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Well, it’s that time of year, again, friends! When creamy green frozen drinks are cropping up at a certain fast food place. You may be tempted to grab a quick shake from the drive-through on your way to pick up your kids from school, but WAIT. Did you know that a medium Shamrock Shake has 78 grams of sugar? Holy Moly. But this keto Shamrock Shake copycat has only 2.1 grams of natural sugar and 5.7g net carbs.
The content alone is enough to make you want to think twice, but you should know that a Shamrock Shake is also full of high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, food additives, and artificial colors.
This keto Shamrock Shake version is made of all natural ingredients and gets its color from avocado and fresh mint leaves (no food coloring here!)
Keto Shamrock Shake
This recipe for a keto Shamrock Shake is so easy, you won’t mind making it yourself. It’s full of healthy fats and protein, and is dairy-free and vegan if you use coconut cream as the whipped topping.
Ingredients
Let’s talk about the different things that go into our version of the shake.
Avocado
The base of this shake is made with avocado. If you’re not a fan of avocado, don’t freak out! You can’t taste it at all. You only taste the mint.
Avocado does a great job standing in for ice cream here (I know that may sound hard to believe) because of its high fat content and creamy texture. I’ve made this with both fresh and frozen avocado, and it works equally well both ways.
If you’re using fresh avocado, you’ll also need about half a cup or so of ice, and you’ll probably need a little less almond milk.
Using frozen avocado is convenient because you don’t have to do the dance of finding the exact moment your avocado is ripe. I get bags of frozen avocado at Costco, but you can make your own as well. If using frozen, you don’t need additional ice.
Hemp Hearts
You don’t need to use hemp hearts here- it won’t change the texture or flavor of the shake. But hemp hearts are a great plant-based source of protein that work well in smoothies (like in my Matcha Smoothie Bowl). They have a very mild flavor. They account for the majority of the protein in this recipe.
Mint Leaves
Fresh mint leaves not only flavor this shake, but they give it an even more beautiful green color. If you’d like a more intense mint flavor, you can also add a couple drops of pure mint extract.
Sweetener
I use my low carb sweetener in this recipe, but you can use any powdered low carb sweetener (like Swerve or Lakanto), stevia, or monkfruit depending on your preferences.
The recipe measurements are for low carb sweeteners that measure like sugar. If you’re using stevia or monkfruit, which are much stronger sweeteners, you’ll want to add a little at a time until you reach your desired sweetness.
Almond Milk
Almond milk helps to get the right consistency here. You can substitute a different low-carb milk alternative here as you like. Just be aware that using a different milk may change the carb count.
Collagen Powder
This is an optional ingredient. I like to add collagen powder to increase the protein in this shake. Adding the suggested amount takes the protein from 15.8g to 27.7. It does not add any more carbs.
Collagen should not be added if you’re wanting to keep this recipe vegan.
Whipped Cream or Coconut Cream
This is an optional topping for your shake. Adding whipped cream will make this no longer dairy-free or vegan, but if you’re not concerned about that, it’s a delicious addition. If you’re wanting a topping that is dairy-free and vegan, you can whip coconut cream for a lovely topping instead.
Equipment
The only equipment you need for this recipe is a good blender.
I use a Blendtec blender, and highly recommend the brand. I got mine refurbished and have not regretted the purchase several years later. We use it frequently.
That being said, if you own any brand of blender that makes smoothies without difficulty, it should work just fine in this recipe.
I run my blender’s “smoothie” option twice to get every last bit of hemp hearts and mint leaves smooth.
There’s no real secret to making the shake– you just add all the ingredients together and blend. Your blender may work better if you start by pulsing. It may also work better to make sure the softer ingredients go into the blender first (not the ice or frozen avocado.)
Start with 1 cup of almond milk and add more if needed to thin the texture or get it to blend better.
Serving
After blending it up to your liking, all that’s left is to serve it up!
This makes a very large portion. I kept it at one serving to keep it similar to a regular sized shake you’d get at a restaurant. But given that it’s packed with healthy fats and protein, this baby is filling. You can easily split it into two small shakes if you prefer.
I added whipped cream to mine, and then garnished with a HighKey chocolate mint mini cookie. Which I highly recommend.
Sorry, the Highkey cookies are not dairy-free or vegan.
Isn’t that just the prettiest thing?
I did not tell my kids this was healthy or that it had avocado in it and they drank them right up.
I wish I could say they drank it up without any arguing or complaining, but there are straws involved, so obviously they had to fight about that. Obviously.
Easy Keto Mint Shake {Healthy Shamrock Copycat}
Easy Keto Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 avocado, fresh or frozen (plus 1/2 cup ice if using fresh)
- 3 Tbsp hemp hearts
- 2-4 Tbsp low carb sweetener
- 10 mint leaves
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups almond milk
- A few drops mint extract (optional)
- 2 Tbsp collagen powder (optional)
- Unsweetened whipped cream or coconut cream for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a blender. Start with 1 cup almond milk and more if needed to thin to desired consistency.
- Blend well, until completely smooth.
- Serve with whipped cream or coconut cream and fresh mint leaves, if desired.
Notes
Shake base is fully dairy-free, and vegan if collagen powder is not used. For topping, use coconut cream.
Nutrition calculated without optional ingredients. Can easily be split into two smaller portions and still be a satisfying amount.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 536Total Fat: 47.4gSaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 134mgCarbohydrates: 22gNet Carbohydrates: 5.7gFiber: 16.3gSugar: 2.1gProtein: 15.8g
