Updated! Who says St. Patrick’s Day indulgences have to be loaded with fat and sugar? This breakfast-worthy vegan shamrock shake, which I originally posted two years ago, is not only diet-friendly, it’s also loaded with nutrients that give it a beautiful green hue naturally! I enjoy this creamy, minty delight throughout the year, but like to share the recipe for this special “green” occasion.
This recipe uses greens and avocado for sneaky, nutritious additions that also provide a naturally festive green hue. I like to use romaine lettuce in this rich vegan shamrock shake as it gives a light, minty green color and doesn’t affect the flavor. Spinach also blends in seamlessly, but makes the shake a slightly darker green, depending on how much you use.
Some of you may be a bit stand-offish with the ingredients, but I can assure you that the avocado provides creamy thickness and the greens disappear, melding into the delicious vanilla-mint flavor rather than overpowering. Nonetheless, the process of making this vegan shamrock shake is just as important as the ingredients. To keep it nice and thick (I like to eat it with a spoon!) and to ensure that all of the ingredients blend in completely, you will want to minimize the amount of liquid added.
Your blender can most likely handle a thick shake (note that I do not have a high powered blender, and this still works great for me), but you should always add the softer ingredients first, followed by the frozen banana, when using a standard blender. If using a personal blender, add the frozen banana first, and then the soft ingredients. Basically, you want the softer (and leafier) ingredients closest to the blades to help the blender gain some momentum before hitting the tough stuff. If you are tempted to add more liquid, do so modestly. Too much milk beverage might make the greens spin in the blender rather than fully processing into a creamy vegan shamrock shake. If you do thin too much, or prefer a frosty shake, simply blend in a handful of crushed ice.
Special Diet Notes: Healthy Vegan Shamrock Shake
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, optionally nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan / plant-based, vegetarian, and optionally paleo.
- 1 very ripe, frozen, medium to large banana, broken into chunks
- 1 ounce avocado (about ¼ of a medium avocado)
- 1 to 2 romaine lettuce leaves or a handful of baby spinach
- ½ cup unsweetened rice milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk beverage (use homemade or lite coconut milk for paleo)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract, to taste
- Sweetener to taste (see note below for options, including sugar-free)
- Add the banana, avocado, lettuce, milk beverage or coconut milk, vanilla and ⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract to your blender, so that the avocado and lettuce are closest to the blades and the frozen banana is furthest from the blades.
- Blend about 1 minute or until it is nice and smooth. If it gets too thick to blend, add a little more milk alternative to get things moving.
- Taste test and add more peppermint extract and sweetener, to taste, if desired. Pour into one large glass and enjoy with a spoon or straw (I added a little homemade coconut whip for the pictures).
Variations:
No Sugar Added Option: Instead of the above noted sweetener, I used one 25mg Scoop of Stevia plus 1 Teaspoon of Sweet-X Xylitol Crystals.
32 Comments
Yum and yum! This is pretty close to the version we make at home too. 🙂 SO SO good! I used to be a shamrock shake addict so I needed something to curb my cravings. 😉
Me too! These are just too easy not to enjoy anytime of year, too 🙂
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LOVE using avocado in smoothies and this looks delicious!
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Alisa,
This is a very refreshing smoothie. Never tried adding extract in them before.
Have you ever tried freezing smoothies. When traveling a blender is not alwys available. Thx
Hi Sue, yes, freezing them works well too if you need to transport.
Thought I’d let you know that I featured this recipe on the following blog post. Thanks for posting such a great recipe!
5 dairy-free, gluten-free, FOOD DYE FREE. Shamrock Shake Recipes
http://sharingmom.com/5-dairy-free-food-dye-free-shamrock-shake-recipes/
Thanks Josie!
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I love mint desserts but I refuse to let myself try a shamrock shake…and here is this vegan shake to the rescue! Yum!
Yum… I love this idea. I can’t wait to try it soon, even if it’s not St, Patty’s day anymore. Thanks!
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Alisa I LOVE your cookbook! It’s taken my nearly 10 years to whittle down my nearly 100 cookbooks to about a dozen favorites and yours made the cut ; )
I went vegan almost 9 years ago and veg for nearly 20 years. It’s recipes like yours that make the vegan diet bountifully delicious.
Thanks so much!
This looks incredible. SO my kinda shake! 🙂
Slainte! That means to your health in Irish – seems appropriate, no?
Thanks! Made this today. DIdn’t have avocado and got a little crazy with the extract…but still yum! Shared on our site.
Yummy and tummy-friendly too!
I will try this on my daughter. I make smoothies every day and the veggie smoothies don’t usually get a good reception. These ingredients sound good enough to be successful!