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This low carb Mint Milkshake is my healthier sugar free version of the McDonalds Shamrock Shake! It’s an S for Trim Healthy Mamas and doesn’t contain any artificial food coloring!
This milkshake – it tastes REAL. That’s because I used real mint in it. 😉 My first attempt at this recipe resulted in a disgusting, barely drinkable toothpastey peppermint shake that I choked down in the name of experimentation. I should’ve known better. Peppermint extract is notoriously strong stuff.
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After that I decided to avoid peppermint extract at all costs, so I turned to the dried mint I keep in my pantry for seasoning Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes + making tea. If I’m trying to make a mint milkshake maybe I should try using mint. Sure ‘nough. The result was so much better! It actually tastes real!
I purchase dried mint at a local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean grocery store fairly cheaply. Check local ethnic grocery stores, health food or bulk food stores, or online (CLICK HERE). I haven’t tried using fresh mint in this recipe, but I’m sure it would work if you have it on hand! I’m not sure how much you would use, although I do know that dried herbs are usually more potent than fresh. (I’ve heard that dried herbs are about 3x stronger, so theoretically you would need 1 ½ teaspoons fresh chopped mint in this recipe.)
Someone asked a great question about whether “dried mint” refers to spearmint or peppermint, and whether or not mint from a tea bag would work. My answer: “The dried mint I bought doesn’t specify, but I *think* it’s spearmint. I know it’s not peppermint. You’re welcome to try mint from a teabag but that’s probably going to be peppermint and I don’t think you’ll get the same flavor (or quality).”
Here’s what the dried mint looks like:
If you want to try peppermint extract, go for it, but I can’t vouch for the results and you have to be super careful with the amounts or you’ll get a very toothpasty milkshake.
Confession:
I’ve never actually tried a Shamrock Shake. 😛 However, this is my idea of the closest I could get to a similar healthy result without using homemade ice cream. (You could totally do that too with one of my vanilla ice cream recipes, a little almond milk or cream, some mint, and some spinach for coloring.)
No Articifial Food Coloring!
Spinach colors this shake naturally – no artificial food coloring – and adds some body and fluff. You don’t taste it, but you down a helping of leafy greens!
Additions:
- If you miss the menthol burn of peppermint, feel free to add the teensiest dash of peppermint extract to the shake. It’s really easy to get a toothpastey result, though, so I personally prefer the dried mint alone. (This is supposed to be a mint shake, not a peppermint shake anyway.)
- Feel free to add some cocoa powder to the shake for a funny-colored chocolate mint shake.
- Add 85% dark chocolate chunks or sugar-free chocolate chips and pulse in the blender for a mint chip shake.
- Add a glob of natural peanut butter for my favorite mint and peanut butter combination.
Possible Toppings:
- Reddi-wip
- Homemade sugar-free whipped cream
- Dark or sugar-free chocolate shavings
- Sugar-free chocolate syrup
The blender makes the difference.
Folks, a good blender can make all the difference between a good shake and a bad shake. I personally love THIS BLENDER!
Some ingredient notes:
- Any fat percentage of cottage cheese will work. The cottage cheese adds creaminess and protein without a lot of calories. I don’t recommend substituting Greek yogurt in its place (too tangy).
- You can try substituting plain or vanilla whey protein powder for the collagen, but I prefer the lack of taste of collagen.
- Feel free to use your favorite low glycemic sweetener to taste in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend. 1/8 teaspoon of THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder also works to sweeten this shake, but I preferred the flavor of the Sweet Blend to the stevia in combination with the mint.
- Glucomannan is a natural thickening agent. (I like THIS ONE.) If you don’t have it you could try substituting xanthan gum in its place.
You may also enjoy:
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STARTING THM
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MY RECIPE INDEX
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RECIPE INDEX BY FUEL TYPE/ALLERGY/THEME
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Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
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Single-Serve Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (no ice cream maker required!)
- 8 ice cubes
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh spinach
- ½ cup unsweetened almond or cashew milk
- ⅓ cup low fat cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon collagen
- 2 teaspoons THM Super Sweet Blend
- ½ teaspoon dried mint
- A dash of vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon glucomannan (slightly rounded)
- Add all the ingredients to a blender, adding the glucomannan last right before blending so it doesn’t clump. Blend until smooth. Let the shake sit in the blender for 30-60 seconds, then blend again for awhile to activate the glucomannan and let the shake get nice and creamy. Taste and adjust the mint flavor and sweetness as desired. Feel free to add more ice for a thicker shake.
