This THM peppermint chocolate chip milkshake recipe is what I’m thankful for today. Between this AND the frozen eggnog recipe from last week. These two will keep me out of trouble in the drive through lane this holiday season when all of my favorite seasonal milkshake flavors are out.
My husband read my blog from last week and wanted to know why I hadn’t made him any frozen egg nog. The reason is that he is picky, and he likes the icky-thick-super-sweet store bought stuff. I was nervous that he’d turn his nose up. But when I made some to go with breakfast on Saturday, he was all, “This is NOT diet…how can you do this? How can this be low carb?”
Today, he tasted my mint chip shake and was again suspicious that I was slipping him a fast food shake. Skepticism is his love language. 🙂
[bctt tweet=”Mint chip #protein shake #recipe that *TASTES* like a naughty #milkshake https://gwens-nest.com/?p=3250″]
The base recipe is really similar to what I shared last week, with just a couple of tweaks. I like to use 85% dark chocolate from Aldis *or* Lindt brand. Since I was getting all fancy for a photo I used my veggie peeler to shave off a few twirls of chocolate to garnish the top. (This works best if you warm the chocolate just a bit).
I also like to use a pure essential oil* for a super clean, intense mint experience that cannot be rivaled by extracts. I love the NOW brand peppermint oil (it’s pure…I’ve done my homework! and you CANNOT beat their prices) and I have other favorite & affordable essential oil brands here. (affiliate links)
It couldn’t be easier to make: just dump everything in your blender *except* for the chocolate, and blend until creamy, then break your chocolate into smaller pieces and blend for a few pulses more to get it just the right size to go up the straw. It’s heart meltingly good, AND gives you a good protein boost. What more do you need?
SO quick and yummy…this is my perfect companion for an afternoon of running errands!
***Please Note: For an every day, lighter version scale your cream back to 2T, or use half & half. If you go with the decadent full dose of heavy cream makes this a rich dessert or S meal if you’re a Trim Healthy Mama. You may also opt to add a scoop of protein powder to boost the protein as a meal.***
Here’s your pin and printable
THM Peppermint Chocolate Chip Milkshake Recipe
- ½ c. cottage cheese (2% Daisy is my fave)
- 1½- 2 c. ice
- 1 c. unsweetened almond milk
- 2 T or ¼ c. cream or ½ & ½
- 1½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. peppermint extract or 1-2 drops food grade essential oil
- 1-2 T Erythritol (or Xylitol or Truvia) + stevia extract to taste
- ⅛ t. gluccomannan or xanthan gum, optional
- ½ oz. 85% dark chocolate bar
- (optional) To make garnish curls, warm chocolate to warmish room temp, and use a veggie peeler to make curls.
- Chop chocolate bar into smallish chunks and set aside.
- Add remaining ingredients to your blender, and blend until well combined and smooth.
- Add chopped chocolate and blend or pulse to chop them up to straw-sized chunks.
- Pour into a tall glass, and top with whipped cream & chocolate curls if you're feeling fancy.
- Enjoy!
Using a full ¼ cup of heavy cream creates a *very* heavy/rich S milkshake that I use only on special occasions and as a meal replacement. It's similar calorie wise to the Muffin in a Mug. If you want to lighten it up, half the shake with someone else, scale the cream back and/or sub half & half instead.
*skeptical about using essential oils internally? I get it. I am too. See my soap box here about using them in foods vs. water. Or you can just choose an extract or flavoring that you love. 🙂
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This looks yummy! I am a BIG mint chocolate chip fan (especially with the bits that easily melt and are not huge chunks…I don’t like to chew them and get them stuck in my teeth), so this looks awesome. I can just imagine its creaminess with the use of the cottage cheese addition. Genius! Must try this week =0)
Gwen- I thought it couldn’t get any better after your Egg Nog Frappa, which I have been making every day since you posted. This one looks amazing, too. Mint chocolate chip is my very favorite ice cream, and this will replace that nicely!
I love your recipes
Just a quick question…is this a FP,S,E??
