Do you love a good McDonald’s Shamrock Shake around St. Patty’s Day? If you answered yes, then I made this smoothie just for you! Funny story- I’ve never actually had a real Shamrock Shake. I didn’t even know that they are mint flavored until I looked it up the other day. But I can tell you that I already love them. What I don’t love is not knowing what is in my drink. Should we even talk about the nutritional stats of a Mickey D’s Shamrock Shake? Lets.
A 12 oz. Shamrock Shake is more like a milkshake with 530 calories, 15 g of fat, 86 g of carbs, and…drumroll please…73 g of sugar!!! Also, can someone tell me what “shamrock shake syrup” is? Right, it’s just high fructose corn syrup. In fact, every ingredient used in the shake has corn syrup in it. Ok, so that’s definitely not happening.
Instead, this natural and protein packed smoothie is what’s happening. You just need a few ingredients to whip together this perfectly green smoothie. And it can be vegan if you use a vegan protein powder. Here’s what you need:
Unsweetened almond milk
Spinach (fresh or frozen)
Almond butter
Vanilla protein powder (choose nutritional profile you like best aka vegan)
Banana
Vanilla extract
Peppermint extract
Ice
That’s it! Throw it all in a blender, blend away, and you’ve got a breakfast on the go or a filling snack.
This shake is super refreshing and will disappear quickly. I promise that you can’t taste the spinach at all. It’s such a great trick to get in your veggies without even knowing it, and no artificial dyes needed to turn this baby green! It’s what I call the luck of the Irish!
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 banana, frozen preferably
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Gold Standard Vanilla whey)
- 1 handful (or about 1 cup) ripped spinach leaves (could also use frozen)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
- 1 cup ice cubes
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Add more ice to make the smoothie thicker, or more almond milk to smooth it out.
I’d never heard of a shamrock shake until yesterday and then my friend cassie sent me the link and I was sufficiently terrified. This on the other hand I could get down with! Looks delish 🙂
Right? The ingredients list is frightening. You better believe this is getting linked up tomorrow!
I have never had a Shamrock shake from MacDonalds before – but, I will gladly have your version!
I think it’s going to be hard for anyone interested in their health to have a real shamrock shake after seeing those stats. I have a feeling this healthier version tastes better too 😉
You are my hero for posting this! I went vegan right before McDonalds came out with their monstrosity and I always wanted to try it, but could not get myself to. I laughed, thinking, “I bet McDonald’s version does not have spinach in it.” Or does it?
Definitely no Spinach. I hope you like it, Ryan!