Protein Shamrock Shake

Get your greens in while satisfying your St. Paddy's Day cravings with this high protein shamrock shake! Creamy, minty, and delicious, it's a healthier twist on the holiday classic. Blend it up in minutes and enjoy a decadent sip of green goodness!

This Protein Shamrock Shake tastes just like a milkshake! Yet it is a great way to consume 20-30 grams of protein plus healthy fats. Vanilla protein powder, baby spinach, banana, avocado, and peppermint extract create the delicious familiar flavor of a St. Paddy's Day Shamrock Shake with a natural green color.

Prepared in 3 minutes from kitchen staples, this minty protein shake is a great snack for when you need a quick pick-me-up around spring and St. Patrick's Day with no high fructose corn syrup or food dyes.

Enjoy as an energizing breakfast smoothie, post-workout shake, healthy dessert, or booze it up by adding your favourite alcohol for a frozen cocktail. Keep reading to learn just how easy it is to make for shamrock shake season.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredient Notes
• Substitutions
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Serve
• Make Ahead & Storage
• Batching
• Expert Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions
• More Healthy Smoothie Recipes
• Recipe
• Reviews

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• So much festive flavour! Tastes like a Shamrock Shake from McDonalds, yet is healthy enough for breakfast.
• Healthy yet tastes like a dessert.
• A filling snack. Packed with 20-30 g protein plus healthy fats.
• Made with pantry staples in 3 minutes.
• Perfect for breakfast, post-workout, snack or dessert.
• Easily gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

Want more smoothie ideas? You'll also like this peppermint mocha protein shake, cinnamon roll protein shake, apple pie protein smoothie, peach cobbler protein shake, and blackberry strawberry banana smoothie.

Ingredient Notes

Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this healthy shamrock shake recipe:

• Spinach: Fresh spinach or frozen spinach works for your daily dose of greens.
• Frozen banana: I like the creaminess that a little banana adds to this smoothie. If you don't like banana, just add a cup of ice to make the smoothie cold.
• Avocado: The healthy fat keeps you full and makes the smoothie super creamy.
• Vanilla protein powder: I like to use whey, but vegan protein will work too. I like to use the premier protein vanilla milkshake whey protein powder. Protein powder is the best way to increase your protein intake.
• Maple syrup: You can adjust the amount to your sweetness preference. Honey will work too.
• Milk or water: Use regular milk or dairy-free milk if you prefer.
• Vanilla extract and peppermint extract.

• Optional topping of whipped cream & a cherry on top.

Optional Ingredients

Amp up the nutrition of this protein smoothie recipe with any of your favourite add ins! Try some of these for health benefits:

• Greek yogurt: 1-2 large tablespoons. Or if you're vegan try almond milk yogurt or coconut yogurt.
• Collagen powder
• Chia seeds: Blend them in. Start with 1 tablespoon and increase to 2 if desired.
• Flax Seeds: 1-2 tablespoons
• Oats: Try adding 2-4 tablespoon of hearty oats. Use rolled or quick oats.

Substitutions

There are many ways to change up this smoothie depending on your mood. Here are some substitution suggestions:

• Use chocolate protein powder. For a mint chocolate flavor, you can add 1 tablespoon cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder. Or simple a scoop of protein powder in chocolate flavor. Blend in some chocolate chips for a java chip style mint smoothie.
• Dairy-free or vegan. Substitute the milk with your vegan choice if you prefer. Unsweetened vanilla almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk, soy milk, etc. Ensure your protein powder is also vegan.
• Add booze. 1-2 oz baileys, vodka, Irish whiskey, or chocolate liqueur are my picks for a delicious frozen cocktail!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Be sure to read the recipe card below for the full recipe.

(1) Add all ingredients to the bucket of a high-speed blender.

(2) Blend for 30-60 seconds until it's a creamy smoothie.

(3) Pour into a glass.

(4) Top with whipped cream and a cherry on top if you wish. Enjoy immediately!

How to Serve

There are many ways to enjoy this healthy protein shamrock shake. Here are some suggestions:

• Enjoy as a healthy breakfast or snack on the go.
• Blend as a post-workout smoothie to keep you full all morning.
• Make a blended cocktail by blending in 1-2 oz Baileys, vodka, Irish whiskey, or chocolate liqueur.
• Enjoy at brunch with some of these delicious recipes:

• Gluten-free breakfast casserole
• 4 ingredient vegan pancakes
• Gluten-free cheese scones
• Gluten-free english muffins
• Gluten-free bagels

Check out more breakfast recipes and smoothie recipes!

Make Ahead & Storage

Note that this smoothie recipe is best served and consumed fresh after preparing. It should not be made ahead of time, nor stored for later.

Got leftover smoothie? Pour into ice cube trays and freeze into smoothie cubes! Blend the frozen cubes with a little milk for a new smoothie another day.

Batching

If you're hosting a crowd of people, this Shamrock smoothie is easy to scale up (depending on your blender capacity). Double the recipe for two large smoothies or 4 smaller smoothies.

Expert Tips

Here are some of my top tips and tricks for a successful smoothie:

• Use a frozen element. Whether it's simply ice, frozen banana, or frozen cold brew cubes. This will result in the coldest, thickest, creamiest smoothie.
• Add the liquid slowly. You can always add more to thin it out.
• Use a high-powered blender. My two favourite investments are the ZWILLING ENFINIGY power blender or the Vitamix E310.
• Blend for 30-60 seconds until thoroughly pulverized.
• Add extra nutritional benefits with chia seeds, flax seeds, collagen powder, spinach, etc.
• Top with whipped cream and a cherry for some fun!

Frequently Asked Questions

This naturally green Shamrock Shake protein smoothie is perfect for breakfast, post-workout, or just a mid-day snack! It's the perfect drink for the springtime around St. Paddy's Day. It's made with simple ingredients and blends up quickly so you can get enjoying this holiday recipe! Happy St Patrick's Day!

More Healthy Smoothie Recipes

• Peppermint Mocha Protein Shake
• Cinnamon Roll Protein Shake
• Apple Pie Protein Smoothie
• Peach Cobbler Smoothie
• Blackberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie
• Bahama Mama Tropical Smoothie
• Booster Juice "The Original" Copycat
• Booster Juice "Mango Hurricane" Copycat

More Drinks

Have you made this Shamrock Shake protein smoothie? I'd very much appreciate it if you leave a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and review below, and tag me on instagram @fromoliviaskitchen!

Recipe