With the cream or the 1/2 and 1/2 it would be S
I made your mint chocolate chip milkshake this morning, and it was delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us! 🙂
Just made this and did it with the chlorophyll…. SOOOO YUMMY! 🙂 Super!
This is the best drink I’ve had on THM!!! OH MY WORD!!!!!!!
You could throw in a handful of spinach (it won’t change the flavor AT ALL, I promise) and it will give it the green color that most mint chocolate chip ice cream has.
I have dairy allergies; is there a substitute for the cottage cheese?
Carina, I’m sorry, but I don’t have a lot of experience with dairy subs. Does anyone else have any ideas for Carina?
I can’t have dairy either. I made this without the cottage cheese and used canned coconut milk instead of cream. I subbed brown rice protein powder (plan approved). I also used Skinny Chocolate (which I made with a few drops of peppermint oil) instead of the chocolate bar. I hope it’s still an S!
And I’m not sure about the tofu since we are supposed to avoid soy.
I was checking out another blog with a milkshake recipe, she gave the option to use tofo for a dairy free option
We are supposed to avoid soy though. I just made it without the cottage cheese, and hope with my subs (mentioned above) it’s still an S!
I can’t have dairy either. I made this without the cottage cheese and used canned coconut milk instead of cream. I subbed brown rice protein powder (plan approved). I also used Skinny Chocolate (which I made with a few drops of peppermint oil) instead of the chocolate bar. I hope it’s still an S!
And I’m not sure about the tofu since we are supposed to avoid soy.
This looks super yummy! I love mint chocolate things during Christmas. My daughter’s favorite treat is a mint Oreo blizzard. I might have to see if she likes this. She’s only 8, but has a VERY sweet tooth.
this is DELICIOUS! thanks!
This looks AMAZING!!! Thank you! I had a question about the cream or 1/2 and 1/2. With 1/4 cup of it, is this a treat that one should actually save for a “treat”? Like once or twice a week? Or is this something that we could enjoy everyday? Thank you again, I can’t wait to make this!
Heather I subbed the cream for 1 TBS of coconut or MTC oil and it was still amazing! It brings down the calories and adds a super-food kick.
I just updated the recipe and post to answer this…thank you for asking! I was making these a couple of times a month with the cream, and would use them for a heavy S meal replacement. If you want to enjoy them more frequently, then you can split the recipe with someone else, and/or scale the cream back to just a couple T. or sub a couple T of half & half.
Yes, Gwen! Sooo good. We’re enjoying it right this minute and my husband had me email the recipe to his mother. Ha ha.
I think this is going to help me get through “shamrock shake” season!
Yay! I know…the skakes were my downfall even in the cold season. 🙂
This was delicious! I used fresh mint leaves & a scoop of vanilla protein powder to make it a meal. Oh my word…so good! Thank you!
Woot! Fresh mint leaves? Sounds DIVINE!
That is a great Idea. Just noticed my mint was growing again this spring!! yay!
Hey, tastes great! My only problem is the consistency is not thick like a milkshake, is it supposed to be? It’s probably because I have a cheap/simple blender that has difficulty with ice, but I just wondered… BTW, don’t add too much peppermint, it has a kick!
It should be nice and thick. Try adding your ice a little at a time. Some blenders actually heat the contents, which can sort of mess up the nice thick texture as well.
I FINALLY got into the mood for a Mint Choc Shake….and I had to do a bit of a retrofit ’cause all I had was cocoa powder. No chocolate bars. It worked. OH MY, did it work! The Manlings all tried to steal my shake. Rotten children!
Sounds delicious! I’ve been playing with different flavors as well!
Delicious! I’m sitting here right now enjoying every scrumptious drop. I used protein powder, since this is a post-workout treat. I also used some peppermint skinny chocolate I made yesterday (not a dark chocolate fan). I’m thinking I’ll make some tummy tucking ice cream using it, too. I have a serious a peppermint bark craving right now, and can’t get enough of it. This recipe will keep me from buying the not-so-trim and healthy stuff at the store! Thank you so much for posting it!
