This healthy vanilla mint smoothie is packed with nutritious ingredients like avocado, banana, and spinach yet tastes delicious. Get the recipe now!
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While I’ve never had an actual Shamrock Shake before, I have had plenty of mint chocolate chip ice creams and homemade shakes.
So you can trust me when I say that this smoothie really does taste like vanilla mint chip ice cream in smoothie form.
Now, there are two types of mint ice creams out there: the ones with really good vanilla ice cream that are creamy white in color with specks of chocolate and the ones with a very basic ice cream base that’s been tinted green.
Vanilla is one of my all-time favorite flavors, so clearly I’m biased towards mint chip ice creams and shakes with a strong vanilla flavor.
I want to say that this vanilla mint smoothie with CBD is my healthier option when I’m craving that vanilla mint combo. But it’s not even like I’m settling for a healthier option.
I’ve come to crave this creamy smoothie all on its own and not just because it’s super healthy for me but because it’s so tasty.
This vanilla mint smoothie is made with all whole ingredients and no added sugars.
However, if you need to make it a tad sweeter, keep reading for my tip for adding more natural sources of sugar.
Here’s what you’ll need:
The key to making this smoothie taste more like a milkshake is the frozen banana so do not leave it out! I find that slicing your bananas (or at least breaking them into fourths) before freezing them makes it easier to blend.
It may seem odd, but trust me and just add the avocado. Not only do they contribute healthy fats, but it’s also key for making these smoothies super creamy. And don’t worry, you really won’t taste it!
For an extra boost of nutrition and green color, I add 1 heaping cup of spinach per 2 servings, but feel free to use less or more per personal preference.
I love the nutty, slightly sweet flavor of oat milk. But you could also use unsweetened vanilla almond milk, cashew milk, or organic whole cow’s milk. Both soy and coconut can be used but will likely affect the flavor.
Make sure to use peppermint, not mint, extract. As there’s no actual mint leaves in this smoothie, this ingredient is key for getting that minty flavor.
In addition to adding a vanilla flavor, vanilla extract also helps with sweetness. You can also use vanilla bean powder or fresh vanilla beans if you’re feeling extra fancy.
I recommend using an isolate for this recipe so that you don’t get any hint of that earthy hemp taste.
However, if all you have is a broad or full spectrum product, go ahead and give it a shot. You may just need to adjust the amount of mint or vanilla extract – or add medjool dates.
Another ingredient you don’t often see in a smoothie, I like adding the tiniest hint of salt to help balance out the sweetness.
Like your smoothie on the sweeter side? Add 1-2 medjool dates.
While cocoa nibs are dairy-free, you can also buy dairy-free mini chocolate chips.
My go-to brand is Good for Life as they’re not only dairy-free, but free of all major allergens.
Looking to have this as a meal replacement or post-workout drink? You can easily add some extra protein:
Additionally, using cow’s or soy milk instead of oat or almond will also add additional protein.
The first time I ever made a green smoothie I was so grossed out. There were big pieces of spinach still left, the flavor was too earthy, and the texture was more watery than I’d like.
After many years of playing around with these recipes, I’ve come up with a few essential tips for making a healthy green smoothie that’s thick, creamy, and super tasty:
If there are two appliances that I think are worth spending extra money on, it’s a blender and food processor.
I personally use the Ninja Kitchen System, which has the same motor for both and I can just attach either the blender, food processor, or individual blender depending on what I’m making.
If you’re using a traditional blender, this means placing it at the bottom, or if you’re using a single-serving blender like the Ninja, you’ll want to add it to the top as the lid is usually where the blade is.
This will help make sure the spinach gets fully blended down.
Depending on your blender, if it isn’t high powered enough you’ll likely benefit from blending the spinach and milk together first.
Once the liquid is completely smooth without any spinach pieces, add in the remaining ingredients
Unlike ice which will water down your flavors, frozen fruit will contribute flavor as well as help with texture. Bananas especially are great for making milkshake-like smoothies.
It depends on how much you usually take per day and whether you want a full dose at once or just want to add half your daily dose to this smoothie.
Personally, for my anxiety I’ve had better results having a full dose in the morning, but I know for others they prefer splitting it up throughout the day. It’s worth playing around and seeing what works best for you.
As for how much, I really can’t tell you how much you need. Research on CBD has a huge variation in daily dose, anywhere from 20 mg per day up to 1500 mg per day!
If you’re new to CBD, then 20 mg can be a good starting point, and then just increase by about 5 mg per week until you start to feel improvements in your symptoms.
For figuring out how much is in each dropper, head over to my article on how to calculate it. Or, simply buy a product that already tells you how much CBD is in each drop or full dropper.
For this vanilla mint smoothie, I used 2 droppers of CBDistillery’s THC-Free Pure CBD Oil Tincture 1000mg, which has 33 mg of CBD per full dropper.
This means each serving of this smoothie had about 33 mg of CBD.
But again, make sure to add an amount based on your personal needs.
Besides being reminiscent of one of my favorite ice cream flavors – cookie dough though will always be first – this vanilla mint green smoothie is also packed with good for you ingredients:
Of course, there’s also CBD, which more and more research is finding is beneficial for reducing inflammation and chronic pain, as well as improving sleep and anxiety.
For more info on CBD, be sure to check out my previous articles here.
Depends on how far ahead.
Can you make this, go to the gym for 30 minutes and then drink it? Yes.
But I don’t recommend letting it sit in the fridge for much longer than an hour as the mixture will start to separate and the avocado can go bad.
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Awesome post! Keep up the great work! 🙂
Thank you!
I’m Kelli MS, RD. As a foodie with a background in nutrition research, I’m a firm believer that what we eat affects nearly every aspect of our wellbeing, and that food should taste freaking delicious.
My name is Kelli McGrane, and I’m a Denver-based registered dietitian with a Master’s degree in nutrition.
As a foodie with a background in nutrition research, I’m a firm believer that what we eat affects nearly every aspect of our wellbeing, and that food should taste freaking delicious.
My goal with New Mind is to help you find balance in both your mind and body through nutrition research and whole foods-based recipes.