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If you’re a fan of chocolate covered strawberries, then this chocolate strawberry smoothie is for you. A naturally sweet, indulgent dessert.
I love mixing flavors and coming up with new combos for delicious smoothies. Don’t let the leafy greens in this one scare you. This chocolate strawberry smoothie has the texture of a milkshake and will satisfy all those sweet chocolate cravings.
Smoothies with a milkshake texture are my jam, but dairy is not my friend. Most of my smoothie recipes use plant-based ingredients, yet still blend together into a creamy treat.
Table of Contents
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie Ingredients
- Kale: A leafy green in a dessert?! Kale YEAH. Massage the kale and de-stem before adding to the blender to cut down on the bite. Tip: Baby kale is a milder kale option.
- Almond Milk: Unsweetened plant milk is a great way to thicken a smoothie. Almond milk provides a bit of protein and a mild, nutty flavor that compliments both the fruit and cacao.
- Strawberries: During strawberry season, use fresh for the sweetest taste. If you’re blending this smoothie during the winter months, frozen strawberries will give you the best flavor.
- Banana: I love freezing bananas to have on hand for tasty treats. Bananas provide natural sweetness as well as the milkshake flavor I want.
- Cacao Powder: Unsweetened cacao powder is a chocolate-lovers paradise. No need for extra sweetener since you’re using other fruity ingredients. Surprisingly, cacao also helps balance the bite from the kale.
Simple Ingredient Swaps
This dreamy chocolate smoothie will stay dreamy, even with a few easy swaps. Use the dairy-free milk of your choice in place of almond milk. Strawberries can be swapped with any berry you choose. Use unsweetened cocoa powder in place of cacao powder.
Cut back on natural sugar by using 1/2 the banana and adding 1/4 an avocado. Boost protein, healthy fat and fiber by adding in this homemade protein powder.
Why I Add Leafy Greens to Smoothies
Surprisingly, this dessert-like chocolate strawberry smoothie only has 15 grams of natural sugar. It also boasts 9 grams of fiber, helping to process that natural sugar into a smooth energy boost that won’t leave you jittery.
This comes from the mighty kale leaves. Adding leafy greens to smoothies provides protein and fiber to break down the sugar from the fruit into useable energy for your body.
Pro Tip: Add 1 cup of leafy greens to any fruit smoothie to help cut down on the natural sugar. If you’re new to leafy greens, start with a small amount! Then as you get used to adding them, start increasing the amount to a healthy giant handful (one cup).
Tips for Blending
Smoothies can sometimes get a little thin, which is harder to enjoy (in my opinion). I always make sure to blend an ingredient that naturally thickens my smoothie. This chocolate strawberry smoothie uses almond milk as the base (thicker than water) and banana.
Other easy thickeners include vegan yogurt, cauliflower or avocado. You can also swap out almond milk for cashew milk, oat milk or coconut milk for a creamier liquid base.
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie FAQs
Yes! While this might be an opinion, chocolate typically goes well with most berries. Strawberries provide a sweet balance to the bitterness of cacao powder.
My version of a chocolate strawberry milkshake uses a banana as a natural sweetener and thickener and cacao powder for a less processed, yet still chocolatey flavor. Plant milk makes this delightfully dairy free.
Yes! Just make sure the cocoa powder is 100% unsweetened and the only ingredient listed is cocoa powder.
More Dessert Smoothie Recipes
I love the idea of a dessert that gives my body a natural energy boost instead of putting me to sleep. Smoothies like my chocolate strawberry smoothie taste like a sweet treat yet use plant-based ingredients. Here are a few more favorite ‘desserts’.
- Strawberry ‘Milk’shake
- Chocolate Covered Cherry Smoothie
- Raspberry Smoothie
- Shamrock Shake
- Skinny Mint Smoothie
- Strawberry Smoothie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake
- Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
I’d love to know how this smoothie turned out for you; will you leave a rating + review once you’ve tried it?
Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 cup strawberries frozen
- ½ banana
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 serving homemade protein powder optional
Instructions
- Place kale and almond milk in blender. Puree until smooth.
- Add fruit and cacao, and blend again.
Notes
- Use at least one frozen fruit to make the smoothie cold.
- Swap in unsweetened cocoa powder for cacao powder.
- To lower the natural sugar, use 1/4 banana and 1/4 avocado.
- Use the plant milk of your choice in place of the almond milk.
- Use the leafy greens of your choice in place of the kale.
Favorite smoothie so far!
Super yummy, I’m new to smoothies and I’m loving them so far!!
This was delicious without being too sweet. A winner.
A little bit of cocoa can go a long way! Using almond milk filled me up more and I ended up eating less for the day! The next time I make this I think I will either use fresh strawberries or use raspberries instead. I liked it!
This recipe is very tasty! It is a dark chocolate taste though, so be prepared for that.
I think today’s is my favourite so far!
I wasn’t as big of a fan of this one. I’m chalking it up to adding protein powder and making it too thick. But I couldn’t really taste the spinach so there’s that!
I love this smoothie. As a sugar free lady, I will be using this recipe when I feel the need for a chocolate hit. Health benefits and satisfying cravings
This was absolutely delicious! I think the almond milk and using frozen strawberries made it extra creamy. Adding this to the regular routine!!
This was a very good smoothie. More like a desert. This one will be added to my favorites for sure.
Not my favorite! Which is shocking because I love all thing chocolate. Another poster mentioned super ripe starwberries and i think fresh berries in this one might make it better. The frozen ones were rather tart and clashed a bit with the cocoa.
He Tiffany,
Feel free to add some all natural sweeteners to your smoothie if it’s too bitter. You are completely correct that if your fruit isn’t perfectly ripe it might cause your smoothie to taste tart.
Check out our recommendation for all natural sweeteners:
Chocolaty deliciousness. One of my favorites!
Love love love this recipe!
I was suffering from a migraine and craving my usual chocolate junk food but made this instead. So glad I did! Such a great and filling treat! I added oats and almond butter for a complete meal. It more than eliminated my craving, kept me full, and took away my icky headache and groggy feeling. My current favorite smoothie.
I will thaw the frozen strawberries next time. It was to cold since it’s winter in Minnesota, it was nice and thick and I did add some ground flaxseed.
Chocolate lover here! I really enjoyed this smoothie, it is a chocolate lovers dream minus the sugar. It isnt all that sweet but did surprisingly satisfy my sweet tooth. This will be a go to smoothie in order to cut out candy bars and other sweet cravings.