A small McDonalds Shamrock Shake will set you back 460 calories and 64 grams of sugar! Do your health a favor, and make your own delicious and healthy shamrock shake recipe at home.
How to make a healthy Shamrock Shake
The popular McDonalds Shamrock Shakes are back again.
And although those mint milkshakes might taste good for the few minutes they last, even the smallest size shamrock milkshake is full of empty calories and sugar, chemicals, additives, and food dyes.
So here is a quick, simple, thick, and super creamy recipe for how to make your own homemade healthy shamrock shake, right in your own kitchen.
Readers also love these Black Bean Brownies
Watch the step by step healthy shamrock shake recipe video above
Homemade healthy milkshakes
While I’ve always believed indulging in unhealthy food every once in a while is fine, I’ve also never been big on moderation.
If I enjoy something, I want it all the time!
With these healthy shamrock shakes, you don’t have to drink them in moderation.
The easy recipe takes under five minutes to make, uses natural ingredients to get that classic green hue, and it has NO refined sugar whatsoever.
Think of how much sugar you’re saving by drinking ZERO grams of refined sugar instead of 64. This healthy shamrock shake recipe is also way under 460 calories.
Trending right now: Vegan Hot Chocolate
Vegan shamrock shake ingredients
The recipe calls for the following: milk of choice, frozen spinach (or a few drops of food coloring), pure peppermint extract, chocolate chips or cacao nibs, and a frozen banana.
There’s no matcha required, and a banana free option is also included in the recipe.
While they don’t taste exactly like a McDonald’s thick shake (although if you use canned coconut milk, they are surprisingly milkshake-like), I actually like these vegan milkshakes even better. They don’t give you the lethargic consumed-too-much-sugar feeling when you’re done.
Feel free to use your favorite milk of choice here. Sometimes I use coconut milk for a more decadent shake, but more often I will use nondairy cashew milk or almond milk.
Lately when I’ve been making the plant based shakes, I haven’t bothered to turn them green. The white ones are still just as good, although admittedly not quite as fun.
*If you’re a chocoholic, try the Chocolate Shamrock Shake Recipe.
Healthy shamrock shake serving suggestions
These healthy green smoothies are great for breakfast, snack, or dessert.
Try serving them with a Tofu Scramble or these whole grain Banana Oatmeal Cookies, for a healthy breakfast you’ll want to make all year long.
Or enjoy one as a festive St. Patrick’s Day dessert. You can even add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to turn it into a high protein post workout treat.
One shamrock protein shake will have around 25-30 grams of protein!
What’s your favorite milkshake flavor?
Mine’s always been mint chocolate chip. Although I do love the flavor, it’s the vibrant green color that enthralls me more than anything else.
Think of those gorgeously green Shamrock Shakes from McDonalds or the bright mint chocolate chip milkshakes from Baskin Robbins.
It goes back to when I was three years old and loved anything blue. Since our local Baskin Robbins didn’t make blue ice cream at the time, mint chocolate chip was the next best choice.
I went through a phase in middle school where I’d drink a Baskin Robbins mint chocolate chip milkshake every single day after school.
And now?
Well now it’s been over seven years since I first came up with this vegan and healthy shamrock shake recipe, and yet here I am still making them for myself at least once a week!
Try topping your Shamrock Shake with homemade Coconut Whipped Cream.
The recipe was inspired by this Green Smoothie Recipe.
Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 frozen banana (or make this banana-free Avocado Smoothie Recipe)
- cacao nibs or chocolate chips, as desired
- 1/8 tsp to 1/4 tsp pure peppermint extract
- 1 scoop protein powder, optional
- 1/4 cup frozen spinach, optional
- I usually add scant 1/8 tsp salt to bring out the flavor
Instructions
- *If you can’t get on board with the green smoothie thing, you can opt for green food coloring or just drink a white peppermint shake, which is just as delicious. Or add a pinch of spirulina!Feel free to use your favorite milk of choice. Canned coconut milk will give it a rich milkshake-like taste, but I also really love the lighter results of using cashewmilk or almond milk. Make sure the banana you use is at least somewhat brown so you don't get that unripe earthy banana flavor in your mint chocolate shake. To make the shake: Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely smooth. You can add the chocolate chips either before or after blending. Be sure to use pure peppermint extract, not imitation.View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Healthy Drink Ideas
Strawberry Smoothies ( NO banana)
Do you think this would work if you use sugar free syrups (like the ones for coffee) instead of the mint extract? I just got sugar free french vanilla and caramel syrups and want to put it in everything now. (:
You can always try 🙂
FYI, the link above to the IHOP Pancakes takes me to a recipe that is not yours, Katie, and its definitely not vegan. I thought you might want to know. Love your recipes! Thanks so much.
I have to try this, as I am crazy about mint!
So, for someone who is allergic to bananas, what is a possible substitute? I can usually get away with applesauce in baked goods, but I have no ideas for a milkshake. 🙁
Thai coconut meat.
Or ice cream of choice.
I’m very allergic to bananas. I love green shakes though. Can I sub the banana for anything else? Yogurt maybe….or ice cream(wouldn’t be near as healthy).
Sure! Ice cream would work!
Hello 🙂
Do you think fresh spinach would work? Thanks!
I just made it with fresh spinach, had no problems at all. Was my first time making it, so maybe I just don’t know any better.
It was delicious though, could easily have added more spinach without actually tasting it.
Thanks for the recipe Katie!
Hi, Katie! What timing! My brother and sister are coming to visit this weekend, and this would be a fun treat to serve them.
One question: your recipe doesn’t list any measurement for the cocoa nibs/chocolate chips. I’m not good with no measurements, at least until I’ve made a recipe a few times. 😀 Would you say, maybe, 1/4 cup of chocolate chips? Or 1/2 cup? A large handful? What’s a close measurement to what you usually add?
Thanks so much! Happy St. Patrick’s Day! (And hooray for chocolate mint green foods.)
Just a handful. They are for garnish so anything goes.
I know this is an older recipe, but I made this just now, and I can’t wait to eat it! I stuck it back in the freezer to thicken up a bit. I didn’t have spinach, but I’m cooking cabbage and had some extra so I added that, and you can’t even taste it. This will be my first “green” milkshake, so I’m glad the cabbage flavor isn’t there at all! I did still have to add food coloring, though. Still, I think it’ll be excellent!
Do u have to use frozen spinach or can you use fresh?
I’m sure fresh is fine.
Avocado could be another green option for this shake!
Wow, this looks so refreshing! Yum 🙂
I made this for St. Patrick’s Day but since I had fresh mint on hand I froze a quarter cup of fresh mint leaves with the banana and used them in place of both the spinach and the extract, it worked out deliciously!
I made this once (delicious!) and was wondering if I could make it the night before to have in the morning (stored in an airtight container). Will that work, or will it lose all its nutritional value overnight?
It won’t lose its nutritional value overnight.
Thanks Megan! Made some tonight to have for breakfast.
Hi Kate, I love your site. And I love mint. But I absolutely abhor bananas. You use them a lot, especially in ice cream. Now, I know that asking you for an across the board substitution might be a lot to ask, but could you please offer some more alternatives to nanas? I have a wacked out limited diet and bananas (and most fruits) are off limits. Love to hear your ideas for what I might try instead. Thanks!
Maybe try silken tofu? Katie uses that in her chocolate protein shake which I’ve made before and I thought it was pretty good so it would probably work in any smoothie, assuming you eat soy that is.
Mmmmm… I’m definitely going to have to try this!
I made this recipe the other day and asked my husband to try it and I went to a different room and returned a few minutes later and he was sucking down the last drop! I just made it again today and it is really great. Thank you for the recipe!