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Let’s be real, sometimes healthy shakes taste…well, healthy. You know, that grassy, vaguely green flavor that screams “I’m doing something good for myself!”? But what if you could have a creamy, indulgent chocolate shake that tasted like a treat, while still packing a serious nutritional punch? Enter my secret weapon: the Banana Chocolate Protein Shake.
Why this Chocolate Protein Shake Rawks
This isn’t your average protein shake. We’re talking velvety smooth, rich chocolate flavor, with a subtle sweetness from banana and boosted with a variety of plant-based protein sources to give you customization freedom to the max!
Here’s a few more reasons I love this recipe:
- I’ve hidden an ingredient that’ll revolutionize your shake game: Frozen cauliflower florets! When blended, they add an incredible creaminess to shakes without altering the flavor. They’re also a sneaky way to add extra fiber and nutrients without anyone getting all cray-cray on you.
- It tastes like a dessert, not a diet drink.
- It’s packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, keeping me full for hours.
- It’s a fantastic post-workout recovery drink.
- It is easily customizable. Use your favorite protein powder (or make my homemade protein powder recipe) for an even bigger protein boost.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chilled Almond Milk: The base of our creamy concoction.
- Frozen Cauliflower Florets: The secret ingredient for ultimate creaminess and extra fiber.
- Almond Butter: Healthy fats and protein for sustained energy.
- Hemp Hearts: A boost of plant-based protein, omega-3s, and fiber.
- Cacao Powder: Rich chocolate flavor and antioxidants.
- Medjool Date: Natural sweetness and a touch of caramel flavor.
- Banana: Creaminess, sweetness, and potassium.
- Cacao Nibs: A crunchy, antioxidant-rich topping.
- Protein powder: Use what you love. My recommendation is an unflavored and unsweetened plant-based blend or make my homemade protein powder.
More Protein Shake Add-Ins
To significantly boost the protein content of a shake, add additional protein powder (whey, plant-based, collagen). You can also add greek yogurt, nut butters, seeds like chia, flax, and hemp, silken tofu, and cottage cheese.
How to Make a Banana Chocolate Protein Shake
Simply toss all the ingredients (except the cacao nibs) into a high-powered blender and blend until smooth and creamy. If you like your shakes extra cold, add a handful of ice. Pour into a glass, sprinkle with cacao nibs, add some sliced banana and toss on some more hemp hearts for a satisfying crunch.
Give it a try, and you might just find your new favorite shake!
Ingredient Swaps
This recipe offer so many easy swap options, so don’t shy away it if you can’t do one of the ingredients! Instead, try one of these substitutes:
Use half a banana or swap it with 1/4 avocado to still be super creamy, yet lower in sugar.
Swap almond milk for oat milk or coconut milk.
Swap almond butter for sunflower seed butter or peanut butter.
Swap dates for a tablespoon of maple syrup (vegan) or honey (vegetarian) to keep the natural sweeteners flowing.
More Protein-Packed Recipes
If you make this banana chocolate protein shake, I wanna know how it turns out for you. Comment below and let me know!
Banana Chocolate Protein Shake
Ingredients
- 1 cups almond milk chilled
- ½ cup frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 tbsp almond butter
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 medjool date pitted
- 1 banana
- ice optional
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
- Add ice to glass (if using) and pour smoothie on top.
- Feel free to top with a drizzle of almond butter and sprinkle with hemp hearts and cacao nibs.
Notes
- Use a serving of Homemade Protein Powder to make this a 25-gram protein shake.
- Add a serving of collagen to get it to be a 45+ gram protein shake.
- To cut down on the natural sugar, swap the banana with avocado.
TODAY is my 69th birthday. What a great day to celebrate with a delicious chocolate smoothie !!
Happy Birthday. Hope it is wonderful.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARGUERITE!! I’m so glad to be able to wish you wellness, happiness and friendship!! We may not know each other but we have shared a connection with each other and so many others over the last 10 days, and I actually had fun looking forward to each day and different smoothie recipes! Also, reading other peoples reviews on the recipes and different ideas and things that we each created to just be a little different. And now you are sharing your 69th birthday with us, a truly special day for you!! It’s an honor to know you, even for this brief moment of time! I hope you really enjoy your Birthday Marguerite!!
Just to be clear, I have a major sweet tooth so I am ALL IN for smoothies that taste like dessert! That said, I expected to like this a little more than I did. I initially thought the two tablespoons of cocoa powder was going to make the smoothie overwhelmingly chocolate-y (is there such a thing?), but I actually didn’t get that much chocolate flavor. It was still delicious, though! I added a handful of spinach, too.
Who doesn’t love Chocolate? This smoothie not only satisfies the chocolate that I sometimes crave but it is healthy as well. Sometimes I will add a bit of peanut butter to it to add some flavor. This one is quite filling and no too sweet, but with just the right amount to keep me going on my mornings. Another winner!
Chocolate goodness for breakfast! Plenty sweet and creamy. Very filling too.
Uplifting!!! Truly hit the spot after a very warm and trying day.
Yummy! Such a treat in the morning! Perfect amount of sweetness. Wonderful deep chocolate flavour.
So yummy! Love this smoothie
This is the best one!! Course I am a chocoholic!!!
I have enjoyed the whole 10 days. Thank you
This tastes kind of rich without being too sweet. I like the chocolate creamy smoothies rather than fruit creamy smoothies. With the fruit smoothies, I prefer just fruit and kale, not milk.
This one is perfect for those chocolate craving days, love knowing I am getting a treat that is healthy and guilt free. Thank you 🙂
Forgot to hit the stars 🙂
Day 10! I did it! Used my homemade cashew milk in this one w a scoop of homemade protein powder…I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in 10 days. This one, like all the others, will be in my smoothie rotation. I can’t wait to share this one w the grandkids! Sounds corny but I do feel like a RAWKSTAR! These recipes will be added to my bag of tricks to manage my diabetes…a very flavorful one for sure! Thank you so much !
So good! I added some peanut butter which definitely adds flavor and texture. So sweet!!
Filling! Begs for a handful of greens. Chocolate hides all.
Absolutely delicious! Kids and I loved this one.
Good smoothie—a bit thinner than I expected, but I love the addition of the Cacao powder.
Love the flavors. Big fan of banana and chocolate and the almond butter blends in great. Smooth and creamy drink.
Thank you for the recipe! I enjoyed this and love that there’s no added sugar and was chocolatey. (I did like this recipe a little better: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/chocolate-peanut-butter-smoothie Nonetheless, I would make this one again, but adjust the amounts of the other ingredients so I only use one banana.