Yay! GO Trim Healthy Mama!
OH MY GOODNESS – AMAZING!!!!! It really does taste just like a shake! I read the recipe wrong and accidentally added 1/2 of a bar instead of 1/2 of an ounce! That puts my net carbs from chocolate at 10 – a yummy oops! I will scale back on that next time. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So glad you are enjoying…it would have been wrong to waste that lovely chocolate. 🙂
Question – just made this and jotted down the Fat/Carb totals as I went. According to my totals, this has 11g fat and 16 carbs (8 from 2 T of Truvia). Is this still an S? More specifically – Chocolate 4.2g fat, 4 carbs; Cottage Cheese, 1.5g fat, 4 carbs; Unsweetened Almond Milk 2.5g fat, <1 carb; 1/2 and 1/2 3g fat, 1 carb; TRUVIA 0 fat, 8 carbs. How is this an S with 16 carbs?
Truvia has no net carbs so it’s really only 8 carbs for the drink. 🙂
I don’t count carbs from sugar alcohols.
I finally made this correctly. I always think I can guess on everything if I don’t have the recipe right in front of me or that if I am missing an ingredient, I can compromise and insert another. That works most of the time, but when I made this for my teens without ice and added a few dashes of salt ( because most thm drinks do:)….let’s just say it was less than good. So today, I am “drinking lunch” by myself. So worth the splurge. I used half n half and the chlorophyl along with some peppermint extract. Wonderful! Thank you/:)
Ha! Yep…the cottage cheese is salty enough usually. Glad you’re enjoying it!
Yum!
Having this for my first time.
brave soul in this cold! 🙂
Three times now. 🙂
Delicious!
This time I added wpp & subbed 1T MCT oil for the heavy cream.
So good! 🙂
Yay! I had one today!
I’ve made this a few times now with my old, dying blender and while it was tasty, the ice was still a little chunky and the cream separated out, giving it a weird texture. Just made it again with my new Blendtec, bumped the gluccie up to 1/2 tsp, and added a handful of spinach to make it green. Oh, my that’s wonderful. Thank you. Your recipes make getting back on the THM wagon so much easier…and tastier. 🙂
Yay! So glad you’re enjoying it. Spinach was never tastier than when blended with spinach and cottage cheese. WHO KNEW! Haha! Congrats on your new Blendtec!
Home today for MLK Day. Absolutely loved this shake! I used fat free half and half. Can’t believe how wonderful it was. All gone!
Can’t get over this shake, Gwen! Thank you!!! 😉
It’s really me, Andrea. 😉
🙂 Hi Andrea!!! Glad you are loving it!
Thanks for this recipe Gwen! Tastes like mint chocolate chip ice-cream especially when I added a bit of Swanson’s protein powder and a piece of skinny chocolate. Going to keep this for a rare treat:)
I just made this (halved it) and subbed the peppermint for a tsp of peanut butter and added a piece of salted caramel skinny chocolate. This is seriously the best shake ever!
drinking this right now… this is absolutely delicious! Cannot believe it has cottage cheese in it.
Glad you’re enjoying it! 🙂 My teenager LOVES these and had NO idea that there was cottage cheese in them either.
Only 2 grams of sugar? Are you sure? Because my Great Value 1% cottage cheese says 4 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup.
Nutrition counts vary from brand to brand. I really love the Daisy brand products, because they’re made without fillers and with hormone free milk (last I checked via their website). Some fillers like maltodexterin and starches will bump the carb/sugar count up.
I love this shake and lots of the other great THM recipes on your site!! 🙂 Thanks Gwen!! 🙂
This is what I call good recipe.
Can’t wait ti make, looks awesome!!
Hope you enjoy!
I have been on a not lucky streak with THM desserts. But I risked it and tried this shake, I have had it on Pinterest for quite awhile. Oh my it was delicious! My husband, myself and our 6 and 2 year old kids were going crazy for this! Thanks so much! You have saved me more than once with your awesome recipes.
