This Lighter Shamrock Shake is a much lighter way to enjoy this fun treat!
If you love a Shamrock Shake but don’t love all the calories it brings to your life, meet this easy alternative. In it, we are swapping the ice cream out for bananas. We still get that rich and creamy mint taste but with the benefit of nutritious bananas rather than ice cream.
How to Make a Lighter Shamrock Shake
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious recipe. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Combine the ingredients in a food processor. Add the frozen banana and blend until smooth. To learn more about freezing bananas read this post: How to Freeze Bananas.
- Add in the milk. Add more if needed until you reach the desired consistency.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the mint extract, green food coloring, and agave nectar. Blend until smooth.
- Serve and enjoy. Top with whipped cream and maraschino cherries if desired.
A Lighter Treat
While this is a lighter treat, it is not a calorie free treat. It is made with bananas, which have a lot of health benefits, but they do still have 100 calories per banana. Be sure to enjoy this shake in moderation.
Additionally, this lighter take on the Shamrock Shake is totally delicious, but not identical to its rich older sister. She’s made from bananas, cut her some slack. That said, this shake is really good and very reminiscent of the original.
Food Coloring
If you or someone in your family avoids food dyes, you might like using this alternative. It is all natural and a fun way to still make this look like the original.
Peppermint vs. Mint
Please note that you are looking for mint extract and not peppermint extract. Mint extract is the taste you love in the Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. Peppermint is what you taste when you have a candy cane.
Vanilla Soy Milk
I tried first making it with vanilla extract to replicate the vanilla ice cream taste, but that just didn’t jive with the mint extract. So then I used vanilla soy milk, and it worked out much better. If you don’t want to buy a big carton of soy milk, then just get a little milk box of vanilla cow’s milk, to get the same affect.
If you make this delicious lighter shamrock shake, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Lighter Shamrock Shake
Ingredients
- 2 frozen bananas
- 1/3 cup vanilla soy milk plus more for thinning, see note 1
- 1 – 2 teaspoons agave nectar see note 2
- 1/4 teaspoon mint extract not peppermint extract
- 8 drops green food coloring see note 3
- fat free whipped cream for topping
- maraschino cherries for topping
Instructions
- In a food processor blend the frozen bananas until smooth.2 frozen bananas
- Add 1/3 a cup soy milk or more if needed to thin it out.1/3 cup vanilla soy milk
- Add the agave nectar, mint extract, and food coloring. Blend and taste adding more agave nectar as needed.1 – 2 teaspoons agave nectar, 1/4 teaspoon mint extract, 8 drops green food coloring
- Top with fat free whip cream and maraschino cherries if desired.
Notes
- This recipe was tested with both vanilla extract and vanilla soy milk. The vanilla soy milk was much more reminiscent of the original Shamrock Shake. You could also purchase a small container of vanilla milk.
- Start with 1 tsp of agave nectar and see if you want it sweeter before adding the second.
- If you are sensitive to food coloring, this is a great alternative.
Julie is HostessAtHeart says
It’s a never ending battle isn’t it This shake reminds me of those yummy grasshopper frozen boozy drinks. I will have to give this one a try. Probably a bit better for breakfast right?
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
I totally hear you! I am all “oh I had a great day today” and then my boyfriend wants chocolate chip cookies and all my efforts are wasted.
Mir says
Ugh, I wish they could skinnify Reese’s somehow. Then I’d be in much better shape.
It’s hard to resist the nachos, too…
This looks great!
Melissa says
I love mint anything! I will definitely have to try this. Also, as far as losing weight is concerned, my studies have shown me that it is more about cutting sugar than cutting calories, per se. So bring on the bacon, but hold the cookies. Dangit. I did The Belly Fat Cure a couple years ago (modified to allow myself one small treat a day so I didn’t go through withdrawls) and it really worked, although it took longer than if you adhere to it strictly. But I’m sorry. I just can’t give up cookies :)
Doug (the kitchen professor) says
My wife just made this last night and it turned out great!
She improvised a bit & made a 2nd batch with some honey instead of agave. Yummy!
Thanks for the great idea!
Doug
Thanks Doug! Always great to hear when a recipe turns out well, and honey is a great replacement for agave!
Kari says
I HATE bananas. Can you taste the banana at all?? I would love to try this, but am afraid of the banana taste.
Hmmmm . . . I feel like if you hate bananas, like capital letters HATE bananas, this might not be the right dessert for you.
Katie DB says
Love love love shamrock shakes, so I’m definitely going to try this one out. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Thanks Katie!
Jess B says
I love this! I make smoothies 2x-3x a day and never thought of this. (I actually added spinach and silken tofu to it to make it a substantial meal) Genius! Today’s the 2nd time I’ve made this shamrock recipe it’s very good :) thanks!!
Thanks Jess! I appreciate it so much when people come back to share that they enjoyed a recipe!
Kami Bahnmiller says
Thank you so much for this! I am having guests over and wanted to make a St. Patrick’s day dessert but am currently doing the 21 day fix from beachbody. Now I can make all my family and guests the real thing and I can have this. They’ll never know!
Oh good Kami! I hope you like it!
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie says
This looks yummy! Just stopping by to let you know your skinny shamrock shake is featured in a St. Patrick’s Day roundup over at The Pin Junkie.