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McDonald's Menu

Updated 22 August 2026

McDonald's Vanilla Shake (Small)
Treats

McDonald's Vanilla Shake (Small)

$5.19 480 Cal 10g protein

Price shown is for the medium size.

McDonald's vanilla shake is made with our creamy vanilla soft serve and topped with whipped topping for a cool, tasty treat. Available in small, medium, and large.

Checked across 24 restaurants, $3.69 to $6.69.

4.0 · 9 ratings

Nutrition Calculator Full McDonald Menu

Nutritional Facts

Per serving · Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Total480kcal
Protein10g20%
Carbs80g27%
Fat13g20%
NutrientAmount% DV
Calories480kcal24%
Total Fat13g20%
Saturated Fat8g40%
Trans Fat0.5g—
Cholesterol50mg17%
Sodium210mg9%
Total Carbohydrates80g27%
Dietary Fiber0g0%
Total Sugars51g102%
Added Sugars40g80%
Protein10g20%
Calcium340mg26%
Iron0mg0%
Potassium460mg10%
Caffeine0mg—
Nutritional values come from McDonald's published data and may vary by location or customisation. Updated 22 August 2026. Compare this item against the rest of the menu with the nutrition calculator.

McDonald's Vanilla Shake (Small) Complete Information

A McDonald's Vanilla Shake (Small) costs $5.19 and carries 480 calories with 10g of protein. Vanilla soft serve blended with vanilla syrup and finished with whipped cream.

Vanilla sits in the middle of the three flavors on calories, forty below the Chocolate Shake (Small) at 520 and ten above the Strawberry Shake (Small) at 470, at the same $5.19 price as both. It is also the flavor closest to the base itself, which means it lives or dies on the quality of the soft serve rather than on a syrup covering it. That base was reformulated in 2017 to drop artificial flavors, colors and preservatives, so what you are tasting is real vanilla and real dairy. At 480 calories a small still outweighs a 580 calorie Big Mac, which is worth knowing before it goes alongside a meal rather than instead of dessert.

Health Insight

At 480 calories and 51g of sugar, this one is best treated as an occasional order rather than an everyday one.

Lighter alternative: Hot Fudge Sundae on the same menu comes in at 330 calories. See Hot Fudge Sundae

What Is in a McDonald's Vanilla Shake (Small)?

3 components, 26 ingredients in total, exactly as McDonald's lists them.

  1. Main Ingredients10
    • Milk
    • Sugar
    • Cream
    • Corn Syrup
    • Natural Flavor
    • Mono And Diglycerides
    • Cellulose Gum
    • Guar Gum
    • Carrageenan
    • Vitamin A Palmitate

    Contains: Milk

  2. Vanilla Shake Syrup8
    • Corn Syrup
    • Water
    • Glycerin
    • Caramel Color
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Natural Flavor
    • Salt
    • Potassium Sorbate (Preservative)
  3. Whipped Light Cream8
    • Cream
    • Nonfat Milk
    • Milk
    • Liquid Sugar
    • Contains 2% Or Less: Mono And Diglycerides
    • Natural Flavors
    • Carrageenan
    • Whipping Propellant (Nitrous Oxide)
Ingredient statements are published by McDonald's and can change without notice. Regional suppliers mean a restaurant near you may use a slightly different formulation.

How to Make a Vanilla Shake (Small) at Home?

A vanilla shake has nowhere to hide, so use vanilla bean paste rather than extract and good ice cream rather than the cheapest tub. Everything else is the milk powder trick that makes it thick. The restaurant small is $5.19.

10 min10 prep, 0 cookEasydifficulty2 small shakesyield
Servings2

Ingredients0 of 6

Shake base

Vanilla

Method0 of 4 steps

Tips

  • Vanilla bean paste over extract. In a flavor this bare the difference is immediately obvious.
  • The sugar matters. Ice cream alone is not sweet enough once milk dilutes it.
  • Blend twenty seconds on low, no more, or the shake thins out.

Variations

  • Add chocolate syrup for the Chocolate Shake at 520 calories.
  • Add strawberry syrup for the Strawberry Shake at 470 calories.
  • Blend in a shot of espresso for an affogato style shake the menu does not offer.

Serve at once with whipped cream. A restaurant small is $5.19 at 480 calories.

Pairs Well Together

Perfect Combination

A Coffee (Small) cuts the sweetness of the Vanilla Shake (Small), which is why the two turn up together.

Vanilla Shake (Small) $5.19 Vanilla Shake (Small) Coffee (Small) $2.49 Coffee (Small)

Allergen Information

This item may contain the following allergens

  • Milk / Dairy

Allergen information for the Vanilla Shake (Small) is based on McDonald's standard recipe. Cross contamination is possible in restaurant kitchens, so tell staff about any allergy before you order.

Compare Items

Pick an item above to see it against the Vanilla Shake (Small) on price, calories and macros.

More from the Treats Menu

See Vanilla Shake (Small) Against the Whole Menu

Every item priced side by side, so you can see exactly where Vanilla Shake (Small) sits against the rest of the menu before you decide.

Full McDonald Menu

Vanilla Shake (Small) Questions

How much is a McDonald's Vanilla Shake?

A small Vanilla Shake is $5.19 at a typical US restaurant, identical to the chocolate and strawberry versions. That figure is a median from live restaurant listings with the range shown above.

How many calories in a Vanilla Shake?

480 calories for a small with 10g of protein, which places it between strawberry at 470 and chocolate at 520. All three cost the same.

Is McDonald’s shake made with real ice cream?

Yes, the same reduced fat vanilla soft serve as the cones, sundaes and McFlurries, blended with syrup and topped with whipped cream. It was reformulated in 2017 to remove artificial flavors, colors and preservatives.

Why do shakes and cones disappear together?

One machine feeds all of them. The cone, sundae, shake and McFlurry pour from the same soft serve unit, so when it is down for its nightly heat clean or for repair, every one of them goes off the menu at once.

Is a shake a good pairing with a meal?

Only if it replaces dessert. At 480 calories a small shake outweighs a 580 calorie Big Mac on its own, so treating it as a drink alongside a full meal roughly doubles the order.

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