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This vegan shamrock shake is my plant-based spin on the classic minty treat—no artificial dyes, no dairy, and no weird ingredients. It’s creamy, lightly sweet, and refreshing, with real mint flavor and a naturally green glow thanks to spinach. Balance is green smoothies and fun desserts, right?
Table of Contents
What is a Vegan Shamrock Shake?
A traditional shamrock shake relies on dairy milk, ice cream, and artificial green coloring. This version skips all of that. Instead, we use creamy coconut milk, frozen banana for thickness, dates for natural sweetness, and fresh mint for that cool, nostalgic flavor. Spinach is a mild leafy green vegetable that adds the green color without changing the taste. Plants for the win.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Coconut milk (chilled): Adds rich, milkshake-like creaminess. Check out my recommend coconut milk brands to use in smoothies.
- Spinach: Creates a natural green color without food coloring
- Fresh mint leaves: Gives that classic shamrock shake flavor profile. If you’re new to adding fresh herbs to smoothies, I recommend removing the stems before blending and just use the leaves.
- Banana: Thickens the shake and is a great natural sweetener in smoothies. I like to freeze bananas to have on hand to use in smoothies like this— it’s a great way to chill them down without needing ice (which can dull your blender blade overtime)
- Medjool dates: Balances the banana taste by provide caramel-like sweetness with fiber
- Pure vanilla extract: Rounds out the flavor and adds warmth
Topping Ideas
If you’re like me, and pick food based on looks as well as taste, then you definitely need some fun toppings for this vegan shamrock shake. Top with coconut whipped cream, then sprinkle with cacao nibs, and finish with a fresh cherry.
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How to Make a Shamrock Shake
If you’re using one of my recommended blenders for smoothies, follow the steps below. If you have a low powdered blender, I recommend blending after step 2 and then again in step 4.
- Add liquids first. Pour the chilled coconut milk into your blender to help everything blend smoothly.
- Layer the greens and herbs. Add spinach and fresh mint so they break down fully.
- Add fruit and sweeteners. Toss in the banana, pitted dates, and vanilla extract.
- Blend until creamy. Start on low, then increase to high for 30–60 seconds.
- Taste and adjust. Add more mint for freshness or a splash of coconut milk if it’s too thick.
- Serve immediately. Pour into a glass and add toppings if desired.
Ingredient Swaps
- Want more protein? Add a scoop of plant-based protein powder.
- No coconut milk? Use cashew milk or make oat milk for a lighter texture.
- No dates on hand? Swap with 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup.
- Mint too strong? Start with 4–5 leaves and build from there.
More Dessert Smoothies
If this shamrock shake sparked your interest in more dessert smoothies, then try these other dessert smoothie recipes:
- Coconut joy smoothie bowl: Chocolatey, creamy, and topped with coconut for a dessert-inspired smoothie bowl made with real ingredients.
- Banana chocolate protein shake: Indulge in a velvety smooth, banana chocolate protein shake that’s not only delicious but also a powerhouse of nutrition.
- Skinny mint smoothie: Cool, refreshing, and lightly sweet, this minty smoothie satisfies dessert cravings the lighter way.
- Chocolate smoothie bowl: Rich, fudgy, and ultra-creamy, this chocolate smoothie bowl feels indulgent but is made with just plants.
If you make this vegan shamrock shake recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Vegan Shamrock Shake
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk chilled
- ¾ cup spinach
- 8 fresh mint leaves
- 1 banana
- 2 medjool dates pitted
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Toppings
- 1 tbsp whipped coconut cream optional
- 1 tsp cacao nibs optional
- 1 sweet cherry optional
Instructions
- Blend spinach, mint, and coconut milk until smooth.
- Add remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Enjoy!
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Pour over ice or freeze banana first if you prefer a colder smoothie.
- If you can’t find fresh mint then up the spinach to 1 cup and add a few drops of mint extract.
- Use full-fat coconut milk for a more shake-like texture, or carton coconut milk for less healthy fat and a thinner consistency.
- Soak Medjool dates in water for 20 minutes before blending if your blender has a hard time blending certain ingredients.
My friend said this was better than the Shamrock Shake from McDonalds – now that’s a win!
This was awesome! My husband can’t have dairy, and he grew up on McDonald’s shamrock shakes. This was a great substitute for him (and the rest of us enjoyed it too).
Wow- a healthier shamrock shake. I used oat milk because it was what I had. Loved it and will make it again and again!!!
So awesome Nichole!
I am a huge fan of Simple Green Smoothies and make one almost every morning, but this one just didn’t do it for me at all. Too minty, weird kind of taste, just not for me. Poured it down the drain.
Oh wow Jeanine! Thanks for giving it a blend though. 🙂
This is such a fun smoothie! I used Trader Joe’s coconut whipped cream on top and it was dessert.
Yum! Great add Erin!
I’ve never tried your smoothie recipes, can you lose weight by doing this type of diet?
Great question! We love to focus more on the health benefits like increased energy, glowing skin and better digestion that we get from rawkin green smoothies. Yet, some weight loss can be a happy side effect too! Any weight lost with green smoothies totally depends on the individual. Check our site out for some ideas on Weight Loss with Plant-Based Foods.
