When I asked what recipe my lovely fans on Instagram would like for St. Patrick's Day, the top vote was a vegan shamrock shake recipe. Really!? I thought. But isn't that just a simple minty milkshake? Well, yes it is. But then I made it, and then magic happened. And before I knew it, the entire vegan shamrock shake was gone, and there I was trying to noisily slurp up the last few drops with a straw.
Yes, a shamrock shake is just a minty milkshake, but once I made my own vegan shamrock shake, I quickly learned why everyone was so excited. Sometimes simple is best and in the case of this vegan milkshake, it couldn't be truer!
Creamy, rich, lightly sweet, with a minty freshness. It's the perfect combination of flavours making it the most divine St. Patty's day treat.
Then, for more fun, you can top the vegan shamrock shake with Coconut Whipped Cream, green sprinkles, fresh mint leaves or a maraschino cherry. So fun and festive!
Traditional Shamrock shakes are made with ice cream, and while of course, you can easily buy vegan ice cream, if you know me I am always looking for an easier hack. I took inspiration from my Instant Vanilla Ice Cream recipe in Fuss-Free Vegan (page 176), and decided to freeze full-fat coconut milk or Heavenly Heavy Cream (page 206 in Fuss-Free Vegan) for the perfect frozen creaminess. This is not only cheaper, but you can control the sweetness to your own taste preference. The result, you guessed it, The Ultimate Vegan Shamrock Shake!
To make The Ultimate Vegan Shamrock Shake: Pour the full-fat coconut milk or Heavenly Heavy Cream into an ice cube tray and freeze overnight.
I used this very handy dandy vintage ice cube tray I have, but you can get newer versions of this ice cube tray on Amazon if you desire.
Add the frozen cubes to a blender along with the agave, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and food colouring.
Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide among two glasses.
Optionally, you can decorate your shakes with any additional toppings. I opted for Coconut Whipped Cream and green sprinkles, because CUTE!
The Ultimate Vegan Shamrock Shake
Ingredients
For the shamrock shake:
- 1 400ml can full-fat coconut milk (1 ¾ cups) or Heavenly Heavy Cream (page 206 in Fuss-Free Vegan), frozen in an ice cube tray
- 1 cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons agave
- ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 - 10 drops vegan green food colouring
Additional toppings (optional):
- Coconut Whipped Cream
- green sprinkles
- fresh mint leaves
- maraschino cherries
- vegan chocolate syrup
Instructions
- Add the frozen cubes of full-fat coconut milk or Heavenly Heavy Cream to a blender along with the plant-based milk, agave, peppermint extract, vanilla extract, and food colouring. Blend until smooth and creamy. Divide among two glasses. Optionally, you can decorate your shakes with any additional toppings.
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Anonymous says
I’ve never had a shamrock shake before going vegan, but I’ve given this to people who have and they said it’s a perfect replica! I never used to like mint but after trying this, suddenly I was craving all sorts of minty desserts, this milkshake being at the top of the list, of course! Such a tasty treat and I’m sure it would be a great cooling drink to have in summer. I may even add another 1/8th tsp of mint extract to it next time!
Samantha says
This was such a GOOD shake!! Didn’t taste like coconut too much and really was so creamy and delicious. I added 1/4 tsp of matcha and a few baby spinach leaves and it was the perfect shade of green. And I did about 1 tsp of vanilla instead of 1/4tsp! 100000/1000!! Thank you for this recipe it was the perfect shamrock shake!
AB says
Hi! I have a question regarding your Heavenly Heavy Cream (which I finally made today, YAY, YUM), perhaps this is silly, but can it be whipped? Not sure what properties coconut cream and regular moomoo cow cream have that allow it to fluff up when whisked/beaten while cold. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi! Glad you are enjoying the book. It won't whip, but you could use less water to make a thicker cream and maybe add a bit of sweetness (similar to the sour cream of my dreams but sweet instead of savoury). Hope that helps!
Sarah says
Just made this, and it tastes amazing. The only problem is the consistency. It was more like a slushy than a shake. Any ideas on what I did wrong? Could it have been the fact that my coconut milk was separated before I froze it in an ice cube tray?
Sarah says
Actually, never mind. I added a little more almond milk and blended that baby up a little more, and it’s perfect! Thank you for this awesome recipe 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, glad you enjoyed it, Sarah 🙂
Kristi says
I've got to make this for my husband! He loved shamrock shakes, but hasn't gotten one in a couple years. I missed making this last weekend but it will be delicious anytime! Sam, I have a question about a recipe in Fuss Free Vegan while I'm here. I really want to make the brownies but they need to go in an 8x8 pan. I only have a 9x9. Will that work? Should I just reduce the baking time by 5 minutes or so, or should I just buy the 8x8 pan and wait until I have it to make them? Thanks!
Kristi says
Actually, I went ahead and made them, but used a 1 to 1 gluten free flour (bob's red mill) because one of my kids needs to eat gluten free now. The batter was the most delicious brownie batter ever, but the brownies didn't turn out. It's absolutely the flour and not the recipe because I just had the same thing happen when I made my usual cookie recipe with the flour today. Ugh. GF baking is hard. 🙁
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kristi, I hope your husband loves it! Yep, the 9x9 pan should work fine, they will likely take just a little less baking time as you suggested. Enjoy!
Becky Mighton says
Sam, this was crazy good! I made it for my husband for St. Patrick's Day. YUM! I would even omit the added sweetener, as we both found it to be Sa-weet (but in a good way!).
Sam Turnbull says
Haha, that's perfect, Becky! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much 🙂
Dawn says
These shakes were fantastic! Even my mom-vegan husband gave his a thumbs up!
I did find I wanted my shakes colder so I added ice cubes to the recipe. They didn’t compromise the taste a bit.
Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed them so much 😀
Karen says
Hi Sam,
Looks so fresh and minty. One question, as I've never frozen coconut milk: do you shake the can to mix it up before pouring into the cube tray? I've seen some recipes where the can is chilled overnight, then opened, and the solids scooped out.
Thanks, and great pics as always!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, you can shake it or stir it if it is separated, pour it into an ice cube tray, and freeze. You can chill coconut milk in the fridge overnight to make Coconut Whipped Cream. Enjoy 🙂
Caramel says
Looks delicious! Two question though, would it be okay to supplement the agave nectar with maple syrup?
And what vegan food coloring brand(s) do you recommend that I should use?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Caramel! You can use maple syrup, it may have a slight maple-y taste so as long as you are ok with that. For food colouring any brand that is vegan-friendly will do. Here's a good one. Some food colouring, especially red colours, can contain animal ingredients such as carmine which is a red beetle that they crush for colour.
Brandi says
Thank you, Sam. It sounds delicious and looks gorgeous, but one small correction - your instructions do not list adding the 1 cup of non-dairy milk.
Sam Turnbull says
Good catch! It's all fixed now, thanks, Brandi!