. It’s not a healthy approach towards food.
Wow, TROLL, if you’re so against the usage of sugar, why the heck did you come to a website called “Sugar Hero”? I think it looks absolutely magical, Elizabeth, and excellent for a special occasion.
Oh my yum! I love that you can use so many different types of creamer or ice cream to create a whole new flavor! The candies are what got me. Who doesn’t LOVE a good excuse to use so many colorful yummies to enjoy too!
Btw….love your son’s nails in the pic! He’s rockin’ it!
Thanks for always sharing your fun ideas!
You are so sweet! Thank you so much.
The milkshake looks beautiful however, your son’s painted fingernails??
Yep, he loved them!
It was the first thing I noticed! Love it. We have two older girls and then our son and he wants to do everything they do-including having his nails painted. I think it’s sweet!
We are definitely making this
Awesome, let me know how this turns out!
Would love to know where you source your rainbow sprinkles and gems from
Honestly, I have a huge sprinkle collection that I’ve been adding to for years, so they come from all over. The sprinkle gems come from Wilton and I’ve seen them at Target and Michael’s.
I will be making this for my sister for her birthday to accompany her unicorn cake
Yay!! Let me know how it goes!
Hi
I am having so much difficulty keeping the marshmallows on the side. I am using plastic cups. I have used different marshmallows and nothing is helping, even using normal icing as a ‘glue’
Can someone suggest an idea. Thanks
Sorry to hear that! I’ve never had a problem with it, but I’ve always used glass instead of plastic. Maybe a dab of corn syrup would help? It also may be that plastic is just nonstick and might not work at all. Let me know if you get it figured out or have any other questions!
These are adorable. I’ll be making them this weekend for my daughter’s birthday. Do you think I could prepare the glasses ahead of time?
Its so amazing i loved
Thank you so much! Love hearing that!
I’m in love with it and with your beautiful kid. Can only imagine how happy he must’ve been with those big glasses of happiness.
Also, really liked how you handled some of the critics here. Seems I’ve got more to learn from you than just these awesome recipes.
Thanks for sharing, wish the best for you and your family
Hi Thayse, Thank you so much for the sweet comment! I appreciate all the kind words about my son and my blog. <3
Very pretty!!
Also, my whole family loves them !! Thanks for this wonderful recipie ! ❤️❤️
Cheers to you for letting your son paint his nails <3
Also, this is without a doubt the most beautiful milkshake I have ever seen!
Made the unicorn mukeshake for my one year old
Grandbaby b-day party the kids and the adult love it . I usde coconut extract and vanilla International
Deli creamer.
Have to say everything in moderation and this as a party treat is perfect. My 3 year old daughter today has done a 2.5k park run, horse riding, tennis and swimming and well as playing in the park. It’s really about having children being activity which is a crucial point as well as diet, Don’t take away their childhood! Just remove their technology and tv!
Haha glad to hear it! And it sounds like she got plenty of activity in before enjoying her yummy treat! Glad you liked it!!
This is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen!!! My 6 year old would go crazy for this!
So glad to hear it!! You’ll have to let me know if you try it! 🙂
I have not try the recipe yet but it is so cute love it this recipe is the best:-) 😉
Hey Hannah, thanks so much! I would love to hear how it goes!
My inner 8 year old and my actual 6 year old and 4 year olds are all dreaming endlessly over this one! So, did you get those sprinkles as they are shown, or is it your own combo? Here in outback Aussie I do have envy of the astounding and endless variety available in the US. Thanks for your website for cheering us up and your boy looks so grown up in this pic, I remember him in the 1st birthday pics! PS any time you want to share more birthday cakes….we are patiently waiting! thanks Elizabeth
What brand of strawberry coconut swirl ice cream did you use?
This looks like a fun milkshake! I might have to make some for my kids!
Super duper! I didn’t use the creamer — so I substituted actual heavy cream. My grandkids loved it, never even noticed it was missing a teeny bit of sugar, what with the sheer number and variety of toppings!
It was a real event, and I was asked to do it again for a sleepover. BTW we all love the site! So many fun, colorful ideas!
What a cute idea for a child’s Birthday Party. It’s too cute not to share this with other children. Thank you for this very sweet idea and recipe…
I love it soooooo much!!!!!
Hi!! Thank you sooooo much!!!!