So, I love your recipes with dates but find my blender doesn’t chop them very well.. same with the nibs. I have a food processor do you ever use one for parts of your smoothies? Your recipes are delicious and awesome just trying to avoid the chunks of ingredients… appreciate any suggestions..thank you!
Have you tried processing the dates (or your problem ingredients) with the liquid first? For example if my smoothie recipe has dates, spinach, and frozen fruit with plant milk, I will blend just the dates and plant milk until the dates are well blended, then I add the spinach and blend again until the spinach pieces are well blended, then add the fruit and blend again.
Hi Caitlin! With ingredients that are difficult to blend, we recommend blending only those ingredients, plus your liquid first. For this recipe, we’d totally blend the coconut milk + spinach first. Once that’s well blended, add just the dates and blend til smooth, then add the remaining ingredients to finish blending. That should totally do the trick, yet if you feel the food processor would help out for those steps, then def go for it! Happy blending! 🙂
Can you use coconut water instead of coconut milk?
Hey Maggie! You can def use coconut water in place of coconut milk but just know that your smoothie won’t be as creamy and may have a slightly different taste. If you’re concerned about the fat content of full-fat coconut milk, you could try reduced-fat coconut milk or use half water and half milk. 🙂
Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do you measure a cup and a half of spinach leaves? Is it a certain weight that I can use a kitchen scale for? Or do you just cram as many leaves as you can into a cup?
Thanks,
Don
Hey Don,
There are no dumb questions here!
We like to measure our spinach by one full handful is a cup. So I would do about one and a half handfuls for this recipe.
Hope that helps!
Can you make this without medjool dates? I don’t have any. Thanks!
Hey Debra,
Yes you can totally leave out the dates if you do not have them. They are mostly in the recipe to add in some sweetness to your smoothie. You can add in some honey to replace the dates.
Hope that helps!
I don’t have any mint so I was thinking about mint extract. Any idea how much?
Hey Marie,
We have never tried mint extract in this recipe, but I think that would be a good idea. I would only start with one drop and taste and add more for the desired taste.
Hope that help!
Do you have a good substitute for the banana in this recipe? I am allergic to bananas!
Hey Mary,
You can swap the banana with avocado for this recipe.
Enjoy!
I thought this was delicious! We have tons of mint growing in our yard and can’t use enough of it. I used a very scant 1/2 cup of mint because I sometimes find it too overpowering. However, I think it was perfect! I actually threw this into a bowl and added a few dark chocolate chips. It was like eating mint chocolate chip ice cream! I might add less coconut milk next time and leave it a bit thicker to eat from a bowl. An awesome and refreshing dessert that really satisfied my sweet tooth without being unhealthy. I will make this again! Thanks!
Hi Christie,
Yum, love that you turned this recipe into a decadent smoothie bowl!
Do you folks use pure coconut milk out of a can (like the one used for curry) or drinkable coconut milk from a carton (ie like almond and cashew milk)?
HI Lynn,
You can actually use either! Our tip is to just make sure you take a peek at the ingredients first. You want to find a coconut milk that’s free of any yucky additives or preservatives. Learn more about the different coconut products available for green smoothies here:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/coconut-oil-benefits
can these smoothies be a substitute for breakfast ? Or are they. I need to watch the calories
Hi Manju,
You can! When using your green smoothie as a meal replacement we suggest adding protein + healthy fats to ensure you’re fueling your body with a complete meal. Learn more about our favorite meal replacement booster combos here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
Delicious! I admit, I altered it slightly by cutting the ingredients in half and adding a scoop of Orgain Vanilla Bean protein powder, but it tastes fantastic! I love how the dates really added nice flavor and sweetness. This is my new favorite and I’ll share it with my mom, who is getting bored of her usual green smoothie. She loves dates, so this will be perfect. I am really looking forward to trying out all of your green smoothie recipes. Thank you!
Hi Jaime,
So happy to hear you loved this recipe. Adding protein powder is a great option. Make sure and reach back out + let us know how your mom enjoyed this recipe!
I make your smoothies all the time, but this time my husband raved about it. I loved it, too.
Hi Phyllis,
YAY! Thanks for sharing the green smoothie love, and sharing this recipe with your husband!
Thanks for this fun recipe! I have featured today it on my FB site “Super Quick Plant-Based Recipes” – where I post recipes that take 20 min. or less to prepare with as few ingredients as possible! My group will love it!
Hi Shanasy,
WAHOO! Thanks for sharing the green smoothie love!
This was really good! I usually like the more fruity and tart smoothies with pineapple and mangos. This was a pleasant surprise and I love the mint!
Hi America Brown,
YAY! So happy to hear you tried something new + loved this recipe. Rawk on!
Really! Disappointed!! I have made many fruit smoothies and thought I would try a new and differant.. Well I followed the ingredients and my smoothie turned out to minty and bitter.. Not good for sure. Maybe half the mint and no vanilla.. Or maybe this is a girl drink. No guys chimed in besides me…. Lol.
Hi Alan,
Oh no! We’re so sorry you didn’t love this recipe. Our tastebuds all have different preferences. Make sure and check out our recipe page + give our recipes another try. We know you’ll find one you love!
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/recipes