What is it about this time of year that has me craving cold green drinks? While I’m not into slugging back green-hued ale, I do love a creamy, minty dessert beverage. For the ultimate ice-creamy indulgence, I turn to my Copycat Vegan Shamrock Shake. If I’m in the mood for something light, crisp, and nutritious, I’ll whip up my fruit, veggie, and fresh mint filled Glowing Shamrock Smoothie. Today’s Peppermint Matcha Frappuccino is a happy medium between indulgent and healthy.

I love making my own matcha lattes and drinks at home. Not only does it save you money, but you’ll know exactly what’s in it, and I guarantee it’s a whole lot healthier and natural than anything you can buy at the coffeehouse or cafe. For the tastiest matcha drinks, be sure to purchase a high quality matcha green tea powder. I always use Pure Matcha, which is my favorite brand of matcha powder by far.

This dairy-free frappuccino is made using just a handful of ingredients and a blender. You can make yours extra fancy by piping some coconut whipped cream on top. A touch of peppermint and vanilla extract complement the green tea flavor and satisfy my craving for something minty and cool. Not only does it taste delicious, but the matcha provides your body with loads of antioxidants, not to mention a boost of calm, focused energy, and detoxifying properties. It’s wonderful for your skin, and may even prevent cancer and help burn fat.

Upgrade your green and minty drink repertoire with this easy and cool Peppermint Matcha Frappuccino. Cheers!

makes 1 -2 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plant milk of choice – my favorites are soy milk, homemade cashew milk, and lite coconut milk
• 1 1/2 – 2 tsp matcha powder
• sweetener of choice – I use 2 tsp of maple syrup, or you can use a couple of dates, a pinch of stevia, agave, coconut nectar or your favorite sweetener
• 1/8 tsp peppermint extract
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup of ice

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. Taste and adjust the sweetener, peppermint, or matcha. For a more chunky-icy texture, blend everything but the ice first. Then add the ice and pulse a few times.

To make the coconut whipped cream, refrigerate a can of full fat coconut milk overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, scoop out just the thickened cream and whip using a hand mixer or a fork. Add in a little sweetener to taste. Store in the fridge. I used a large frosting tip to pipe the whip onto my drink and added a tiny sprinkle of matcha powder.

Try blending a handful of fresh mint leaves into your milk of choice before adding the remaining ingredients, for a natural mint flavor. Sometimes I even add a handful of spinach for an extra boost of nutrition (it will be completely undetectable).