This post contains affiliate links.
In college, my late-night study treat was a chocolate peanut butter cup—I would stash them in the fridge, and I swear they tasted even better chilled. That inspired me to craft this chocolate peanut butter smoothie—it’s like nostalgia in a glass, but with a healthy twist.
- It tastes like dessert. Frozen bananas, cacao, and peanut butter powder blend into a rich, chocolatey treat that feels indulgent without added sugar (or a ton of calories).
- Simple, pantry-friendly ingredients. Everything in this smoothie is easy to keep on hand, making it a go-to when you want something fast and satisfying.
- Filling and energizing. Fiber from the cauliflower and natural carbs from bananas help keep you full and fueled for hours.
Table of Contents
Smoothie Ingredients
It’s super easy to make a tasty chocolate smoothie, but making it “good for you” takes a few simple tweaks that I’m excited to share with you today:
- Bananas (frozen): A frozen banana adds a cold creamy texture to your smoothie. Ripe bananas are one of the best natural sweeteners, so you don’t need any refined sugars. Freeze bananas ahead of time so you have them on hand.
- Peanut butter powder: Delivers rich, nutty flavor and a boost of protein while being lower in calories and less messy on the blender than traditional peanut butter. If you want to use peanut butter, look for natural peanut butter with no added sugar or hydrogenated oils. You can swap with any other nut butter you like such as cashew or almond butter.
- Frozen riced cauliflower: Frozen riced cauliflower is one of those sneaky smoothie upgrades that no one sees coming! It blends right in, adding a subtle boost of fiber and nutrients without altering the flavor. Not only does it make your smoothie thicker and creamier, but it also keeps things extra cold.
- Raw cacao powder: Provides a deep chocolate taste with antioxidant benefits. Look for raw cacao powder in the baking aisle or health food section of most grocery stores. I like picking mine up at Trader Joe’s or Thrive Market to save money.
- Oat milk: A creamy, non-dairy milk base that ties all the flavors together. Choose unsweetened oat milk to avoid unnecessary added sugars, and check the label for simple, wholesome ingredients. Make oat milk or choose from the cleanest oat milk brands.
- Vanilla bean powder: Adds a warm flavor that enhances the chocolate and peanut butter combination. Plus, it offers a touch of sweetness without adding extra sugar.
Why I use Powdered Peanut Butter
I’ve updated this smoothie recipe to use peanut butter powder instead of traditional peanut butter, and here’s why: Peanut butter is just plain messy in the blender—sticky, hard to measure, and, let’s be honest, tricky to clean.
Plus, it’s tough to find truly clean versions without added oils or sugars. Peanut butter powder, on the other hand, is a game-changer: they’ve removed the fat, so it’s lower in calories but still packed with that peanut flavor and protein. Just be sure to pick a brand without sneaky sweeteners—I’ve done the homework and this is the one I use in my kitchen.
Save This for Later!
Enter your info below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox to save for later.
▶ Want healthy eating to feel easier? Start with my free 5-Day Smoothie Challenge— or jump into the 21-Day Cleanse for a full reset.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Place your frozen ripe banana, cacao powder, powdered peanut butter, cauliflower, oat milk and vanilla bean powder in a high-speed blender for smoothies.
- Combine until smooth and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides of the blender, if needed, and add extra oat milk if the smoothie is too thick.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- If I’m blending this healthy chocolate peanut butter smoothie for breakfast, I like to add additional protein by throwing in a serving of homemade protein powder, or a plant-based protein powder of your choice.
- For more tips, see my how to make a smoothie guide.
Storing Tips
You can store this chocolate smoothie in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, pour into ice cube trays and transfer to a freezer safe bag once frozen. When ready to enjoy, thaw in fridge overnight and re-blend to get the best consistency.
More Chocolate Smoothie Recipes
If you’ve got a craving then these chocolate smoothies are for you. These are all deliciously healthy and actually taste good. Pick one and get blending!
- Chocolate cherry smoothie
- Chocolate weight loss shake
- Chocolate strawberry green smoothie
- Skinny mint chocolate chip smoothie
If you make this chocolate peanut butter smoothie, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below. Your feedback helps me and all the readers in this community. And if you’re interested in more plant-based recipes (and exclusive content), sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ bananas
- ½ cup riced cauliflower frozen
- 2 tablespoon powdered peanut butter unsweetened
- 2 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 cup oat milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until creamy.
Video
Helpful Tools
Notes
- Recipe updated 5/18/2026 based on my goal of making this healthier for all. Video hasn’t been updated yet— if you want to see the previous recipe version.
