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)
🙂
The frozen banana as ice cream stand in is my favorite thing to do!
I like to make pumpkin pie versions with banana, a bit of almond milk (since the pumpkin puree adds liquid!), pumpkin, pie spices and vanilla. Mmmmmmmm.
My favorite milkshake flavor = cookies & cream or chocolate
mmmm cookies n cream. plus 1 to this! and oreos are vegan, so i’m all set! but actually, i’m thinking a trader joe’s mint oreo shake would be da bomb!
LOVE that idea, Abby! Trader Joe Joe’s are a fabulous Oreo variety 🙂
Gah! Why must y’all tease me? No Trader Joe’s over here :(. TJ’s: come to Texas!!!
the color is gorgeous, though I don´t like mint+chocolate…or orange+chocolate…but the mint in the shake is great, it remids me of lemon buttermilk I used to drink in summer…so how about lemon+mint as a tastier (&vegan) replacement?
I hate orange-chocolate too! I think it might be the only chocolate-fruit combo I don’t like!
So what you need to try is your vanilla ice cream drizzled with a Dark Chocolate Balsamic vinegar and Blood Orange infused olive oil…It will change your mind about the chocolate-orange combo… it did mine!
Funny! I read this and I hate orange/chocolate too! I love just about all other fruit/choc. combos, too 🙂
Shit Katie, you just TOTALLY out-did yourself! I just drooled all over my desk. I’m re-launching raw Tuesdays on March 8th, and this is soooo on my list.
I found your blog yesterday b/c Loser for Life linked to you for the single lady cupcake she made. I spent like an hour going through your posts–I really LOVE your blog! Although not a vegan myself, I do like to eat vegetarian/vegan for most of my meals and all your ideas are so great! Like this shake! I just bought some coconut milk beverage (80 cals per cup, same as skim, and it has a thicker mouth-feel) for the first time and I love it–I so need to make this with it. I’m sooo glad I came across your blog! I forwarded it to another vegetarian friend.
Oh wow, Veronica, thank you SO much. I am so glad you found me! And I love that coconut milk too! I just tried the Silk one, and it’s delicious! 🙂
My husband is going to love this! Thanks!!
I am totally making this soon — I used to love Shamrock Shakes at McD and this looks like it could maybe be a good replacement 🙂
This is my milkshake flavor! I’m definitely going to try this… even with the spinach. Worst case I make two smoothies. I might even be able to get my 2 year old to eat his greens with this one. Thanks!
Beeeeautiful!
I need to start stocking up on frozen spinach. This is a perfect way to sneak extra greens into my boyfriend’s diet!
Muahahahaha I love being a sneaky girlfriend! Well, I’m single right now, but ex bfs have had tofu, spinach, and all sorts of other fun stuff snuck into their diet! I always tell them later, though ;).
It’s so much fun! I made some mac n’ cheese that had tofu in it, but didn’t tell him until after he dropped the, “This is amazing! You need to make this again!” It’s all in the delivery!
Oh my. I don’t even like mint chocolate but this looks amazing!
Whitney
Looks tasty! I tried Guar Gum for the first time this morning in a pumpkin-blueberry smoothie. I loved it! Guar makes it much more shake-like.
If you can figure out how to make a “healthy” vanilla shake with those yummy gooey brownie chunks… I would probably build a shrine in your honor. 😉
Can it be a chocolate shrine??? 🙂
I love those – make them almost every morning with cacao nibs for an extra little crunch!
Yum! We just bought some spinach yesterday and bananas so I will make this before I leave my Grandma’s. Maybe I’ll bottle it up in my thermos for the trip home! My dream milkshake flavor? I never drank a lot of milkshakes before I went vegan, but a GF cookies ‘n’ cream mocha milkshake sounds rad.
VEGirl
Lovely photos! The green is so vibrant. Have you ever made a red velvet shake? I’ve never had one, but it sounds like it would be good.
No! But now I really want to! Would it just be like a vanilla shake with red food coloring? Or vanilla blended with cream cheese and then something to make it red?
this is how I make my red velvet cheesecake protein shake: 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese ,can use tofu, 1 scoop vanilla or chocolate protein powder,1/2 tsp. butter extact, 1 tbsp. cocoa powder, 3-5 drops red food coloring, 2 tbsp. fat free cream cheese or 1-2 tbsp sugar free instant cheesecake pudding mix, 5-10 ice cubes, 1/2-1 cup water, 2-3 stevia pkts, 1/2 tsp xanthan gum. put all in blender. easy. 230 cal, 1 fat, 4 sugar, 36 protein
Is that a really big straw or is it a really tiny glass?! Lol!
lol it’s a HUGE, fat straw, from the Asian market I think. The glass holds a little more than a cup, I think (maybe a cup and a 1/2).
I want one!! 🙂
me too! lol
Ohmygoodness, I am making this for my post workout snack today, katie!!!! I just LOVE chocolate mint-best flavor of all time!