Vegan Dessert Recipes | Vegan Drinks
ByLouisa
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This classic McDonald’s favorite Shamrock Shake Recipe takes a twist while still keeping the minty flavor you love! A super simple treat that takes 5 minutes to blend up!
It is that time of year again when the classic Shamrock Shake hits McDonald’s restaurants all across the world. It’s usually right around the middle of February when you can start to see them signifying the first signs of spring and they stick around until right after St Patrick’s Day.
Such a short time period for such a yummy drink!
What if you could have a Homemade Shamrock Shake any time of the year?!
What if you could change up some of the ingredients so it was a healthy shamrock shake and you didn’t have to deal with the uber dirty McDrink machines that never really get cleaned.
I’m giving you a super easy Shamrock Shake Recipe that uses only healthy ingredients yet tastes totally indulgent and desserty!
Reasons why you’ll love this Shamrock Shake Recipe
Besides the fact that it only takes you like 5 minutes to blend up!! There’s so much else to love:
- better on the wallet
- super authentic tasting
- healthier ingredients
- pleases both kids and adults alike
Ingredient Spotlight
There are only a handful of ingredients in my healthy shamrock shake, and there’s a chance you may even have them all in your fridge and pantry right now. Let’s go over the main ingredients.
Coconut Milk – the base of your shamrock shake is going to be a coconut milk base rather than an ice cream the way it’s classically made. In order to get that thick icy texture, you’ll make coconut milk ice cubes a few hours beforehand.
I always use the coconut milk from a can, and always full fat for this recipe, because that healthy fats are what will make this a nice and creamy texture that you’re looking for.
Mint Leaves – One of the first differences you’ll see in this recipe is that there isn’t any food dye. Instead, I wanted to incorporate some natural green color with mint leaves, that would also enhance the flavor.
Baby Spinach – Another way to get the green color is to add baby spinach. I add spinach to pretty much every smoothie I make, and let me tell you. You cannot taste it at all. The other flavors in this drink are way overpowering to let that leafy green flavor sneak out. I promise!
Almond Milk – This is one milk you can sub out for any other non-dairy milk you’d like. Soy, Oat, Rice, whatever you please. Just a neutral-tasting milk would be best.
Coconut Cream – Here I also use the canned coconut cream, and I make sure I’m only getting the solid portion of the milk. Not the liquid that usually separates from the solid fats. This adds more creaminess.
Agave – This is another ingredient where you could sub in your favorite liquid sweetener. Maple Syrup, Stevia drops, honey if that’s your thing. Any of these will work and you can adjust them to your tastebuds.
Mint Extract – This is where you’re going to get a ton of your flavor. Join me down at the pro tips below and we’ll talk about mint extract versus peppermint extract!
Step-by-Step Instructions for Healthy Shamrock Shake
Full ingredient amounts and in-depth details are at the bottom of the post on a printable recipe card.
Making a Vegan Shamrock Shake is incredibly simple – like most shakes and smoothies, you just dump everything in the blender and blend till smooth. Check it out.
Step 1 – Make coconut milk ice cubes by pouring the coconut milk into an ice cube tray and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
Step 2 – Once the coconut milk ice cubes are frozen, place them in a blender along with the mint leaves, almond milk, coconut cream, agave nectar, vanilla extract, mint extract, and baby spinach.
Step 3 – Blend until smooth and creamy. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add a splash more almond milk. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more agave.
Step 4 – Pour into two serving glasses and top with whipped coconut cream, mint leaves, and a maraschino cherry.
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Insider Pro Tips
Mint Extract vs Peppermint Extract
Mint is mint right? Wrong. There are different variations. Peppermint. Spearmint. And just Mint Extract. Peppermint extract seems to be what’s easiest to find in the grocery store, and in a pinch, that will work. Your Shamrock Shake will still be yummy. But, it will taste more like a candy cane.
Mint extract is what you’re looking for in this recipe.
Variations to the Recipe
There are a few ways you can customize your Healthy Shamrock Shake to make it work for you.
- Make it boozy. Please be my guest. Vodka is a great option to kick it up a notch.
- Make it richer. Add a scoop or two of coconut milk ice cream instead of the coconut cream.
- Make it chocolate-y. Add a bit of cocoa powder to get a mint chocolate shake. It won’t be green, but it will taste delicious! Alternatively, you could drizzle chocolate syrup on the inside of the glass and over the top of the whip.
- Lower the calories. Feel free to skip the whip topping to bring the calories down a notch.
How to Serve Shamrock Shakes
Shamrock shakes are served with a whipped topping, green sprinkles, and a pretty maraschino cherry on top.