- Oat milk gives this peanut butter and chocolate shake extra creaminess, yet you can swap it with cashew, almond, coconut, or another non-dairy milk.
- Use unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder; either works fine!
- Using homemade protein powder will give you 10 extra grams of protein, turning this smoothie into a complete meal.
- Bananas give this smoothie creaminess + sweetness, yet you can swap it out with avocado + maple syrup, avocado + date or cauliflower + maple syrup.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review for a chance to win signed copies of my cookbooks!Common Questions
I wouldn’t say peanut butter is bad for you in a smoothie—it’s a popular, easy-to-find option, and it brings healthy fats and protein. That said, I personally prefer powdered peanut butter. It’s less messy, easier to clean up, and lower in calories—so I get that peanut flavor and protein without the extra oil. It’s all about what works best for you!
Chocolate and peanut butter make a smoothie feel like a treat, but they can also be surprisingly healthy! Raw cacao powder adds antioxidants, and natural peanut butter brings protein and healthy fats. Together, they create a delicious, nutrient-packed blend you can feel good about!
Absolutely! Adding raw cacao powder to your smoothie infuses it with rich chocolate flavor and a boost of antioxidants. Typically, 1-2 tablespoons per serving works well. Since ‘cacao’ is less sweet than ‘cocoa’, consider balancing it with natural sweeteners like ripe bananas or dates. Experimenting with cacao can transform your smoothie into a delicious, nutrient-packed treat!
Each to his/her own but just the smell of peanut butter is nauseating. There’s no way in a fit I’d use it in anything. Sorry. I’ll stick with my fruit smoothies.
May have been better if I had the banana
Hands down, my favorite smoothie!! I don’t even really like chocolate. But the smooth, creamy combo makes me smile.
Yummy. This smoothie tasted like a melt shake I enjoyed but more healthier. Going to add this to my snack list.
Love the chocolate! My kids saw the chocolate and wanted to try it. We prefer less banana though.
I really like this Peanut Butter Chocolate Smoothie. I think the next time I make it, I will use only 1 banana; I think using 2 bananas was too much.
Usually my favorite smoothie but this time my bananas were not ripe enough and I put a bit too much cinnamon in when I doubled the batch. Still love it though and the less ripe bananas were less sugary.
Fantastic combo of chocolate and peanut butter. Perfect sweetness. Decadent while still healthy!
Liked this one. Little bit to sweet with two bananas. Next time I take avocado and add spinach.
Love, love, love this one. It’s missing something though. Oh, I know….whipped cream and a cherry on top. Lol
I made this for my daughter who was sick with a sore throat. Much better than the survey she would like to have, and still cool on her throat. I reduced the cinnamon to 1/4 tsp, and that was still plenty. For us, 1 tsp would have been too much. Also used Ghirardelli cocoa powder and added some hemp seeds. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m looking to lower the carbs on this smoothie (getting it closer to your other ones between 50-60g) – what can I substitute that banana out for to lower the natural sugars?
Hi Allyssah – great question! Our go-to substitute for banana to lower sugars is avocado! You’ll get a great serving of healthy fats, plus minimal sugars AND your smoothie will still be SUPER creamy! For most smoothies use this substitution ratio: 1/2 avocado = 1 banana or 1/4 avocado = 1/2 banana (Basically, half the serving quantity of banana when substituting avocado). 🙂
This was terrific! I recently bought an entry level vitamix and am new to the smoothie game. I’m trying to break my starchy carbs habit (bagels, bread, etc)to lose some weight and improve my energy. I used unsweetened almond milk and added 1/4 cup oats and 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. Delicious!
These are my favorite flavors, so comforting! I usually still end up adding spinach to all my smoothies for the extra nutrients since it’s so mild. As a side note, peanuts are actually legumes (edible seeds that grow in pods, like beans, lentils and peas), not a fungus. 😀
I agree, spinach does blend in really well to almost any smoothie. Great job always adding in leafy greens!
It was good. I added a big handful of spinach, used cashew milk instead of oat and almond butter instead of peanut butter. I could drink this everyday
I think this is my favorite smoothie so far!!
I made a lot of subs since I don’t eat peanut butter or chocolate, that Im not sure i even get the same effect. Sounds yuummy
Loved this one. Was just like dessert. So creamy and delicious
It’s so good I add cauliflower now I love add my veggies in my smoothie!!!
Interesting combination of ingredients. I did not like it as much as I thought I would. I used almond milk instead of oat milk. I am going to try it again. These smoothies are amazing–I am definitely becoming a fan!
Yummy-move over Reese’s! Sweeter than I thought it would be. Used chunky almond butter.
First taste was with skepticism…then all in. Enjoyed this smoothie