Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shake
Your favorite childhood St Patrick’s Day treat is now vegan and chock-full of booze thanks to this Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shake recipe! It’s easy to make with a thick indulgent texture that will leave you SHOCKED there’s no dairy in it.
Just like many of you reading this, I was a MAJOR fan of the Shamrock Shake in my youth. Since going vegan, I’ve had a few really good versions at restaurants but hadn’t yet made one at home.
There are a TON of recipes for shamrock shakes out there (and even vegan ones), but I kept running into one of two problems:
1. Some were WEIRDLY healthy. Like, the line between a green smoothie and a shamrock shake MUST be drawn somewhere. i.e. – Citrus and bananas have no place in my Shamrock Shake. Thank you and GOODNIGHT.
2. Others used store-bought vegan ice cream which – for the record – I am definitely NOT against. But, I do really enjoy the challenge of making something as from-scratch as possible. Creativity is fun…as long as it still tastes bomb AF.
So, basically, I was on a mission to find the Goldilocks of vegan Shamrock Shakes: from-scratch without being too “green smoothie” but thick and delicious without using the store-bought ice cream shortcut. I wanted a vegan Shamrock Shake that was juuuust right.
Oh, and I wanted to incorporate booze because I’m a damn grown-up, and it also just sounded like fun. 😉
If this sounds like your personal version of Shamrock Shake heaven, I have a feeling you’re going to love this recipe just as much as I do!
How to Make a Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shake
This Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shake is super easy to make, but it does require a little prep time, so factor that in!
You’ll start by dicing and freezing a large avocado.
This is what’s going to add that icy quality to your shake as well as some color and a hefty dose of FAT. Because, friends, what even IS a milkshake without the fats? We just don’t need to do it with animal products.
I also dig using an avocado here because it won’t add any weird flavor to your shake like a frozen banana would.
Next, you’ll make your shake mix.
Start by adding some non-dairy milk (we dig the original Silk soy milk) to a medium saucepan with some cocoa butter + cane sugar.
The cocoa butter (we use this stuff) is another luxurious fat source that is going to emulsify with the milk and create THE most decadent texture (not to mention a killer rich flavor). You’ll heat this mixture over the stove, stirring carefully, until the cocoa butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.
Pour this mix into your blender, add a little peppermint extract, some vanilla protein powder (obsessed with this stuff because it has NO STEVIA), and few leaves of either fresh mint or spinach. Honestly, the greens are purely for a color boost without having to add food coloring. Works like a charm, and you won’t taste a thing.
Blend all this on high for at least a minute. Timing is crucial here because you want to be sure the cocoa butter has completely emulsified.
Place this mix in the fridge overnight so it can cool completely. I just place the whole pitcher in the fridge!
Finally, blend it all up!
The time has come! Grab your shake mix and add the frozen avocado, whiskey, and Baileys Almande (that’s the non-dairy one!).
If you’re not into booze or you’re making it for kids, feel free to sub more non-dairy milk. Blend everything together until the mixture is niiiice and smooth.
How to Serve a Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shake
We love to serve these shakes in tall milkshake glasses (like these) with a wide straw (these are awesome), topped with finely chopped dark chocolate.
We also ADORE them topped with our vegan whipped cream (which uses a similar emulsification process). Add a cherry if that’s your thing; I see it’s pretty popular on the interwebs and may kind of remember them coming with cherries from McD’s back in the day?
ALSO: If you’re as crazy about St. Patrick’s Day food as we are, don’t forget to check out our list of FAVORITE St. Patrick’s Day vegan recipes (including our EPIC vegan corned beef and whiskey-infused fondue).
When you make these Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shakes, we would LOVE to hear how it went! Leave a comment and rate the recipe below or tag us in your awesome photos on Instagram. If you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
And if you want to be sure you never miss another Plant Power Couple recipe, don’t forget to sign up for our email list!
I hope you enjoy the pants off this recipe just like we have. (Literally because T is all about the kilt on St. Patrick’s Day.) We’re raising a big glass of alcohol-infused milkshake to every single one of you. Sláinte, friends!
Boozy Vegan Shamrock Shake
Ingredients
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 cups non-dairy milk
- 1 oz. cocoa butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened vanilla vegan protein powder
- 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
- 5 spinach or mint leaves optional, for color
- 1/4 cup Irish whiskey optional, see notes*
- 1/4 cup Baileys Almande optional, see notes*
For topping (optional):
- vegan whipped cream
- Vegan chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
- FREEZE THE AVOCADO: First, dice your avocado, lay out all the pieces on a large plate or lined baking sheet and place it in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight. You want them to be completely frozen to add an icy quality to your shake!
- PREP THE SHAKE MIX: Next, heat a medium saucepan on medium low heat and add the non-dairy milk, cacao butter, and sugar. Stir, cover, and let it heat for 5-7 minutes or until the sugar is dissolved and the cacao butter is melted. Stop to stir every 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom to make sure it doesn’t burn. Then, pour this mixture into a high-speed blender, add the protein powder, peppermint extract, and optional spinach, and blend on high for at least 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and creamy and the cacao butter is emulsified. Place this mixture in the fridge (I put the whole pitcher in there) 8 hours or overnight to chill completely.
- BRING IT ALL TOGETHER: Blend the chilled shake mix with the optional whiskey, Baileys, and frozen avocado until smooth and well-combined. Pour into glasses and serve topped with the vegan whipped cream and finely chopped dark chocolate. Enjoy!
Notes
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