Honestly, I’m not totally sure what to call this recipe…
Our family calls it a milkshake, but it’s slightly misleading since it doesn’t contain any ice cream.
So, I decided to call it a smoothie instead, but that makes me think of breakfast drinks that contain yogurt and strawberries and sometimes the random handful of kale…
It’s more of a “dessert smoothie,” I guess. This is our favorite treat after a long, hot day working around our homestead. We love kicking back on the front deck or settling down for a movie with a tall, frosty glass of this chocolate peppermint “smoothie” in our hands.
It doesn’t contain any refined sugar, so you don’t have to feel too very guilty for indulging in a chocolate peppermint smoothie every night every so often..
Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie Recipe
- 1 cup whole milk (preferably raw)
- 1.5 cups ice cubes
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (homemade is best, of course)
- 1/8-1/4 cup real maple syrup (affiliate link)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder OR carob powder (affiliate link)
- 8-10 drops liquid stevia extract (I like this brand) (affiliate link)
- 1 drop (yes really, ONE DROP) of Peppermint essential oil* -OR- 1/4 teaspoon of Peppermint extract
Note on the sweeteners: I wanted to avoid white sugar in this recipe. If you don’t have Stevia, use more syrup. Also, you may want to add a bit more, if your family likes their drinks sweeter. As written, it is not overwhelmingly sweet
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend thoroughly.
I originally wrote this recipe to fit my tiny blender (this was before I got my Vitamix). However, if you have a bigger blender, you can totally double it.
*If you are using an essential oil in this recipe, make sure they are labeled as safe for ingestion and are pure. I use a very high-quality brand of essential oils and feel comfortable adding them to the occasion recipe because of their commitment to purity.
Looking for more smoothies-that-think-they-are-milkshakes recipes? Check out my Pumpkin Pie Smoothie and my Orange Creamsicle Smoothie. Yum!
PrintRefreshing Chocolate Peppermint Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk (preferably raw)
- 2 cups ice cubes
- 1 T. vanilla extract
- 1/8–1/4 cup maple syrup (like this)
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder OR carob powder (like this)
- 8–10 drops liquid stevia extract (or use more syrup & sweeten to taste)(I like this one)
- 1 drop Peppermint essential oil* -OR- 1/4 teaspoon of Peppermint extract
Instructions
- Blend thoroughly and enjoy!
I absolutely love milk shakes! My family does too, so thanks for this post!
This looks amazing, and I have raw goat milk in the fridge right now! Thanks for the idea.
I love peppermint ice cream/shakes. Another reason to love the holidays!
I'm definitely intrigued! Sounds yummy!
I'd love for you to stop by my blog on Thursday for my Christmas Recipe Party!
Mmm, this sounds very refreshing!
-Brenda
Hi Jill! I want to welcome you personally to the hearth and soul hop! I am now following your blog via rss reader in google. We have a wonderful milk club and drink Jersey raw milk every day! I do love making frosty treats with the milk and it feels so good to have them and know they are healthy for me! Thanks for sharing on the hearth and soul hop! All the best, Alex
did you really mean 2 tablespoons of vanilla? that seems like a lot! ust wanted to double check before i ruin my shake. 🙂 This sounds delicious, I'm definitely going to try it!
Joanna- I used that much in ours- we like our vanilla! But, maybe start with 1 tablespoon and adjust it to your tastes- I know vanilla extracts vary as well! I used my homemade extract- but everyone's is different.
This sounds yummy! I might add a handful of dark chocolate chips to mine! 🙂
Country Gal- I have added cocoa powder before to make a chocolate peppermint shake and it is awesome! I've been meaning to add that to the post, just haven't got it done yet. 🙂
Okay, it's been cold here but I think I have to make this very soon! I like the addition of cocoa powder/choc chips….yum!
It's just below freezing here (Dallas, TX), but my boys and I decided to try this…SO glad we did! We all loved it! Thank you for the recipe AND the advice to just keep blending. I have a high-powered blender, but hadn't been happy with the icy nature of previous milkshakes…I guess I was just stopping too soon! Thanks for helping me fall in love with my blender again! 🙂
Whitney
Mmmm. Great idea ans I happen to have it all right here. I'll just have to sit by the fire. 🙂
Hi Jill! This sounds amazing – especially the chocolate version! I am in love with mint chocolate and I will definitely be trying this after I get a chance to buy some peppermint extract. Thanks!
I have to share this with you too 🙂 I’ve been making something similar to this all summer with 1 C milk, 1 TBSP cocoa powder, 1 TBSP raw honey, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a large handful of ice. The other day, I went to make this little chocolate shake and realized that we didn’t have any ice. So, I used frozen strawberries in place of the ice and it was SO good. If you’re a fan of chocolate strawberry, give it a try – I think you’ll love it! I know that we do!
Thanks again for this recipe. Can’t wait to give it a try in this HOT weather, although I’m sure that it is yummy during cold weather too! 😉
Oooh my! The strawberry substitute sounds heavenly! Thanks for the idea!
Oooh my! The strawberry idea sounds heavenly! yum!
Hello Jill,
I found your site today when I googled how to make ice cream from raw milk using vanilla beans. As I played I found your milkshakes. I have three boys and I am trying to get them to drink raw milk. One loves it, one does it because I ask him too, but does not enjoy it, and one is drinking half a cup a day because I am making him. I want them to drink it to benefit their bodies. I hope trying these milkshakes will help them to enjoy it more. I buy my milk share from a local farmer and it is precious to me… like gold:) I do not want it to go to waste. Tell me… do you do kefir??? if so, do you have ay recipes???
Really hope your kiddos enjoy the shakes! 😉 No, I don’t yet do milk kefir– although I have tried water kefir. I hope to try the dairy version in the future though!
Jill this milkshake is AMAZING! I made the mint and chocolate they are both yummy! and low -fat thank you so much for this recipe !
Wahoo Angela! These kind of comments are my fav- so happy you like it!
I wonder how it would be with mint from the garden? I think I might try it that way and get some good green in, too.
You could definitely give it a try- although it might be a wee bit bitter. 🙂
This was delicious! Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome! 🙂
In my world, it’s definitely a (super-yummy) milkshake. In New England, shakes made out of milk are called milkshakes, while those made with ice-cream are called frappes (pronounced “fraps”). Look! It’s even on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frapp%C3%A9.
Maple syrup is hard to come by here, so I’ll be experimenting with honey. Thanks for the recipe!
My family loved this! Thanks for the recipe. My son doesn’t like plain milk so I love any new way to get it into him.
This is absolutely AMAZING!!!! Mint is my favorite flavor ever!! Thank you so much
Yay! Glad you like it!