- ADDITIONS: If you miss the menthol burn of peppermint, feel free to add the teensiest dash of peppermint extract to the shake. It’s really easy to get a toothpastey result, though, so I personally prefer the dried mint alone. (This is supposed to be a mint shake, not a peppermint shake anyway.)
- Feel free to add some cocoa powder to the shake for a funny-colored chocolate mint shake. Add 85% dark chocolate chunks or sugar-free chocolate chips and pulse in the blender for a mint chip shake. Add a glob of natural peanut butter for my favorite mint and peanut butter combination.
- TOPPINGS: Reddi-wip or homemade sugar-free whipped cream and dark or sugar-free chocolate shavings (or sugar-free chocolate syrup) would be excellent toppings. All of these would remain in the THM S category.
You can try substituting plain or vanilla whey protein powder for the collagen, but I prefer the lack of taste of collagen.
Feel free to use your favorite low glycemic sweetener to taste in place of the THM Super Sweet Blend. ⅛ teaspoon of THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder also works to sweeten this shake, but I preferred the flavor of the Sweet Blend to the stevia in combination with the mint.
I purchase dried mint at a local Middle Eastern/Mediterranean grocery store fairly cheaply. It’s used as a seasoning in cooking and also as a tea. While mine wasn't labeled as such, I believe it's spearmint, not peppermint. Check local ethnic grocery stores, health food or bulk food stores, or online (CLICK HERE). I haven’t tried using fresh mint in this recipe.
Glucomannan is a natural thickening agent. (I like THIS ONE.) If you don’t have it you could try substituting xanthan gum in its place.
Nutrition and allergy information calculated for the shake alone as written (no toppings). Use noncontaminated ingredients. Gluten free, egg free, try carton coconut milk for a nut free version if you can have coconut products
I did mess around with a dairy free version of this shake based on my Dreamy Dairy Free Chocolate Shake, but it wasn’t stellar. Feel free to play around with it yourself and let me know what you come up with! I just omitted the cocoa powder in the chocolate shake recipe and added spinach for color and dried mint for flavor. You can look off of the amounts used in this Mint Milkshake recipe and tweak to taste.
You can pin this recipe here:
Made this shake with fresh mint. Delicious! AAAAAAA++++++ thank you
Tried this today since we had leftover spinach in the fridge. I used 2 drops of peppermint oil instead, it turned out fantastic. My 15yo loves your way of getting veggies in. He’s a fan of this & your cauliflower shake recipes.
Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying them!
Haven’t tried it yet but will definitely do so. Sounds delicious. Is the gluccie just to thicken the shake? Trying to determine if i could get by without buying gluccie.
Yes, the glucomannan makes things thick and creamy and helps to emulsify everything. 🙂 You could probably use xanthan gum (which is more readily available locally) in its place, but I don’t recommend leaving the thickener out completely.
The flavor of this milkshake is fantastic. In my first attempt, mine ended up with a very thin consistency. In my second attempt, I froze the coconut milk in ice cube tray and it created a more milkshake-like consistency. I also added some chocolate chips. Delish!
This mint milkshake is delicious…I love the taste of the dried mint for the flavoring. So I have a bag of the dried mint leaves now…..are there other recipes where I can use them?
This mint chocolate chip ice cream! https://www.briana-thomas.com/mint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/
You can also use them to make tea. I sometimes use mint in savory Middle Eastern type dishes. It’s great in fresh veggie or fruit salads!
I have tried low carb recipes without much luck but this one is excellent. I followed your recipe exactly and used the brands you recommended. I did add cocoa nibs and Lilly brand chocolate chips that uses stevia instead of sugar. Next time I’m going to substitute the mint for some coffee beans. Mocha/Coffee brewed smoothie. Yum!!!!
Would I want peppermint or spearmint? Would mint from a teabag work?
The dried mint I bought doesn’t specify, but I *think* it’s spearmint. I know it’s not peppermint. You’re welcome to try mint from a teabag but that’s probably going to be peppermint and I don’t think you’ll get the same flavor (or quality).