*high five!* SO happy to be a part of your healthy food journey. 🙂
This recipe is delicious! I have made this several times. Today I used this recipe to make a cake batter shake. It is cold today so I didn’t add ice. I have used this recipe to make a chocolate and peanut butter shake, a peanut butter shake, and a chocolate shake. Love this recipe as well as all your recipes Gwen. Thank-you for your hard work!
Sorry but the recipe for the Thin Mint Chocolate Chip shake does not show up on the page.
Hi Nicole,
I’m seeing it on my PC and my phone…what device are you using?
What kind of peppermint extract do you use? I only used 1/8 tsp (when I opened the bottle that’s all I found left) and all we could taste was an overpowering taste of mint. Wondering if what I have is too concentrated….looking forward to trying it again another time, because the texture was very creamy and I can imagine the flavor would be good without so much mint.
I use NOW brand peppermint essential oil, and less than a drop will give you a super fresh peppermint flavor. Extracts may vary in strength…try a drop next time?
An un-named family member once used 1/8 tsp of essential oil in the shake, and we ended up having to freeze it in ice cube trays and using just part of a cube to flavor a whole batch. 🙂 Think of them as starter cubes.
Hi Gwen. This shake is amazing!! I am wondering how many calories are in the shake. My doctor has asked me to track calories.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you!!! So glad you’re enjoying it. 🙂 I recommend using an app like My Fitness Pal to figure calories. It will somewhat depend on which brands and ingredients you use, so I don’t include it in my recipes since people are using it for medical reasons. I feel it’s safer for them to figure it on their own. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious treat! When the children have ice cream, this is what I make myself. 🙂 I use the mint chlorophyll and love the taste So refreshing and sweet. When I have been out of chocolate, I have used a tablespoon of cocoa powder – the color is a bit funky, but the taste is all there, and hey, I’ll choose taste over looks if it involves chocolatey goodness. 🙂 Love your blog!
Thank you so much, Sarah! Love your ideas of using chlorophyll and cocoa!
Oh, my!! My hubby will love it as long as he doesn’t know it might be healthy for him!! 🙂
Ha! Mine knew but didn’t believe it! 🙂
Awesome! We loved this! I will definitely be making it again and again and again!!! 🙂
So glad! 🙂 It’s a favorite here too!
If I leave the mint flavoring/oil out of the recipe, would it taste like a chocolate chip milk shake?
Yes! I’d add in vanilla instead of the mint to get a good chocolate chip milkshake flavor. 🙂
Sounds wonderful, didn’t think about the extra vanilla! Thank you!
Hi Gwen – Boy am I glad I found your page! My aunt and I are trying to reach our weight loss goals by sticking to a low-carb sugar-free diet. We’ve succeeded in the past and are determined to do it again. Currently our go-to sweet treat is a Starbucks Mocha Frappucino with sugar-free mocha and Breve style (using half and half). We both love ordering peppermint mochas when they are in season. However, we are quite aware of the artificial sweetener that is in the sugar-free mocha syrup and that is not good for you 🙁 Anyway, this mint chocolate shake will be our new treat from now on. It’s so much better for you, lower in calories I’m sure, and CHEAPER!! Thanks gwen for sharing your awesome recipes!
You’re SO welcome, Natasha! I’m cheering you on!
I tried this recipe…it smelled yummy, looked yummy, but when I tasted it I got a yucky aftertaste. I used THM sweet blend & peppermint extract. It was my first time using gluccomannan, almond milk and 1/2 & 1/2. What might have left that aftertaste? Maybe I can exclude it next time.
Hmmm…I’d probably do a little testing to pinpoint what’s giving you the aftertaste. It could possibly be just a little too much of the sweetener, or it could be your peppermint extract?
Two things; first…..delicious! Second: has anyone tried melting the chocolate first and then adding to the rest of the ingredients?
