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)
This is just like a shamrock shake! I’d love to see a banana split flavor. I bet carrot cake would be interesting, though I think I’d have to eat it with a spoon, carrot pieces in my straw doesn’t sound too good..
Oh wow, carrot cake milkshake! Where were you when I was a little girl, stuck to having to drink chocolate and vanilla? Companies need your creative genius ;).
Yum! Chocolate Mint is the best combo!
this looks/sounds delicious! =) definitely going to be dessert for me tomorrow….
you should try a cake batter milkshake! i am obsessed with cake batter flavors….no questions asked.
– Sharelle
I’ve never had cake batter anything! Well, except for actual cake lol. I wonder what it tastes like… 😕
This looks amazing!
Have you ever had Bruster’s ice cream? I don’t know if they are where you are, but this place has amazing ice cream. I haven’t had any of course because they are definitley not vegan, but their birthday cake BATTER ice cream is amazing. It literally taste like the batter of a cake. I wonder if you can make that? Healthy? Ice cream of milkshake?
I had Brusters once, in Pennsylvania. I remember loving it! They had Mounds Bar ice cream!
O, or cookie dough ice cream/milkshake!
Oh. My. Goodness. This is exactly what I was hoping to concoct sometime soon when I had free time in the kitch. 🙂 I was just thinking the other day, “could I make something like the Shamrock Shake that’s vegan, healthy, and won’t be supporting McCruelty?” And, yet again you have read my mind! 🙂 Soooo funny! But, I think the next flavor I want to conquer is… well, actually I have no idea. I feel like it’s kind of easy to make variations off of a vegan milkshake once you get it down, but healthy… that’s another story! I think my favorite flavor milkshake was cotton candy with nerds. 🙂 ahahahahaha (SOOOOOOO healthy, I know! ;))
Aly
Woah, cotton candy milkshake? I’d never even heard of such a thing. lol that sounds way to sugary for me. I always hated cotton candy. Maybe if it had come in a chocolate variety… 😉
I know! It was ridiculously sugary… Like the kind of sugary that gives you a tummy ache… D: I definitely couldn’t get through anything like that now! (thankfully) I think my tastes have changed a ton. I liked cotton candy a lot when I was kid, though I’ve never been a huge sugar eater. Now it’s just like ridiculously sugary (since it is just sugar… ahhahaha and just eww. 🙂 Chocolate cotton candy would be really awesome… Mmmmmmm. 🙂
LOVE this! I can’t wait to try it, as I just happen to keep peppermint extract on hand:)
The last milkshake I had was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, also from Baskin Robbins. Maybe I should add some fudge babies to the mix?
LOL yes do it! I did that today :).
This sounds perfectly refreshing and delicious!! I love how it looks just like the green milkshakes of my youth! 😀
That is a totally huge and wonderful straw. I can’t wait to try this! Mint and chocolate forever.
I love the color and I love mint chocolate chip, so I don’t think you can go wrong here. 🙂
Love this!! I’m in Austin too, where do you get your guar gum?
I’m actually in Dallas. But if you’re in Austin, maybe try Whole Foods?
Brilliant!
waaaoow!! that is so beautiful!! I have to get some peppermint asap. to make that – ….SO PRETTY! thanks for the great idea.
p.s. I am addicted to single lady muffins. I think I make one almost everyday! have been making the some weird ones too .weirdest one yet: cumin-millet/chia muffin http://chilimiriss.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/cumin-millet-muffin/
heheh…. 😉
I love this! I remember eating Mint Chocolate Ice Cream, and this sounds so much better! I want to make this RIGHT NOW!
That color is lovely! Very reminiscent of a real mint chocolate chip shake! MCC is my fave icecream flavor ever….in my city its called mint-ting-a-ling! So good though. Chocolate and mint is right up there with chocolate and peanut butter in my book…..such good combos. And I love the idea of adding cacao nibs on top…..gotta get that crunch in there!
I’m not a big fan of mint chocolate chip ice cream, but oddly I do like the flavor of chocolate and mint together! I’m weird!
Hmm, favorite milkshake: cookies and cream from Chik-Fil-A…though their peach one is the runner up! Their bringing out a banana pudding flavor on Monday! Mmm!
I cant beleive i didnt think to try this sooner! Love Love Love mint chocolate chip…and coconut milk. Your website is great, and its where I got the recipe to make my own Lara bars at home…which incidentaly my husband as has named LaLa bars(that’s what my friend’s call me 😉 If you feel like sending one of those Jocalat boxes my way I would be forever grateful!
Thanks for all your hard work!