Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe {no food dye, less sugar!}
Any holidays, including St. Patrick’s Day, do NOT have to mean hopping on foodie trends that harm your health. Move aside, McDonald’s. This healthy shamrock shake recipe is homemade without food dye, less sugar, and only made with real food ingredients!
McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Nutrition Facts
McDonald’s medium Shamrock Shake recipe contains 54g of added sugar. 😳 Yup. That’s as if one by one you added 14 teaspoons of sugar into your cup. And not just any sugar, but high fructose corn syrup! Large amounts of fructose are detrimental to liver health. When exposed to large quantities of fructose, the liver converts the fructose into fat that is stored inside the organ. Intra-organ fat is dangerous for health. High amounts of fructose is a common culprit of NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
Notable nutrition information in a medium McDonald’s Shamrock Shake:
- 540 calories
- 87g carbs!
- 68g total sugars
- 54g added sugars!
That high amount of carbs, and most of it coming from refined sugar, is disastrous for blood sugar balance. We know that spiking blood sugar causes inflammation and can also lead to weight gain, cravings, and fatigue.
Junk Ingredients in the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Carageenan
- Food dyes: Yellow 5 & Blue 1
I know it tastes SO good, but you can actually get amazing, delicious taste with real food ingredients! That goes for not only for this Shamrock Shake Recipe but for any recipes! There’s always a way to make meals healthier. Health and taste do not need to be mutually exclusive.
Homemade Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe
On the other hand, my Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe boasts of just 22g sugar! And there’s no food dyes or other junk ingredients; only real foods. The minty green color comes from spinach.
Nutrition in my Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe
- 323 calories
- 37g carbs
- 22g sugars (no added sugars, just naturally occurring mostly from the banana)
- 4g fiber
High Protein Shamrock Shake
For a high protein shamrock shake option, simply add a scoop of plain or vanilla whey protein powder or 1-2 scoops of collagen powder. Protein can help further prevent a spike in blood sugar when eating carb-rich foods, like the banana in the recipe.
My go-to protein powder choices are:
- Grass-fed whey protein by either Levels brand or Raw Organic Whey
- Grass-fed collagen peptides powder by Orgain
How to Make Healthy Shamrock Ice Cream
To make a version of the healthy shamrock shake into a Minty Shamrock Ice Cream, simply use less liquid. Start with just about 2 Tbsp milk when blending. If you need more liquid to make the blender blade run, add just 1 Tbsp more at a time until it blends well. The end result is a delicious soft serve ice cream!
Check out Wonderfully Made Nutrition healthy smoothie recipes:
- Simple Chocolate Peanut Butter Collagen Smoothie — great quick, balanced snack!
- PB&J Healthy Hormone Balance Smoothie
- Mineral Rich Chocolate Avocado Smoothie
Healthy Shamrock Shake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Banana frozen, cut into chunks
- ¾ cup Cow's Milk, Whole or milk of choice; or use 1 full cup if you do not want to use coconut milk
- ¼ cup Coconut Milk canned for added creaminess
- ¼ cup Spinach frozen or a handful of fresh
- ⅛ tsp Peppermint Extract or handful of fresh mint leaves from a mint tea bag
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 Tbsp Dark Chocolate Chips optional
Optional Add Ins
- Collagen or Whey Protein powder for a boost in protein
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth and minty green.
- Top with dark chocolate chips if desired
Make It Into Ice Cream
- Simply use less liquid. Start with just 1-2 Tbsp milk while blending. Add in 1 Tbsp at a time until you get your desired creaminess of soft-serve ice cream!
Notes
- 334 calories
- 4g protein
- 18g fat
- 4g fiber
- 22g sugar (naturally occurring)
- 454 calories
- 28g protein
- 20g fat
- 4g fiber
- 22g sugar
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