To celebrate the new month of March {my birthday month!} and the upcoming Irish holiday in a few weeks, I have a healthy Mint Breakfast Milkshake recipe to share. Yes, minty and green for St. Patrick’s Day. This recipe is a much healthier copycat of the Shamrock Shake from McDonald’s.

The last time I had a Shamrock Shake was back in college. I remember driving around town with a friend one night in late March when an ice cream craving hit to find a McDonald’s still serving the green treat. We eventually found one, but the shake wasn’t as good as I remembered – it wasn’t minty and had a weird soupy texture – and I haven’t had another one since.

This mint breakfast “milkshake” version is healthy enough to start your day but sweet enough for dessert if that’s your preference. The sweetness comes naturally from Medjool dates. Vanilla flavor is incorporated by using vanilla almond milk {I used unsweetened} and vanilla extract.

I added real mint leaves to give this smoothie the signature minty flavor, but you could also use peppermint extract for a little bit of extra kick. Fresh mint leaves promote digestion and contain powerful antioxidants. The mighty leaves also contain small amounts of other health benefits, including iron, Vitamin A, potassium, and fiber {source}.

Looking for more smoothie recipes? Check out my:

• Skinny Thin Mint Smoothie
• Frozen Chai Milkshake
• Vegan Samoa Cookie Smoothie