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Are you ready to blend my chocolate peanut butter smoothie using four simple ingredients to create a wholesome breakfast, quick snack, or pre-workout boost? This creamy flavor-packed smoothie recipe delivers long-lasting energy—and it might just replace your afternoon coffee!
Why I Love this Recipe
Don’t let the decadent flavor fool you—this chocolate peanut butter smoothie isn’t just a treat, it’ll nourish your body and fuel your day. Let’s take a closer look at the awesome health benefits…
Peanut Butter
Peanuts get a bad rap. Yes: 1% of the United States population has a peanut or tree nut allergy. Yes: peanuts are actually a fungus and not a nut. But hear me out: peanuts also have a whole host of nutrition!
Peanuts contain 7 grams of protein in two tablespoons, along with good amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, niacin and vitamin B6. Add in a scoop or two to your next smoothie and enjoy the boost! It contributes both protein and healthy fat in the chocolate peanut butter smoothie below. The natural oil in a peanut is about as heart healthy as olive oil. Peanut butter can also help regulate blood sugar and may reduce the risk of breast disease.
Raw Cacao Powder
Raw cacao powder is one of those ingredients that feels like a treat but may actually be doing your body a favor. It’s made by cold-pressing un-roasted cacao beans, which helps it keep more of its natural nutrients compared to cocoa powder. Thanks to its antioxidants (hello, flavonoids!), it may support heart health, help ease inflammation, and even give your brain a little boost.
It’s also a great source of magnesium, which might help with muscle function, relaxation, and energy production—perfect for a busy day. Plus, cacao contains theobromine, which could give you a gentle pick-me-up and even brighten your mood a bit.
Adding raw cacao to your smoothie is such a simple way to elevate the flavor and sneak in some extra goodness. It’s like having dessert for breakfast, but better for you!
Ingredients You’ll Need
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 have natural sweetness, so you don’t need any refined sugars.
- Peanut butter: Delivers rich, nutty flavor and a boost of protein. 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.
- 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, dairy-free base that ties all the flavors together. Choose unsweetened oat milk to avoid unnecessary added sugars, and check the label for simple, wholesome ingredients. Or, make your own oat milk if you want the cleanest version out there.
- Ground cinnamon (optional): Adds a warm, subtly spicy flavor that enhances the chocolate and peanut butter combination. Plus, it offers anti-inflammatory properties and a touch of sweetness without adding extra sugar.
What’s the healthiest peanut butter?
Look at the ingredient label and make sure it’s just peanuts (no need for extra oils or sweeteners). You can always make your own homemade nut butter in a high-speed blender as well. I don’t recommend using peanut powder, like PB1, since it contains additional sweeteners.
How to Make a Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Place your frozen ripe banana, cacao powder, peanut butter, and oat milk in a blender.
- Combine until smooth and creamy.
- Scrape down the sides of the blender if the peanut butter sticks and add extra oat milk if the smoothie is too thick.
- Pour into a glass and enjoy and garnish with cinnamon if desired.
Recipe Variation
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.
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.
Common Questions
Peanut butter can be a nutritious addition to your smoothie! While peanuts are technically a legume and not a nut, they’re packed with protein, healthy fats, and essential nutrients like magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B6. If you’re not allergic, peanut butter may help with managing blood sugar, supporting heart health, and keeping you feeling full longer. Just opt for natural peanut butter with no added sugars or oils for the healthiest option!
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!
More Chocolate Smoothie Recipes
If you’ve got a craving then I bet I’ve got a chocolate smoothie for you. These are all deliciously healthy and actually taste good. Pick one and get blending!
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
- 2 bananas frozen
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 1 cup oat milk or another plant milk
- ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until creamy.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon, if desired.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- Peanut Butter allergy? No problem! Swap in almond butter or sunflower butter instead.
- Oat milk gives this peanut butter and chocolate shake extra creaminess, yet you can swap it with cashew, almond, coconut, or another plant 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.
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