Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe

4.98 from 128 votes
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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.

Vegan Shamrock Shake Recipe

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

Healthy Vegan Shamrock Shakes (Low Calorie Recipe)

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

Healthy Shamrock Shakes - A small McDonalds shake will set you back 530 calories & 73 grams of sugar... Do your health a favor and make your own healthy Shamrock Shakes at home! https://lett-trim.today/2011/02/24/raw-mint-chocolate-chip-milkshake/ @choccoveredkt
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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.

Shamrocks

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!

Vegan Girl Drinking Green Smoothie

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.

Secretly Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe

The recipe was inspired by this Green Smoothie Recipe.

4.98 from 128 votes

Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe

Do your health a favor, and make your own delicious healthy shamrock shake recipe at home!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 serving
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

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

Also be sure to try these Homemade Chocolate Bars.
 
Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Healthy Drink Ideas

Easy Frappuccino Recipe

Frappuccino Recipe

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Strawberry Smoothies ( NO banana)

Powdered Peanut Butter Recipe Smoothie

Healthy Chocolate Frosty

Chocolate Peanut Butter Acai Bowl Recipes

Acai Bowl Recipes

peanut butter banana shake

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

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Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post, and ABC’s 5 O’clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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Recipe Rating




357 Comments

  1. Jack Smith says:

    I love mint chip ice cream! I also love spinach… so I really need to try this! Do you think I could freeze the remaining serving to enjoy at a later date.

  2. Vanessa says:

    What about fresh spinach? I don’t have frozen but I do have fresh!

  3. Cassie Thuvan Tran says:

    I used to make something similar to a shamrock shake almost every day! They were delicious. I definitely have to get back into making them again!

  4. sasha perez says:

    I love this but I always taste the bannana, can i use greek yogurt instead?

    1. Jason Sanford says:

      You can definitely experiment! Be sure to report back if you do.

  5. Kathy says:

    Oh man was this good! And really easy to make. Sorry I can’t post a picture of it, I drank it all up right away.

  6. Abi says:

    Would this work with cashew cream? Looks delicious!

    1. Jason Sanford says:

      Sure!

  7. JOLYNN says:

    Bananas give me acid reflux. Is there a substitute that can be used?

  8. Hannah says:

    If you make this with spinach is the taste noticeable?

    1. Jason Sanford says:

      I don’t ever taste it because the peppermint extract masks it 🙂

  9. Kelsey says:

    About what size shake does this make? 8 oz? 12 oz? Thanks!

    1. Jason Sanford says:

      I would say about 8

  10. Kat says:

    Just made this for my kiddos and they loved it! I tried a bit too and it was so tasty . Definitely going to make this again.