Here’s a way to get your chocolate fix and eat something healthy at the same time: try a Chocolate Banana Smoothie! This smoothie is full of good for you ingredients, but tastes like a healthy chocolate milkshake. It’s sweet enough to make you feel like it’s a treat, but not so intense it feels like dessert. Bananas, cocoa powder, and Greek yogurt make magic in the blender with just a little maple syrup for sweetener. This recipe is perfect for when you’re craving a treat (and our kid thinks it’s actual ice cream!).
Ingredients in the best chocolate banana smoothie
There’s not a lot to this chocolate banana smoothie. In fact, we developed it around ingredients we always have in our pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need to have on hand:
Bananas: Here’s the best part: no freezing necessary! You can use room temperature bananas; you’ll just need lots of ice to get that perfect creamy texture. Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is ideal for adding to smoothies because it’s packed with protein and it has probiotics for a healthy gut. You can skip this if you’d like a vegan smoothie. Milk: You can use any type of milk here, dairy or non-dairy. Add more non-dairy milk for vegan. Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder gives that signature chocolate flavor, in combination with the sweetener. Maple syrup: Maple syrup is our sweetener of choice; you can also use honey or agave syrup. Ice: Add quite a bit of ice, and it all comes together into a smooth, chocolaty puree.
Amp the protein with add-ins (like peanut butter!)
Want to add a little more protein to you chocolate banana smoothie? Here are our best recommendations, both plant-based and dairy protein:
Peanut butter: What could a better pairing? Peanut butter goes hand in hand with chocolate and banana (it also adds a hit of plant-based protein). Start with 1 to 2 tablespoons. Adding peanut butter increases the calories, but also makes this smoothie more filling. More Greek yogurt: Double the quantity of Greek yogurt in this recipe for an even more filling smoothie. This is great for breakfasts or post-workout snacks. Protein powder: You can always hide protein powder in smoothies! Typically we prefer to avoid it because it can leave an odd aftertaste. But this smoothie would be a good one since the chocolate flavor is strong enough to mask it.
Variation: vegan chocolate banana smoothie
Prefer to have a vegan smoothie? You can easily make this chocolate banana smoothie plant-based by doing the following:
Cut the Greek yogurt. Use oat milk or almond milk, adding a little more as needed until it blends. Consider adding peanut butter for added plant-based protein.
Variation: dark chocolate banana smoothie
Are you a dark chocolate lover like me? Here’s what you can do turn this into a dark chocolate banana smoothie: use Dutch process cocoa powder (sometimes labeled dark cocoa powder or Dutched cocoa). Start with 3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder and add more to taste. You also may need to add a little more sweetener to combat the darkness of the cocoa. Dutch process cocoa powder is essentially like a dark chocolate version of cocoa powder. It’s been treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral, which gives it a darker color and milder flavor. We use it in lots of our recipes to get a rich chocolaty flavor, like Flourless Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Banana Muffins.
More chocolate snacks
This chocolate banana smoothie is near and dear to my heart because…confession. I’m a chocoholic! I’m not against chocolate in any way: but I also love to have healthier ways to get my chocolate fix. Here are a few more of my favorite healthy-ish ways to enjoy chocolate:
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie This smoothie tastes like chocolate covered strawberries: the perfect wholesome treat. Healthy Chocolate Pudding Snack This chocolate snack tastes rich and chocolaty, but it’s just Greek yogurt, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Chocolate Zucchini Cake Super rich and chocolaty, it’s filled with zucchini to make it moist and chocolate chips. Vegan Chocolate Pudding So creamy, no one will know its dairy free! Cocoa powder and oat milk combine into a decadent dessert.
This chocolate banana smoothie recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, use the variation in the recipe. 5 from 2 reviews
