If you’ve been around for a while, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume we’re not huge St. Patrick’s Day people. Any holiday that centers itself around drinking isn’t our go-to, but we love finding healthier ways to celebrate. And let’s be honest, we’ll take any excuse to make a delicious themed green smoothie!
That’s where this Healthy Shamrock Shake with Coconut Whip comes in. If you’re a diehard fan of the famous McDonald’s Shamrock Shake that pops up around this time, you’ll love this green-powered version.
This shake was born from our curiosity about the classic McDonald’s version. The popularity of this seasonal shake drove us to do a little research.
So we visited McDonald’s website to check out its ingredients, and what we discovered was astounding (although not entirely surprising): this mint-flavored shake has zero trace of mint listed in the ingredients! That’s right — not even a hint of mint extract to be found. Instead, Shamrock syrup is pretty much exactly what you’d assume, a sugary, high-fructose corn syrup-containing gut bomb.
If you love this shake unconditionally, the good news is we have the 80:20 rule for a reason! So don’t feel any guilt if this happens to be the thing that you cannot live without.
But if you want a healthier version of this shake to enjoy, give our Conscious Cleanse-ified remake a try! It’s just as creamy and minty as the original, but full of whole-food ingredients instead of a mystery flavor syrup. It’s fully tried and tested by our team, and we’re happy to report it’s a genuine crowd pleaser. Even your kiddos will love it!
The homemade Coconut Whip is also worth bookmarking all on its own. It’s the perfect topping for any dessert, so you’ll want to stash it away in your saved recipes for later.
Is your mouth watering yet? Let us know if you try it below. We love hearing your thoughts!
St. Patty’s Day or not, we’re pretty darn lucky to have great recipes like these, don’t ya think?
With love and leprechaun kisses,
The Conscious Cleanse Team
P.S. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️
Healthy Shamrock Shake with Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream
Servings: 2
Ingredients for Coconut Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup full fat canned organic coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 1½ tbsp honey
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients for the Shake:
- 2 frozen ripe bananas (be sure to peel bananas before freezing)
- 1 heaping cup spinach, tightly packed
- ¼ cup fresh mint, stems removed, loosely packed (about 20 small leaves)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp mint extract
- 3-5 drops of stevia
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- ½ cup leftover coconut water from full fat canned coconut milk
- Cacao nibs for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
For the Coconut Whipped Cream:
Carefully open the can of refrigerated coconut milk. Keeping can level, scrape out thick top layer of coconut cream and place in a mixing bowl. Save leftover coconut water from can for the shake.
Using a hand or stand-up mixer on high speed, whip coconut cream for 3 minutes until it becomes light and fluffy.
Add in honey and vanilla and mix for 2 more minutes.
Place in refrigerator while preparing the shake.
For the Shake:
In a high-speed blender, combine bananas, spinach, fresh mint, vanilla, mint extract, stevia, coconut milk and coconut water until creamy.
Pour into two glasses, top with coconut whipped cream and cacao nibs (optional) and serve with a straw immediately.
If you liked this smoothie, we invite you to join our online community! When you sign up you’ll receive regular healthy lifestyle tips and new recipes. As a welcome-gift, we’ll send you our FREE Conscious Cleanse Guide to Green Smoothies for more of our favorite green smoothie recipes.
Welcome! We’re so glad you’re here.
I am so excited to try this. I learned about the McDonalds shamrock shake about 10 yrs ago, about 5 years after I gave up the taco bell Mountain Dew that we used to indulge in together. I fell in love with the shamrock shake. In fact, it is one of the 2 times a year I would even take our family anywhere near McDonalds. The kids love it. NOW, I don’t have to go there to indulge in this yummy tradition. AND we can have it for breakfast, which is when we get our family time. Thanks Jules, for experimenting with this and finding a healthy solution.
One of my mountain dew drinking buddies. Love you Bec. Let me know if it passes the “kid test.” :) xo
I could not resist this recipe. I just made one for me and my husband. It was so delicious! So much better than a McDonald’s Shamrock shake… And I feel healthier drinking! Happy St. Patty’s day!
So MANY recipes look and sound wonderful to me with only one exception, bananas. I have never been able to tolerate them, even as an infant. They taste and smell like cleanser to me, and the one known time I ate something that included them without detecting them, I had my first and worst migraine ever. SO, what are some good substitutes for those oh-so-convenient, healthy, creamy, yellow jewels for those of us who can not enjoy them?
Colleen, try an avocado instead. It you need more sweetener without the banana, add a few extra drops of stevia.
I made this shake for some friends after our dinner party last night. OMG! So amazing. It was a huge hit. Thanks for sharing (and for a sub for the ever tempting Shamrock Shake)!
We made these this morning – Yum! Happy St. Patty’s day!
Happy St. Patty’s Day. Glad you enjoyed!
Stevia tastes awful to me (as bad as cilantro does). What’s next ‘best’ sweetener to use?
Stevia is certainly an acquired taste. I think the liquid is best. For another sweetener try a few days, some maple syrup or honey.
This is my favorite goto sweet snack right now. I like to blend the cacao nibs in with the shake part to give it that mint-chocolate-chip-shake (one of my favs as a kid) taste. Also, if I don’t have spinach I so sometimes go triple on the mint or add lettuce or another green. Mmmmm!
Yummmmm! So delicious. Glad you’re enjoying it!