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Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake

Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake
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Prep 5 min Cook 0 min Serves 2 milkshakes
Quick answer: The Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake is reduced-fat vanilla soft serve blended with peppermint syrup and milk chocolate chips, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The key to nailing the flavor at home: use pure peppermint extract (not mint extract, which is mostly spearmint), reduced-fat vanilla ice cream to mimic Icedream's lighter body, and pulse the chips in at the end rather than blending them smooth — they should be small chunks throughout, not a uniform chocolate shake. A medium at Chick-fil-A is 670 calories and runs about $5–6; this recipe makes two shakes for roughly $2.50 total at about 370 calories each. The milkshake has returned every November since 2008 and is typically available through early January.

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Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake

Make the Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake at home — vanilla Icedream-style base, pure peppermint extract, and chocolate chips blended throughout, topped with whipped cream. Ready in 5 minutes, about 300 fewer calories than the restaurant's seasonal version, and you can make it any time of year.

Easy Prep: 5 min Cook: 0 min Total: 5 min2 milkshakes servings ~$2.10/serving
Prep5 min
Cook0 min
Total5 min
Servings
2
At home~$2.10/serving
vs
Restaurant~$9.45/serving
You save ~78%

The Story Behind the Recipe

The Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake has run every November since 2008 — nearly two decades as a fast-food holiday institution. Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy built the chain around his proprietary Icedream soft-serve, a reduced-fat frozen dairy dessert he chose deliberately because it was lighter and more refreshing than standard ice cream. The peppermint shake takes that lighter base and blends in peppermint flavoring with milk chocolate chips, landing the candy-cane flavor combination in a cup that's less heavy than a full-fat milkshake. A medium at participating US locations runs about $5–6 and is 670 calories; this homemade version makes two shakes for roughly $2.50 total.

The technique that matters most in this recipe is the two-stage blend: ice cream and milk first until completely smooth, then the chips pulsed in briefly so they stay as visible irregular pieces rather than disappearing into the base. Chick-fil-A's approach produces chocolate flecks throughout the shake — not a uniform chocolate drink, and not plain peppermint with a handful of chips floating on top. The extract goes in before the chips specifically because adding it after the pulse would require another blend and risk over-processing the chips. Pure peppermint extract, not mint or spearmint, is the only flavor that matches the candy-cane profile Chick-fil-A uses.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (2 milkshakes servings)
Calories370
Total Fat15g
Total Carbs51g
Dietary Fiber1g
Sugars37g
Protein7g
Sodium130mg

* Estimated values based on standard recipe preparation. Actual values may vary.

Ingredients

Instructions

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Pro tip: This recipe tastes even better the next day. The flavors need time to meld together in the fridge.
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Storage: Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Freezer-friendly for up to 3 months.
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The Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake is a once-a-year thing at the restaurant — available from November through early January since 2008. At home, it takes five minutes and the ingredients are straightforward: reduced-fat vanilla ice cream, pure peppermint extract, mini chocolate chips, and whole milk. The result is lighter than a full-fat milkshake, peppermint-forward, with chocolate pieces in every sip.

Two things make this recipe work: using the right extract (pure peppermint, not mint or spearmint — they taste different), and pulsing the chips in briefly rather than blending them smooth. Chick-fil-A’s shake has visible dark pieces throughout. Over-blend and you lose them entirely.

What Makes It Different From a Generic Peppermint Shake

The Chick-fil-A shake is built on Icedream, their proprietary reduced-fat soft-serve — not full-fat ice cream. That lighter base gives the shake a more refreshing, less heavy feel than a standard milkshake. Using reduced-fat or slow-churned vanilla ice cream at home (Edy’s Slow Churned, Breyers Natural Vanilla) gets the texture closest to the original.

The chocolate is blended in, not a topping or swirl. Chick-fil-A folds in chocolate chips that get broken into irregular fragments during blending, which distributes the chocolate throughout rather than concentrating it at one spot. This recipe preserves that by pulsing — a few quick bursts — rather than running the blender continuously.

The One Technique Worth Remembering

Pulse the chips, don’t blend them. Set your blender to pulse mode (or use one-second bursts on medium), and stop the moment the chips have broken into small but still-visible pieces. Four to five pulses is usually right. Six or more and the chips become invisible — you lose the textural contrast that makes the shake interesting. The base should already be completely smooth before the chips go in; that’s why the recipe blends in two stages.

For internal links: this shake pairs well with the Chick-fil-A Peach Milkshake and the Chick-fil-A S’mores Milkshake as seasonal Chick-fil-A shake copycats. If you’re building out a holiday peppermint spread, the Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark and the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha cover the other peppermint classics.

