In March, the Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s is one of the most popular sweet treats.

BUT……while I don’t want to villify the green shamrock shake, I also know that there is a much better way to approach it – at home via a healthy shamrock shake.

And since protein is the name of the game in 2024, I just had to share my protein-rich healthy shamrock shake recipe.

What’s in the Original McDonald’s Shamrock Shake?

Taken straight from the golden arches of McDonald’s website, here is what’s in their St. Patty’s Day green shake:

Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream

Ingredients in the vanilla reduced fat ice cream: 

• Milk
• Sugar
• Cream
• Corn Syrup
• Natural Flavor
• Mono And Diglycerides
• Cellulose Gum
• Guar Gum
• Carrageenan
• Vitamin A Palmitate

Shamrock Shake Syrup

Ingredients in the shamrock shake syrup: 

• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Corn Syrup
• Water
• Glycerin
• Contains 2% Or Less: Natural Flavor, Xantham Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Yellow 5, Blue 1

Whipped Light Cream

Ingredients in their whipped light cream: 

• Cream
• Nonfat Milk
• Milk
• Liquid Sugar
• Contains 2% Or Less: Mono And Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan. Whipping Propellant (nitrous Oxide)

Healthy Lifestyle

​Again, please remember that I’m NOT trying to vilify how McDonald’s goes about shamrock shake season. In fact, my kids just got one the other day. I’m not trying to scare people into better health.

If you want to consume the drink, then go for it.

My GOAL is to empower YOU to make the decisions that work best for you.

But I’d be lying to you if I didn’t tell you that those ingredients are doing nothing for your gut health.

One of the QUICKEST ways to see instant results for less bloating, fatigue and misery is to clean up the foods you allow to flow through the digestive system.

Besides the ingredients themselves, there is way too much sugar in one (63 grams of sugar to be exact, with 51g of added sugar), no fiber, 0g protein, and 500 mostly empty calories.

The good news is that you can still indulge in something delicious on St. Patrick’s Day by making your own version.

Shamrock Protein Shake Recipe

Click HERE to save this shamrock protein shake recipe for later.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make the protein shamrock shake:

1. Nutiva Organic Plant Protein Smoothie, Vanilla (protein powder)
2. 1 frozen, ripe banana
3. Nutiva Organic Coconut Manna
4. organic mixed greens (we used baby spinach, chard, + kale combo)
5. fresh mint leaves
6. vanilla extract
7. non-dairy milk of choice (options might include: unsweetened almond milk, full-fat coconut milk or unsweetened cashew milk)

Simple Recipe

Using just a handful of ingredients, you can follow this simple recipe to make the healthy protein shamrock shake.

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend on high until fully blended and liquefied to the creamy texture desired.
3. Serve immediately.

Vegan Protein Shake

This recipe is gluten, dairy, soy, Stevia, corn, and refined sugar-free. It’s also Vegan.

​Boost This Recipe

There are some easy things you can do to boost the recipe even further, if desired:

1. If you want a mint chocolate chip flavor, add in raw cacao nibs or some mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life Foods.
2. You can make it have an even more minty flavor by adding in just a pinch of peppermint extract or mint extract.
3. If you don’t care about the color (i.e. green), and you enjoy chocolate vs. vanilla, then opt for THIS chocolate protein powder.
4. But if the green color really matters to you, then check out THIS natural green food coloring.
5. Add Tummy Soothe to it. Tummy Soothe is in powder form and it’s a comprehensive blend of immunoglobulins and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, specifically formulated to help repair and support the health of the gut lining. If you want to learn all about it’s MAGICAL powers, check THIS out.

Shamrock Shake Flavor

The goal was to give this a Shamrock shake flavor without using food coloring and artificial ingredients.

And with my Shamrock Shake Protein Recipe you achieve that PLUS:

• 23+ grams of protein
• a natural green color
• perfect mint flavor
• healthy fats
• way less sugar

If you try this recipe, let me know in the comment below how you made your own version, and what you thought of it!

Disclosure: All opinions started here are 100% my own. I appreciate your support, as this compensation helps with expenses to keep this website up and running, and for me to continue sharing all that I can with you. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. How to Make Protein Shakes Thicker {22 Ways that are Gut Friendly}
2. Nice Cream
3. Paleo Coffee Popsicle Recipe

Xox,
SKH