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)
Really good! I’ll admit I used food coloring because I didn’t have spinach (and because I’m a chicken, lol), but I’m really amazed at how thick the shake was even with just the banana and almond milk! So happy I finally remembered peppermint extract at the store. 🙂 Happy St. Patty’s Day, everyone!
Another hit, Katie! The boys downed these; they were perfect with the “rainbow fruit salad” we had with our St. Patty’s Day dinner!
Hey Katie! I’m having this for breakfast now. Pure deliciousness. Thank you.
This is probably the fourth recipe from your blog I’ve tried and it also didn’t disappoint! We didn’t have cocoa powder or cacao nibs in the house (gasp! I know!) but we did have some raw chocolate so I shaved that up and added it in. I think that my desire for McD’s Shamrock Shakes are just based on my childhood memories of that ‘special treat’…before I *knew* better. Thanks for the blog!
I JUST made this and it’s now in my belly. SOOOOO yummy! I think next time I won’t blend the cocoa nibs in with the milkshake/smoothie, they turned it a funky colour (probably because I added TONS…heheheee, why wouldn’t I? It IS chocolate 🙂 ) and it was a tad gritty. Again, probably too many nibs. Still though, outside of colour and texture (my booboo) it was SUPER delicious. I also used fresh spinach, and scaled the almond milk back to 1/2 c (I’m out of coconut milk 🙁 ) I foresee another one for a snack later today 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe. YUM!
I made this again this morning with a couple of additions which made is SUPER awesome. (I commented right above this yesterday). I added a Tbsp of Chia seeds, which thickened it up really well, but didn’t turn it all jelly-ish and I still scaled back the milk to 1/2 cup, BUT I also added a HEAPING tbsp of Coconut Butter. Holy crap, that made it so rich and soooo yummy!!
Thanks again for all your awesome recipes!!!! I love this smoothie/shake/milkshake. It’s a really nice change from my standard fruit smoothies. And LOVE LOVE LOVE that there’s spinach in it too. I LOVE green smoothies.
Haha coconut butter makes EVERYthing taste better! I think I go through a jar a week. I love your chia idea, too!!
Katie,
I realize you have wayyy too many comments to look over, but I had to say I just had this shake and it was perfect. It sure did hit the spot on this rainy afternoon in upstate South Carolina. For those who are skeptical, you can’t taste the spinach (I used fresh) one bit. I really don’t think there is anything more to say. The only thing I did add was a little agave but I’m sure it could have done without.
Do you have any other shakes in the works? I look forward to trying more of your delicious recipes. I’m a dessert kinda gal and like something sweet after supper. It’s nice to have healthy and quick alternatives. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren~
Aw thank you for such a sweet comment.
I have a list of drinks: https://lett-trim.today/chocolate-covered-recipes/milkshakes/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
And obviously there will be more in the future! 🙂
Long time reader, first time commenter!
I have to say, this is a great idea! It just might be the thing to get my picky 3 year old to ingest a vegetable. Do you think using some frozen plain greek yogurt would make it a bit thicker/creamier? I’d want to get it more on the milkshakey side than the smoothie side.
I guess it could work… I never know how a recipe will turn out until I try, but edible experiments are always fun!
Yes, I use greek yogurt (Fage brand) only not frozen – then I add ice and sometimes refreeze to thicken it. I omit the banana though.
These are a standard in my smoothie recipe’s. My 4 year old thinks they are a very special treat.
I make my mint shakes with an avocado instead of banana. Makes it super rich, creamy, and beautifully minty green.
This Shamrock Shake is SUPER YUMMY!!! I added about 5 drops of stevia to sweeten it a bit and shared it with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. She LOVED it (and the green color)!!! GREAT way to sneak spinach into her diet. Thanks!
For those who own a Vita-Mix: you can make any smoothie or shake super creamy without milk or cream (cow, coconut, or otherwise) by adding about 1/4 cup raw almonds to your recipe. 🙂
Hey Katie 🙂 I have made your shakes before but I didn’t have guar gum or xanthan gum. I just ordered both of them off of vita cost and was wondering do I just need to use a pinch of one or the other… or both at the same time? Don’t they have the same purpose? Im just confused cuz I have never worked with these thickeners before. Thanks xoxo
Sorry, I really don’t know much about either. The few times I’ve used them, I just did a tiny pinch of each because that’s what others were using in the recipes I saw. I haven’t used either in over a year, though. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I have a variation of this I do…instead of a frozen banana I use plain greek yogurt. I think the banana changes the taste a little. I also use fresh Spinach instead of frozen –
2 handfuls fresh spinach
mint extract
dark choco chips
1/3 C greek yogurt (Fage)
1.5 T of coco powder
Truvia
xylitol brown sugar
Ice
(this makes two mugs full)
Sometimes I refreeze to make more solid and add cool whip and eat as icecream! Yum!
I have been secretly stalking your site for a few weeks now. I just made this yummy shake. I didn’t have any mint extract, but I did have a chocolate mint plant in my backyard…so I threw in a handful of leaves with raw spinach, 1% cow milk, a banana, and ice…oh and mini choc chips…mmmmm. Hits the spot.
I am not a vegan but, I want you to know I have now used three of your recipes and I don’t care what anyone says eating healthy is still GOOD! I made this last night, yes I did use the spinach, and my kids loved it! They didn’t even know they had been tricked into something healthy! Thank you now on to the next recipe!
Aw this made me so happy!
I have recently started adding spinach to my smoothies that I make for me and my daughter. Today, we made a chocolate banana (with spinach) and she doesn’t even taste it. She just asked what it was and I told her and said okay. Of course, this is a 3 yr old that loves her spinach salad with walnuts and raisins. Thanks for the inspiration.