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Make It Healthier

Love Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake but want a lighter version? Try these simple swaps:

  • ✓Use a frozen banana (1 large, sliced and frozen) to replace half the ice cream — blend it with 1 cup of ice cream instead of 2. This cuts about 100 calories and 8g fat per shake and adds real potassium, with no meaningful flavor change given the peppermint extract's dominance.
  • ✓Swap whole milk for unsweetened oat milk — saves 15–20 calories per shake and the oat milk's natural sweetness plays well with the peppermint and chocolate without changing the texture much.
  • ✓Use dark chocolate chips (60–70% cacao) instead of semi-sweet. Same chip count, but dark chocolate adds a slightly bitter edge that balances the sweet Icedream base and reduces sugar by about 5g per shake.
  • ✓Reduce extract to ½ teaspoon and add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder to the base — you get the peppermint-chocolate pairing with more depth and less reliance on sugar, which is how the shake reads when it's made with high-quality chocolate chips.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake and when is it available?

The Peppermint Chip Milkshake is a seasonal holiday offering made with Chick-fil-A's Icedream soft-serve, peppermint flavoring, and milk chocolate chips blended throughout, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. It first appeared on the Chick-fil-A holiday menu in 2008 and has returned every year since, typically available from early-to-mid November through early January at participating US locations. In 2025 it came back nationwide on November 10; Chick-fil-A doesn't publish a fixed end date, but the holiday run usually wraps by early-to-mid January. For 2026, there's no official confirmation yet as of late October — the pattern is a mid-November return, so check the Chick-fil-A app in early November for the announcement.

What is the difference between peppermint extract and mint extract?

This distinction matters more than most recipes acknowledge. Pure peppermint extract is made from peppermint (Mentha × piperita), which is high in menthol — the compound that gives the clean, sharp, cooling sensation you associate with candy canes. Spearmint extract (and generic 'mint extract,' which is often mostly spearmint) has a sweeter, softer flavor without the same menthol kick. The Chick-fil-A milkshake tastes like a peppermint candy cane, not a mint julep. Always use a bottle labeled 'pure peppermint extract' — McCormick, Frontier Co-op, and Nielsen-Massey all work well. Peppermint oil is 4–6× more concentrated than extract; if using oil instead, start with ⅛ teaspoon and taste carefully before adding more.

What ice cream should I use to best mimic Chick-fil-A's Icedream?

Icedream is Chick-fil-A's proprietary frozen dairy dessert — not technically 'ice cream' by FDA standards because it contains roughly 3–5% milkfat, below the 10% minimum the FDA requires for the 'ice cream' label. Truett Cathy deliberately designed it lighter than standard ice cream. For the closest home result, use reduced-fat or 'slow churned' vanilla ice cream: Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla, Breyers CarbSmart Vanilla, or similar. These mimic Icedream's lighter body and slightly less-rich taste. Premium full-fat ice cream (Häagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's) makes a denser, richer shake — still delicious, but different from the Chick-fil-A original, which is lighter and more refreshing than a standard milkshake. If that's all you have, add an extra tablespoon of milk to thin it.

Why does the recipe use mini chips instead of regular chips?

Mini chocolate chips blend and chop more evenly in the short pulse time this recipe uses. Regular-sized chips need more pulses to break down, which risks over-blending the base and warming the shake. Mini chips also distribute more evenly — you get chocolate in every sip rather than a few large concentrated pieces. That said, regular chips work fine if mini aren't available; just watch the pulse count (4 pulses max with regular chips, or they barely break down; 6–7 pulses and the shake starts to lose its thick texture).

How many calories are in the Chick-fil-A Peppermint Chip Milkshake?

Chick-fil-A lists the Peppermint Chip Milkshake at approximately 670 calories with 23g fat, 109g carbs, and 11g protein, based on its official nutrition data (the chain publishes a single standard figure rather than a per-size breakdown). Third-party nutrition databases estimate a small at roughly 660 calories and a large around 930 — treat those size numbers as approximate. Either way, it's among the higher-calorie fast-food shakes because of the portion. The home recipe in this article makes two shakes at about 370 calories each, mostly because the serving size is closer to a standard 10-oz glass than a large restaurant cup.

Can I make this ahead of time or store leftovers?

Milkshakes don't store well — the ice cream and chips separate as the base warms and refreezes unevenly, and the peppermint flavor fades. If you need to make ahead, blend only the ice cream and milk base and freeze it in the blender jar for up to 30 minutes; blend again for 10 seconds before adding the extract and chips. Leftovers can be poured into a zip-lock bag and refrozen, then re-blended — the texture is slightly icier but acceptable. Don't try to save a fully assembled shake with whipped cream; it's best consumed within 10–15 minutes.

Does Chick-fil-A have other peppermint holiday drinks?

Yes. The Peppermint Chip Milkshake anchors Chick-fil-A's peppermint lineup, but the holiday menu also includes a Peppermint Chip Frosted Coffee (peppermint flavoring + chocolate chips blended with cold brew and Icedream — more caffeinated, less sweet) and a Peppermint Iced Coffee (peppermint syrup in regular iced coffee, no Icedream). The Frosted Coffee version is the sleeper favorite among Chick-fil-A regulars — it's roughly 320 calories for a large and hits the same candy-cane flavor note with a real coffee backbone.

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Chick-fil-A is a trademark of its owner, used here only to describe the dish this recipe recreates. This is an independent copycat written in our own words — Copycat Spices is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Chick-fil-A.

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