Mine made almost 32 oz. I only used 1 1/2 cups of ice but I did use the 1/4 cup of cream. Does the 32 oz constitute a serving? Iam thinking not
You *can* enjoy the whole 32 ounces, but I usually split it with my kids, or freeze the rest in popsicle moulds or in ice cubes to refresh later. 🙂
I kind of like the chip chunks, but you *can* add a tablespoon of cocoa if you want more chocolate flair to your milkshake! You’ll probably want to up the sweetener if you do add cocoa. HTH!
This is my hands down favorite on plan recipe. I have made this at least twice a week since I started THM and it has won over several skeptical family members! I am a HUGE Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream fan and this absolutely takes care of that craving for me. YUM. Thank you, Gwen!
This was delish! I didn’t have any chocolate chops or chocolate bars on hand so I added 1 TBSP of cocoa powder for my chocolate flavor and used 3 tsp of truvia for sweetener and it was so yummy!
does anyone know the protein content with using cream? I am pregnant and I need to track my protein intake.
Cream doesn’t contain any protein. But you can add carton egg whites (they’re pre-pasteurized) if you want to boost the protein content!
Love it! I use essential oil and think it tastes better than extract. I add a tablespoon of collagen to it too. It’s always been tasty except the time I accidentally added my vitamin C powder instead of collagen. That was a huge oops!! 🙂 thank you for the great recipe.
I love this shake!! I made it on St. Patrick’s Day and added spinach to add the green color for a “Shamrock Shake”! It was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! Thanks for all of your yummy recipes
Sounds SO yummy, Dawn! *high five*
I was very skeptical but decided to try this. It really is very good!
On the dark chocolate bar–no sugar right? Like baking chocolate?
That, or 85% chocolate. 🙂
I have the sweet and gentle sweet blends. How much of either should I use if I make this?
Thanks. I love mint chocolate chip and this sounds perfect.
I’d use 2 tablespoons of Gentle sweet or 2 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon) of Super Sweet for this. Enjoy! 🙂
Have you tried adding spinach to this? I am wondering if it would change the flavor or texture! It’ll turn it green, for sure, but that goes right along with the mint flavor!! Hehe!
I have added spinach, and about 6-8 baby spinach leaves doesn’t change the texture or flavor at all! 🙂
Looks like an amazing shake except I have a dairy problem. What can I use to substitute the cottage cheese and the cream.
Thank you!
You can try it with my dairy free yogurt recipe. 🙂
I was looking for a different smoothie than normal and decided to try this one. Very tasty and I had all the ingredients on hand! I used Pyure as the sweetener. Thanks!
hi, Gwen. I just wanted to say I had a happy accident with your mint chocolate shake.
I cant use cottage cheese for a diet restriction so I left it out so I added okra instead. I ended up
making icecream! It was delicious!!
Im not sure if it stayed in S but it would make a good icrecream for those ice cream craving days.
thanks
This was yum! My boy said it tastes like Menchies frozen yogurt. I skipped the gum/gluco and used 1/2 an avocado. It was very creamy and good.
Omg Gwen thank you so much for this recipe!! I’m a THM newbie (only been following for 3 weeks but have already lost 5 pounds!) and have recently been burned using my precious ingredients in a couple falsely advertised recipes. This shake is as it claims to be…absolutely delicious!
Followed the recipe and all I taste is an overpowering mint flavor. What went wrong?
If you’re using a mint essential oil, then just a drop will do. If using an extract, use it to taste. Since there are so many products out there, and each person has individual preferences, it’s impossible to give a specific beyond “to taste.”
You can always just start a drop at a time, until you find the level that really suits you…then measure out how many drops and jot that down on your recipe. 😉
I used to make this until I cut out dairy. What could I substitute for the cottage cheese?
Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Lisa
Is there a DF cream cheese that you could sub for creaminess? And just bump up the amount of liquid to compensate. 🙂
Im am new to dairy free. What can I use in place of cottage cheese
You can use my Coconut Yogurt that’s Dairy Free! in smoothies and popsicles for a creamy bulk.
If I add a handful of kale and a scoop (32gm), am I changing the mode?
TY,
Lynnita
Oops a scoop of whey protein powder
Nope! Neither of those ingredients are any significant fats or carbs.