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    Home » Breakfast

    Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe

    March 4, 2020 Updated: October 1, 2021 by Lisa Wells / 15 Comments

    Healthy Shamrock Shake Cook Eat Well

    This healthy shamrock shake recipe is simply made with coconut milk, avocado, and fresh mint—no food coloring, complicated instructions, or scary ingredients! And it's dairy-free, vegan, paleo and keto-friendly.

    Healthy shamrock shake with avocado, dark chocolate and fresh mint.

    ‘Tis the season for the shamrock shake! The traditional drive-thru concoction has a distinctive minty-vanilla flavor and a bright green color for St. Patrick’s Day (but lots of people wish they could enjoy the special shake recipe all year long)!

    It goes without saying that drive-thru shamrock shakes are only available for a limited time AND they’re filled with all kinds of questionable ingredients.

    This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and recommend (which means if you choose to make a purchase I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you).

    A Much Healthier Version

    The original shamrock shake recipe famously has 54 ingredients (including high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, and preservatives)! The original shamrock shake is also a very vibrant, somewhat fake-looking green from the shamrock shake syrup that they blend with vanilla soft serve to make the shake.

    It's also topped with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry (all of which are loaded with processed food ingredients). The flavor is distinctively minty, but it’s also extremely sweet.

    If you’re looking for a way to create a healthy shamrock shake, the recipes and recreations you’ll find are all over the spectrum. Traditional copycat recipes are made with vanilla ice cream, milk, mint extract, and green food coloring. Some recipes include banana, almond milk, and other ingredients to make the shake creamy without dairy ingredients.

    I wanted a shake that was creamy and thick. I was looking for a more substantial texture than other copycat recipes, so I took a few cues from other successful smoothie and shake recipes I’d created.

    After working to perfect this healthy version, I have to admit I think it’s better than the original. It’s thick, creamy, and delicious. The flavor is great. It’s cool and refreshing. Best of all, my healthy shamrock shake recipe is dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and additive-free.

    This shake is simple to make—and you can pronounce and identify all the ingredients. My recipe is made with coconut milk and avocado and uses fresh mint leaves to add the green color and minty flavor.

    Homemade Shamrock Shake with avocado and dark chocolate

    How to make it without ice cream

    I love to use avocado in recipes, especially as a dairy substitute for this dairy-free milkshake. The avocado adds a rich creaminess when it's blended with the coconut milk. 

    The green color obviously lends itself to this healthy St. Patrick’s Day treat too! Honestly, though? Even if you’re not looking for a green ingredient, avocado is the perfect creamy base for any type of shake you’re craving.

    Using ice in the shake keeps the avocado very cold and it blends creamy. There’s no need to freeze the ingredients beforehand. All you do is simply add everything to the blender and mix.

    I’ve found that adding a touch of real vanilla gives it more of an ice cream flavor without actual ice cream. It’s perfect for a treat craving!

    The amount of mint you use is really up to your taste. If you like your shamrock shake extra minty (or extra green), add more mint leaves. Luckily, mint is in season in the spring — perfect timing for St. Patrick's Day.

    You can find fresh mint in the produce section of most grocery stores and even grow it in your kitchen garden! I recommend using fresh mint in this recipe. Here's how to choose and store fresh mint.

    Shamrock Shake with fresh mint and dark chocolate topping

    The Perfect Toppings

    I like to skip the whipped cream and cherry and top the shake with a little shaved dark chocolate, which is so flavorful. It’s easy to create fancy chocolate mini curls and shavings to make this shamrock shake seem extra special. Just shave the side of a dark chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler.

    It's almost like having a shamrock shake and a thin mint all in one. You could also garnish your shake with an extra mint leaf or two but I definitely recommend the chocolate shavings!

    This healthy shamrock shake recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and paleo (and can be easily adapted to be keto-friendly/low carb/vegan). It’s the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day, but with this recipe, you can enjoy the shamrock shake all year long!

    Here’s to shamrock shakes in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. It’s the perfect festive drink!