I use an almond-milk based coconut whip. There are a few different store-bought options out there, but you could always take some coconut cream and whip it up real quick with a bit of agave or maple syrup to top your shamrock shakes.
I didn’t use green sprinkles on my shamrock shake this time, but of course, be my guest!
For the cherry, make sure you’ve dried it off before setting it on the whipped cream so the juices don’t run down the cream.
Making Ahead of Time
As far as making the shake itself ahead of time, you really will want to enjoy it fresh. Since it only takes a few minutes to blend everything up, there’s no reason you’ll need to make it ahead of time.
Of course, you will need to make the coconut milk ice cubes at least 6 hours beforehand so they have ample time to freeze for your icy treat.
How to Store
If for some reason, these don’t get demolished in minutes and you have some leftover for later, I’d store the leftover in an air-tight jar or container in the freezer for 1-2 weeks. Sit out or refrigerate to thaw.
Vegan Shamrock Shake Pie FAQs
What is a Shamrock Shake made of?
The classic shamrock shake from McDonalds is basically their vanilla soft serve blended with Shamrock Shake Syrup and topped with whipped topping. Those few items actually amount to a whole host of ingredients: Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor (whatever that is), Mono and Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Viamin A Palmitate.
Yikes! This is why I like to stick to the homemade version.
What flavors are in a Shamrock Shake?
A Shamrock Shake is a vanilla-y mint-y drink.
How do you make a Shamrock Shake from Starbucks?
So the Shamrock Shake drink from Starbucks is different from the one at McDonalds. The Starbucks drink is on the secret menu and has a base of the Matcha Green Tea Creme Frappuccino with added java chips and peppermint syrup. Topped with whipped cream, cookie crumbles, and matcha powder, and you have a Shamrock Frappuccino from Starbucks
Why are Shamrock Shakes bad for you?
Shamrock Shakes aren’t exactly BAD for you, but they do include ingredients that I would say fall under the “everything in moderationu” category. Plus, many studies show a plant-based diet resulting in less diseases and illnesses over time, and the classic Shamrock Shake is not plant-based. Hence why we’ve made it here so we can enjoy it too!
Looking for more Vegan Drink Recipes?
Pink Starburst Drink
Easy Vodka Drinks
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Ginger Lime Refresher
Complete the meal with these Green Recipes
Green Goddess Smoothie
Vegan Cilantro Lime Dressing
Hot Apple Antioxidant Green Smoothie
Now that you know how to easy it is to make this Healthy Shamrock Shake recipe, please give it a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟ratingbelow andcommentletting me know how it turned out for you.
Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe
This classic McDonald's favorite Shamrock Shake Recipe takes a healthy twist while still keeping the minty flavor you love!
Holly Waterfall
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Freeze Time 6 hours hours
Total Time 6 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Equipment
Vitamix Explorian Blender, Professional-Grade, 64 oz. Low-Profile Container, Black (Renewed)
Ingredients
- 1 14- ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1/4 cup mint leaves
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut cream
- 2 Tablespoons agave nectar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
- 1 cup baby spinach
- whipped coconut cream for topping
- mint leaves for topping
- maraschino cherries for topping
Instructions
Make coconut milk ice cubes by pouring the coconut milk into an ice cube tray and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
Once the coconut milk ice cubes are frozen, place them in a blender along with the mint leaves, almond milk, coconut cream, agave nectar, vanilla extract, mint extract, and baby spinach.
Blend until smooth and creamy. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add a splash more almond milk. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more agave.
Pour into two serving glasses and top with whipped coconut cream, mint leaves, and a maraschino cherry.
Notes
Nutritional Information listed below is for 2 servings. Please know that there is no shame in making this dish a 1-serving situation or a 20-serving situation. Nutritional information for the entire dish is as follows, and you are more than welcome to break it down as you see fit.
Entire dish – kcal: 1303 F: 101 C: 99 P: 11
Mint Extract vs. Peppermint Extract
Mint is mint right? Wrong. There are different variations. Peppermint. Spearmint. And just Mint Extract. Peppermint extract seems to be what’s easiest to find in the grocery store, and in a pinch, that will work. Your Shamrock Shake will still be yummy. But, it will taste more like a candy cane. Mint extract is what you’re looking for in this recipe.
Variations
- Make it boozy. Please be my guest. Vodka is a great option to kick it up a notch.
- Make it richer. Add a scoop or two of coconut milk ice cream instead of the coconut cream.
- Make it chocolate-y. Add a bit of cocoa powder to get a mint chocolate shake. It won’t be green, but it will taste delicious! Alternatively, you could drizzle chocolate syrup on the inside of the glass and over the top of the whip.
- Lower the calories. Feel free to skip the whip topping to bring the calories down a notch.
