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)
OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEAUTIFUL. SO BEAUTIFUL!
That looks DELICIOUS!! Reminds me of the raw mint chocolate sundae at Pure Food and Wine. YUM!
Ah, I have dreamed of that sundae from afar. Too bad there’s no Pure Food and Wine in Texas. 🙁
My blender WISHES it was a Vitamix.
My favorite shake flavor would have to be chocolate 🙂 I know it’s old-fashioned and lame, but it’s still CHOCOLATE and anything chocolate is good. Which I’m sure you know… 😉
Hehe agreed. 🙂
That looks good, but it seems like a peppermint green monster moreso. I will definitely try it though, probably add some peanut butter! I don’t drink milkshakes that much just because they are not worth it, but I like the McFlurry’s at mcdonalds and you can get a smaller size there than there actual normal so your not drinking all the calories in one day. I’m not obsessed with calories, but shakes can get pretty ridiculous. 😛 though delicious
Mmmm, this looks yummy! Good call to use peppermint extract and spinach for the coloring and taste:) My last shake was coincidentally yesterday and was composed of coconut milk, raspberries, avocado, banana and cocoa powder. Did I mention I loved chocolate and coconut? 🙂
Okay Katie – Seriously – You must stop this. My list of CCK goodies to make is growing ridiculously long 😉
This shake is so beautiful!!
This looks AMAZINGGG – I used to love milkshakes when I was a kid, but would always feel overly stuffed and kind of gross after – I love how healthy this one is – I am for sure going to give it a try! 🙂
That sounds incredible 🙂 I love mint and chocolate together! Do you think this would work using fresh mint leaves instead of the extract??
I’m sure it would taste different, but still delicious! Let me know what you think if you do try it :).
mmm i vote for a peanut butter milk shake!!! 🙂
I can’t stop thinking about a double chocolate almond butter cup shake, even though I’ve never had the cups in a shake, I know it would be amazing! If you make it, I’ll try not to drool on your server! A chocolate coconut cup or peanut butter cup shake would be amazing too. Pretty much anything with chocolate and nut butter!
Once again, Katie, you are a genius!! And your last post? Completely mouth watering! I think my eats would be somewhat dull if I didn’t have you to inspire me everyday! 🙂
I love that you made it so green!!! naturally!
Milkshake = DQ Blizzards, Heath Bar flavor. As a kid, I used to eat those all the time. They made me sick. I should have known back then I was dairy intolerant but I love them sooooo much! I would eat them anyway. God they were sooo good. There is just no way to recreate all that rich intense flavor and chocolate and heath bar without using real dairy. I have tried 🙂
I thought about adding food coloring at first… but then we didn’t have any. And it turned out to be a good thing, because then I of course thought of spinach :).
Ooooh! Would addng just xanthum gum work?? Because I have some of that, and would love a fluffier smoothie as I too prefer them in a bowl!
I don’t see why not 🙂
Smoothie sounds just like something we would love – mint and chocolate!
have you ever had the jocolat hazenult bar? or chocolate jocolate bar? I’ve heard mixed reviews of the jocolat bar line. I was hoping that the hazelnut one tasted like nutella 🙂
Also, the sugar is high on larabars- i know natural sugar, but still. do you view it as a suitable food for breakfast? thanks!
So funny you’d ask, because I’m just about to do a HUGE jocalat giveaway next week. The only ones I really like are the chocolate, but I LOVE them. Here’s my favorite trick for them (scroll to bottom of post): https://lett-trim.today/2010/09/17/larabars-v-katiebars/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
And yes, I think they are perfectly suitable for brekkie :).