    More healthy smoothies

    Try these healthy dairy-free smoothie recipes after you get your shamrock shake fix.

    • Peach Coconut Smoothie
    • Espresso Protein Shake
    • Pumpkin Coconut Smoothie
    • Strawberry Coconut Smoothie
    • 3-Ingredient Green Smoothie
    Shamrock shake

    Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe

    Made with coconut milk, avocado, and fresh mint, this healthy shamrock shake recipe lets you indulge without all the scary ingredients.
    4.27 from 26 votes
    Print Save Email
    Prep Time: 5 mins
    Total Time: 5 mins
    Servings: 2 servings
    Course: Smoothie
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: AIP, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Author: Lisa Wells

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup coconut milk
    • 1 cup ice
    • ½ avocado
    • 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
    • 1 large handful fresh mint leaves to taste
    • stevia, local raw honey, or maple syrup to taste

    Instructions

    • Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.
    • Garnish with your choice of toppings.

    Notes

    For keto/low carb: use stevia for sweetener
    For vegan: use maple syrup for sweetener

    Nutrition

    Calories: 308kcal Carbohydrates: 7g Protein: 3g Fat: 31g Saturated Fat: 22g Sodium: 18mg Potassium: 492mg Fiber: 3g Vitamin A: 75IU Vitamin C: 6.2mg Calcium: 26mg Iron: 4mg
    Keyword: healthy shamrock shake, healthy shamrock shake recipe
    Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating above and share your photo on social. I love seeing what you've made!

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    Comments

    1. Thalia @ butter and brioche

      March 11, 2015 at 3:57 am

      WOW I never knew the history of the shamrock shake before.. 54 ingredients? It's hard to believe! I love your super healthy shake.. and I especially love how i have all 6 ingredients on hand so I can make it.

      Reply
      • Lisa

        March 11, 2015 at 7:52 pm

        I know - it's crazy what they put in "food" these days. Hope you enjoy my simple real food version! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Kerrin

      March 11, 2015 at 6:36 pm

      We are having a St. Patrick's Day party for our chiropractic patients. I believe we will give this recipe a try. Yet another excuse to use our Vita-Mix!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        March 11, 2015 at 7:56 pm

        Yay! I couldn't live without my high-speed blender - I think I use it every day. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Susan

      March 13, 2015 at 3:54 am

      This shake looks utterly delicious! I love its ingredients. Thanks for sharing. I will definitely try it.

      Reply
    4. Theresa

      March 16, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      This is so delicious, thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        March 16, 2015 at 6:07 pm

        Thank you Theresa!

        Reply
    5. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness

      February 15, 2016 at 5:59 pm

      Mmmmm how did you know that shamrock shakes are my weakness come March?! Making this!

      Reply
      • Lisa

        February 16, 2016 at 5:06 pm

        Me too Chrissa! Hope you love it! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Michelle

      February 16, 2016 at 4:59 pm

      Looks delish! Thanks for sharing 🙂

      Reply
      • Lisa

        February 16, 2016 at 5:04 pm

        Thanks Michelle!

        Reply
    7. Lindsey

      February 22, 2016 at 6:03 pm

      This sounds and looks delicious! I love that it's made with healthy avocado! Found you through Merry Monday!

      Reply
    8. Sabrina

      March 18, 2017 at 6:15 pm

      beautiful and so nice to know it's composed of actual food instead of, whatever else is part of those 54 ingredients! Thank you for this, love avocado and never think to have ever added it to one of my smoothies, great thinking!

      Reply
    9. Seth Dylan

      March 11, 2018 at 6:55 pm

      4 stars
      What is the portion size please? Cause im following keto and 7grams of carbs is alot for me to blow on a single drink.

      I will try adapting this with full fat thick double cream though. And dropping the stevia.

      Still hands down better than anything processed! Thanks!

      Seth

      Reply
    10. Kristin Brause

      March 08, 2021 at 7:45 pm

      Looks delicious 🙂 I’ll include it in my round-up post on my blog. Thanks, Kris

      Reply

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